WO2006052074A1 - Remote control system using digital codes and the method thereof - Google Patents

Remote control system using digital codes and the method thereof Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2006052074A1
WO2006052074A1 PCT/KR2005/003765 KR2005003765W WO2006052074A1 WO 2006052074 A1 WO2006052074 A1 WO 2006052074A1 KR 2005003765 W KR2005003765 W KR 2005003765W WO 2006052074 A1 WO2006052074 A1 WO 2006052074A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
code
digital code
digital
control
target device
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2005/003765
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Myun Hei Lee
Kyoung Han Kim
In Seob Lee
Original Assignee
And Story Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by And Story Inc. filed Critical And Story Inc.
Publication of WO2006052074A1 publication Critical patent/WO2006052074A1/en

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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/002Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • H04N21/42206User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor characterized by hardware details
    • H04N21/42208Display device provided on the remote control
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • H04N21/42206User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor characterized by hardware details
    • H04N21/42212Specific keyboard arrangements
    • H04N21/42213Specific keyboard arrangements for facilitating data entry
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • H04N21/42206User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor characterized by hardware details
    • H04N21/42222Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • H04N21/42226Reprogrammable remote control devices
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/462Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
    • H04N21/4622Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47End-user applications
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47End-user applications
    • H04N21/472End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47202End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47End-user applications
    • H04N21/472End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47217End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/83Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/845Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
    • H04N21/8455Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04QSELECTING
    • H04Q9/00Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • H04N21/42206User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor characterized by hardware details
    • H04N21/4221Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00Details of television systems
    • H04N5/44Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
    • H04N5/60Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for the sound signals
    • H04N5/602Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for the sound signals for digital sound signals

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a remote control system and method, and more particularly to a remote control system and method using digital codes, wherein a transparent or semi-transparent digital code printed on printable material is scanned to read a control code of a control target device, thereby allowing easy control of the control target device.
  • Remote controllers are widely used to remotely control a variety of electronic devices. Remote controllers transmit a control signal for controlling a variety of control target devices using a variety of infrared light specified by Infrared Data Association (IrDA). Remote controllers typically use infrared light in the frequency range of 30kHz to 4OkHz and transmit the control signal in binary code format so that receivers provided on control target devices can correctly receive the control signal without interference from other light sources. Receivers analyze the received control signal to detect a control command and then to perform a command desired by the user.
  • IrDA Infrared Data Association
  • the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control system that integrates remote controllers of a number of manufacturers and models into a single remote controller, regardless of the types of a number of control target devices, thereby providing convenience to the user.
  • a remote control system for scanning a printed digital code to control a control target device, the remote control system comprising a printed digital code; a sensor for detecting and converting the digital code into a digital signal; a memory for storing control codes corresponding to digital codes, each of the control codes including a control target device function control code value and a transmission method code value; a processor for receiving and reconstructing the digital signal into a unique digital code value, extracting a control code corresponding to the reconstructed digital code value from the memory, and modulating the control code into a transmission signal; and a signal transmission unit for transmitting the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device.
  • the range of the digital code values includes a range of self-setting code values for additional setting of a control function to a control target device and for configuration setting of the remote control system; a range of control target device control code values for controlling a control target device; and a range of service request code values for accessing the Internet.
  • the range of the digital code values further includes control target device type code values for displaying a currently controlled device.
  • the range of the digital code values further includes button mapping code values for associating additionally set control functions of the control target device with buttons of the remote control system.
  • the digital code includes a self-setting code value, a control target device type code value, a control target device control code value, a button mapping code value, and a self-setting code value that are printed and detected in a specific order.
  • the memory stores a mapping table including control target device function control code values, function control code lengths, and transmission method codes corresponding to digital code values; a mapping table including signal transmission method types corresponding to the transmission method codes; a mapping table including control target device types corresponding to digital code values; and a mapping table including button types of the remote control system corresponding to digital code values, wherein the mapping tables are updated by adding values to the mapping tables.
  • the transmission signal is transmitted according to infrared communication, USB communication, or wireless communication according to a Bluetooth protocol.
  • a remote control method of a remote control system for scanning a printed digital code to control a control target device comprising the steps of converting the printed digital code into a digital signal through a sensor and inputting the digital signal to a processor; reconstructing, by the processor, the digital signal into a unique digital code and reading, by the processor, a function control code value and a transmission method code value corresponding to the digital code from a memory; and modulating, by the processor, the control code into a transmission signal and transmitting the transmission signal to the control target device through a signal transmission unit.
  • a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of a) detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; b) checking whether or not any self-setting code value is present in the digital code value; c) reading and modulating a control code corresponding to the digital code value into a transmission signal and transmitting the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device if no self-setting code value is present in the digital code value; and d) performing additional setting of a control function of the control target device to the remote control system and internal configuration setting of the remote control system based on the digital code value if any self-setting code value is present in the digital code value.
  • the step c) includes the steps of reading and displaying a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value; reading a function control code value, a function control code length, and a binary coding scheme code corresponding to the digital code value; and reading a transmission method corresponding to the binary coding scheme code and modulating the function control code value according to the transmission method repeatedly a plurality of times corresponding to the function control code length.
  • the step d) includes the steps of e) checking whether or not a first digital code in the digital code value is a code indicating start of digital code allocation; f) adding a control function of a control target device based on the digital code value, setting the control function to a button of the remote control system, and storing the setting of the control function if the first digital code is a code indicating start of digital code allocation; and g) performing internal configuration setting of the remote control system and storing the configuration setting if the first digital code is not a code indicating start of digital code allocation.
  • the step f) includes the steps of reading, displaying, and temporarily storing a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value; reading and temporarily storing a function control code value, a function control code length, a binary coding scheme code corresponding to the digital code value; setting the added control function to a button corresponding to the digital code value and temporarily storing the set control function; and storing the temporarily stored data and terminating digital code allocation if a digital code indicating end of digital code allocation is detected.
  • the step g) includes the steps of displaying information indicating configuration setting; performing configuration setting of the remote control system according to a configuration setting code present in the digital code value and temporarily storing the configuration setting; storing the temporarily stored data and terminating digital code allocation if a digital code indicating end of digital code allocation is detected.
