Electronic device and method for automatically controlling operation of the electronic device

An electronic device is adapted to be connected to a plurality of peripheral devices, and includes a storage unit and a control circuit. The storage unit records a preset time and a control list. The control list lists at least a selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices, and an operation mode therefor. The control circuit detects whether the preset time matches a reference time, and if so, controls operation of the selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices according to settings in the control list.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 097145916, filed on Nov. 27, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method for controlling an electronic device, more particularly to a method for automatically controlling an electronic device utilizing the consumer electronic control (CEC) communication protocol.

2. Description of the Related Art

High definition multimedia interface (hereinafter referred to as HDMI) is an interface for transmission of totally digitized video and sound to permit interconnection of a plurality of video or audio devices (e.g., set-top boxes, DVD players, personal computers, televisions, stereo systems, etc.) via a single cable so as to provide digital video and sound of a higher definition, thereby replacing conventional analog audio-visual transmission interfaces, such as SCART, RCA terminals, etc.

The HDMI standard defines a communication protocol known as the consumer electronic control (referred to as CEC hereinafter) communication protocol, which is mainly used to allow a user to utilize an active device to control operations of a plurality of controlled devices that are connected to the active device via the HDMI interface, e.g., using a liquid crystal television (active device) to control turning on or off of a video recorder (controlled device) so as to achieve objectives of one touch play, one touch record, etc., thereby enabling the user to conveniently control electronic devices via the HDMI interface.

Although audio or video devices that support the CEC communication protocol are quite convenient in operation and have become more and more popular, these audio or video devices still require manual control in order to be able to operate, and are incapable of using a certain video or audio device (active device) to control operation of another video or audio device (controlled device) without user control. Therefore, for some people who are often away from home, they may miss favorite TV programs or important information just because they are not physically present to manually control such audio or video devices. Thus, automatic control of audio and video devices that support the CEC communication protocol is the subject of improvement of this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for automatically controlling operation of an electronic device.

Accordingly, the method for automatically controlling operation of an electronic device of the present invention is adapted for use in an active device that is connected to a plurality of controlled devices. According to the method, a preset time is first set in the active device, at least one of the active device and the controlled devices is selected, and an operation mode therefor is set. After setup, the active device starts detecting whether the preset time matches a reference time, and if so, controls operation of the selected at least one of the active device and the controlled devices according to previously made settings.

Further, the active device will detect whether the selected at least one of the active device and the controlled devices has received a forcing signal. If the forcing signal is received before the reference time reaches the preset time, the active device will control operation of the selected at least one of the active device and the controlled devices that has received the forcing signal according to the forcing signal. On the other hand, if the reference time matches the preset time, the active device will detect whether the operation of the selected at least one of the active device and the controlled devices that has received the forcing signal is consistent with an operation specified by the forcing signal. If so, the selected at least one of the active device and the controlled devices that has received the forcing signal is removed from the previously made settings, and operation of another selected at least one of the active device and the controlled devices is controlled according to the settings.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of automatic control.

The electronic device according to the present invention is adapted to be connected to a plurality of peripheral devices, and includes a storage unit and a control circuit. The storage unit records a preset time and a control list. The control list lists at least a selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices, and an operation mode therefor. The control circuit detects whether the preset time matches a reference time, and if so, controls operation of the selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices according to settings in the control list.

Preferably, the control circuit detects whether the selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices in the control list has received a forcing signal. If the forcing signal is received before the reference time reaches the preset time, the control circuit will control operation of the selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices that has received the forcing signal according to the forcing signal.

However, if the preset time matches the reference time, the control circuit will detect whether the operation of the selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices that has received the forcing signal is consistent with an operation specified by the forcing signal. If so, the selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices that has received the forcing signal is removed from the control list, and the control circuit controls the operation of another selected one of the electronic device and the peripheral devices in the control list according to the control list.

The advantageous effect of this invention is that the electronic device can automatically control the electronic device itself and the peripheral devices connected thereto via the CEC communication protocol to enable the same to operate in the previously set operation modes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1shows the preferred embodiment of an electronic device1according to the present invention. The electronic device1(an active device) is adapted to be connected to a plurality of peripheral devices21,22,23,24(controlled devices), and includes a storage unit3, a real-time clock (RTC)4, and a control circuit5. The storage unit3stores a preset time and a control list. The control list stores a listing of the peripheral devices21,22,23,24and the electronic device1to be controlled and modes of operation therefor for selection by a user. The real-time clock4keeps track of the date and time, and generates a reference time. The control circuit5detects whether a preset time matches the reference time, and if so, controls operation of a selected one or selected ones of the peripheral devices21,22,23,24and the electronic device1in sequence according to information in the control list.

