Remote control device

Abstract

To provide a remote control device that makes it difficult to perform unintended operations on equipment.SOLUTION: A remote control device 1 includes a housing 10 whose vertical dimension H is larger than its horizontal dimension W1, a plurality of operation buttons 22 for inputting information that are arranged on a first surface 20 of the housing, and a display unit 21. The operation buttons include a main operation button 23 and a sub-operation button 24 that is used less frequently than the main operation button, the sub-operation button is arranged on one end 10A side in the longitudinal direction of the first surface, the display unit is arranged on the other end 10B side in the longitudinal direction of the first surface, the main operation button is arranged between the sub-operation button and the display unit, and the top surface of the sub-operation button is located closer to the first surface than the top surface of the main operation button.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a remote control device that operates equipment such as an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, remote control devices for operating equipment such as air conditioners are equipped with operation buttons for inputting information for operating the equipment, and a part of the remote control device is held in the user's hand to operate the operation buttons (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3829518 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in recent years, the number of operation buttons has tended to increase as devices have become more multifunctional, and in handy remote control devices, some of the operation buttons are provided in an area corresponding to the grip of the remote control device held by the user's hand. For this reason, when a user tries to hold the remote control device firmly, the user's hand or fingers may hit some of the operation buttons, resulting in unintended operation of the device. To prevent unintended operation, a controller is known that has an opening / closing lid that covers some of the operation buttons (see Patent Document 1), but when operating the operation buttons provided inside the opening / closing lid, it is necessary to open and close the lid, which raises concerns about the deterioration of operability of the operation buttons. The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a remote control device that can make it difficult to perform unintended operations on a device while maintaining good operability of the operation buttons. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, a remote control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing having a vertical dimension larger than a horizontal dimension, a plurality of operation buttons for inputting information that are arranged on a first surface of the housing, and a display unit, the operation buttons having a main operation button and a sub-operation button that is used less frequently than the main operation button, the sub-operation button being arranged on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the first surface, and the display unit being arranged on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the first surface. In this remote control device, the main operation button is arranged between the sub-operation button and the display unit, and an upper surface of the sub-operation button is located closer to the first surface than an upper surface of the main operation button.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a remote control device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing having a vertical dimension larger than a horizontal dimension, a plurality of operation buttons arranged on a first surface of the housing for inputting information, a display unit, a transmission unit for transmitting an operation control signal according to the operation of the operation button, and a control unit for causing the transmission unit to transmit the operation control signal, the operation buttons having a main operation button and a sub-operation button used less frequently than the main operation button, the sub-operation button being arranged on one end side of the longitudinal direction of the first surface, the display unit being arranged on the other end side of the longitudinal direction of the first surface, and the main operation button being arranged between the sub-operation button and the display unit. In this remote control device, when any of the main operation buttons is operated, the control unit causes the transmission unit to transmit an operation control signal for causing the equipment to perform an operation corresponding to the operated main operation button, when any of the sub operation buttons is operated once, the control unit does not cause the transmission unit to transmit an operation control signal for causing the equipment to perform an operation corresponding to the operated sub operation button, and when any of the sub operation buttons is operated multiple times, the control unit causes the transmission unit to transmit an operation control signal for causing the equipment to perform an operation corresponding to the sub operation button operated multiple times. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a remote control device can be obtained that can prevent unintended operation of a device while maintaining good operability of operation buttons. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a remote control device according to the present disclosure is used; [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view showing a configuration example of a remote control device according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a top view illustrating a configuration example of a remote control device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating a configuration example of a remote control device according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 1 is a right side view showing an example configuration of a remote control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a rear view showing an example of a configuration of a remote control device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic front view showing a remote control device according to the present disclosure in use; [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic left side view showing a remote control device according to the present disclosure in use; FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a display unit of the remote control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 10] 2 is an enlarged side view showing the height of a main operation button and a sub operation button of the remote control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the height of a main operation button and a sub operation button of the remote control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 12] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the height of a main operation button and a sub operation button of the remote control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the height of a main operation button and a sub operation button of the remote control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a transmitter of a remote control device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a front view showing another configuration example of a remote control device according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The present disclosure will be described below through embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1. First embodiment (1.1) Configuration of remote control device Hereinafter, a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 14. In this embodiment, as an example, a remote control device that controls an indoor unit of an air conditioner fixed to a mounting surface such as a wall surface of a house will be described.