  • a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; combining the digital code value with a carrier code and transmitting a transmission signal modulated according to a specific transmission method if no control code corresponding to the digital code value is present; receiving the transmission signal, reconstructing a control code from the received transmission signal, and removing the carrier code from the control code; and reading a URL corresponding to the control code, accessing the Internet with the URL, and downloading data.
  • the carrier code and the transmission method are set according to a scheme predetermined according to the control target device.
  • a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting at least one digital code printed on at least one spot on printable material to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; transmitting the digital code value; and retrieving data located at a position corresponding to the received digital code value from a stored file and reading the retrieved data.
  • the file includes one or more data elements that are assigned one or more digital code values at corresponding positions.
  • a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting at least one digital code printed on at least one spot on printable material to control an audio device that outputs audio, the method comprising the steps of scanning and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; transmitting the digital code value to the audio device; reading a time data element corresponding to the digital code value from an audio file stored in the audio device, the audio file including a text area and an audio data area, wherein at least one digital code value is combined with at least one corresponding time data element in the text area; and moving to audio data corresponding to the read time data element and outputting the audio data.
  • the transmission is performed according to infrared communication, USB communication, or wireless communication according to a Bluetooth protocol.
  • remote controllers of a number of manufacturers and models can be integrated and used as a single remote controller and the need to provide multifunctional buttons on the remote controller is eliminated, thereby making it more convenient to use the remote controller.
  • a URL contained in a digital code printed on printable material distributed by a number of merchants can be accessed via the Internet simply by scanning the printed digital code, which makes it possible to download a variety of VOD of product commercials, programs, or the like and to purchase products while watching the VOD on the digital TV.
  • an MP3 player can be controlled by connecting it to the remote controller via USB, thereby making it possible to locate a correct position of each section of audio data. This enables processes such as directly locating or repeatedly listening to audio data at a desired position with ease.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to the present invention
  • FIG. 2 illustrates the exterior of a remote controller that is used in the remote control system according to the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to the present invention
  • FIG. 4 illustrates the order in which digital codes are printed in the remote control system according to the present invention
  • FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to Embodiments 1 and 3 of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the operation of the remote control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention
  • FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the structure of conventional MP3 audio data that provides lyrics
  • FIG. 10 schematically illustrates the structure of MP3 audio data that contains digital codes according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention
  • FIG. 11 illustrates an example structure of printable material that contains digital codes in Embodiment 4 of the present invention
  • FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the configuration of a conventional MP3 player
  • FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system that is applied to an MP3 player according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
  • control code conversion processor 6 memory 7: signal transmission unit 8: transmission portion 9: operation display window 10: mode button 11 : power button 12: direction button 13: execution button 14: scanning portion 15: remote controller 21, 25: self-setting code 22: control target device type code 23: control target device control code
  • FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to the present invention
  • FIG. 2 illustrates the exterior of a remote controller according to the present invention.
  • the remote control system 1 includes an image sensor 4, a control code conversion processor 5, a memory 6, and a signal transmission unit 7.
  • the image sensor 4 detects a digital code 3 printed on printable material 2.
  • the control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs a digital input signal received from the image sensor 4 into a unique digital code and processes it into a control code suitable for a corresponding control target device.
  • the signal transmission unit 7 modulates and amplifies the processed control code and transmits it to the control target device through an infrared LED or the like.
  • the exterior of a remote controller 15 preferably includes a mode button 10, a power button 11, an operation display window 9, direction buttons 12, an execution button 13, a transmission portion 8, and a scanning portion 14.
  • the mode button 10 is used to select a control target device.
  • the power button 11 is used to power on or off the selected control target device.
  • the operation display window 9 displays the selected control target device and the operation thereof.
  • the transmission portion 8, which is an input/output device, includes an LED for transmitting an infrared signal or the like.
  • the scanning portion 14 includes an image sensor or the like.
  • the printable material 2 includes any printable medium such as paper, plastic, vinyl, a sticker, leather, and an electronic device case.
  • the digital code 3 includes a bar code, a dot code, a carbon pattern code, or the like that are commonly used.
  • the carbon pattern code is most preferable due to the following reason. Since the bar code is printed in black ink, the bar code requires a separate space for printing so that it is separated from other printed portions. On the other hand, since the carbon pattern code is printed with almost transparent carbon material to form a lattice pattern, the carbon pattern code can be printed overlapping with other printed portions without the need to secure a separate space for printing and can also be printed on a sticker and then be attached to printable material. Accordingly, when the digital code has been printed as the transparent carbon pattern code, the user scans an image including the transparent digital code on the printable material 2.
  • the values of the digital code 3 need to be divided according to a variety of purposes.
  • the range of assigned digital code values are divided into a range of self-setting code values required to additionally set functions of the remote control system or to set the configuration thereof, a range of control target device control code values containing function control information required to control the control target devices, and a range of service request code values for shopping or receiving Video On Demand (VOD).
  • VOD Video On Demand
  • about 4,096 digital code values can be divided into a range of self-setting code values, a range of control target device control code values, and a range of service request code values as shown in Table 1.
  • the number of digital code values assigned to each range can be adjusted arbitrarily.
  • Range code values control code values code values
  • the range of self-setting code values includes digital code values associated with notification of start and end of digital code allocation in a setting mode for adding control target device control information, digital code values associated with the configuration setting of the remote control system, and the like.
  • a preferred example of the range of self-setting code values is shown in Table 2.
  • the range of control target device code values includes digital code values indicating control target devices of manufacturers and control functions thereof.
  • the range of control target device code values corresponds to a control target device function control information mapping table (see Table 5) stored in a memory 6 that will be described later.
  • Table 5 A preferred example of the range of control target device code values is shown in Table 3.
  • LG Air Conditioner AIR VOLUME INCREASE conditioner AIR VOLUME To decrease air volume of LG air
  • the range of service request code values includes digital code values for selecting a product or service when receiving a variety of services such as VOD and online shopping provided over the Internet.
  • a preferred example of the range of service request code values is shown in Table 4.
  • a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that can be accessed via the Internet is assigned to each product and service. By accessing a desired product or service and service provider via URLs assigned thereto on the Internet, the user can obtain detailed information of the product, purchase the product, and download VOD.
  • URL Uniform Resource Locator
  • FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to the present invention.
