A control device and linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of display devices, and in particular, to a control device and a linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices, which can solve the problem that set-top boxes, televisions and other associated devices need to be operated separately or multiple times during the power on and off operation to a certain extent. The control device includes: a communication interface; a display; a first controller, configured to: control the second device to be associated with the first device; receive an input instruction input by a user for controlling the power on / off of the first device, and determine a first control instruction and a second control instruction based on the input instruction and the associated device, the first control instruction being used to control the power on / off of the first device, and the second control instruction being used to control the power on / off of the second device; send the first control instruction and the second control instruction to the associated device to control the second device to be synchronously linked with the first device to be turned on / off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of display devices, and in particular, to a control device and a linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices. Background Art

[0002] Common remote controls are usually used to control specific devices such as TVs, set-top boxes, or air conditioners from a certain distance. For example, an infrared remote control encodes key information through digital coding technology and transmits infrared signals through infrared diodes; then the infrared receiver configured on the target control device receives the infrared signal and converts it into an electrical signal; the controller further decodes the acquired electrical signal and demodulates the corresponding remote control command to control the target control device such as the set-top box and TV.

[0003] In some implementations of infrared remote control devices, users usually need to operate a remote control that has been matched with the device to send an infrared code recognizable by the device to be controlled, and then the device controls the device through the remote control by receiving the infrared code sent by the remote control.

[0004] However, set-top boxes, televisions and other related devices in the home usually need to be turned on or off at the same time, and users need to use the TV remote control and the set-top box remote control to turn them on / off respectively; or for universal remote controls of smart terminals, users need to switch to the TV interface and the set-top box interface respectively to turn them on and off. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the problem that set-top boxes, televisions and other associated devices need to be turned on and off separately or multiple times, the present application provides a control device and a linkage control method for turning on and off multiple devices at the same time.

[0006] The embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0007] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a control device, including: controlling a second device to be associated with a first device, wherein any device will synchronously execute the operation issued by a first controller with its associated device; receiving an input instruction input by a user for controlling the first device to power on / off, and determining a first control instruction and a second control instruction based on the input instruction and the associated device, the first control instruction being used to control the first device to power on / off, and the second control instruction being used to control the second device to power on / off; sending the first control instruction to the first device, and sending the second control instruction to the second device, so as to control the second device to power on / off synchronously with the first device.

[0008] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a linkage control method for simultaneous power on and off of multiple devices, the method comprising: controlling a second device to be associated with a first device, wherein any device, when executing a issued operation, will synchronously and linkedly execute the operation with its associated device; receiving an input instruction input by a user for controlling the power on / off of the first device, and determining a first control instruction and a second control instruction based on the input instruction and the associated device, the first control instruction being used to control the power on / off of the first device, and the second control instruction being used to control the power on / off of the second device; sending the first control instruction to the first device, and sending the second control instruction to the second device, so as to control the second device to be synchronously and linkedly powered on / off with the first device.

[0009] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a display device, comprising: a second controller configured to: receive a control instruction sent from the control device provided in the first aspect of the present application to control power on / off of the display device.

[0010] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a set-top box device, comprising: a third controller, configured to: receive a control instruction sent from the control device provided in the first aspect of the present application to control the power on / off of the set-top box device.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: by establishing device associations, coordinated control of associated devices can be achieved; further, through the first control instruction and the second control instruction, different associated devices can be controlled simultaneously through one input instruction, and the associated devices can be turned on or off at the same time by operating the power key in the operation interface of any device remote control, without the user having to switch the remote control control interface to repeat the operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a usage scenario of a display device according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 2 shows a hardware configuration block diagram of a control device 100 according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 3 shows a hardware configuration block diagram of a display device 200 according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 4shows a software configuration diagram in a display device 200 according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 5 shows an icon control interface display diagram of an application in a display device 200 according to some embodiments;

[0018] Fig. 6A A schematic diagram of a user interface for controlling a display device and a set-top box by a control device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0019] Figure 6B A schematic diagram of a user interface for controlling a display device and a set-top box by a control device according to another embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0020] Figure 6C A schematic diagram of a user interface for controlling a display device and a set-top box by a control device according to another embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0021] Fig.6D A schematic diagram of a user interface for controlling a display device and a set-top box by a control device according to another embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0022] 7A to 7F A schematic diagram of a user interface for configuring a remote control to link a set-top box to a TV is shown in another embodiment of the present application; Figures 7G to 7H A schematic diagram of a user interface for a remote controller to control multiple air conditioners according to another embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0023] Figure 8 A logical schematic diagram of a control device controlling a linkage device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose and implementation method of the present application clearer, the exemplary implementation method of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the exemplary embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0025] It should be noted that the brief description of terms in this application is only for the convenience of understanding the embodiments described below, and is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Unless otherwise specified, these terms should be understood according to their common and usual meanings.

[0026] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar or similar objects or entities, and do not necessarily mean to limit a specific order or sequence, unless otherwise noted. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances.