[0011] The remote control device 1 according to the present disclosure shown in Fig. 1 is capable of remotely controlling an air conditioner 100, and has the function of transmitting an operation control signal to the air conditioner 100 and displaying the operation status of the air conditioner 100. The air conditioner 100 may be a ceiling-embedded type air conditioner or a duct-type air conditioner shown in Fig. 1, and the type of air conditioner is not limited.

[0012] Fig. 2 to Fig. 6 are external views showing the external configuration of the remote control device 1. Specifically, Fig. 2 is a front view of the remote control device 1, Fig. 3 is a top view of the remote control device 1, Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the remote control device 1, Fig. 5 is a right side view of the remote control device 1, and Fig. 6 is a rear view of the remote control device 1. Note that the left side view of the remote control device 1 is omitted from the illustration because the left side view has a symmetrical appearance to the right side view.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the remote control device 1 includes a housing 10 of the remote control device 1, a display unit 21, operation buttons 22, and an infrared transmitter 31 which is an example of a transmitter. 2 and 5, the remote control device 1 can be divided into a display portion 41, which is a portion above the housing 10 where the display unit 21 is provided, and a grip portion 42, which is a portion below the housing 10 where the grip portion 14 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the grip portion 42 of the remote control device 1 is formed thicker than the display portion 41 so that it is easier for a user of the remote control device 1 to grip. The display portion 41 of the remote control device 1 is provided with the display portion 21 and the main operation button 23, which is used relatively frequently among the operation buttons 22. In addition, the grip portion 42 of the remote control device 1 is provided with the sub-operation button 24, which is used relatively less frequently. Each component of the remote control device 1 will now be described in detail.

[0014] <Case> 2, the housing 10 includes a front cover 11 on which a display unit 21 and operation buttons 22 are arranged, a back cover 12 provided on the rear side of the display unit 21, and a battery cover 13 provided on the rear side of the display unit 21 and serving as a cover for a battery housing unit 17 formed in the housing 10. The operation buttons 22 are exposed and arranged on a first surface 20 which is the front of the housing 10 (the surface of the front cover 11). This makes it unnecessary to open and close an opening / closing cover when operating the remote control device 1, and therefore makes it possible to maintain good operability of the operation buttons.

[0015] The housing 10 is formed so that the vertical dimension H is larger than the horizontal dimension W1. In this embodiment, the horizontal dimension W2 of the other end 10B side (upper side in FIG. 2), which is the end of the housing 10 on the display portion 41 side when viewed from the front, is larger than the horizontal dimension W1 of the one end 10A side (lower side in FIG. 2), which is the end of the housing 10 on the grip portion 42 side. This makes it possible to increase the width of the grip portion 14 to enlarge the display portion 21 while maintaining a shape that is easy for the user to hold, and makes it easy to check the operating state of the device to be operated.