  • the image sensor 4 converts the input digital code 3 into a digital signal and transfers the digital signal to the control code conversion processor 5 (SlOO).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs the digital signal into a unique digital code and reads control target device function control information and a binary coding scheme for infrared signal transmission, which correspond to the digital code, from the memory 6 (SlOl).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 modulates function control code values included in the function control information into a transmission signal using the binary coding scheme, and transmits the modulated transmission signal to the control target device through the signal transmission unit 7 (S 102).
  • the transmission signal is transmitted through wireless communication according to the infrared communication or Bluetooth protocol.
  • the memory 6 stores a variety of mapping tables of control target device function control codes, function control code lengths, codes of the binary coding schemes for infrared signal transmission, control target device types, and button mapping codes, which correspond to the digital codes.
  • the mapping tables may be updated or some values may be added thereto.
  • a control target device function control information mapping table which contains function control information items corresponding respectively to digital codes, has been stored in the memory 6.
  • a function control information item corresponding to the read digital code is retrieved from the control target device function control information mapping table.
  • the control target device function control information mapping table contains digital codes corresponding to the range of control target device control code values and thus corresponds to the control target device control code range table described above (see Table 3).
  • a preferred example of the control target device function control information mapping table is shown in Table 5 and digital codes thereof are identical to those of the control target device control code range table (Table 3).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 reads a control target device type code "0x01” corresponding to the digital code value "0x20" with reference to Table 5 stored in the memory 6.
  • the control code conversion processor 5 then reads a control target device type "TV” corresponding to the read control target device type code "0x01” from a control target device type mapping table (Table 7 described later) and displays the read control target device type "TV” on the operation display window 9.
  • the control code conversion processor 5 detects from the digital code value "0x20" that the binary coding scheme code value, which specifies the infrared transmission method, is "0x01”, the function control code value is "0x30, 0x2F, 0x3E", and the function control code length is "3".
  • the function control code value indicates "To power on/off NEC VTR".
  • the control code conversion processor 5 detects based on Table 5 that the binary coding scheme code value is "0x01”, the function control code value is "0x41, 0x42", and the function control code length is "2". With reference to Table 3, the function control code value indicates "To select MBC channel on Samsung TV".
  • Such a function can be controlled at a time simply by scanning the digital code value "0x15 F” that has been transparently or semi-transparently printed, for example, on printable material having an MBC logo or figure.
  • selecting the MBC channel (Channel 11) requires that a button "1" be pressed twice.
  • the MBC channel can be selected simply by scanning the digital code value once as described above.
  • mapping table of binary coding scheme codes specifying the infrared signal transmission method which correspond to the binary coding scheme codes of Table 5, is stored in the memory 6.
  • a preferred example of the mapping table of binary coding scheme codes is shown in Table 6.
  • control code conversion processor 5 selects "NEC method” as the infrared transmission method with reference to Table 6 and modulates and transmits the function control code value according to the NEC method.
  • the selected control target device type is displayed on the operation display window 9 so that the user can visually confirm the type of the currently controlled device.
  • a preferred example of a control target device type mapping table is shown in Table 7. For example, when the read digital code value is "0x02", "VTR" is displayed on the operation display window 10.
  • the control target device type may be displayed in combination with their respective numbers so that the plurality of control target devices can be differentiated.
  • buttons "10" to "13" on the remote controller 15 This provides convenience to the user when using the remote controller 15 afterwards by allowing the user to perform a desired function simply by pressing a corresponding button on the remote controller 15.
  • a button mapping table is set and stored in the memory 6.
  • a preferred example of the button mapping table is shown in Table 8. Specifically, when the read digital code values are "OxOl" and "0x02", a function to display the set control target device is set by assigning it to the mode button 10 and a function to power on/off the control target device is set by assigning it to the power button 11.
  • 0x04 LEFT Function corresponding to set value (e.g., volume -)
  • 0x06 DOWN Function corresponding to set value (e.g., channel -)
  • digital code values of the digital code 3 indicating a setting mode for adding control target device control information are printed in a specific order as shown in FIG. 4.
  • a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values (see Table 2), a digital code value 22 specifying a control target device type (see Table 7), a digital code value 23 specifying a control target device control code (see Table 5), a digital code value 24 for button mapping (see Table 8), and a digital code value 25 in the range of self-setting code values (see Table 2) are sequentially printed in the digital code 3.
  • Embodiment 1 [Mode for Invention] Embodiment 1
  • FIGS. 5 and 6 are flow charts of the operation of the remote control system according to the present invention.
  • the image sensor 4 sends the scanned image to the control code conversion processor 5, and the control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs it into a digital code value including a series of digits (S200).
  • control code conversion processor 5 When no digital code of the range of self-setting code values is detected (S201), the control code conversion processor 5 reads a control target device type code corresponding to the reconstructed digital code from the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5) stored in the memory 6, and then reads a control target device type corresponding to the type code from the control target device type mapping table (see Table 7) stored in the memory 6 and displays the read control target device type on the operation display window 9 (S203).
  • control code conversion processor 5 reads a function control code value, a function control code length, and a binary coding scheme code for the infrared transmission method from the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5), and reads an infrared transmission method corresponding to the binary coding scheme code from the binary coding scheme code mapping table (see Table 6) (S204).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 then modulates and amplifies the function control code value according to the infrared transmission method repeatedly a number of times corresponding to the function control code length and transmits it to the control device through the signal transmission unit 7 (S205).
  • the digital code 3 on the printable material 2 includes a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values that indicates start of digital code allocation, contrary to Embodiment 1.
  • a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values if any digital code value in the range of self-setting code values is present in the digital code 3, a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values, a digital code value 22 specifying a control target device type, a digital code value 23 specifying a control code of a control target device, a digital code value 24 for assigning a function to a button, and a digital code value 25 in the range of self-setting code values are sequentially printed and detected.
  • the step of scanning and reconstructing the printed digital code 3 into a digital code value including a series of digits is performed in the same manner as that of Embodiment 1 (S200).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 switches to a setting mode (S300).
  • the first digital code value is "OxOl" (S301)
  • digital code allocation is initiated.
  • a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value specifying the control target device type is read from the control target device type mapping table (see Table 7) stored in the memory 6 and the read control target device type is displayed on the operation display window 9 and is temporarily stored in a buffer at the same time (S302).
