Patent Publication Number: US-2010109904-A1

Title: Secure remote control apparatus and method

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a remote control apparatus and method, and more particularly to a secure remote control apparatus and method using motion driving. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     At present, a remote controller for remotely controlling an electronic apparatus, e.g. a television, a set-top box, a digital video disk or a conditioner, and so forth, includes plural push buttons, a controller and an infrared transmitter. When detecting a push action happened on one of the plural push buttons, the controller determines a control code corresponding to the push action, and controls the infrared transmitter to transmit an infrared signal to the electronic apparatus, wherein the infrared signal includes the control code. 
     Since the micro-electro-mechanical component, e.g. the micro-electro-mechanical gyroscope, the accelerometer or the magnetometer/e-compass, and so forth, were available on the market, it has been found that the remote controller, or called the joystick, designed with these components, can be used to play interactive games, so that the design thereof becomes the focus in great attention. However, up to now, the design, people generally conceive, is that the electronic apparatus on the receiving terminal should be changed significantly. For instance, in the hardware aspect, the current infrared receiver is changed into a radio frequency receiver or a Bluetooth receiver; in the software aspect, the traditional simple user interface is changed into a complex graphic user interface. In this way, it is necessary to upgrade the processing unit and the operating system of the remote controller of this type. 
     Therefore, how to utilize the micro-electro-mechanical component for a remote control to remotely control an electronic apparatus becomes the demand on the market. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to transmit plural infrared signals having different directions in order to ensure that the infrared receiver of the electronic apparatus still can receive a signal associated with at least one of the plural infrared signals when the remote control apparatus is waved. Therefore, it is unnecessary to change the current infrared receiver into the radio frequency receiver or the Bluetooth receiver. 
     It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a remote control apparatus having a motion. The remote control apparatus includes a determining device and a signaling unit. The determining device produces a first signal in response to the motion. The signaling unit transmits a plurality of signals associated with the first signal, wherein each of the plurality of signals has a respective transmitting direction. 
     It is therefore another aspect of the present invention to provide a secure remote controller including a determining device and a signaling unit. The determining device generates a message. The signaling unit transmits the message in a first direction and a second direction. 
     It is still another aspect of the present invention to provide a secure remote controlling method including the following steps. A controlling message is generated. The controlling message is transmitted in a first direction and a second direction. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following descriptions with reference to the drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a remote control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing a remote control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for the purposes of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram showing the remote control system  30  according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the remote control system  30  includes the remote control apparatus  31  and the controlled apparatus  32  controlled by the remote control apparatus  31 . The remote control apparatus  31  produces the signal S 4  in response to the motion MT 1 . The signal S 4  is transmitted with the plural transmitting directions DR 11 , DR 12 , DR 13 , DR 14  and DR 15 . Therefore, the controlled apparatus  32  may receives a signal associated with the signal S 4 . 
     In an embodiment, the remote control apparatus  31  includes the determining device  41  and the signaling unit  42 . The determining device  41  produces the signal S 2  in response to the motion MT 1 . The signaling unit  42  transmits the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  associated with the signal S 2 , wherein each of the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  has a respective transmitting direction. For instance, the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  respectively have the plural transmitting directions DR 11 , DR 12 , DR 13 , DR 14  and DR 15 . 
     In an embodiment, the remote control apparatus  31  has the motion MT 1 , and the signal S 4  includes the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45 . In an embodiment, the signaling unit  42  transmits at least one selected from the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  associated with the signal S 2 . 
     The determining device  41  may include the sensing unit  411  and the processing unit  412 . The sensing unit  411  senses the motion MT 1  to produce the signal S 1 . The processing unit  412  produces the signal S 2  in response to the signal S 1 . 
     In an embodiment, the sensing unit  411  includes the gyroscope  4111 , the accelerometer  4112  and the magnetometer/e-compass  4113 . The gyroscope  4111  has at least two sensing degrees of freedom and senses the motion MT 1  for producing the first portion S 11  of the signal S 1 . The accelerometer  4112  has at least two sensing degrees of freedom and senses the motion MT 1  for producing the second portion S 12  of the signal S 1 . The e-compass  4113  has at least two sensing degrees of freedom and senses the motion MT 1  for producing the third portion S 13  of the signal S 1 . 
     In an embodiment, the sensing unit  411  includes the first unit  41 A. The first unit  41 A includes at least one selected from a group consisting of the single gyroscope  4111 , the accelerometer  4112  and the e-compass  4113 . Additionally, the first unit  41 A senses the motion MT 1  for producing the signal S 1 . 
     The remote control apparatus  31  may has the reference axis AX 1 . The signaling unit  42  may include the driving circuit  421  and the signal module  422 . The driving circuit  421  produces the driving signal S 3  in response to the signal S 2 . The signal module  422  produces the signal S 4  in response to the driving signal S 3 . The signal module  422  may include the plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225 . 
     The driving signal S 3  includes the plural signals S 31 , S 32 , S 33 , S 34  and S 35 . The plural signals S 31 , S 32 , S 33 , S 34  and S 35  are provided to the plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225 , respectively. 
