Remote control devices and applications for remote control devices

Abstract

To configure a remote controller for a switch device using a portable communication terminal such as a smart phone and to immediately display a video of a monitor camera when controlling the switch device.SOLUTION: An application installed in a portable communication terminal is started to let the portable communication terminal function as a remote controller capable of manipulating operations of a plurality of switch devices. In the case of manipulating the plurality of switch device, state display icons representing states of the respective switch devices are displayed together with a list of names of the plurality switch devices which can be manipulated, on the screen of the portable communication terminal. The state display icons 10 to 14 are manipulated to display video images of monitor cameras provided for switch devices corresponding to the manipulated state display icon, on the screen of the portable communication terminal. Consequently, the video images of the monitor cameras can be immediately confirmed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote control device and an application for a remote control device that controls the opening and closing operation of an opening / closing device installed in openings such as windows and entrances of structural members including buildings such as houses, buildings, factories, and warehouses, and in particular to a remote control device and an application for a remote control device that enables a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone to function as a remote control device for an opening / closing device using a dedicated application. [Background technology]

[0002] For opening and closing devices such as shutters and doors installed in the openings of structures such as buildings, factories, warehouses, etc., electric shutters and electric doors that perform the opening and closing operations electrically are often used. Such devices that perform the opening and closing operations electrically include wired dedicated switches with three types of switches for opening and closing, or wireless dedicated switches for remote control. In response to the operation of each of these switches, the opening and closing device controls the opening and closing operations of the shutters and doors.

[0003] Recently, on the other hand, there are mobile communication terminals such as smartphones that have the same functions as dedicated wireless switches by installing a dedicated remote control application on the mobile communication terminal. Also, by installing the remote control application on multiple such mobile communication terminals, multiple people can each individually control the opening and closing device. Patent Document 1 describes an opening and closing control system configured to enable control of multiple opening and closing devices within a building by installing a dedicated remote control application on a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-010087 DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described in Patent Document 1, when a remote control device for an opening / closing device such as a shutter device is configured using a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, the user does not need to purchase multiple dedicated remote control devices for multiple opening / closing devices, which reduces the economic burden on the user and is therefore preferable for the user.

[0006] When multiple opening and closing devices are controlled from a distance using a remote control device, as in the opening and closing control system described in Patent Document 1, whether the opening and closing devices are in a fully open state, half-open / half-closed state, or fully closed state is displayed as an icon on the screen of a mobile communication terminal together with a list of the opening and closing device names. In addition, some opening and closing devices are equipped with surveillance cameras, so that an operator can check the state of the opening and closing devices and the situation around the opening and closing devices using images from the surveillance cameras to perform opening and closing operations.

[0007] Figure 1 shows a conventional method for displaying on a mobile communication terminal the video of a surveillance camera of a switching device that is to be checked from among multiple switching devices. Among multiple switching devices displayed on the mobile communication terminal, tap the check box to the left of the switching device whose video of the surveillance camera is to be checked to display a check mark, and then tap the "OK" button at the bottom right of the screen. This causes an operation screen to be displayed on the mobile communication terminal, showing an opening / closing button. By tapping the surveillance camera icon at the bottom right of this operation screen, the screen switches to the video of the surveillance camera, and the video of the area around the switching device is displayed on the mobile communication terminal.

[0008] The above operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1(A) is a main screen that displays the names of multiple opening and closing devices that can be operated by starting a dedicated application. On the main screen, the names of the opening and closing devices that can be operated are displayed as All Water Stop Device, East Shutter 1, East Shutter 2, West Shutter 1, and West Shutter 2. If you want to check the video of the security camera of West Shutter 1 from among these, tap the check box to the left of West Shutter 1. This tap displays a check mark in the check box to the left of West Shutter 1, so tap the "OK" button displayed in the lower right of the display screen of FIG. 1(A). This will move to the opening and closing operation screen of FIG. 1(B). A security camera icon is displayed in the lower right of the operation screen of FIG. 1(B), so tap this security camera icon. This will display the screen where you can check the video of the security camera in FIG. 1(C). If you tap the "Back" button in the lower left of the screen of FIG. 1(C), you will return to the operation screen of FIG. 1(B), and you will be able to control the opening and closing operation of West Shutter 1 by operating the opening and closing button.

