Remote-controlled slide projector

Abstract: A remote-controlled slide projector is proposed in which for interrupting a slide presentation the projection lamp (32) and the blower (38) can be de-energized by a standby command of the remote control device. To continue the slide presentation, blower and projection lamp can be re-energized by another command via the remote control device. In the standby mode, the electronic control circuit of the projector is continued to be supplied with power.

Description: The invention relates to a slide projector comprising in a known manner among others a transformer, a rectifier, a projection lamp, a blower and a control circuit, the latter being supplied with d. c. voltage from a rectifier following the transformer and controlling the projector functions such as slide change, tray advancement, light shutter, focussing, etc. Slide projectors of this type are frequently used in slide presentations, the lecturer controlling the projector functions by means of a remote control device which may be connected to the projector via a cable. Cable-less remote control devices which include an IC transmitter are however also known, an IR receiver being arranged on the projector and transmission of the control signals being effected optically in the IR range. The various control signals are all encoded accordingly and evaluated, i. e. decoded, in the projector and associated with the respective functions. During such presentations it may occur that the lecturer wishes to interrupt the performance to give additional explanations on a blackboard or show some objects. As in most cases the slide projector is placed in the back of the room and the lecturer stands in front of the audience near the screen, a second person would have to switch the projector off and, when the slide presentation is to be continued, on again. This may be quite disruptive, in particular if still a third person is desired to turn the room light on and off. As a result, it would be desirable that the lecturer himself can switch on and off the projector as required by using his remote control device. From the US-A-3 887 277 an apparatus is known for remotely controlling a slide projector whereby the projector can be turned on and off by actuating a switch on a remote control device which controls a relay in the projector. A contact of the relay is arranged in the power line of the projector so that the projector is "on" when the relay is not energized and the relay has to be energized to turn the projector off. In this case a separate transformer is necessary which is permanently connected to the power line to supply the relay circuit with power when the projector is in it's "off" state. In the US-A-4 202 611 a remote control system for a film projector is shown where the power supply circuit for the projection lamp can be switched on and off by a plurality of remote control units. In a film projector several operations like film rewind or prewind have to be performed during which the lamp should be dark. These functions are therefore still operable when the lamp is switched off. This is however not desirable in a slide projector. The projector functions should be prevented from being operated when the lamp is switched off because inadvertent operation could cause irritations when the slide show should be continued. It is the object of the present invention to provide a circuit arrangement by means of which a slide projector can be switched on and off via its remote control device. The above object is attained in that a circuit arrangement for a remote-controlled slide projector according to claim 1 is provided, whereby only the projection lamp and/or the blower is switched on and off while the power supply energizing the control circuit and the IR receiver remains operative and all other projector functions are blocked when the projection lamp is switched off. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. Fig. 1 shows the circuit arrangement according to the invention, in which only components of the circuit are illustrated that are essential for the invention; also shown is the use (optional) of a cable type remote control and of an IR remote control, and Fig. 2 shows an IR remote control device according to the invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the projection lamp 32 is connected to the secondary of the transformer 15 via the switch 34, the same way as rectifier 18 supplying the control circuit 30, the delay circuit 35, the IR receiver as well as other circuits with d. c. voltage. Transformer 15 may also be an autotransformer or a transformer of a switching power unit. Via switch 36 the blower 38 is connected to the primary side of the transformer 15 directly to the power line. Instead, the blower could of course also be connected to the secondary of the transformer or to the d. c. output of rectifier 18. If the complete projector would be de-energized, i. e. cut from the power line, the d. c. power supply for the control circuit and the remote control receiver would also go off so that the remote control device would not operate any more. In this case, the circuit sections essential for the remote control device would have to be supplied with energy by means of a battery for re-activating the projector and the remote control. As the provision of a battery however involves a few disadvantages, e. g. space required, exchangeability, reliability and additional costs, in the case of the present invention the solution was preferred which switches the projector to a so-called "standby mode" in which only the projection lamp and, if required, the blower are de-energized, whereas the control circuit and the remote control device remain operative. The remote control may be designed as a remote control connected to the projector via cable, or as a cable-less remote control, e. g. an IR remote control, in which the control panel 10 includes one or several infrared LED's 12 and the receiver unit 20 comprises an infrared sensor 22. The IR receiver unit 20 and/or the cable type remote control 14 are connected to the control circuit 30 which may include a microprocessor and which decodes the remote control signals and associates them with the individual projector functions, such as slide change, tray advance forward/back, focussing, tray zero position, standby mode, etc. In the standby mode, the projection lamp 32 is de-energized by the control circuit 30 via the switch 34, and the blower 38 can additionally be turned off via the switch 36. Switch 36 could of course be eliminated so that after switching off the projector lamp 32 the blower 38 continues to operate in order to more quickly cool down the projector. But as the blower noise might be felt nuisible, a delay circuit 35 can be provided by means of which the blower 38 is turned off only several seconds after de-energization of the projection lamp 32 so that the projector can adequately cool down before the blower is switched off. In this case, the delay circuit 35 can also be included in the control circuit 30 or the time delay can be programmed by the microprocessor contained in the control circuit 30. The switches 34 and 36 may consist of relay contacts, but they may preferably be designed as semiconductor switches having triacs or thyristors or suchlike. The projector is brought into standby operation by a special standby command of the remote control device and reset to normal operation by another standby signal or by a separate resetting signal. In this operating mode, the remaining remote-controlled functions of the projector should be locked in standby operation in order to guarantee that during this mode no slide change, tray advance or defocussing of the lens can occur so that slide presentation can be continued without any problems when the projector has been reset to normal operation. Switch-over of the projector to standby operation can of course also be effected such that the projector is brought into standby condition by a special standby command of the remote control device and then reset to normal operation by actuating any other command key of the remote control. The advantage of this version is that a special reset command is not required. The remote control device is of course not limited to the SR remote control illustrated in the embodiment. The remote control can also operate in other wavelength ranges and it may also be designed as a radio frequency remote control or an ultrasound remote control.