  • a function control code value, a function control code length, and an infrared transmission method (see Tables 5 and 6) corresponding to the digital code value specifying the control target device control code are read from the memory 6 and are also temporarily stored in the buffer (S303).
  • the digital code value for button mapping is then detected and a function is assigned to a button corresponding to the detected digital code value and this assignment information is also temporarily stored in the buffer (S304).
  • the digital code allocation is terminated accordingly, the values temporarily stored in the buffer are additionally stored in the memory 6 or the values in the memory 6 are updated using those temporarily stored in the buffer, and information indicating the completion is displayed on the operation display window 9 and a sound indicating the completion is output at the same time (S306). Then, the procedure is terminated.
  • the digital code value is not "0x01" (S301)
  • the digital code value indicates the end of digital code allocation or adjustment, the digital code value has been erroneously detected or erroneously printed, and thus "ERROR" is displayed on the operation display table 9 (S308). If the digital code value does not indicate the end of digital code allocation or adjustment, the digital code value is one of the remaining digital code values in the self-setting code value range table (see Table 2) indicating internal configuration setting such as "remote controller's LED brightness adjustment” and “remote controller's operation sound volume adjustment”, and thus information indicating the configuration setting is displayed on the operation display window 9 (S309). The configuration setting is performed according to a control command in Table 2 corresponding to the digital code value and the configuration setting information is temporarily stored in the buffer (S310).
  • This embodiment relates to a method for accessing a URL corresponding to a digital code, read using a remote control system according to the present invention, via the Internet and downloading and watching VOD on a digital TV.
  • a digital code in the service request code range of Table 4 on the printable material 2 is scanned using the remote controller 15, and the scanned digital code is reconstructed and transmitted to a digital TV set-top box. Then, the user can access a URL corresponding to the digital code via the Internet to download and watch VOD and the like.
  • This embodiment can be used for a two-way digital TV in such a manner.
  • FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to the present invention that is applied to the two-way digital TV set-top box and
  • FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the operation of the remote control system. This embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 7, and 8.
  • a digital code printed on printable material 2 is scanned and reconstructed, and, when no self-setting code is present, a control target device type code is detected and displayed on the operation display window 9 as described above in Embodiment 1 (S200-S203).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 combines the digital code value with a predetermined carrier code (for example, xOFF) (S400) and modulates and amplifies it into a transmission signal using a predetermined binary coding scheme and transmits the transmission signal to the digital TV set-top box (S401).
  • a predetermined carrier code for example, xOFF
  • the carrier code and the binary coding scheme are predetermined by agreement with the digital TV set-top box's manufacturer.
  • a transmitted control signal is received by a signal reception unit 39 in a two- way digital TV set-top box 30.
  • the received control signal is reconstructed into a function control code and is then input to a remote control driver 38 of an operating system (O/S) 35 (S402).
  • the remote control driver 38 functions to distribute the function control code to a device control processor 36 and an application program execution processor 37.
  • the function control code combined with the carrier code is input to the application program execution program 37 after the carrier code is removed from the function control code (S403).
  • control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5) in the memory 6 are input to the device control processor 36 to control the two-way digital TV set-top box 30.
  • the application program execution processor 37 reads a URL corresponding to the function control code from the memory 40 and downloads data such as VOD at the URL from a digital TV service server 32 via the Internet and transmits the downloaded data to a digital TV 31 (S404).
  • the user can download desired VOD via the Internet and watch it on the digital TV by scanning a digital code printed on printable material 2 such as a leaflet or flyer.
  • the remote control system according to the present invention is applied to control of an MP3 player.
  • printable material containing only text and a conventional MP3 player that outputs audio corresponding to the text it is difficult to locate a correct position of audio data corresponding to the text, thereby making it difficult to directly locate or repeatedly listen to audio data at a desired position.
  • text which contains a digital code in each section
  • the MP3 player detects the digital code it is possible to locate a correct position of each audio data section. This is useful especially for application to MP3 players that provide lyrics.
  • FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the structure of conventional MP3 audio data that provides lyrics.
  • FIG. 10 schematically illustrates the structure of MP3 audio data that contains digital codes according to the embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 11 illustrates an example structure of printable material that contains digital codes in the embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the configuration of a conventional MP3 player.
  • the conventional MP3 player that provides lyrics outputs texts "TEXT 1", “TEXT 2", ..., and "TEXT N" to a display device 44 when times corresponding to "TIME 1", “TIME 2", ..., and “TIME N" are reached, respectively, as shown in FIG. 9.
  • audio data having a structure that substitutes a digital code 1, a digital code 2, ..., and a digital code N for the texts "TEXT 1", “TEXT 2", ..., and "TEXT N" as shown in FIG. 10.
  • Transparent or semi- transparent digital codes indicating the respective positions of a plurality of spots on printable material are printed on the printable material as shown in FIG. 11 , and the printed digital code is detected using the remote control system according to the present invention.
  • a unique digital code is assigned to each specific time value. This makes it possible to correctly locate a desired position.
  • FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system that is applied to an MP3 player according to the embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the remote control system in this embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 13.
  • the user directly connects the remote controller 15 according to the present invention to an MP3 player 50 through an external input/output device 47 in the MP3 player 50 using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) (S500).
  • Text which contains a digital code in each section as shown in FIG. 11 , is scanned using the scanner 14 of the remote controller 15 (S501).
  • the control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs the digital code input through the image sensor 4 and transmits the reconstructed digital code to the external input/output device 47 of the MP3 player 50 (S502).
  • a processor 45 detects the digital code and reads a record corresponding to the digital code in the text area as shown in FIG. 10 that is located in a rear portion of an audio file in a flash memory 46 (S503).
  • the processor 45 moves to the position of the requested audio data based on a time value of the record and outputs the audio file to a speaker 42 through an MP3 decoder 43 (S504).
  • S504 MP3 decoder 43

Abstract

A remote control system and method using digital codes is provided, whereby a number of electronic devices can be controlled simply by scanning a digital code printed on distributed printable material using a single remote controller. The remote control system includes an image sensor, a memory, a processor, and a signal transmission unit. The image sensor scans and detects a digital code printed on printable material. The memory stores control codes corresponding to digital codes. Each of the control codes includes a control target device function control code value and a transmission method code value. The processor reconstructs a digital signal input from the image sensor into a unique digital code value, extracts a corresponding control code from the memory, and modulates it into a transmission signal. The signal transmission unit transmits the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device.