     The plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225  respectively have the plural principal directions BX 11 , BX 12 , BX 13 , BX 14  and BX 15  with respect to the reference axis AX 1 , and respectively transmit the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  in response to the driving signal S 3 . Alternatively, the plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225  transmit the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  in response to the plural signals S 31 , S 32 , S 33 , S 34  and S 35 , respectively. 
     The plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  may be light frequency signals, audio signals, electromagnetic signals or a combination thereof. The plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225  may be light emitting diodes, laser sources, infrared sources, acoustic sources, supersonic wave sources, electromagnetic sources, radio frequency sources or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225  may be distributed over either a whole or a portion of the remote control apparatus  31 ; e.g., they are disposed over the terminal portion EP 1 . 
     The signal S 2  produced by the determining device  41  may include the message U 1 , e.g. a controlling message. The message U 1  may include the control code CD 1  for controlling the controlled apparatus  32 . The remote control apparatus  31  communicates the control code CD 1  to the controlled apparatus  32  through the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45 , wherein each of the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  includes the message U 1 , i.e. includes the control code CD 1 . The driving signal S 3  may also include the message U 1 . The remote control apparatus  31  may be compatible with a touch type remote controller (not shown) controlling the controlled apparatus  32 , wherein the touch type remote controller includes a push button having a function. In an embodiment, the motion MT 1  of the remote control apparatus  31  corresponds to the function of the push button of the touch type remote controller. 
     In an embodiment based on  FIG. 1 , the remote control apparatus  31  may be a secure remote controller securely transmitting the control code CD 1  to the controlled apparatus  32  when the remote control apparatus  31  has a large angular displacement. The remote control apparatus  31  may include the determining device  41  and the signaling unit  42 . The determining device  41  generates the message U 1 , e.g. a controlling message. The signaling unit  42  transmits the message U 1  in the plural transmitting directions DR 11 , DR 12 , DR 13 , DR 14  and DR 15 . In an embodiment, the remote control apparatus  31  omnidirectionally transmits the message U 1 . 
     In an embodiment, the determining device  41  generates the message U 1  in response to the motion MT 1  of the remote control apparatus  31 . The signaling unit  42  may include the plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225  each of which transmits the message U 1 . In an embodiment, the plural signal transmitters  4221 ,  4222 ,  4223 ,  4224  and  4225  respectively transmit the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45 , e.g. being plural control signals, each of which carries the message U 1 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which is a schematic diagram showing the remote control apparatus  51  according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the remote control apparatus  51  includes the determining device  61 , the signaling unit  62  and the shell structure  63 . The signaling unit  62  is electrically coupled to the determining device  61 . The shell structure  63  is used to fix the determining device  61  and the signaling unit  62 , and includes the terminal portion EP 2  and the held portion EP 3 . 
     The shell structure  63  has the reference axis AX 2 , and the signaling unit  62  includes the plural signal transmitters  6221 ,  6222 ,  6223  and  6224 . The plural signal transmitters  6221 ,  6222 ,  6223  and  6224  are fixed to the terminal portion EP 2  of the shell structure  63  respectively in the plural principal directions BX 21 , BX 22 , BX 23  and BX 24  with respect to the reference axis AX 2 . In an embodiment, the plural signal transmitters  6221 ,  6222 ,  6223  and  6224  may be fixed in radial directions to the surface portion of the terminal portion EP 2  of the shell structure  63 . In an embodiment, the two transmitting directions DR 21  and DR 23  of the plural transmitting directions DR 21 , DR 22 , DR 23  and DR 24  forms a plane PN 1  being in one of being intersecting with the remote control apparatus  51  and being skew with respect to a surface FC 1  of the remote control apparatus  51 . 
     The remote control apparatus  51  has the motion MT 2 , and utilizes the plural signal transmitters  6221 ,  6222 ,  6223  and  6224  to respectively transmit the plural signals S 81 , S 82 , S 83  and S 84  associated with the motion MT 2 , wherein the plural signals S 81 , S 82 , S 83  and S 84  respectively have the plural transmitting directions DR 21 , DR 22 , DR 23  and DR 24 . In an embodiment, the plural signals S 81 , S 82 , S 83  and S 84  respectively have the plural strongest transmitting directions to correspondingly transmit the energies of the plural signals S 81 , S 82 , S 83  and S 84 , and the plural transmitting directions DR 21 , DR 22 , DR 23  and DR 24  are respectively directed to the plural strongest transmitting direction. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  to describe a remote control method for controlling the controlled apparatus  32  according to the present invention. The remote control method includes the following steps: the signal S 2  is produced in response to the motion MT 1 ; and the plural associated signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  are transmitted in response to the signal S 2 , wherein each of the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  has a respective transmitting direction. In an embodiment, the plural signals S 41 , S 42 , S 43 , S 44  and S 45  may be infrared signals, light frequency signals, electromagnetic signals, supersonic wave signals, radio frequency signals or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, a secure remote controlling method is provided and includes the following steps: a message U 1 , e.g. a controlling message is generated; and the message U 1  is transmitted in a first direction, e.g. DR 11 , and a second direction, e.g. DR 13 . 
     While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.