[0027] The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover but not exclude inclusion, for example, a product or device comprising a list of components is not necessarily limited to all the components expressly listed but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such product or device.

[0028] The term "module" refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic or combination of hardware and / or software code that is capable of performing the functions associated with that element.

[0029] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an operation scenario between a display device and a control device according to an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the user can operate the display device 200 through the smart device 300 or the control apparatus 100 .

[0030] In some embodiments, the control device 100 may be a remote controller, and the communication between the remote controller and the display device includes infrared protocol communication or Bluetooth protocol communication, and other short-range communication methods, and the display device 200 is controlled wirelessly or wired. The user may control the display device 200 by inputting user commands through buttons on the remote controller, voice input, control panel input, etc.

[0031] In some embodiments, a smart device 300 (such as a mobile terminal, a tablet computer, a computer, a laptop computer, etc.) may also be used to control the display device 200. For example, the display device 200 is controlled using an application running on the smart device.

[0032] In some embodiments, the display device 200 can also be controlled in a manner other than the control device 100 and the smart device 300. For example, the user's voice command control can be directly received through a module for obtaining voice commands configured inside the display device 200, or the user's voice command control can be received through a voice control device set outside the display device 200.

[0033] In some embodiments, the display device 200 also communicates data with the server 400. The display device 200 may be allowed to communicate via a local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), and other networks. The server 400 may provide various content and interactions to the display device 200. The server 400 may be one cluster or multiple clusters, and may include one or more types of servers.

[0034] Figure 2 Schematically shows a block diagram of a configuration of the control device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2As shown, the control device 100 includes a controller 110, a communication interface 130, a user input / output interface 140, a memory, and a power supply. The control device 100 can receive input operation instructions from the user, and convert the operation instructions into instructions that the display device 200 can recognize and respond to, playing the role of an interactive intermediary between the user and the display device 200.

[0035] Figure 3 A hardware configuration block diagram of a display device 200 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0036] In some embodiments, the display apparatus 200 includes at least one of a tuner 210, a communicator 220, a detector 230, an external device interface 240, a controller 250, a display 260, an audio output interface 270, a memory, a power supply, and a user interface.

[0037] In some embodiments, the controller includes a processor, a video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor, a RAM, a ROM, and a first interface to an nth interface for input / output.

[0038] In some embodiments, the display 260 includes a display screen component for presenting images, and a driving component for driving image display, which is used to receive image signals output from a controller, display video content, image content, and a menu control interface component and a user control UI interface.

[0039] In some embodiments, the display 260 may be a liquid crystal display, an OLED display, and a projection display, and may also be a projection device and a projection screen.

[0040] In some embodiments, the communicator 220 is a component for communicating with an external device or server according to various communication protocol types. For example, the communicator may include at least one of a Wifi module, a Bluetooth module, a wired Ethernet module, and other network communication protocol chips or near field communication protocol chips, and an infrared receiver. The display device 200 can establish transmission and reception of control signals and data signals with the external control device 100 or the server 400 through the communicator 220.

[0041] In some embodiments, the user interface may be used to receive a control signal from the control device 100 (eg, an infrared remote controller, etc.).

[0042] In some embodiments, the detector 230 is used to collect signals of the external environment or external interaction. For example, the detector 230 includes a light receiver, a sensor for collecting the intensity of ambient light; or, the detector 230 includes an image collector, such as a camera, which can be used to collect external environment scenes, user attributes or user interaction gestures; or, the detector 230 includes a sound collector, such as a microphone, etc., for receiving external sounds.

[0043] In some embodiments, the external device interface 240 may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following: a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), an analog or digital high-definition component input interface (component), a composite video input interface (CVBS), a USB input interface (USB), an RGB port, etc. It may also be a composite input / output interface formed by the above multiple interfaces.

[0044] In some embodiments, the tuner-demodulator 210 receives broadcast television signals via wired or wireless reception, and demodulates audio and video signals, such as EPG data signals, from a plurality of wireless or wired broadcast television signals.

[0045] In some embodiments, the controller 250 and the tuner-demodulator 210 may be located in different separate devices, that is, the tuner-demodulator 210 may also be located in an external device of the main device where the controller 250 is located, such as an external set-top box.

[0046] In some embodiments, the controller 250 controls the operation of the display device and responds to user operations through various software control programs stored in the memory. The controller 250 controls the overall operation of the display device 200. For example, in response to receiving a user command for selecting a UI object to be displayed on the display 260, the controller 250 can perform operations related to the object selected by the user command.

[0047] In some embodiments, the object may be any one of the selectable objects, such as a hyperlink, an icon or other operable controls. Operations related to the selected object include: displaying a page, document, image, etc. connected to the hyperlink, or executing a program corresponding to the icon.

[0048] In some embodiments, the controller includes at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a RAM Random Access Memory (RAM), a ROM (Read-Only Memory, ROM), a first interface to an nth interface for input / output, a communication bus (Bus), etc.

[0049] CPU processor. Used to execute operating system and application instructions stored in the memory, and to execute various applications, data and content according to various interactive instructions received from external input, so as to finally display and play various audio and video content. CPU processor may include multiple processors. For example, it includes a main processor and one or more sub-processors.