Description

[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title]
REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM USING DIGITAL CODES AND THE METHOD THEREOF
[Technical Field]
The present invention relates to a remote control system and method, and more particularly to a remote control system and method using digital codes, wherein a transparent or semi-transparent digital code printed on printable material is scanned to read a control code of a control target device, thereby allowing easy control of the control target device.
[Background Art]
Remote controllers are widely used to remotely control a variety of electronic devices. Remote controllers transmit a control signal for controlling a variety of control target devices using a variety of infrared light specified by Infrared Data Association (IrDA). Remote controllers typically use infrared light in the frequency range of 30kHz to 4OkHz and transmit the control signal in binary code format so that receivers provided on control target devices can correctly receive the control signal without interference from other light sources. Receivers analyze the received control signal to detect a control command and then to perform a command desired by the user. There are a variety of binary coding schemes, including a shift coded signal scheme that varies the order of pulses or spaces between pulses, a space coded signal scheme that varies the length of the spaces between pulses, and a pulse width coded signal scheme that varies the length of pulses. Manufactures adopt different coding schemes. Control signals of a number of manufacturers and models are not compatible with each other since different coding schemes are used for them. Users must suffer the inconvenience of having to use a number of remote controllers when simultaneously using a variety of electronic devices such as a TV, a DVD, a digital set-top box, an MP3 player, and an air conditioner. So-called integrated remote controllers have been developed to overcome such problems and are described, for example, in Korean Patent Nos. 113707, 140962, 131482, 391930, and 198531.
In two-way digital TV environments, which are expected to be available in the near future, it is possible to perform so-called two-way communication whereby the user edits a desired broadcast program or directly purchases a product on a TV screen. However, there are some limitations when using conventional integrated remote controllers in such environments. For example, the user has to set shortcut keys or to operate a number of buttons a number of times in navigating through multi-level menus on the screen. Thus, there is a need to provide a new device that integrates remote controllers of a number of manufacturers and models without requiring multifunctional remote control buttons.
[Disclosure] [Technical Problem] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control system that integrates remote controllers of a number of manufacturers and models into a single remote controller, regardless of the types of a number of control target devices, thereby providing convenience to the user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a remote control system that can be efficiently used for control target devices such as two-way digital TVs and MP3 players, thereby providing convenience to the user.
[Technical Solution]
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a remote control system for scanning a printed digital code to control a control target device, the remote control system comprising a printed digital code; a sensor for detecting and converting the digital code into a digital signal; a memory for storing control codes corresponding to digital codes, each of the control codes including a control target device function control code value and a transmission method code value; a processor for receiving and reconstructing the digital signal into a unique digital code value, extracting a control code corresponding to the reconstructed digital code value from the memory, and modulating the control code into a transmission signal; and a signal transmission unit for transmitting the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device. Here, the range of the digital code values includes a range of self-setting code values for additional setting of a control function to a control target device and for configuration setting of the remote control system; a range of control target device control code values for controlling a control target device; and a range of service request code values for accessing the Internet. The range of the digital code values further includes control target device type code values for displaying a currently controlled device. The range of the digital code values further includes button mapping code values for associating additionally set control functions of the control target device with buttons of the remote control system. The digital code includes a self-setting code value, a control target device type code value, a control target device control code value, a button mapping code value, and a self-setting code value that are printed and detected in a specific order. The memory stores a mapping table including control target device function control code values, function control code lengths, and transmission method codes corresponding to digital code values; a mapping table including signal transmission method types corresponding to the transmission method codes; a mapping table including control target device types corresponding to digital code values; and a mapping table including button types of the remote control system corresponding to digital code values, wherein the mapping tables are updated by adding values to the mapping tables. The transmission signal is transmitted according to infrared communication, USB communication, or wireless communication according to a Bluetooth protocol.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control method of a remote control system for scanning a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of converting the printed digital code into a digital signal through a sensor and inputting the digital signal to a processor; reconstructing, by the processor, the digital signal into a unique digital code and reading, by the processor, a function control code value and a transmission method code value corresponding to the digital code from a memory; and modulating, by the processor, the control code into a transmission signal and transmitting the transmission signal to the control target device through a signal transmission unit.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of a) detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; b) checking whether or not any self-setting code value is present in the digital code value; c) reading and modulating a control code corresponding to the digital code value into a transmission signal and transmitting the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device if no self-setting code value is present in the digital code value; and d) performing additional setting of a control function of the control target device to the remote control system and internal configuration setting of the remote control system based on the digital code value if any self-setting code value is present in the digital code value. The step c) includes the steps of reading and displaying a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value; reading a function control code value, a function control code length, and a binary coding scheme code corresponding to the digital code value; and reading a transmission method corresponding to the binary coding scheme code and modulating the function control code value according to the transmission method repeatedly a plurality of times corresponding to the function control code length. The step d) includes the steps of e) checking whether or not a first digital code in the digital code value is a code indicating start of digital code allocation; f) adding a control function of a control target device based on the digital code value, setting the control function to a button of the remote control system, and storing the setting of the control function if the first digital code is a code indicating start of digital code allocation; and g) performing internal configuration setting of the remote control system and storing the configuration setting if the first digital code is not a code indicating start of digital code allocation. The step f) includes the steps of reading, displaying, and temporarily storing a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value; reading and temporarily storing a function control code value, a function control code length, a binary coding scheme code corresponding to the digital code value; setting the added control function to a button corresponding to the digital code value and temporarily storing the set control function; and storing the temporarily stored data and terminating digital code allocation if a digital code indicating end of digital code allocation is detected. The step g) includes the steps of displaying information indicating configuration setting; performing configuration setting of the remote control system according to a configuration setting code present in the digital code value and temporarily storing the configuration setting; storing the temporarily stored data and terminating digital code allocation if a digital code indicating end of digital code allocation is detected.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; combining the digital code value with a carrier code and transmitting a transmission signal modulated according to a specific transmission method if no control code corresponding to the digital code value is present; receiving the transmission signal, reconstructing a control code from the received transmission signal, and removing the carrier code from the control code; and reading a URL corresponding to the control code, accessing the Internet with the URL, and downloading data. The carrier code and the transmission method are set according to a scheme predetermined according to the control target device.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting at least one digital code printed on at least one spot on printable material to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; transmitting the digital code value; and retrieving data located at a position corresponding to the received digital code value from a stored file and reading the retrieved data. The file includes one or more data elements that are assigned one or more digital code values at corresponding positions.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control method of a remote control system for detecting at least one digital code printed on at least one spot on printable material to control an audio device that outputs audio, the method comprising the steps of scanning and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; transmitting the digital code value to the audio device; reading a time data element corresponding to the digital code value from an audio file stored in the audio device, the audio file including a text area and an audio data area, wherein at least one digital code value is combined with at least one corresponding time data element in the text area; and moving to audio data corresponding to the read time data element and outputting the audio data.