In this embodiment, the electronic device1is a liquid crystal television and is connected to the four peripheral devices (e.g., video recorder, stereo system, etc.)21,22,23,24. In other words, the electronic device1is an active device responsible for controlling operations of the four peripheral devices21,22,23,24(controlled devices). Furthermore, the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24support the CEC communication protocol, and use HDMI for data transmission thereamong. In addition, since the formats of data transmitted among the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24may not be the same, the electronic device1further includes four HDMI connectors61,62,63,64, each of which interconnects the control circuit5and a respective one of the peripheral devices21,22,23,24for decoding or encoding the respective data format and subsequent transmission to the control circuit5for processing.

FIG. 2illustrates the first preferred embodiment of a method for automatically controlling operation of an electronic device according to the present invention. First, in step81, a reference time to be generated by the real-time clock4of the electronic device1is set. The reference time is a system time of the electronic device1, i.e., the local time, such as the clock time shown at the lower right corner of the screen of a computer operating under the Windows operating system. In addition, the control circuit5will cause display of a user interface, such as a “System Time Setup” interface shown inFIG. 3, on a screen of the electronic device1for a user to set the reference time. Options that can be set include year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. It should be noted that this step needs to be executed only once, after purchase of the electronic device1or at the first time of use, and that the real-time clock4therein will start keeping track of the date and time.

Next, in step82, a preset time is set, and at least one of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24and an operation mode therefor are selected. As in the previous step, a user interface, such as an “Automatic Activation Time Setup” interface shown inFIG. 4, is displayed on the screen of the electronic device1through the control circuit5for setup of the preset time by the user. Options that can be set include date, start time, and duration time. For example, the date is set to be August 15, the start time is set to be 8:30, and the duration time is set to be 2 hours 30 minutes.

In addition, after the user has set the preset time, the control circuit5will cause display of a user interface, such as a “Control List” interface shown inFIG. 5, on the screen of the electronic device1to allow the user to select one or more of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24to be controlled and the mode(s) of operation therefor. In this example, the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22are selected, and the selected modes of operation therefor are to turn the selected devices ON.

After the user has completed the time setup and confirmed the selections, the electronic device1will store the preset time and the information associated with the user's selections or settings in the storage unit3of the electronic device1. The flow then goes to step83.

In step83, the control circuit5detects whether the reference time generated by the real-time clock4matches the preset time stored in the storage unit3. In the case of the start time shown inFIG. 4, the control circuit5will detect whether the system time is 8:30, August 15th. If so, the flow goes to step84; otherwise, the detection continues.

Before illustrating step84, it is first assumed that the user turns off the electronic device1after setting the preset time and making the desired selections from the control list. It is noted that, although the electronic device1is turned off, power supply thereto is not completely cut off. As a matter of fact, most of the circuits thereof are merely deactivated and put in an idle state, and the control circuit5is still operating. The peripheral devices21,22,23,24are also merely turned off and put in an idle state. Therefore, once the control circuit5detects that the system time is 8:30, August 15th(which is in agreement with the start time inFIG. 4), step84is executed. In step84, the control circuit5controls the operations of the selected ones of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24in sequence according to the settings in the control list, which means, at 8:30, August 15th, the control circuit5will first turn on the electronic device1and then turn on the peripheral devices21,22through the HDMI connectors61,62using the CEC communication protocol.

In other words, assuming that the peripheral devices21,22are a DVD player and a stereo system, respectively, when the system time of the electronic device1is 8:30, August 15th, the liquid crystal television (the electronic device1), the video recorder (the peripheral device21), and the stereo system (the peripheral device22) are automatically turned on, and any news program, TV program, etc., that is/are being played at that time will be recorded. Therefore, even if the user is away from home, TV programs can still be recorded through the automatic control of the electronic device1as described hereinabove, so that the user will not miss any important news or programs while away. The user only needs to set the proper time and to select the ones of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24to be controlled and the desired operation modes beforehand.

In step85, the control circuit5detects whether there is any selected device in the control list that has not executed the selected operation. If so, step83is repeated. In this embodiment, apart from the start time, the setup of the preset time also includes the setup of a duration time (2 hours and 30 minutes), that is, the period of time during which a selected device will operate. To illustrate using the above example, the electronic device1, and the peripheral devices21,22will be turned on in sequence at 8:30, August 15th, and will operate for 2 hours and 30 minutes before they are automatically turned off at 11:00, August 15th. Therefore, the control circuit5will repeat step83to detect if the reference time generated by the real-time clock4is 11:00. If so, the control circuit5will first turn off the peripheral device21and the peripheral device22and then turn off display-related circuits of the electronic device1.