[0050] In some embodiments, the graphics processor is used to generate various graphic objects, such as icons, operation menus, and user input command display graphics. The graphics processor includes an operator, which performs operations by receiving various interactive instructions input by the user and displays various objects according to display attributes; and a renderer, which renders various objects obtained based on the operator, and the rendered objects are used to be displayed on the display.

[0051] In some embodiments, the video processor is used to receive an external video signal and perform video processing such as decompression, decoding, scaling, noise reduction, frame rate conversion, resolution conversion, and image synthesis according to the standard codec protocol of the input signal to obtain a signal that can be directly displayed or played on the display device 200.

[0052] In some embodiments, the video processor includes a demultiplexing module, a video decoding module, an image synthesis module, a frame rate conversion module, a display formatting module, etc. Among them, the demultiplexing module is used to demultiplex the input audio and video data stream. The video decoding module is used to process the demultiplexed video signal, including decoding and scaling processing. The image synthesis module, such as an image synthesizer, is used to superimpose and mix the GUI signal generated by the graphics generator according to the user input or itself with the video image after scaling processing to generate an image signal for display. The frame rate conversion module is used to convert the input video frame rate. The display formatting module is used to receive the video output signal after frame rate conversion and change the signal to conform to the display format signal, such as outputting RGB data signal.

[0053] In some embodiments, the audio processor is used to receive an external audio signal, and perform decompression and decoding, as well as noise reduction, digital-to-analog conversion, and amplification processing according to a standard codec protocol of the input signal to obtain a sound signal that can be played in a speaker.

[0054] In some embodiments, the user may input a user command in a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the display 260, and the user input interface receives the user input command through the graphical user interface (GUI). Alternatively, the user may input a user command by inputting a specific sound or gesture, and the user input interface receives the user input command by recognizing the sound or gesture through a sensor.

[0055] In some embodiments, "user interface" refers to the medium interface for interaction and information exchange between an application or operating system and a user, which realizes the conversion between the internal form of information and the form acceptable to the user. A common form of user interface is a graphical user interface (GUI), which refers to a user interface related to computer operation displayed in a graphical manner. It can be an interface element such as an icon, window, or control displayed on a display screen of an electronic device, wherein a control may include visual interface elements such as icons, buttons, menus, tabs, text boxes, dialog boxes, status bars, navigation bars, and widgets.

[0056] In some embodiments, the system of the display device may include a kernel, a command parser (shell), a file system, and an application. The kernel, shell, and file system together constitute the basic operating system structure, which allows users to manage files, run programs, and use the system. After power-on, the kernel starts, activates the kernel space, abstracts hardware, initializes hardware parameters, etc., runs and maintains virtual memory, schedulers, signals, and inter-process communication (IPC). After the kernel starts, the shell and user applications are loaded. After startup, the application is compiled into machine code to form a process.

[0057] See also Figure 4 In some embodiments, the system is divided into four layers, from top to bottom, namely, the application layer (Applications) layer (referred to as "application layer"), the application framework layer (Application Framework) layer (referred to as "framework layer"), the Android runtime (Android runtime) and system library layer (referred to as "system runtime library layer"), and the kernel layer.

[0058] In some embodiments, at least one application is running in the application layer, and these applications can be window programs, system settings programs, clock programs, etc. provided by the operating system, or applications developed by third-party developers. In specific implementations, the application packages in the application layer are not limited to the above examples.

[0059] The framework layer provides application programming interfaces (APIs) and programming frameworks for applications. The application framework layer includes some predefined functions. The application framework layer is equivalent to a processing center that determines the actions that applications in the application layer take. Through the API interface, applications can access system resources and obtain system services during execution.

[0060] like Figure 4 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the application framework layer includes managers, content providers, etc., wherein the manager includes at least one of the following modules: an activity manager (ActivityManager) is used to interact with all activities running in the system; a location manager (Location Manager) is used to provide system services or applications with access to system location services; a package manager (Package Manager) is used to retrieve various information related to the application package currently installed on the device; a notification manager (NotificationManager) is used to control the display and clearing of notification messages; a window manager (Window Manager) is used to manage icons, windows, toolbars, wallpapers, and desktop components on the user interface.

[0061] In some embodiments, the activity manager is used to manage the life cycle of each application and the common navigation back function, such as controlling the exit, opening, and back of the application. The window manager is used to manage all window programs, such as obtaining the display screen size, determining whether there is a status bar, locking the screen, capturing the screen, and controlling the display window changes (for example, reducing the display window, shaking the display, distorting the display, etc.).

[0062] In some embodiments, the system runtime layer provides support for the upper layer, namely the framework layer. When the framework layer is used, the Android operating system will run the C / C++ library contained in the system runtime layer to implement the functions to be implemented by the framework layer.

[0063] In some embodiments, the kernel layer is a layer between hardware and software. Figure 4 As shown, the kernel layer includes at least one of the following drivers: audio driver, display driver, Bluetooth driver, camera driver, WIFI driver, USB driver, HDMI driver, sensor driver (such as fingerprint sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, etc.), and power driver, etc.

