Universal IR Control Bridge for Legacy Appliance Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated control systems for household appliances are limited by their reliance on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication methods, making it impossible to control appliances that use infrared communication, such as those without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities, and requiring multiple remote controllers for multiple appliances, leading to user confusion and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
An electronic apparatus that receives and decodes infrared signals to identify and control external devices using code set information stored in its memory, allowing it to generate and transmit infrared control signals based on the identified information, and updates this information through an external server if needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an integrated control system uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication methods, then control convenience is improved, but it cannot control home appliances that use infrared communication methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (smartphone or tablet running a control application) that acts as a bridge between the user and infrared appliances. This intermediary captures infrared signals from the appliance's remote controller, decodes them, and transmits the corresponding control commands to the appliance, enabling Wi-Fi connected devices to control infrared appliances without direct infrared capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control application on the smartphone or tablet serves multiple functions: it can control both Wi-Fi/BT appliances directly and infrared appliances through signal capture and transmission. This multi-functional approach allows a single device to interface with various appliance types using different communication protocols, eliminating the need for separate control mechanisms.
2Reliability
If multiple remote controllers are used for multiple home appliances, then each appliance can be controlled specifically, but user confusion and time waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple remote controllers into a single integrated control interface. The control application on one smartphone or tablet can manage multiple appliances by capturing and transmitting different infrared codes, consolidating what would traditionally require multiple separate remote controllers into one universal device.
Solution Approach 2:
A single control application serves as a universal interface that can control multiple different appliances through infrared communication. The application identifies and transmits appropriate infrared codes based on the target appliance, providing specific control capability through a unified interface rather than requiring separate remote controllers for each appliance.
3Speed
If code set information is stored locally in the electronic apparatus, then control speed is improved, but the system cannot adapt to new appliances without manual configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the control application can capture infrared signals from existing appliances, decode them, and automatically add the corresponding code set information to the stored database. This feedback loop allows the system to adapt to new appliances automatically without requiring manual configuration or programming of control codes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preliminarily stores code set information for known appliances in a database within the electronic apparatus. This pre-stored information enables rapid control signal generation and transmission when a user wants to control a supported appliance, eliminating the need for real-time code generation or manual configuration for each control operation.
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
Enables seamless control of multiple appliances using a single remote controller, regardless of their communication methods, by decoding infrared signals and updating code sets, thus improving user convenience and system applicability.
Implementation Method 1
receive an infrared (IR) signal corresponding to an external device of the plurality of external devices through the communication interface
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic apparatus includes a memory storing a firmware including a plurality of pieces of code set information corresponding to a plurality of external devices; a communication interface; and a processor configured to: receive an infrared (IR) signal corresponding to an external device of the plurality of external devices through the communication interface, and identify code set information corresponding to the IR signal among the plurality of pieces of code set information by sequentially using a header area of the received IR signal and a data area of the received IR signal, and based on a control command being input from a remote controller of the electronic apparatus, generate the IR signal corresponding to the control command based on the identified code set information.