[0016] (gripping part) A grip portion 14 is provided on one end 10A side in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10. The grip portion 14 also serves as a battery housing portion 17. As a result, a thickness dimension D1 (thickness dimension at one end 10A in the longitudinal direction) of the grip portion 42 of the housing 10 is formed to be larger than a thickness dimension D2 (thickness dimension at the other end 10B in the longitudinal direction) of the display portion 41 of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the width dimension W3 of the grip portion 14 is narrower than the width dimension W1 (see FIG. 2) of the grip portion 42 of the housing 10 (the width dimension of the portion of the first surface 20 located in front of the grip portion 14). As a result, the grip portion 14 is formed into a shape that is easy for a user to grip. The width dimension W1 is preferably 41 mm or more and 47 mm or less. Also, the width dimension W3 of the grip portion 14 is preferably 33 mm or more and 39 mm or less. As a result, the grip portion 14 becomes easier for a user to hold in his / her hand, and the operation button 22 provided on the first surface 20 of the housing 10 becomes easier to operate.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5, the thickness D1 of the grip portion 42 on which the grip part 14 is provided is formed to be thicker than the thickness D2 of the display portion 41 on which the display part 21 is arranged. As a result, a step 33 is formed at the boundary between the rear surface 15 of the display part 41 on which the display part 21 is arranged and the grip part 14 provided on the grip part 42 on the rear side of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the user can operate the operation switch 22 while stably holding the remote control device 1 by, for example, hooking the index finger on the step 33, wrapping the grip part 14 with the middle finger, ring finger, little finger, etc., and holding the housing 10 so that the thumb is located on the front side (the surface on which the operation switch 22 is provided) of the housing 10. Also, for example, the step 33 is provided at a position corresponding to between the main operation button 23 and the sub operation button 24. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, in the direction along the vertical dimension H, the surface between the main operation button 23 and the sub operation button 24 of the first surface 20 on the front side of the housing 10 is formed to be located at the same position as the inclined surface of the step 33 (i.e., located in front of the step 33). As a result, the thickness of the housing 10 changes between the surface between the main operation button 23 and the sub operation button 24 and the inclined surface of the step 33. As a result, when the main operation button 23 is pressed with the thumb, the housing 10 is sandwiched between the index finger placed on the step 33 and the thumb placed on the main operation button 23 side. Therefore, the main operation button 23 can be stably pressed even when the user operates the remote control device 1 with one hand.

[0018] 5, legs 16 may be provided on the rear portion 15 located on the rear side of the display unit 21 of the housing 10. A thickness dimension D3 of the portion of the housing 10 where the legs 16 are provided is formed to be substantially the same as a thickness D1 of a portion corresponding to the grip portion 14. This prevents the first surface 20 from tilting to the side opposite the user, making it difficult to see the display unit 21, when the remote control device 1 is placed on a desk or the like.

[0019] <Display section> The display unit 21 is exposed, for example, on the first surface 20 side, which is the front surface of the housing 10, and is disposed on the other end 10B side in the longitudinal direction of the first surface 20. The display unit 21 is a display screen having a liquid crystal screen with a function of displaying the operating status of the air conditioner. The display unit 21 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Diode) or an organic electroluminescence display (OELD: Organic Electro Luminescence Diode). The display unit 21 is preferably a full dot type. This allows the display unit 21 to be easy for the user to view even if it displays a lot of information about the device operated by the remote control device 1.

[0020] Fig. 9 shows an example of the display on the display unit 21. As shown in Fig. 9, the display unit 21 displays, for example, an operating state 211 of the air conditioner, a set room temperature 212, a set air volume 213, a set function 214, a current time 215, and a remaining battery level 216. The operating status 211 indicates that the air conditioner is operating, and is not displayed when the air conditioner is not operating. When the air conditioner is operating, characters, figures, etc. indicating the operating status 211 are displayed. In Fig. 9, the characters "cooling" are displayed as the operating status 211. The set room temperature 212 is displayed in the center of the display unit 21. In Fig. 9, the text "28.5°C" is displayed as the set room temperature 212. The set air volume 213 indicates the air volume of the air conditioner when it is in operation, and is not displayed when the air conditioner is not in operation. In Fig. 9, a figure indicating the air volume is displayed as the set air volume 213. The setting function 214 displays the functions that are active in the air conditioner while it is in operation. In Fig. 9, the setting function 214 displays the text indicating that "PLASMA-KUSEI" is functioning, which sterilizes, deodorizes, and suppresses static electricity in the air blown out from the device. The current time 215 indicates the current time. Battery remaining capacity 216 indicates the remaining capacity of a battery inserted in a battery case (not shown) covered by rear cover 12 and battery cover 13. In Fig. 9, a figure indicating the remaining battery capacity is displayed as battery remaining capacity 216, but a numerical value indicating the remaining battery capacity (e.g., 80%) may also be displayed.

