Remote Control Location via Muted Audio and Indicator Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
The issue of lost wireless television remote controls is prevalent due to their ease of misplacement, leading to a less than desirable viewing experience as users spend time searching for them instead of watching television.
Innovation Solution
An entertainment system that includes a remote control with an indicator device such as a speaker, buzzer, or light emitting diode, which is activated by a controlled device to provide audible or visual cues for location, with the controlled device muting its output to enhance the audibility of the indicator signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the entertainment system operates at normal volume, then the viewing experience is maintained, but the lost remote control cannot be easily located
Solution Approach 1:
The entertainment system temporarily mutes audio output only when a locate remote control request is received, activating the indicator device periodically rather than continuously. This allows the remote to be located quickly while minimizing interference with normal viewing experience.
Solution Approach 2:
An indicator device (speaker, buzzer, or LED) is introduced as an intermediary signal source to indicate the remote control's location. This separate indicator channel allows location signaling without requiring the main audio output to be permanently reduced.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the indicator device is activated at high volume, then the remote control location is easily detected, but the entertainment content becomes inaudible
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements temporary muting of audio output only during the brief period when the indicator device is activated to signal the remote's location. Normal audio volume is restored immediately after the location signal is sent, ensuring content remains audible for the vast majority of viewing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The audio output volume is dynamically adjusted based on the operational state - full volume during normal content playback, temporarily reduced only when locate remote functionality is active. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between detectability and content audibility.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the remote control is made more visible or audible, then location is easier, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator device is activated only periodically when a locate remote control request is received, rather than operating continuously. This on-demand activation dramatically reduces battery power consumption while still providing effective remote location capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows the user to initiate the locate remote function only when necessary, making the energy-consuming indicator activation self-service rather than automatic. This ensures battery power is conserved during normal operation and used only when the user actively needs to locate the remote.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easier location of the remote control by providing clear audio or visual indicators while reducing the volume of the entertainment system's output, thereby minimizing the time spent searching and maximizing viewing time.
Implementation Method 1
a sound emitting device of the remote control
Implementation Method 2
an indicator device such as a speaker, buzzer, or light emitting diode
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are techniques for locating a lost remote control. The method includes receiving user input, at a controlled device, the user input requesting to locate a lost remote control for the controlled device. The method further includes lowering a volume of the output of content associated with the controlled device responsive to the user input and transmitting a message from the controlled device to the remote control, the message requesting the remote control to activate an indicator device (e.g., sound, visual, physical or the like) of the remote control.