[0009] As described above, in the past, when checking surveillance camera footage, it was necessary to first display the operation screen and then tap the surveillance camera icon, making it impossible to instantly check the surveillance camera footage.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide a remote control device and an application for a remote control device that can instantly display surveillance camera images when controlling an opening and closing device using a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A first feature of the remote control device of the present invention is that in a remote control device configured to be able to control the operation of a plurality of opening and closing devices by launching an application installed on a mobile communication terminal, when a list of the names of the plurality of opening and closing devices and status display icons indicating the status of each of the opening and closing devices are displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal, by operating the status display icon, an image from a surveillance camera installed for the opening and closing device corresponding to the operated status display icon is displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal. The opening and closing devices include window shutter devices, garage shutter devices, shutter devices, blind devices, roller screen devices, drapery devices, sliding door devices, movable partition devices, awning devices, waterproof board devices, water stop devices, etc. These opening and closing devices are installed in multiple locations inside and outside the building. The opening and closing devices are equipped with a wired or wireless remote control device to instruct each operation of opening / closing, stopping midway, or adjusting the amount of ventilation or lighting. When the remote control application installed in the mobile communication terminal is started, it functions as a wireless remote control device capable of controlling each operation of the opening / closing device, such as opening / closing / stopping, stopping midway, or adjusting the ventilation volume or the amount of light, and images of operation buttons for opening / closing / stopping are displayed on the display screen of the mobile communication terminal. An operator can use the mobile communication terminal to control each operation of the opening / closing device, such as opening / closing / stopping, stopping midway, or adjusting the ventilation volume or the amount of light, by operating operation buttons, etc., displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal, such as opening / closing / stopping, stopping midway, or adjusting the ventilation volume or the amount of light. In this invention, by starting an application installed on a mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal functions as a remote control device capable of controlling the operation of multiple opening and closing devices. When multiple opening and closing devices are operated, a list of the names of the multiple opening and closing devices that can be operated is displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal along with status display icons showing the status of each opening and closing device. By operating this status display icon, video from a surveillance camera installed for the opening and closing device corresponding to the operated status display icon is displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal. This allows the operator to immediately check the video from the surveillance camera.

[0012] A second feature of the remote control device of the present invention is that, in the remote control device described in the first feature, the status display icon on the screen of the mobile communication terminal is operated by tapping the status display icon with a finger or clicking with a pointer on the screen of the mobile communication terminal. This indicates that there are two types of actions to operate the status display icon: tapping the status display icon with a finger and clicking the status display icon with a pointer on the screen of the mobile communication terminal. Note that if the status display icon can be operated in a non-contact manner using other methods, such as voice, this non-contact operation corresponds to "operating the status display icon" described in the first feature.

[0013] A feature of the application for a remote control device according to the present invention is to cause a mobile communication terminal to function as the remote control device according to the first or second feature. This is an invention of an application for a remote control device configured to cause a mobile communication terminal to function as the remote control device according to the first or second aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0014] The opening and closing control system, remote control device, and application for the remote control device of the present invention have the effect of enabling the remote control device for the opening and closing device to be configured using a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, and the image from the surveillance camera to be instantly displayed when controlling the opening and closing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional method for displaying, on a mobile communication terminal, an image captured by a monitoring camera of a switching device that is to be checked among a plurality of switching devices. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating examples of displays of a portable communication terminal functioning as a remote control device according to the present invention. [Diagram 3]11A and 11B are diagrams showing another example of a display of the portable communication terminal functioning as a remote control device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the remote control device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of a mobile communication terminal functioning as the remote control device of the present invention. In this embodiment, a remote control device that controls the opening and closing of four water stop devices will be described as an example of an opening and closing device.