[0021] <Operation buttons> The operation button 22 is disposed on the first surface 20 of the housing 10, and is provided for a user to input information. By disposing the operation button 22 on the first surface 20 of the housing 10, it is not necessary to open an opening / closing cover to perform an operation, and this is preferable because it improves the operability of the remote control device 1. 2 and 10, the operation button 22 has a main operation button 23 and a sub-operation button 24 which is used less frequently than the main operation button 23. Here, Fig. 10 is an enlarged view showing an arrangement portion of the operation button 22 (the main operation button 23 and the sub-operation button 24) in Fig. 5.

[0022] 2 and 5, the sub-operation button 24 is disposed on the grip portion 42 on one end 10A side in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10. That is, the sub-operation button 24 is disposed in an area corresponding to the grip portion 14 on the first surface 20 (an area of ​​the first surface 20 located on the front side of the grip portion 14). 2 and 5, the main operation button 23 is arranged in the display portion 41 on the other end 10B side of the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction together with the sub operation button 24. The main operation button 23 is arranged between the sub operation button 24 and the display portion 21. In other words, the main operation button 23 is not arranged in the area corresponding to the grip portion 14 of the first surface 20 (the area located in front of the grip portion of the first surface 20). The main operation button 23 and the sub operation button 24 will be described below.

[0023] (Main operation button) The main operation button 23 is a button for operating a target device such as the air conditioner 100. When the target device is the air conditioner 100, the main operation button 23 may include a plurality of mode operation buttons for specifying one of a plurality of operation modes (heating, cooling, dehumidification, etc.) of the air conditioner 100 and operating the specified operation mode with a single operation. For example, the buttons 23A to 23E shown in Fig. 2 are mode operation buttons, and the button 23A can be a cooling operation button, the button 23B a dehumidification operation button, the button 23C a heating operation button, the button 23D an automatic operation button, and the button 23E an operation stop button.

[0024] The height of the main operation button 23 from the first surface 20 of the housing 10 is preferably 1.5 mm or less. This allows information to be input with a small amount of pressure when the main operation button 23 is pressed, improving the operability of the main operation button 23. Also, the height of the main operation button 23 from the first surface 20 of the housing 10 is preferably 1.0 mm or more. This is preferable because, for example, when the main operation button 23 is a silicon button, the main operation button 23 is less likely to get caught on the housing 10 after being pressed.

[0025] (Sub-operation buttons) The sub-operation buttons 24 are buttons for operating a target device such as the air conditioner 100, similar to the main operation buttons 23. The sub-operation buttons 24 are buttons that are used less frequently than the main operation buttons 23, and have a directional pad 241 and a function operation button 242, as shown in FIG.

[0026] The sub operation button 24 is disposed, for example, in a region of the first surface 20 of the housing 10 that corresponds to the grip portion 14. As shown in FIG. 10 , the upper surface of the sub operation button 24 is located closer to the first surface 20 than the upper surface of the main operation button 23. Fig. 11 shows an AA' cross section of the remote control device 1 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of the cross section shown in Fig. 11 where the function operation button 242 is provided. Fig. 13 shows a B-B' cross section of the remote control device 1 shown in Fig. 2. Note that in Figs. 11 to 13, only the portions related to the main operation button 23 and the sub operation button 24 will be described with reference symbols assigned.