[0064] In some embodiments, after the display device is started, the interface of the preset video-on-demand program can be directly entered. The interface of the video-on-demand program can be as follows: Figure 5 As shown in , at least a navigation bar 510 and a content display area located below the navigation bar 510 are included, and the content displayed in the content display area changes with the change of the selected control in the navigation bar. The program in the application layer can be integrated into the video-on-demand program and displayed through a control in the navigation bar, or further displayed after the application control in the navigation bar is selected.

[0065] In some embodiments, after the display device is started, it can directly enter the display interface of the last selected signal source, or the signal source selection interface, where the signal source can be a preset video on demand program, or at least one of an HDMI interface, a live TV interface, etc. After the user selects a different signal source, the display can display the content obtained from different signal sources.

[0066] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various types of remote controllers and display devices, air conditioners, washing machines, or other household appliances, and the remote controllers may include infrared remote controllers, Bluetooth remote controllers, or other types of wireless remote controllers. The following uses an infrared remote controller to operate a smart TV, a set-top box to implement a linkage control scheme for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices, and a user interface as an example to describe the linkage control method for controlling a control device, a display device, a set-top box, and simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices.

[0067] Fig. 6A A schematic diagram of a user interface for a control device controlling a display device and a set-top box according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0068] In some embodiments, the control device provided by the present application can be implemented as a control device 100 that communicates using an infrared protocol, that is, an infrared remote controller commonly used in smart TV configurations. The infrared remote controller controls the display device wirelessly, and the user can input user commands through buttons on the remote controller, voice input, control panel input, etc. to control the display device.

[0069] In some embodiments, the control device provided in the present application can be implemented as a smart device 300, which may include a mobile terminal, tablet computer, computer, laptop computer, etc. configured with infrared communication function, for example, using a remote control application running on the smart device to control the display device.

[0070] In some embodiments, the remote controller includes a display, and the user interface of the display can display information about the device that can be controlled by the remote controller, such as a power key, a confirmation key, and a navigation key of the device. Fig. 6A as shown in .

[0071] For example, Fig. 6A The user interface of the remote control screen shown in the figure indicates that the currently controlled device is a set-top box. The middle of the user interface is composed of four directional navigation keys and a confirmation key. The lower side of the user interface is composed of a return key, a home key, a settings key, and commonly used volume up, volume down, and mute keys. The top of the user interface displays a power key for controlling the power on and off of the target device, the device name of the target device, an associated identifier, associated devices, and more content keys.

[0072] For example, the first device is a set-top box and the second device is a TV, and the controller second device and the second device are configured as associated devices; when the remote control switches to the set-top box control interface, the target device information at the top of the remote control user interface will be displayed as a set-top box, and the corresponding associated device information will be displayed as a TV; similarly, when the remote control switches to the TV control interface, the target device information at the top of the remote control user interface will be displayed as a TV, and the corresponding associated device information will be displayed as a set-top box.

[0073] It should be noted that if the user has not configured the associated device of the first device or the second device, the remote control user interface will not display the associated information and the associated identifier of the target device. That is, before the first controller of the remote control receives the user's power on / off operation on the corresponding power key of the first device in the user interface, if there is an associated second device in the first device, the first controller of the remote control will control the user interface of the remote control to display the associated identifier and the second device name around the name of the first device, so as to achieve the effect of prompting the user to control multiple devices in a linked manner.

[0074] In some embodiments, the user turns on or off the first device set-top box by operating the remote control. The user can click the power key button at the top of the set-top box control user interface of the remote control to input a control instruction to turn on or off the first device. It can be understood that the first click is for turning on, and the second click is for turning off.

[0075] For example, when the TV and the set-top box are associated and both are turned off, the user turns on the set-top box by using the power button in the set-top box user interface of the remote control, thereby turning on the set-top box and the TV at the same time.

[0076] It should be noted that although the present application uses the example of a remote control controlling the power on and off of multiple devices at the same time, the present application does not limit the content of the control instructions of the remote control to the devices. Through the technical solution and inventive ideas of the present application, the remote control can completely control the set-top box and the TV at the same time to realize functions such as timed power on, timed shutdown, and parameter setting.

[0077] In some embodiments, when the first device set-top box has an associated second device TV, the first controller controls the remote control user interface to display a switch prompt about the second device TV, such as Figure 6BAs shown. The switch prompt about the TV can be implemented as, for example, including the name of the associated device, the TV, an associated start button, and a cancel associated start button. The switch prompt is used to trigger the first controller of the remote control to obtain and determine the first control code of the corresponding set-top box according to the first device ID after receiving the user's confirmation operation, and to obtain and determine the second control code according to the second device ID; it should be noted that in the infrared remote control, the first control code and the second control code can also be called the first infrared code and the second infrared code.

[0078] For example, the remote control user interface displays Figure 6B After the user clicks the "Yes" button, the first controller can obtain the infrared code information of the switch from the infraredCodesInfo (matching infrared code information) field of the local linkage list of the set-top box device, that is, the first control code.