[0017] A water stop device is an opening and closing device that is installed at above-ground entrances to underground facilities such as subway stations and underground shopping malls, and at building entrances and exits to prevent water caused by heavy rain from flowing into underground facilities or buildings. Such a water stop device is composed of an aluminum panel shutter with water stop performance, and a multi-axis sensor that detects obstacles when the shutter is closed is standardly installed inside the guide rail. Since the panel shutter is heavy, it is necessary to confirm that no one is present near the opening when the shutter is closed. Therefore, a remote control device for controlling the water stop device is configured by starting a dedicated remote control device application on a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, and is configured to instantly display surveillance camera images when the water stop device is controlled.

[0018] The mobile communication terminal is composed of a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone, a PHS, a smartphone (multi-function mobile phone), a PDA, etc. In this embodiment, the mobile communication terminal is composed of a smartphone, which has not only a normal calling function but also a touch panel display screen, and in response to the start of various applications, remote control operation switches having the same functions as the buttons of a remote control operation switch are displayed on the display screen, and by operating each of these buttons, it functions as a remote control device (remote control operation switch).

[0019] Fig. 2(A) is a main screen that displays the names of multiple opening and closing devices that can be operated by launching a dedicated application. On the main screen, the names of the opening and closing devices that can be operated are displayed as All Water Stop Devices, East Side Shutter 1, East Side Shutter 2, West Side Shutter 1, and West Side Shutter 2. All Water Stop Devices on the main screen is a selection screen when East Side Shutter 1, East Side Shutter 2, West Side Shutter 1, and West Side Shutter 2 are all operated simultaneously.

[0020] The status display icons 10 to 14, which display the open / closed state to the right of each opening / closing device name, indicate the current state of the shutter opening / closing. The rectangular shape is a schematic representation of the opening of the water stop device, and the horizontal stripes at the top are schematic representations of the panel shutter. In Fig. 2, it is shown that the full water stop device is currently in a fully open state. If the water stop device is in a fully closed state, the entire rectangle will have a horizontal stripe pattern. In the case of a full water stop device, the open and closed states may be mixed, in which case a rectangular triangle with horizontal stripes is displayed as a schematic. When an obstacle is detected, an icon with a design indicating that an obstacle is detected is displayed until the obstacle is not detected at the next operation. There are also status display icons that indicate that the opening / closing operation is in progress and that the water can be stopped.

[0021] If you want to check the video of one of the security cameras in each opening / closing device, tap the status display icons 10 to 14 displayed on the right side of the list of each opening / closing device. That is, if you want to check the video of the security camera of the east side shutter 1, tap the status display icon 11 on the right side of the east side shutter 1 in Fig. 2(A) with your finger. This will display a screen where you can check the video of the security camera of the opening / closing device you want to check (east side shutter 1), as shown in Fig. 2(B). If you tap the "Operation" button on the bottom right of the screen in Fig. 2(B), the operation screen in Fig. 2(C) will be displayed, and you will be able to control the opening and closing operation by operating the opening / closing / stopping button. This will omit the conventional operation of tapping a check box, displaying a check mark, and then tapping the "OK" button, and will allow you to instantly display the video of the security camera.