[0027] The height of the sub operation button 24 from the first surface 20 is lower than the height of the main operation button 23 from the first surface 20. The difference between the height of the upper surface of the sub operation button 24 from the first surface 20 and the height of the upper surface of the main operation button 23 from the first surface 20 is preferably 0.3 mm or more, and more preferably 0.5 mm or less. This prevents the sub operation button 24 from being pressed unintentionally, and prevents the air conditioner from being operated by mistake.

[0028] 12, the function operation button 242 of the sub operation buttons 24 may be provided so as to be exposed from the second surface 20A formed to be recessed from the first surface 20. This allows the upper surface of the function operation button 242 to be formed lower than the upper surface of the main operation button 23, while allowing the protruding height of the function operation button 242 (height from the second surface 20A) to be higher than when it protrudes from the first surface 20. If the protruding height of the operation button 22 including the function operation button 242 from a reference surface (for example, the first surface 20) becomes lower, after the operation button 22 is pressed, the operation button 22 may get caught on the housing 10 and become difficult to return, which may reduce the operability of the button. In this case, the height of the function operation button 242 from the second surface 20A is preferably 1.0 mm or more. After the function operation button 242 is pressed, the function operation button 242 is less likely to get caught on the housing 10, improving button operability. Also, at this time, the height of the function operation button 242 from the first surface 20 is preferably 0.7 mm or less. This further prevents the function operation button 242 from being unintentionally pressed, and maintains the operability of the function operation button 242. The depth of the second surface 20A (the amount of recess from the first surface 20) is preferably 0.3 mm or more and 0.7 mm or less. This is because the function operation button 242 is easily operated by mistake and the operability of the function operation button 242 is improved.

[0029] The directional pad 241 has, for example, a selection section (up button 241A, down button 241B, left button 241C, and right button 241D described later) that can input a selection operation, and a decision section (decision button 241E described later) that can input a decision operation. When the device to be operated is the air conditioner 100, the directional pad 241 has a function for adjusting the temperature so that air at a specific temperature is blown out from the air conditioner 100. The directional pad 241 is preferably provided adjacent to the main operation button 23.

[0030] Here, the directional pad 241 has, for example, an up button 241A, a down button 241B, a left button 241C, a right button 241D, and an enter button 241E. The directional pad 241 may be used, for example, when setting a function (for example, adjusting the air volume) operated by the function operation button 242. It is preferable that the directional pad 241 has a width dimension that is 55% or more and 85% or less of the width dimension W1 of the housing 10 in order to improve operability.

[0031] Moreover, it is preferable that the function operation button 242 is disposed closer to the one end 10A side of the first surface 20 in the longitudinal direction than the directional pad 241. The buttons 242A-242H of the function operation button 242 may be buttons for operating an air conditioner, such as an air volume adjustment button, an air light adjustment button, a high power operation button, a sterilization operation button, and a timer button. The buttons 242A-242H of the function operation button 242 may be a display button for displaying a notice to a user, a back button for returning the display of the display unit 21 to a previous display, a menu button, and the like. It is preferable that the buttons 242A-242H of the function operation button 242 are arranged such that the buttons which are operated less frequently are arranged closer to the one end 10A of the remote control device 1 (the lower end in FIG. 1). Among the function operation buttons 242, the buttons 242A and 242E arranged closer to the main operation button 23 include, for example, the menu button and the back button described above.

[0032] <Sending department> The transmitter is a wireless transmitter that transmits an operation control signal to the device to be operated in response to the operation of the operation button. The transmitter may be an infrared transmitter 31 that transmits infrared rays, which are wireless signals, or a radio wave transmitter that transmits radio waves, which are wireless signals. When the transmitter is an infrared transmitter 31, the infrared transmitter 31 is electrically connected to a circuit board (not shown) arranged in the housing 10 and is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of the housing 10. The infrared transmitter 31 is, for example, an infrared light emitting diode (LED: Light Emitting Diode). The infrared transmitter 31 is located on the other end 10B side in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and is provided so as to be exposed from the third surface 30 (see Figs. 3 and 5), which is a surface connecting the first surface 20 and the back surface 15. This makes it easier for the user to point the infrared transmitter 31 toward the air conditioner 100, which is the device to be operated, when the user grips the grip portion 14 of the remote control device 1.