Claims: Remote-controlled slide projector comprising a projection lamp (32), an electronic control circuit (30) which controls the functions of the slide projector via remote control units (10, 20; 14), a power transformer (15) for supplying power to said projection lamp (32), said projection lamp being connected to the secondary side of said power transformer (15), a rectifier (18) also connected to the secondary side of said power transformer (15) for supplying DC power to said electronic control circuit (30), and a blower having a motor (38) connected either to the primary or to the secondary side of the power transformer (15) or to the dc output of the rectifier (18), characterized in that the projection lamp (32) and the blower motor (38) are connected to the power transformer (15) via respective switches (34, 36) controllable by said electronic control circuit (30) whereby said electronic control circuit is arranged to turn on and off the projection lamp (32) and/or the blower (38) via said switches (34, 36) according to signals received from a remote control device (10; 14), and wherein said electronic control circuit (30) comprises means for blocking all remote-controllable functions except the lamp-on/off or the blower-on/off function whenever a lamp-off command signal is received from the remote control device (10, 14), and for reactivating all remote-controllable functions when the projection lamp (32) is turned on again when a lamp-on command signal is received from the remote control device. Slide projector according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit (30) is arranged to switch off the projection lamp (32) when a specific "stand-by" command signal is received from the remote control device (10, 14) and to switch on the lamp again when any other command signal is received from the remote control device. Slide projector according to claims 1 or 2, wherein a time delay circuit (35) is provided between the control circuit (30) and the blower switch (36) by means of which the blower (38) is automatically switched off with a delay of several seconds after de-energizing of the projection lamp (32). Slide projector according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said slide projector is arranged to be coupled to a cable type remote control device (14) or a cable-less remote control device (10, 20) selectively. Slide projector according to claim 4, wherein the cable-less remote control device (10, 20) consists of an IR remote control system comprising an IR transmitter (12) and an IR receiver (22). Slide projector according to claim 3, wherein the switches (34, 36) for energizing/de-energizing the projection lamp (32) and the blower (38) are semiconductor switches such as triacs and thyristors. Slide projector according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit (30) includes a microprocessor by means of which all projector functions are controllable. Slide projector according to claim 7, wherein the duration of the time delay for de-energizing the blower (38) is programmable by the microprocessor control unit.

Inventors: BERGER STEFAN, HOERZ JUERGEN, SCHULTE RAINER, BERGER, STEFAN, HOERZ, JUERGEN, SCHULTE, RAINER, Berger, Stefan, c/o Kodak Aktiengesellschaft, Hörz, Jürgen, c/o Kodak Aktiengesellschaft, Schulte, Rainer, c/o Kodak Aktiengesellschaft
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, KODAK AG, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, KODAK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G03B21
IPC codes: G03B21, G03B23