[0022] If you want to operate one of the opening and closing devices, tap the check box to the left of the opening and closing device name. This will display a check mark in the check box to the left, so tap the "OK" button displayed in the lower right of the display screen in Figure 2(A). This will move to the opening and closing operation screen in Figure 2(C). By tapping the "Back" button in the lower left of the operation screen in Figure 2(C), you can display a screen where you can view the surveillance camera images in Figure 2(B). If you want to select multiple opening and closing devices among the opening and closing devices and operate them simultaneously, tap the check buttons to the left of the opening and closing device names one by one for each device you want to select, and tap the "OK" button in the lower right to move to the common opening and closing operation screen. Press the "Back" button to return to the main screen in Figure 2(A). If you want to display an image, tap the status display icon on the right, and a screen showing the image of the shutter corresponding to the display icon you tapped will be displayed.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the display of a mobile communication terminal functioning as a remote control device of the present invention. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, a case where the image of a surveillance camera in any one of the opening and closing devices is confirmed has been described, but in order to display the images of the surveillance cameras of all the water stop devices (East Shutter 1, East Shutter 2, West Shutter 1 and West Shutter 2), the status display icon 10 to the right of all the water stop devices is tapped with a finger on the screen listing the opening and closing device names in Fig. 2(A). This causes a screen where the images of the surveillance cameras of all the water stop devices can be confirmed to be displayed, as shown in Fig. 3(A).

[0024] When the "Operation" button at the bottom right is tapped on the screen displaying the video from the surveillance camera of the entire water stop device as shown in Fig. 3(A), the screen in Fig. 3(C) where the operation of the entire water stop device can be performed is displayed. On the operation screen in Fig. 3(C), it is possible to simultaneously control the opening and closing of the entire water stop device by operating each of the open / close buttons. In addition, by tapping on the image of each surveillance camera on the screen in Fig. 3(A), only the image from the surveillance camera of the tapped east side shutter 1 is enlarged and displayed as shown in Fig. 3(B).

[0025] On the screen of Figure 3(B), the words "All Water Stop Devices (East Shutter 1)" are displayed, indicating that the video from the surveillance camera currently being monitored was selected from the monitor screen of the All Water Stop Devices. On the screen of Figure 2(B), the words "East Shutter 1" are displayed, indicating that the video from the surveillance camera currently being monitored was selected from the list screen of Figure 2(A). Therefore, tapping the "Back" button in the lower left of the screen of Figure 2(B) returns you to the list screen of Figure 2(A), and tapping the "Back" button in the lower left of the screen of Figure 3(B) returns you to the monitor screen of the All Water Stop Devices in Figure 3(A).

[0026] On the operation screen of Fig. 3(C), the words "All Water Stop Devices" are displayed, indicating that the "Operation" button on the monitor screen of the All Water Stop Devices in Fig. 3(A) has been tapped. Therefore, when the "Operation" button on the monitor screen of East Shutter 1 in the All Water Stop Devices in Fig. 3(B) is tapped, the operation screen of Fig. 3(C) displays the words "All Water Stop Devices (East Shutter 1)" instead of "All Water Stop Devices." Therefore, when the "Back" button at the bottom left of the operation screen of Fig. 3(C) on which the words "All Water Stop Devices (East Shutter 1)" are displayed is tapped, the monitor screen of Fig. 3(B) is returned to, and when the camera icon at the bottom right of the screen of Fig. 3(C) is tapped, the monitor screen of the All Water Stop Devices in Fig. 3(A) is returned to.

[0027] If you want to display the video from the surveillance cameras of multiple switching devices, tap the check boxes to the left of the names of the switching devices you want to display. This will cause check marks to appear in the check boxes on the left, and then tap the status display icon to the right of them. This will allow you to display the video from the surveillance cameras of multiple switching devices.

[0028] In the above embodiment, the case where a monitoring camera is provided in each water stop device has been described, but one or more monitoring cameras may be installed in each of the multiple opening / closing devices to capture images of the vicinity of the opening. By visually checking the images captured by each monitoring camera, it is possible to immediately confirm whether or not a person is present near the opening. A human presence sensor may be provided together with the monitoring camera. The human presence sensor detects the presence of a person using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, visible light, or the like. The monitoring camera or the like may be used to perform image processing to function as a human presence sensor. The monitoring camera and the human presence sensor may be configured as one or more. The human presence sensor is different from the obstacle sensor for preventing harm provided in the water stop device, and detects whether or not a person is present in a predetermined area at a certain distance from the opening / closing device.