[0033] When the transmitter is a radio wave transmitter, the radio wave transmitter is electrically connected to a circuit board (not shown) arranged inside the housing 10. The radio wave transmitter may be provided at any position in the housing 10 as long as it can transmit an operation control signal to the device to be operated. The radio wave transmitter is, for example, a radio signal output circuit capable of outputting the operation control signal as a radio signal.

[0034] The circuit configuration of the remote control device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. In the remote control device 1, when the operation button 22 is operated, the CPU 201 transmits a display control signal to the display unit 21 so as to perform a screen display according to the operated operation button 22. For example, when the up button 241A of the directional pad 241 is operated during temperature adjustment, the set room temperature 212 (see Fig. 3) of the display unit 21 changes according to the number of times the up button 241A is pressed. Furthermore, in the remote control device 1, when the operation button 22 is operated, the CPU 201 transmits a control signal to the transmitting unit 202 so as to transmit an operation control signal corresponding to the operated operation button 22 to the device to be operated.

[0035] <Control Unit> The control unit is provided on a circuit board (not shown) arranged inside the housing 10. The control unit has a function of causing the infrared emitting unit 31 to emit an operation control signal. When any of the main operation buttons 23 (for example, any of the buttons 23A to 23E) is operated, the control unit causes the infrared ray transmitting unit 31 to transmit an operation control signal for controlling the device to be operated, such as the air conditioner 100. At this time, the control unit causes the device, such as the air conditioner 100, to transmit an operation control signal for performing an operation corresponding to the operated main operation button 23. At this time, when any of the main operation buttons 23 is pressed once, the control unit can cause the infrared ray transmitting unit 31 to immediately transmit an operation control signal corresponding to the pressed operation button 23.

[0036] Furthermore, the sub operation buttons 24 are used relatively less frequently than the main operation buttons 23. Therefore, the probability that the sub operation buttons 24 are operated intentionally is low. For this reason, the control unit may be configured not to cause the infrared transmission unit 31 to transmit an operation control signal when any of the sub operation buttons 24 (for example, any of the buttons 241A-241E of the directional pad 241 and any of the buttons 242A-242H of the function operation button 242) is pressed only once. In this case, when any of the sub operation buttons 24 is operated multiple times, the control unit causes the transmission unit 31 to transmit an operation control signal for causing a device such as the air conditioner 100 to perform an operation corresponding to the sub operation button 24 that has been operated multiple times.

[0037] This prevents the user from unintentionally operating an air conditioner or other device even if the user's hand or finger unintentionally hits a part of the sub-operation buttons 24 that are relatively infrequently used and are arranged in an area corresponding to the gripping portion 14 of the remote control device 1 and presses any of the sub-operation buttons 24. Similarly, for example, when the user grips the remote control device 1 arranged on a table or the like (for example, when trying to lift the remote control device 1), unintentionally pressing a part of the sub-operation buttons 24 also prevents the user from unintentionally operating an air conditioner or other device. This allows all of the operation buttons 22 to be exposed and arranged on the first surface 20 of the housing 10, improving the operability of the remote control device 1 compared to when the operation buttons 22 are arranged in a position covered by a lid, for example. When such control is performed, the positions (heights) of the upper surfaces of the main operation button 23 and the sub operation button 24 of the remote control device 1 may be the same. When the upper surface of the sub operation button 24 is closer to the first surface 20 than the upper surface of the main operation button 23, erroneous operation of the sub operation button 24, which is used relatively infrequently, can be suppressed by combining such control.