[0079] The first controller also obtains the second device ID, that is, the TV ID, according to the associatedDeviceId (associated device ID) field of the set-top box local linkage list, and queries the corresponding bound TV in the set-top box local device list (AllBindedDeviceList) according to the obtained TV ID, and obtains the power on and off infrared code information of the infraredCodesInfo (matching infrared code information) field of the TV, that is, the second control code.

[0080] It can be understood that the first controller of the remote control obtains the second device ID associated with the first device ID and the first control code corresponding to the first device ID in the linkage list of the control device based on the first device ID; then the first controller obtains the corresponding second control code in the device list corresponding to the user account according to the obtained second device ID.

[0081] Among them, the linkage list contains information about all devices that the user has associated in advance and has established an association relationship; the device list is a collection of devices bound to the user account. For example, the devices bound to the user account may include TVs, set-top boxes, air conditioners, air purifiers, etc. The device information of the above devices will be recorded in the device list; and the device information of the devices in the device list that have been configured with an association relationship will be recorded in the linkage list; it can be understood that the device list and the linkage list are in an inclusion relationship from the device object dimension.

[0082] In some embodiments, the linkage list described in this application may include the following field information:

[0083] deviceId: represents the ID information of the target device, which is the unique identification attribute of each device;

[0084] deviceName: indicates the name of the target device;

[0085] deviceRoom: indicates the room information of the target device;

[0086] deviceType: indicates the target device type information, which may include TV, set-top box, air conditioner, washing machine, etc.

[0087] deviceControlType: indicates the control type information of the target device, which may include infrared control, wifi control, and bluetooth control.

[0088] associatedDeviceId: indicates the associated device ID information;

[0089] infraredCodesInfo represents the supporting infrared code information corresponding to the target device, such as the first control code and the second control code in this application.

[0090] In some embodiments, after acquiring the infrared code information of the on / off of the set-top box and the TV, the first controller will send the control instruction containing the control code to the corresponding target device. For example, the first controller sends a first control instruction containing the first control code to the first device set-top box to control the set-top box to turn on or off; the first controller sends a second control instruction containing the second control code to the second device TV to control the TV to turn on / off, thereby realizing the linkage control of the simultaneous on / off of multiple devices; wherein, when any device executes the operation sent by the first controller, the device associated with it will synchronously execute the operation.

[0091] After the first control instruction is sent to the set-top box, the set-top box obtains the first control code, and the set-top box switches from the off state to the on state; after the second control instruction is sent to the television, the television obtains the second control code, and the television switches from the off state to the on state. Figure 6C The TV and set-top box status are shown.

[0092] In some embodiments, after acquiring the infrared codes of the target device and the associated device, the first controller of the remote control simultaneously sends the infrared codes of the two associated devices through corresponding control instructions, so as to realize the one-click operation of turning on / off the set-top box and the associated TV. Similarly, in the operation interface of the TV remote control, clicking the power button can also synchronize the set-top box power on / off operation. The steps are as follows: Figure 8 shown.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first device currently controlled by the remote control does not have an associated second device. When the user turns on or off the first device, the first controller controls its user interface not to display the switch prompt in the above embodiment, directly obtains the first control code corresponding to the first device according to the first device ID, and sends the first control code to the first device through the first control instruction to control the first device to turn on / off. The sequence of steps is as follows: Figure 8 shown.

[0094] It can be found that when the set-top box is not associated with the TV, the top of the remote control user interface only displays the target device, and does not display the association logo and the corresponding associated device, such as Fig.6D shown.

[0095] 7A to 7F A schematic diagram of a user interface for configuring a remote control to link a set-top box with a TV according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0096] In some embodiments, the remote control currently controls the target device as a set-top box, and the user needs to associate the TV with the set-top box. First, the user performs the add device operation in the homepage of the set-top box control user interface, such as Fig. 7A The user interface includes selectable product categories, such as televisions, set-top boxes, and air conditioners.

[0097] The user's current requirement is to add a TV. After the user clicks the TV button, the remote control user interface will jump to the following Figure 7B The remote control user interface will display the TV brand selection interface, where the user can select the device brand to be bound, such as Brand 1; after Brand 1 is selected and confirmed, the user interface will jump to Figure 7C The infrared code verification interface shown, the infrared code is the first control code or the second control code provided in this application, and the TV or other target device will perform a power-on or power-off operation after receiving the infrared code.

[0098] like Figure 7C As shown, under the user's operation, the first controller of the remote control sends different power on / off infrared code values ​​to the TV to be associated to verify whether the TV can respond normally; if the TV cannot respond, the user can click the "No Response" button in the remote control user interface, and the first controller will automatically switch to the next set of infrared codes to continue testing; if the TV responds, the user clicks the "Response" button in the remote control user interface, and the first controller will control the remote control user interface to jump to the room and name selection interface of the TV device, such as Fig.7D shown.