[0029] Furthermore, since the portable communication terminal has a built-in speaker, the speaker may be used to emit a voice message such as "There is a person near the opening" and to blink the status display icons 10 to 14. Furthermore, when the screen on the portable communication terminal is a screen other than that shown in Fig. 2(A), a message such as "There is a person near the opening of the western shutter 1" may be emitted only by voice.

[0030] In the above embodiment, a water stop device that is deployed in a vertical lifting manner has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a shutter-like opening and closing member that is deployed in a lateral pulling manner or a horizontal pulling manner. In addition, the present invention can also be applied to opening and closing devices such as shutter devices, window shutter devices, blind devices, roller screen devices, drapery devices, sliding door devices, movable partition devices, awning devices, and waterproof board devices.

[0031] Applications for mobile communication terminals can be freely downloaded from a specified URL. Furthermore, the design and operation method can be easily changed by modifying the application as needed. Information on the open / closed state of the opening / closing device, such as the degree to which it is closed, may be displayed visually in the form of a moving image such as an animation on the display screen of the mobile communication terminal. In addition, the state display icon may display each state of mid-stop or adjustment of ventilation volume or light volume in addition to the open / closed state of the opening / closing device.

[0032] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the mobile communication terminal does not necessarily have to be designed to be carried around as long as it can perform similar processing and communication using an application, and may be a non-portable device such as a large device that is usually used as a stationary device or used while moving. For example, a device with a communication function, such as a living room TV with information display and operation functions or a car navigation device installed in a car, may function as a remote control switch using an application. In addition, the mobile communication terminal and the application may be operated virtually on the cloud, and for example, the mobile communication terminal may be a site on the Internet that functions as a remote control switch using an application displayed as a web page (the specific processing and communication are performed by a server device that operates and processes the site).

[0033] The surveillance camera image may be a direct image captured by the camera and output, or may be an image that is captured by the surveillance camera and output and image-processed by a server that relays the communication or a smartphone that receives the communication. The surveillance camera image may show the entire opening / closing device, or a part of the opening / closing device. It may also show the periphery of the opening / closing device without showing the opening / closing device at all so that the surrounding situation of the opening / closing device can be understood. It may also show the mechanism or status display unit inside the opening / closing device to check the normal state according to the opening / closing state of the opening / closing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10~14…Status display icon

Claims

1. A remote control device configured to be capable of controlling the operation of a plurality of opening and closing devices by starting an application installed on a mobile communication terminal, when a list of names of the plurality of opening and closing devices and status display icons indicating the respective states of the opening and closing devices are displayed on a screen of the mobile communication terminal, by operating the status display icon, an image from a surveillance camera provided for the opening and closing device corresponding to the operated status display icon is displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal; When a state display icon of all opening / closing devices, which indicates whether the all opening / closing devices are in a fully open state, a fully closed state, or a state in which the open state and the closed state are mixed, is displayed separately from the list of names, an image of a surveillance camera installed in the all opening / closing devices is displayed on the mobile communication terminal by operating the state display icon of all opening / closing devices; A remote control device characterized in that, when a user wishes to display surveillance camera footage of any one of the multiple opening / closing devices on the screen of the mobile communication terminal, the user selects a check box in a list of the multiple opening / closing devices that the user wishes to display to display a check mark, and operates the status display icon corresponding to any one of the multiple opening / closing devices for which a check mark is displayed, thereby displaying surveillance camera footage of the multiple opening / closing devices selected from the multiple opening / closing devices on the screen of the mobile communication terminal.

2. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the status display icon on the screen of the portable communication terminal is operated by tapping the status display icon with a finger or clicking the status display icon on the screen of the portable communication terminal with a pointer.

3. 3. A remote control device application that causes a mobile communication terminal to function as the remote control device according to claim 1.

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