REMOTE CONTROLLER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING PERIPHERAL DEVICE

A remote controller and method of controlling a peripheral device using the remote controller to control a multimedia player are provided. The remote controller including: a key input part which includes a plurality of keys; a Bluetooth® receiver configured to receive a Bluetooth® signal from a multimedia player; an infrared ray generator configured to convert the received Bluetooth® signal into an infrared signal in order to control a peripheral device; and a plurality of infrared ray transmitters configured to output the infrared signal from the infrared ray generator in all directions, and a method of controlling a peripheral device using the remote controller for a multimedia player.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a remote controller and a method of controlling a peripheral device using the same according to an exemplary embodiment, will be described with reference to accompanied drawings.

A multimedia player which is referred to herein may include any of a television (TV), audio system, DVD player and other various devices. A peripheral device which may be controlled by the remote controller may include an electric rice cooker, boiler, air conditioner, washing machine, computer, microwave oven, lighting/lamp, audio system, video door phone, security device as well as the TV, and a set-top box, will be described below as examples of the peripheral device. Explanation of the remote controller and a control signal input by a user to the set-top box are provided by taking into account the case where an additional touch remote controller is provided in order to control the TV. An exemplary embodiment may also apply to the case where there is a touch remote controller which performs a keyboard function for a user to input Korean/English alphabets. Accordingly, a process of controlling the set-top box which will be described below refers to the case where a set-top box is set as an object controlled by the remote controller. That is, in response to multimedia contents which are realized by the TV being provided by the set-top box, the set-top box is subject to control. To control the TV, the controlled subject may be changed from the remote controller to the TV.

FIG. 2illustrates an example of the remote controller and a method of controlling the peripheral device using the same according to an exemplary embodiment.

As independent devices, a TV100as one of multimedia players; a set-top box300providing multimedia contents to the TV100; and a remote controller200controlling the TV100and set-top box300are provided.

The TV100includes an infrared ray receiver110, a microphone120, a camera130and a Bluetooth transmitter140. The infrared ray receiver110receives infrared rays from the remote controller200or a touch remote controller400as explained above. The microphone120receives and transmits a user's voice to the Bluetooth® transmitter140, and the camera130transmits a user's motion to the Bluetooth® transmitter140. The Bluetooth® transmitter140recognizes the voice and motion screen, generates and transmits a Bluetooth® signal which corresponds to a signal for controlling the peripheral device.

FIG. 3is a block diagram of the remote controller200according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown therein, the remote controller200includes a key input part210which includes a plurality of keys, a Bluetooth® receiver220which receives a Bluetooth® signal from the Bluetooth® transmitter140of the TV100to control a peripheral device, a memory240which stores therein infrared signal information to control the set-top box300, an infrared ray generator230which reads the infrared signal information from the memory240which corresponds to the Bluetooth® signal received by the Bluetooth® receiver220, and converts the infrared signal information into an infrared signal to control the set-top box300, and an infrared ray transmitter250which outputs an infrared signal provided by the infrared ray generator230, in all directions, i.e., forward, backward, right, left, upward and downward, to control the set-top box300.

FIG. 3illustrates an additional memory which stores therein infrared signal information which corresponds to the Bluetooth® signal, but it shall be understood that the infrared ray generator230may otherwise include an element to store the information.

FIG. 4Ais a plan view of the remote controller200according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown therein, the remote controller200includes a front infrared ray transmitter251which outputs infrared rays toward the front side of the remote controller200, a rear infrared ray transmitter252which outputs infrared rays toward the rear side of the remote controller200, and a top infrared ray transmitter255which outputs infrared rays toward the top of the remote controller200.

FIG. 4Bis a rear view of the remote controller200according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown therein, the remote controller200includes a left infrared ray transmitter253which outputs infrared rays to the left side of the remote controller200, a right infrared ray transmitter254which output infrared rays to the right side of the remote controller200, and a bottom infrared ray transmitter256which outputs infrared rays to the bottom of the remote controller200.

FIG. 4Cis a perspective view of an example of infrared rays output by the remote controller200according to the embodiment. As shown therein, infrared rays may be output forward, backward, right, left, upward, and downward from the remote controller200.FIG. 4Cillustrates infrared rays output in six directions, but may be output only forward, backward, right and left, etc., as the case may be.

FIG. 5is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the peripheral device using the remote controller200according to an exemplary embodiment.

The TV100recognizes a user input signal. For example, in response to a user saying “volume up” in front of the TV100, the voice is received by the microphone120and transmitted to the Bluetooth transmitter140. The user input signal may be input by a user's gesture in addition to the user's voice. For example, when a change of channel is defined as up and down and the volume is set as left and right, in response to a user putting his/her hand up in front of the TV100to perform a channel-up operation, the camera recognizes such gesture and transmits the information to the Bluetooth® transmitter140. In response to there being a touch remote controller400through which characters may be input, a user may use the touch remote controller (S501).

The Bluetooth® transmitter140recognizes the voice and generates a Bluetooth® signal to control the set-top box. In an exemplary embodiment, the Bluetooth transmitter140recognizes the voice, but there may be respective processors to recognize voice or images, and such voice and images may be processed by a central processing unit (not shown) and transmitted to the Bluetooth® transmitter140(S502).

The Bluetooth® transmitter140outputs the generated Bluetooth® signal to control the peripheral device. It will be understood that the TV100and the remote controller200have been paired with each other in advance (S503).

The Bluetooth® signal output by the Bluetooth® transmitter140of the TV100is received by the Bluetooth® receiver220of the remote controller200(S504).

The infrared ray generator230of the remote controller200reads from the memory240of the remote controller200the infrared signal information which corresponds to the Bluetooth® signal to control the peripheral device, and converts the Bluetooth® signal into the infrared signal (S505).

The infrared signal converted by the infrared ray generator230is transmitted to the infrared ray transmitter250. The infrared ray transmitter250outputs infrared rays, according to the transmitted infrared signal in order to control the set-top box. As explained above, the infrared ray transmitter250outputs infrared signals forward, backward, right, left, and upward and downward from the remote controller. Accordingly, regardless of the location of the remote controller200, even in response to there being any obstacle between the remote controller200and the set-top box, the infrared signal may be transmitted as long as the set-top box is located within a predetermined distance (S506).

The set-top box300receives the infrared signal through the infrared ray receiver320to control the set-top box (S507).

The set-top box300performs an operation which corresponds to the infrared signal. For example, in response to a user inputs a command to raise the volume, the signal may be recognized by the TV and converted an output Bluetooth signal. The Bluetooth signal is received by the remote controller and converted into and output as the infrared signal in order to control the set-top box. Upon receiving the infrared signal, the set-top box performs an operation to i.e., raise volume. The signal is transmitted back to the TV and reflected in multimedia contents played by the TV (S508).

The remote controller and method of controlling the peripheral device using the same, according to an exemplary embodiment, may have the following effects:

First, both the multimedia player and the peripheral device may be controlled together by a single remote controller.

Second, the remote controller may control the peripheral device regardless of the location of the remote controller.

Third, the remote controller of the peripheral device may be used less frequently, and the remote controller of a TV may be primarily used to control the TV and peripheral device.

Although a few exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the range of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.