[0099] exist Fig.7DIn the room selection interface shown, the user can configure the room information where the device is located and the device name, for example, it can be configured as: room name + device name; or brand name + device name; after the above information is set, the user clicks the Finish button, and the first controller will control the user interface to jump to the home page, and the home page will automatically refresh to display the newly added TV.

[0100] After binding the TV to the remote control according to the above process, the remote control user interface will be displayed as follows: Fig.6D As shown in the remote control user interface, the user clicks the More button at the top of the user interface and the user interface jumps to the following Fig. 7E The user interface shown; the top right side of the remote control user interface will prompt the linkage status, where the set-top box will prompt "not linked" before it is linked to other devices.

[0101] When the user clicks "Not Linked", the user interface will jump to Fig. 7E The linked TV setting interface shown in the figure, when entering this interface, the remote control will obtain a list of all bound devices under the current account through the interface server cloud, and filter the device list according to the device type information and device control type fields in the device list.

[0102] For example, all TV devices are first filtered according to the device type, and then all TVs that support infrared control are filtered out according to the device control type field. Finally, a list of all TV devices that support infrared control is obtained. The order of the steps is as follows: Figure 8 shown.

[0103] After getting the data, the interface will refresh and display all the TV information in the filtered list, such as Fig. 7E As shown, for example, a living room TV and a bedroom TV may be included.

[0104] In some embodiments, after the user selects the TV to be associated, the first controller of the remote control will associate the current set-top box and the selected TV.

[0105] For example, in Figure 7F In the example, after the user clicks "living room TV", the first controller writes the ID information of the living room TV into the associatedDeviceId field of the set-top box device information, and updates the current set-top box ID information to the associatedDeviceId field of the living room TV.

[0106] After the device information of the set-top box and the living room TV is updated, it will be synchronously updated to the linkage list of the local database of the remote control. At the same time, the new linkage list and device list will be uploaded to the cloud server for update and storage. The steps are as follows: Figure 8 shown.

[0107] After the TV is successfully associated, the user interface will refresh back to the set-top box operation interface, and the top title will display the associated information, such as Figure 6C The remote control user interface is shown in the figure.

[0108] It can be understood that when the third device needs to be associated with the first device, the first controller will obtain the corresponding device list under the user account from the server that has a communication connection with the remote control, and the device list contains the device information that has been bound to the user account. The user selects and confirms the third device through the filtered device list displayed in the remote control user interface; then the first controller writes the obtained third device information into the linkage list; then the first controller writes the third device ID into the association field of the first device and the first device ID into the association field of the third device, and the mutual association between the first device and the third device is completed; finally, the updated linkage list is saved to the local remote control and uploaded to the server storage synchronously.

[0109] Figure 7G A schematic diagram of a user interface for a remote controller to control multiple air conditioners according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0110] In some embodiments, the control device provided in the present application can also be used for the linkage control of multiple air conditioners in the home. The user operates the remote control, and the first controller can associate and set up multiple air conditioners in the home; then when the user operates any air conditioner, the other associated air conditioners will perform the same operation.

[0111] For example, first bind multiple air conditioners to a user account, and then set a specific name for each air conditioner, such as living room air conditioner, bedroom air conditioner, study air conditioner, etc. If there are multiple bedroom air conditioners, different air conditioners can be numbered.

[0112] exist Figure 7G In the user interface shown, the user selects the devices that need to be associated, including the living room air conditioner, bedroom air conditioner 2, and study air conditioner; then clicks the "OK" button, and the first controller will associate the above multiple devices. Specifically, the ID information of the associated device can be written into the device information associatedDeviceId field, and the ID information of the currently bound device box can be updated to the associatedDeviceId field of the associated device. This information can also be saved in the cloud.

[0113] After the control device completes the association of multiple devices, the user clicks on any associated device and the user interface appears as follows: Figure 7HAs shown, after the user issues input instructions such as cooling, wind direction, wind speed, and temperature adjustment to the control device, the first controller will generate corresponding multiple control instructions based on the current device and all associated devices, where each control instruction includes a control code that controls the corresponding air conditioner to realize the input instruction function, thereby realizing the linkage control of multiple devices by the control device.

[0114] In some embodiments, when the user selects a certain control (for example, user adjustment mode), the first controller will determine whether each device supports this instruction, screen out devices that support this instruction, carry device information and control instructions to the cloud platform through the network, and send the control instructions to the designated device based on the device information, thereby enabling users to control multiple devices separately on a single page.

[0115] Based on the technical solution of the control device realizing the linkage control of simultaneous power on and off of multiple devices and the introduction of the related drawings in the above text, the present application also provides a linkage control method for simultaneous power on and off of multiple devices, the method comprising: controlling the second device to be associated with the first device, wherein any device will synchronously and synchronously execute the operation with the device it is associated with when executing the issued operation; receiving an input instruction input by the user for controlling the power on / off of the first device, and determining a first control instruction and a second control instruction based on the input instruction and the associated device, the first control instruction being used to control the power on / off of the first device, and the second control instruction being used to control the power on / off of the second device; sending the first control instruction to the first device, and sending the second control instruction to the second device, so as to control the second device to be synchronously and linked with the first device to be turned on / off. The method has been described in detail in the technical solution of the control device realizing the linkage control of simultaneous power on and off of multiple devices, and will not be repeated here.