[0038] (1.2) Modifications In the remote control device 1 according to the embodiment described above, the width dimension W2 of the first surface 20 of the housing 10 on the other end 10B side is larger than the width dimension W1 of the first surface 20 on the one end 10A side, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in this embodiment, the width dimension W2 of the first surface 20 of the housing 10 on the other end 10B side and the width dimension W1 of the first surface 20 on the one end 10A side may be the same dimension.

[0039] (1.3) How to operate the remote control device Next, a method of operating the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a front view showing a state in which the remote control device 1 is held by a user when operating the device, and Fig. 8 is a side view of Fig. 7. 7 and 8, when operating the remote control device 1, the user holds the lower grip portion 42 (see FIG. 2) of the remote control device 1. If the remote control device 1 is equipped with a highly directional wireless transmitter such as an infrared transmitter 31 as a transmitter, the user uses the remote control device 1 by pointing the upper display portion 41 toward the device to be operated. At this time, as shown in Fig. 8, the user holds the grip part 14 on the back side of the remote control device 1 with four fingers other than the thumb. This causes the user's thumb to be placed on the operation button 22 (particularly the main operation button 23) on the front side of the remote control device 1, and the ball of the user's hand to be placed on the sub-operation button 24, as shown in Fig. 7.

[0040] In the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment, in order to maintain good operability of the operation button 22, the operation button 22 is arranged on the front surface of the remote control device 1. In such a remote control device without an opening and closing cover, the operation button arranged in the area touched by the ball of the user's hand may be unintentionally pressed by the ball of the thumb, which may cause the device to be operated to perform an unintended operation. On the other hand, in the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment, the sub operation button 24 is disposed in an area where the ball of the user's hand touches, and the upper surface of the sub operation button 24 is disposed lower than the upper surface of the main operation button 23, i.e., closer to the first surface 20 of the remote control device 1. Therefore, the sub operation button 24 is less likely to be unintentionally pressed down even when the user operates the operation button 22 of the remote control device 1, making it difficult to perform unintentional operations on the equipment. Also, in the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment, an opening / closing cover is not provided and a part of the operation button 22 is not disposed inside the opening / closing cover, so that the opening and closing operation of the opening / closing cover is not necessary, and the operability of the operation button 22 can be maintained good.

[0041] Furthermore, in the remote control device 1 according to this embodiment, only when a part of the operation buttons of the sub-operation buttons 24 arranged in an area touched by the ball of the user's hand is operated multiple times (for example, twice), an operation control signal for performing an operation corresponding to the operated sub-operation button 24 is output. Therefore, even if the user unintentionally presses down a part of the sub-operation buttons 24 once when operating the operation buttons 22 of the remote control device 1, an operation control signal corresponding to the pressed part of the sub-operation button 24 is not transmitted to the device to be operated. Therefore, in the remote control device 1, it is possible to make it difficult to operate the device to be operated unintentionally. In this way, as an operation button for which an operation control signal is output only when the operation button is operated multiple times, for example, an operation button that is used relatively infrequently can be the target of application. An example of the target operation button is the sub operation button 24.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the above embodiments are merely examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and the technical ideas of the present disclosure do not specify the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components. The technical ideas of the present disclosure can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Remote control device 10. Chassis 10A one end 10B Other end 11 Front cover 12 Back cover 13 Battery cover 14 Gripping part 15 Back section 16 Legs 17 Battery compartment 20 Front page 20A second side 21 Display section 22 Operation buttons 23 Main operation button 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, 23E Buttons 24 Sub-operation buttons 241 Roar Pad 241A Up button 241B Down button 241C Left button 241D Right button 241E Decision button 242 Function operation button 30 Third side 31 Infrared transmitter 41 Display area 42 Gripping part 100 Air conditioner

Claims

1. A housing having a vertical dimension larger than its horizontal dimension; A plurality of operation buttons for inputting information, the operation buttons being disposed on a first surface of the housing; A display unit; Equipped with The operation button includes a main operation button and a sub-operation button that is used less frequently than the main operation button, The sub operation button is disposed on one end side of the first surface in a longitudinal direction, The display unit is disposed on the other end side of the first surface in a longitudinal direction, the main operation button is disposed between the sub operation button and the display unit, An upper surface of the sub operation button is located closer to the first surface than an upper surface of the main operation button. Remote control device.

