Patent Publication Number: US-2011074666-A1

Title: Remote control system for multi-screen display

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     This present disclosure relates to remote control systems and, particularly, to a remote control system providing control of a sub-display of a multi-screen display. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Multi-screen displays (or video walls) of an array of sub-displays may improve clarity, wide visibility, and enhance detail of images. To facilitate control of such a multi-screen display, each of the sub-displays is installed with a receiver and a remote controller having a transmitter. As such, the multi-screen display can be controlled by the remote controller via communication between the transmitter and the receiver. However, it is difficult or inconvenient to control a specific sub-display or certain portion of sub-displays of the multi-screen display using such a current remote control system. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a remote control system for a multi-screen display, which can overcome the above-mentioned problems. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a remote control system for a multi-screen display, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of the remote control system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , a remote control system  10  for a multi-screen display  20 , according to an exemplary embodiment, includes a remote controller  100  and a number of control boxes  200 . The multi-screen display  20  comprises an array of sub-displays  20   i  (where i is a positive integral number and represents an ith sub-display) tiled together contiguously. The sub-displays  20   i  can be cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emitting diode (LED) displays, plasma displays, for example. Each of the control boxes  200  is installed on a corresponding sub-display  20   i  typically at the bottom edge thereof. In this embodiment, a 3×3 array of sub-displays  21 ˜ 29  is employed; however, it may be understood that other arrays of varying numbers of sub-displays may be employed without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. 
     The remote controller  100  includes a keyboard  110 , a selection unit  120 , a signal generation unit  130 , and a transmitter  140 . 
     The keyboard  110  receives user input, and can, for example, include a power control  112 , a number of selection controls  114 , and a number of parameter controls  116 . The power control  112  is configured for receiving a first user input representative of turning a corresponding sub-display  20   i  or certain portions of the sub-displays  20   i  on and off. The selection controls  114  receive a second user input representative of a selection of a corresponding sub-display  20   i  or certain portion of sub-displays  20   i.  The parameter controls  116  are configured for receiving a third user input representative of a parameter to change configuration of a corresponding sub-display  20   i  or certain portion of sub-displays  20   i,  such as brightness, contrast, and/or volume adjustment. 
     However, the layout of the keyboard  110  is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in other alternative embodiments, the selection controls  114  can be omitted, and the selection of a specific sub-display  20   i  or portion of sub-displays  20   i  can be realized by a combination of parameter controls  116 . Also, the embodiment is not limited to use of the keyboard  110 , and any input device or means capable of receiving user input can be employed, such as a touch screen, for example. 
     The selection unit  120  is coupled to the keyboard  110  and configured for generating a selection signal, such as a code that is representative of a selection of a corresponding sub-display  20   i  or portion of sub-displays  20   i  based upon the second user input via the selection controls  114 . 
     The signal generation unit  130  is coupled to the keyboard  110  and configured for generating a control signal representative of a control of a corresponding sub-display  20   i  or certain portion of sub-displays  20   i  based upon the selection signal and the first user input via the power control  112  and the third user input via the parameter controls  116 . For example, the signal generation unit  130  receives a signal triggered by the power control  112  or the parameter controls  116  and modulates the signal with the selection signal to produce the control signal. However, it should be understood that the selection unit  120  and the signal generation unit  130  can be integrated in other alternative embodiments. 
     The transmitter  140  is coupled to the signal generation unit  130  and configured for transmitting the control signal using, for example, infrared (IR) technology. 
     It should be understood that, in practice, the remote controller  100  may further include a housing (not shown) that accommodates the components thereof and a power source (not shown), such as a battery. 
     Each of the control boxes  200  includes a receiver  210 , an identifier  220 , and a signal transfer unit  230 . 
     The receiver  210  is configured for receiving the control signal from the transmitter  140 . 
     The identifier  220  is configured for determining if the control signal should be relayed to the signal transferring unit  230 , and may include a read only memory (ROM) in which a predetermined code is stored. The identifier  220  compares the code modulated in the control signal with the predetermined code. If the two codes match, the control signal is passed on to the signal transfer unit  230 . Otherwise, the control signal is blocked. A portion of sub-displays  20   i  corresponding to the identifiers  200  having the same code can be controlled by the same control signal. 
     The signal transfer unit  230  is configured for transferring the control signal to a controller  20   ic  of the corresponding sub-display  20   i  or controllers  20   ic  of certain portion of sub-displays  20   i.  As such, the controller(s) can execute the control signal to control the sub-display(s)  20   i.    
     It should be understood that, in practice, each of the control boxes  200  may further include a housing for accommodating the components thereof and a power source, such as a battery (or be powered by the sub-display  20   i ). Also, each of the control boxes can be integrated into a corresponding sub-display  20   i.    
     While various exemplary and preferred embodiments have been described, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto. To the contrary, various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art) are intended to also be covered. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.