[0116] In some embodiments, after receiving the input instruction input by the user, the method further includes: displaying a switch prompt about the second device, the switch prompt being used to trigger, after receiving the user's confirmation operation, a first control instruction including a corresponding first control code determined according to the first device ID, and a second control instruction including a corresponding second control code determined according to the second device ID. The method has been described in detail in the technical solution of the control device realizing simultaneous on / off linkage control of multiple devices, and will not be repeated here.

[0117] In some embodiments, the method further includes: when the first device does not have an associated second device, the switch prompt is not displayed, a first control instruction including a corresponding first control code is directly determined according to the first device ID, and the first control instruction is sent to the first device to control the first device to turn on / off. The method has been described in detail in the technical solution of the control device realizing the simultaneous on / off linkage control of multiple devices, and will not be repeated here.

[0118] In some embodiments, determining the corresponding first control code according to the first device ID and determining the corresponding second control code according to the second device ID specifically includes: based on the first device ID, obtaining the second device ID associated with the first device ID and the first control code corresponding to the first device ID in the linkage list, wherein the linkage list includes information of all devices with established associations; determining the corresponding second control code in the device list according to the second device ID. The method has been described in detail in the technical solution of the control device for realizing simultaneous on / off linkage control of multiple devices, and will not be repeated here.

[0119] In some embodiments, before receiving the input command input by the user for controlling the power on / off of the first device, the method further includes: displaying an associated identifier and the name of the second device around the name of the first device; and displaying a power key corresponding to the first device, the power key being used to receive the power on / off operation input by the user. The method has been described in detail in the technical solution of the control device realizing the simultaneous power on / off linkage control of multiple devices, and will not be repeated here.

[0120] In some embodiments, when the third device is associated with the first device, the method further includes: obtaining a device list corresponding to the user account from the server, the device list including device information that has been bound to the user account; writing the third device information obtained based on the device list into the linkage list; writing the third device ID into the association field of the first device, and writing the first device ID into the association field of the third device; saving the updated linkage list locally, and synchronously uploading it to the server for storage. The method has been described in detail in the technical solution of the control device realizing the simultaneous on / off linkage control of multiple devices, and will not be repeated here.

[0121] The beneficial effect of the embodiments of the present application is that by establishing device associations, coordinated control of associated devices can be achieved; further, through the first control instruction and the second control instruction, different associated devices can be controlled simultaneously through one input instruction, and the associated devices can be turned on or off at the same time by operating the power key in the operation interface of any device remote control, without the user having to switch the remote control control interface to repeat the operation.

[0122] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present application may be illustrated and described by a number of patentable categories or situations, including any new and useful process, machine, product or combination of substances, or any new and useful improvements thereto. Accordingly, various aspects of the present application may be performed entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by a combination of hardware and software. The above hardware or software may all be referred to as "data blocks", "controllers", "engines", "units", "components" or "systems". In addition, various aspects of the present application may be represented as computer products located in one or more computer-readable media, which include computer-readable program codes.

[0123] A computer storage medium may include a propagated data signal containing computer program code, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The propagated signal may be in a variety of forms, including electromagnetic, optical, etc., or a suitable combination. A computer storage medium may be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can be connected to an instruction execution system, device or apparatus to communicate, propagate or transmit the program for use. The program code on the computer storage medium may be transmitted via any suitable medium, including radio, cable, fiber optic cable, RF, or similar media, or any combination of the above media.

[0124] The computer program coding required for the operation of each part of the application can be written in any one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emera|d, C++, C#, VB.NET, Python, etc., conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL 2002, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby and Groovy, or other programming languages, etc. The program coding can be run completely on the user's computer, or run on the user's computer as an independent software package, or run partly on the user's computer and partly on the remote computer, or run completely on the remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any network form, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet), or in a cloud computing environment, or used as a service such as software as a service (SaaS).

[0125] In addition, unless explicitly stated in the claims, the order of the processing elements and sequences described in this application, the use of alphanumeric characters, or the use of other names are not intended to limit the order of the processes and methods of this application. Although the above disclosure discusses some invention embodiments that are currently considered useful through various examples, it should be understood that such details are only for illustrative purposes, and the attached claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that are consistent with the essence and scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, although the system components described above can be implemented by hardware devices, they can also be implemented only by software solutions, such as installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

[0126] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description of the disclosure of this application and thus help understand one or more embodiments of the invention, in the above description of the embodiments of this application, multiple features are sometimes combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the object of this application are more than the features mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0127] Each patent, patent application, patent application disclosure, and other materials, such as articles, books, instructions, publications, documents, etc., cited in this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Except for application history documents that are inconsistent with or conflicting with the content of this application, documents that limit the broadest scope of the claims of this application (currently or later attached to this application) are also excluded. It should be noted that if the descriptions, definitions, and / or use of terms in the attached materials of this application are inconsistent or conflicting with the content described in this application, the descriptions, definitions, and / or use of terms in this application shall prevail.