The transmission is performed according to infrared communication, USB communication, or wireless communication according to a Bluetooth protocol.
[Advantageous Effects]
According to the present invention, a variety of electronic devices can be controlled simply by scanning a digital code printed on distributed printable material. Thus, remote controllers of a number of manufacturers and models can be integrated and used as a single remote controller and the need to provide multifunctional buttons on the remote controller is eliminated, thereby making it more convenient to use the remote controller.
In addition, according to the present invention, in two-way digital TV environments in which a set-top box is provided to connect a digital TV to the high-speed Internet, a URL contained in a digital code printed on printable material distributed by a number of merchants can be accessed via the Internet simply by scanning the printed digital code, which makes it possible to download a variety of VOD of product commercials, programs, or the like and to purchase products while watching the VOD on the digital TV.
Further, according to the present invention, an MP3 player can be controlled by connecting it to the remote controller via USB, thereby making it possible to locate a correct position of each section of audio data. This enables processes such as directly locating or repeatedly listening to audio data at a desired position with ease. [Description of Drawings]
FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates the exterior of a remote controller that is used in the remote control system according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to the present invention; FIG. 4 illustrates the order in which digital codes are printed in the remote control system according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to Embodiments 1 and 3 of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;
FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the operation of the remote control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the structure of conventional MP3 audio data that provides lyrics;
FIG. 10 schematically illustrates the structure of MP3 audio data that contains digital codes according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention;
FIG. 11 illustrates an example structure of printable material that contains digital codes in Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the configuration of a conventional MP3 player; and
FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system that is applied to an MP3 player according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
* Description of Reference Numerals of Main Parts of the Drawings
1 : remote control system 2: printable material 3: digital code 4: image sensor
5: control code conversion processor 6: memory 7: signal transmission unit 8: transmission portion 9: operation display window 10: mode button 11 : power button 12: direction button 13: execution button 14: scanning portion 15: remote controller 21, 25: self-setting code 22: control target device type code 23: control target device control code
24: button mapping code 30: digital TV set- top box
31: digital TV 32: video server
33: audio/video interface 34: Internet interface
35: Operation System (O/S) 36: device control processor
37: application program execution processor
38: remote control driver
39: signal reception unit 40: memory
41 : DVD player 42 : speaker
43: MP3 decoder 44: display device 45: processor 46: flash memory
47: external input/output device 48: button input device
50: MP3 player
[Best Mode]
FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates the exterior of a remote controller according to the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the remote control system 1 according to the present invention includes an image sensor 4, a control code conversion processor 5, a memory 6, and a signal transmission unit 7. The image sensor 4 detects a digital code 3 printed on printable material 2. The control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs a digital input signal received from the image sensor 4 into a unique digital code and processes it into a control code suitable for a corresponding control target device. The signal transmission unit 7 modulates and amplifies the processed control code and transmits it to the control target device through an infrared LED or the like.
For the user's convenience, the exterior of a remote controller 15 according to the remote controller system 1 preferably includes a mode button 10, a power button 11, an operation display window 9, direction buttons 12, an execution button 13, a transmission portion 8, and a scanning portion 14. The mode button 10 is used to select a control target device. The power button 11 is used to power on or off the selected control target device. The operation display window 9 displays the selected control target device and the operation thereof. The transmission portion 8, which is an input/output device, includes an LED for transmitting an infrared signal or the like. The scanning portion 14 includes an image sensor or the like.
The printable material 2 includes any printable medium such as paper, plastic, vinyl, a sticker, leather, and an electronic device case. The digital code 3 includes a bar code, a dot code, a carbon pattern code, or the like that are commonly used. The carbon pattern code is most preferable due to the following reason. Since the bar code is printed in black ink, the bar code requires a separate space for printing so that it is separated from other printed portions. On the other hand, since the carbon pattern code is printed with almost transparent carbon material to form a lattice pattern, the carbon pattern code can be printed overlapping with other printed portions without the need to secure a separate space for printing and can also be printed on a sticker and then be attached to printable material. Accordingly, when the digital code has been printed as the transparent carbon pattern code, the user scans an image including the transparent digital code on the printable material 2.
When the bar code or the dot code is used for the digital code 3 to be printed, hundreds of millions of values can be allocated to the digital code 3. When the carbon pattern code is used, about four thousand values can be assigned to the digital code 3.
For efficient use of the digital code 3, the values of the digital code 3 need to be divided according to a variety of purposes. In the present invention, the range of assigned digital code values are divided into a range of self-setting code values required to additionally set functions of the remote control system or to set the configuration thereof, a range of control target device control code values containing function control information required to control the control target devices, and a range of service request code values for shopping or receiving Video On Demand (VOD). In a preferable example where the carbon pattern code is used, about 4,096 digital code values can be divided into a range of self-setting code values, a range of control target device control code values, and a range of service request code values as shown in Table 1. The number of digital code values assigned to each range can be adjusted arbitrarily.
[Table 1]
Digital Code Range Table range of self-setting range of control target device range of service request
Range code values control code values code values
00 (0x00) 32 (0x20) 352 (0x160)
Code (HEX)
~ 31 (0xlF) - 351 (0x15F) ~ 4,095 (OxFFF)
Number of
32 320 3,744 values
The range of self-setting code values includes digital code values associated with notification of start and end of digital code allocation in a setting mode for adding control target device control information, digital code values associated with the configuration setting of the remote control system, and the like. A preferred example of the range of self-setting code values is shown in Table 2.