It should be noted that this embodiment is not limited to automatic turning on or off of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24. The setup of the preset time may be done in various ways, and there are various modes of operation for selection for the devices, such as reducing sound volume of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24during the period from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., scheduling the electronic device1to automatically turn on at 8 a.m. every morning, etc. With proper adjustment of the user interfaces to allow the user to set up the preset time, the device(s) desired to be controlled, and the modes of operation intended therefor, in conjunction with the control circuit5that sends control signals to corresponding ones of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24, the object of automatically controlling the operation of an electronic device can be achieved.

FIG. 6shows the second preferred embodiment of a method for automatically controlling operation of an electronic device according to the invention. The circuit architecture of the electronic device1in this embodiment is the same as that of the electronic device1in the first preferred embodiment. The difference resides in the way the control circuit5controls operation of a selected one of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24according to the control list when the selected one of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24receives a forcing signal.

Steps91,92of the method of this embodiment are the same as steps81,82of the first preferred embodiment, in which the user first sets up the reference time to be generated by the real-time clock4of the electronic device1, and then sets up a preset time and selects at least one of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24and the operation mode therefor.

In step93, the control unit5detects whether any selected one of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22,23,24in the control list stored in the storage unit3has received a forcing signal. In the case of the example given in the first preferred embodiment, the control circuit5will detect which of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22has received a forcing signal. The forcing signal in this embodiment refers to a command received from a central processing unit (not shown) by the control circuit5when the user performs a manual control. If the user manually turns on the electronic device1before the preset time 8:30 (e.g., at 8:15), the electronic device1will receive a forcing signal from the central processing unit and cause the control circuit5to execute step94in response thereto.

In step94, the control circuit5controls the device that has received the forcing signal to operate according to the forcing signal. In the above example, the forcing signal is to control “turning on of the electronic device1.” Therefore, the control circuit5will control the electronic device1and turn on the electronic device1upon detecting receipt of the forcing signal by the electronic device1. In addition, if the time of receipt of the forcing signal is earlier than the preset time, the control circuit5will repeat step93to continue to detect if any of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22has received a forcing signal.

Step95is identical to step83of the first preferred embodiment, that is, the control circuit5detects whether the reference time generated by the real-time clock4matches the preset time stored in the storage unit3. If not, this means that the reference time has yet to reach the preset time, and steps93and95are repeated to continue to detect if the reference time matches the preset time and if any of the electronic device1and the peripheral devices21,22has received a forcing signal. If the reference time matches the preset time, step96is executed.

In step96, the control circuit5detects whether the device that has received the forcing signal is performing an operation that is consistent with an operation specified by the forcing signal. Continuing with the above example, when the reference time reaches 8:30, August 15th, the control circuit5will detect whether the electronic device1which has received the forcing signal is still in an ON state. If so, this indicates that the electronic device1has continued with the operation it was commanded to perform according to the forcing signal generated at 8:15, and step97is executed. Otherwise, step98is executed.

In step97, the control circuit5removes the selection of the electronic device1and the operation mode therefor from the control list stored in the storage unit3. The reason for this is the fact that the electronic device1has continued with the operation it was commanded to perform according to the forcing signal means that the user intends to “take over” control of the operation of the electronic device1. In other words, with the electronic device1turned on manually by the user at 8:15, if the control circuit5does not remove the selection of the electronic device1and the operation mode therefor from the control list, an anomalous situation in which the control circuit5will attempt to turn on the electronic device1once again at 8:30 will occur. Therefore, the completion of step97means that control of none of the devices in the control list is to be “taken over” by the user, and the control circuit5will execute step98.

Step98is identical to step84of the first preferred embodiment, in which the control circuit5controls operations of the selected devices in sequence according to the settings in the control list. Since the selection of the electronic device1has been removed from the control list, the control circuit5only needs to turn on the peripheral devices21,22in sequence. Finally, in step99, the control circuit5detects whether there is any selected device in the control list that has not performed the selected operation because the preset time associated therewith is not yet reached. If so, step93is executed.

It should be noted that, unless the selected devices receive forcing signals that are generated as a result of manual control thereof by the user, generally speaking, the control circuit5will control operations of the selected devices in sequence according to the setup of the control list by the user. However, if the operation of a selected device in the control list as initiated by the forcing signal is in conflict with the preset operation, the control circuit5will control operation of the selected device according to the forcing signal. Thus, the control circuit5will not control the selected device to perform the same operation twice (that is, controlling the selected device to perform the selected operation mode once upon receipt of the forcing signal and controlling the selected device to perform the selected operation mode once again when the reference time matches the preset time), so that manual control will not be in conflict with automatic control.

In sum, in the electronic device1of the invention, through use of the CEC communication protocol and by allowing the user to set up a preset time and select devices desired to be controlled and the operation modes of the selected devices, the control circuit5of the electronic device1is capable of controlling operations of the selected devices in sequence according to the previously made settings, thereby achieving automatic control. Thus, the user can have better convenience in terms of use, and drawbacks associated with manual control of the devices, e.g., the user may miss any favorite programs or important information, can be eliminated.