Claims

1. A control device, characterized in that: include: Communication interface; A display, for displaying a user interface; The first controller is configured as: Controlling the display to display a first interface for controlling a first device; In response to an operation instruction on the linkage control in the first interface, obtaining a device list corresponding to a user account logged in by the control device, the device list including device information bound to the user account; Controlling the display to display a linkage setting interface generated based on the device list, wherein the linkage setting interface includes controls corresponding to the devices bound to the user account; In response to an instruction to select a control corresponding to a second device in the linkage setting interface, acquiring first device information of the first device and second device information of the second device in the device list; Writing the first device information and the second device information into a linkage list; Establishing an association relationship between the first device and the second device in the linkage list; Controlling the display to display a second interface for controlling the first device; receiving an operation instruction for a power on / off control in the second interface, and searching the linkage list for a second device associated with the first device; Acquire a first control code in the first device information in the linkage list, and acquire a second control code in the second device information; Generate a first control instruction based on the first control code, and generate a second control instruction based on the second control code, the first control instruction is used to control the first device to turn on / off, and the second control instruction is used to control the second device to turn on / off; A first control instruction is sent to the first device and a second control instruction is sent to the second device to control the second device to be turned on / off in conjunction with the first device.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first controller searches the linkage list for a second device associated with the first device, and is further configured to: Controlling the display to display a switch prompt about the second device on the second interface, wherein the switch prompt is used to prompt whether to synchronously control the second device to be turned on or off; In response to a confirmation operation based on the switch prompt input, searching the linkage list for a second device associated with the first device.

3. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first controller executes acquiring the first control code in the first device information in the linkage list and acquiring the second control code in the second device information, and is further configured to: Acquire the first control code in the first device information and the second device ID associated with the first device in the linkage list; Obtain a second control code corresponding to the second device ID in the device list.

4. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first controller controls the display to display a second interface for controlling the first device, and the first controller is further configured to: Control the display to display a second interface for controlling the first device, and display the first device name, association identifier, second device name and power on / off controls on the second interface; wherein the association identifier is used to indicate that an association relationship has been established between the first device and the second device.

5. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: After controlling the display to display the linkage setting interface generated based on the device list, the first controller is further configured to: In response to a selection instruction of a control corresponding to a third device in the linkage setting interface, obtaining third device information of the third device in the device list; Writing the third device information into the linkage list; In the linkage list, writing the third device ID in the third device information into the associated field of the first device information, and writing the first device ID in the first device information into the associated field of the third device information; The updated linkage list is saved to the local control device and uploaded to the server storage synchronously.

6. A linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the display to display a first interface for controlling the first device; In response to an operation instruction on the linkage control in the first interface, obtaining a device list corresponding to a user account logged in by the control device, the device list including device information bound to the user account; Controlling the display to display a linkage setting interface generated based on the device list, wherein the linkage setting interface includes controls corresponding to the devices bound to the user account; In response to an instruction to select a control corresponding to a second device in the linkage setting interface, acquiring first device information of the first device and second device information of the second device in the device list; Writing the first device information and the second device information into a linkage list; Establishing an association relationship between the first device and the second device in the linkage list; Controlling the display to display a second interface for controlling the first device; receiving an operation instruction for a power on / off control in the second interface, and searching the linkage list for a second device associated with the first device; Acquire a first control code in the first device information in the linkage list, and acquire a second control code in the second device information; Generate a first control instruction based on the first control code, and generate a second control instruction based on the second control code, the first control instruction is used to control the first device to turn on / off, and the second control instruction is used to control the second device to turn on / off; A first control instruction is sent to the first device and a second control instruction is sent to the second device to control the second device to be turned on / off in conjunction with the first device.

7. The linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The step of searching the linkage list for a second device associated with the first device includes: Controlling the display to display a switch prompt about the second device on the second interface, wherein the switch prompt is used to prompt whether to synchronously control the second device to be turned on or off; In response to a confirmation operation based on the switch prompt input, searching the linkage list for a second device associated with the first device.

8. The linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The steps of obtaining the first control code in the first device information and obtaining the second control code in the second device information in the linkage list include: Acquire the first control code in the first device information and the second device ID associated with the first device in the linkage list; Obtain a second control code corresponding to the second device ID in the device list.

9. The linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The step of controlling the display to display a second interface for controlling the first device includes: Control the display to display a second interface for controlling the first device, and display the first device name, association identifier, second device name and power on / off controls on the second interface; wherein the association identifier is used to indicate that an association relationship has been established between the first device and the second device.

10. The linkage control method for simultaneously turning on and off multiple devices as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: After controlling the display to display a linkage setting interface generated based on the device list, the method further includes: In response to a selection instruction of a control corresponding to a third device in the linkage setting interface, obtaining third device information of the third device in the device list; Writing the third device information into the linkage list; In the linkage list, the third device ID in the third device information is written into the associated field of the first device information, and the first device ID in the first device information is written into the associated field of the third device information; Save the updated linkage list locally and upload it to the server storage synchronously.

Images