[Table 2]
Table of Range of self-setting code values
Digital Code Control Command
0x01 start of digital code allocation 0x02 end of digital code allocation 0x03 start of LED brightness adjustment of remote controller 0x04 end of LED brightness adjustment of remote controller
0x05 start of operation sound volume adjustment of remote controller 0x06 end of operation sound volume adjustment of remote controller 0x07 - OxIF etc.
The range of control target device code values includes digital code values indicating control target devices of manufacturers and control functions thereof. The range of control target device code values corresponds to a control target device function control information mapping table (see Table 5) stored in a memory 6 that will be described later. A preferred example of the range of control target device code values is shown in Table 3.
[Table 3] Table of Range of Control Target Device Control Code Values
Digital Control Target
Control Function Description
Code Device
0x20 NEC VTR POWER ON/OFF To power on/offNEC VTR
0x21 NEC VTR PLAY To start the play of NEC VTR
0x22 NEC VTR REC To start the recording of NEC VTR
0x34 LG Air Conditioner POWER ON/OFF To power on/off L G air conditioner
To increase air volume of LG air 0x35 LG Air Conditioner AIR VOLUME INCREASE conditioner AIR VOLUME To decrease air volume of LG air
0x36 LG Air Conditioner
DECREASE conditioner
0x3E Samsung TV POWER ON/OFF To power on/off Samsung TV
0x3F Samsung TV VOLUME INCREASE To increase volume of Samsung TV
0x40 Samsung TV VOLUME DECREASE To decrease volume of Samsung TV
0xl5F Samsung TV MBC CHANNEL To select MBC channel on Samsung TV
The range of service request code values includes digital code values for selecting a product or service when receiving a variety of services such as VOD and online shopping provided over the Internet. A preferred example of the range of service request code values is shown in Table 4. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that can be accessed via the Internet is assigned to each product and service. By accessing a desired product or service and service provider via URLs assigned thereto on the Internet, the user can obtain detailed information of the product, purchase the product, and download VOD.
[Table 4]
Range of Service Request Code Values
Digital Code Request Service Description
0x160 Product URL To access each product's URL on the Internet
0x33 E Product URL To access each product's URL on the Internet 0x33F Service URL To access each service's or service provider's URL on the Internet
OxFFF Service URL To access each service's or service provider's URL on the Internet
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system according to the present invention.
First, if the user inputs a digital code 3 to the image sensor 4 via scanning or photography, the image sensor 4 converts the input digital code 3 into a digital signal and transfers the digital signal to the control code conversion processor 5 (SlOO).
The control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs the digital signal into a unique digital code and reads control target device function control information and a binary coding scheme for infrared signal transmission, which correspond to the digital code, from the memory 6 (SlOl).
The control code conversion processor 5 modulates function control code values included in the function control information into a transmission signal using the binary coding scheme, and transmits the modulated transmission signal to the control target device through the signal transmission unit 7 (S 102). The transmission signal is transmitted through wireless communication according to the infrared communication or Bluetooth protocol.
The memory 6 stores a variety of mapping tables of control target device function control codes, function control code lengths, codes of the binary coding schemes for infrared signal transmission, control target device types, and button mapping codes, which correspond to the digital codes. The mapping tables may be updated or some values may be added thereto. A control target device function control information mapping table, which contains function control information items corresponding respectively to digital codes, has been stored in the memory 6. A function control information item corresponding to the read digital code is retrieved from the control target device function control information mapping table. The control target device function control information mapping table contains digital codes corresponding to the range of control target device control code values and thus corresponds to the control target device control code range table described above (see Table 3). A preferred example of the control target device function control information mapping table is shown in Table 5 and digital codes thereof are identical to those of the control target device control code range table (Table 3).
[Table 5]
Control Target Device Control Code Mapping Table
Digital Control Target Binary Coding Function Control Function Control Button Code Device Type Code Type Code Code Length Code Value Mapping Code
0x20 0x01 0x01 3 0x30,0x2F,0x3E 0x02
0x21 0x05 0x03 2 0x7F,0x02
0x22 0x09 0x01 3 0x50,0x40,0x20 0x03
0x44,0x32,0x3A,
0x23 0x04 0x02 4 0x02
OxFE
0xl5F 0x01 0x01 0x41,0x42
For example, when the digital code value read by the image sensor 4 is "0x20", first, the control code conversion processor 5 reads a control target device type code "0x01" corresponding to the digital code value "0x20" with reference to Table 5 stored in the memory 6. The control code conversion processor 5 then reads a control target device type "TV" corresponding to the read control target device type code "0x01" from a control target device type mapping table (Table 7 described later) and displays the read control target device type "TV" on the operation display window 9. Subsequently, with reference to Table 5, the control code conversion processor 5 detects from the digital code value "0x20" that the binary coding scheme code value, which specifies the infrared transmission method, is "0x01", the function control code value is "0x30, 0x2F, 0x3E", and the function control code length is "3". With reference to the control target device control code range table (Table 3), the function control code value indicates "To power on/off NEC VTR". As will be described later in Embodiment 2, when respective functions have been preset to buttons on the remote controller, corresponding button mapping codes are assigned to the buttons.
In another example, when the read digital code value is "0x15 F", the control code conversion processor 5 detects based on Table 5 that the binary coding scheme code value is "0x01", the function control code value is "0x41, 0x42", and the function control code length is "2". With reference to Table 3, the function control code value indicates "To select MBC channel on Samsung TV". Such a function can be controlled at a time simply by scanning the digital code value "0x15 F" that has been transparently or semi-transparently printed, for example, on printable material having an MBC logo or figure. When the conventional remote controller is used, selecting the MBC channel (Channel 11) requires that a button "1" be pressed twice. However, according to the present invention, the MBC channel can be selected simply by scanning the digital code value once as described above.
A mapping table of binary coding scheme codes specifying the infrared signal transmission method, which correspond to the binary coding scheme codes of Table 5, is stored in the memory 6. A preferred example of the mapping table of binary coding scheme codes is shown in Table 6.