2. A difference between a height of an upper surface of the sub operation button from the first surface and a height of an upper surface of the main operation button from the first surface is 0.3 mm or more. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

3. The height of the sub operation button from the first surface is 0.7 mm or less. The remote control device according to claim 2.

4. A grip portion is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the housing, the thickness dimension of the one end in the longitudinal direction of the housing being greater than the thickness dimension of the other end in the longitudinal direction. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

5. The sub operation button is disposed in a region of the first surface corresponding to the grip portion. The remote control device according to claim 4.

6. a step is formed on a rear side of the housing at a boundary between a portion where the display unit is arranged and the grip portion, The step is provided at a position corresponding to the position between the main operation button and the sub operation button.

6. The remote control device according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The width dimension of the first surface located on the front surface of the grip portion is 41 mm or more and 47 mm or less, The grip portion located on the back surface of the first surface has a width dimension of 33 mm or more and 39 mm or less.

6. The remote control device according to claim 4 or 5.

8. The height of the main operation button from the first surface is 1.2 mm or less. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

9. The width of the area of ​​the first surface where the display unit is formed is larger than the width of the area of ​​the first surface where the sub-operation buttons are formed. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

10. A transmission unit that transmits an operation control signal in response to an operation of the operation button; A control unit that causes the transmitting unit to transmit the operation control signal; Equipped with When any of the main operation buttons is operated, the control unit causes the transmission unit to transmit the operation control signal for causing the device to perform an operation corresponding to the operated main operation button, when any of the sub operation buttons is operated once, the control unit does not cause the transmission unit to transmit the operation control signal, and when any of the sub operation buttons is operated multiple times, the control unit causes the transmission unit to transmit the operation control signal for causing the device to perform an operation corresponding to the sub operation button that has been operated multiple times. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

11. The main operation button includes a plurality of mode operation buttons for specifying one of a plurality of operation modes of the air conditioner which is the device to be operated and for operating the specified operation mode with a single operation, The sub-operation buttons include a directional pad that is an operation unit capable of inputting a selection operation and a decision operation, and a function operation button that instructs the air conditioner to perform a function other than the temperature adjustment. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

12. The directional pad is provided adjacent to the main operation button, The function operation button is disposed closer to the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the first surface than the directional pad. The remote control device according to claim 11.

13. The directional pad has a width dimension that is 55% or more and 85% or less of the width dimension of the housing.

13. The remote control device according to claim 11 or 12.

14. A housing having a vertical dimension larger than its horizontal dimension; A plurality of operation buttons for inputting information, the operation buttons being disposed on a first surface of the housing; A display unit; A transmission unit that transmits an operation control signal in response to an operation of the operation button; A control unit that causes the transmitting unit to transmit the operation control signal; Equipped with The operation button includes a main operation button and a sub-operation button that is used less frequently than the main operation button, The sub operation button is disposed on one end side of the first surface in a longitudinal direction, The display unit is disposed on the other end side of the first surface in a longitudinal direction, the main operation button is disposed between the sub operation button and the display unit, The control unit, when any of the main operation buttons is operated, causes the transmission unit to transmit the driving control signal for causing the device under investigation to perform an operation corresponding to the operated main operation button, when any of the sub operation buttons is operated once, does not cause the transmission unit to transmit the driving control signal for causing the device to perform an operation corresponding to the operated sub operation button, and when any of the sub operation buttons is operated multiple times, causes the transmission unit to transmit the driving control signal for causing the device to perform an operation corresponding to the sub operation button operated multiple times. Remote control device.

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