[Table 6]
Binary Coding Scheme Code Mapping Table
Binary Coding Scheme Code Infrared Transmission Method OxOl NEC method
0x02 RC5 method
0x03 ZENITH method
0x04 MITSUBISHI method
Specifically, when the digital code value is "0x20" and the binary coding scheme code value corresponding thereto is "0x01" as in the previous example, the control code conversion processor 5 selects "NEC method" as the infrared transmission method with reference to Table 6 and modulates and transmits the function control code value according to the NEC method.
In addition, in the remote control system according to the present invention, the selected control target device type is displayed on the operation display window 9 so that the user can visually confirm the type of the currently controlled device. A preferred example of a control target device type mapping table is shown in Table 7. For example, when the read digital code value is "0x02", "VTR" is displayed on the operation display window 10. When a plurality of control target devices of the same type are set, the control target device type may be displayed in combination with their respective numbers so that the plurality of control target devices can be differentiated.
[Table 7]
Control Target Device Type Mapping Table
Digital Code Control Target Device Type
0x01 TV
0x02 VTR
0x03 DVD player
0x04 two-way TV set-top box
0x05 home theater
0x06 air conditioner
0x07 audio player
0x08 satellite set-top box
0x09 terrestrial set-top box
OxOA etc.
Further, in the remote control system according to the present invention, once the functions and the transmission method are set according to the digital code read by the image sensor 4 as described above, the functions can be set as those of buttons "10" to "13" on the remote controller 15. This provides convenience to the user when using the remote controller 15 afterwards by allowing the user to perform a desired function simply by pressing a corresponding button on the remote controller 15. To accomplish this, a button mapping table is set and stored in the memory 6. A preferred example of the button mapping table is shown in Table 8. Specifically, when the read digital code values are "OxOl" and "0x02", a function to display the set control target device is set by assigning it to the mode button 10 and a function to power on/off the control target device is set by assigning it to the power button 11.
[Table 8]
Button Mapping Table
Digital Code Button Description
0x01 MODE To set control target device
0x02 POWER To turn on/off the power
0x03 UP Function corresponding to set value (e.g., channel +)
0x04 LEFT Function corresponding to set value (e.g., volume -)
0x05 RIGHT Function corresponding to set value (e.g., volume +)
0x06 DOWN Function corresponding to set value (e.g., channel -)
0x07 ENTER Function corresponding to set value (e.g., execution)
According to the present invention, digital code values of the digital code 3 indicating a setting mode for adding control target device control information are printed in a specific order as shown in FIG. 4.
Specifically, a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values (see Table 2), a digital code value 22 specifying a control target device type (see Table 7), a digital code value 23 specifying a control target device control code (see Table 5), a digital code value 24 for button mapping (see Table 8), and a digital code value 25 in the range of self-setting code values (see Table 2) are sequentially printed in the digital code 3. As will be described later in Embodiment 2, the digital code values 21 and
25 in the range of self-setting code values are located at the start and end of the digital code 3 in order to add a function that has not been set and stored in the memory 6 of the remote control system. If a code value "OxOl" in the range of self-setting code values is initially printed and detected in the printed digital code (see Table 2), digital code allocation is initiated and a control function is learned to be set and stored according to the digital code value 22 specifying a control target device type, the digital code value 23 specifying a control target device control code, and the digital code value 24 for assigning a function to a button, which have been sequentially printed, subsequent to the first code value "0x01". The digital code allocation is terminated as the last printed code value "0x02" in the range of self- setting code values is detected.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are provided for an overall understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.
[Mode for Invention] Embodiment 1
In this embodiment, a method for operating a control target device by scanning a digital code on printable material using a remote control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIGS. 5 and 6 are flow charts of the operation of the remote control system according to the present invention.
First, when the user scans an image including a digital code 3 transparently or semi-transparently printed on printable material 2, the image sensor 4 sends the scanned image to the control code conversion processor 5, and the control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs it into a digital code value including a series of digits (S200).
When no digital code of the range of self-setting code values is detected (S201), the control code conversion processor 5 reads a control target device type code corresponding to the reconstructed digital code from the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5) stored in the memory 6, and then reads a control target device type corresponding to the type code from the control target device type mapping table (see Table 7) stored in the memory 6 and displays the read control target device type on the operation display window 9 (S203). Similarly, the control code conversion processor 5 reads a function control code value, a function control code length, and a binary coding scheme code for the infrared transmission method from the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5), and reads an infrared transmission method corresponding to the binary coding scheme code from the binary coding scheme code mapping table (see Table 6) (S204). The control code conversion processor 5 then modulates and amplifies the function control code value according to the infrared transmission method repeatedly a number of times corresponding to the function control code length and transmits it to the control device through the signal transmission unit 7 (S205). In this case, since no digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values is present, no digital code value 24 used to assign a function to a button and no digital code value 25 in the range of self-setting code values, which indicates the end of digital code allocation, are printed and detected. When any digital code value in the range of self-setting code values is detected (S201), the control code conversion processor 5 switches to and activates a setting mode described later in Embodiment 2 (S). When the reconstructed digital code is not present in the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5) stored in the memory 6 (S202), the control code conversion processor 5 switches to and activates an Internet access mode described later in Embodiment 3 (I).
Embodiment 2
In this embodiment, a method for adding a function to a button of the remote control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. This allows the user to control the control target device by pressing the button on the remote controller afterwards without any further scanning operation.
In this case, the digital code 3 on the printable material 2 includes a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values that indicates start of digital code allocation, contrary to Embodiment 1. As described above, if any digital code value in the range of self-setting code values is present in the digital code 3, a digital code value 21 in the range of self-setting code values, a digital code value 22 specifying a control target device type, a digital code value 23 specifying a control code of a control target device, a digital code value 24 for assigning a function to a button, and a digital code value 25 in the range of self-setting code values are sequentially printed and detected. First, the step of scanning and reconstructing the printed digital code 3 into a digital code value including a series of digits is performed in the same manner as that of Embodiment 1 (S200). When any digital code value in the range of self- setting code values is detected (S201), the control code conversion processor 5 switches to a setting mode (S300). When the first digital code value is "OxOl" (S301), digital code allocation is initiated. A control target device type corresponding to the digital code value specifying the control target device type is read from the control target device type mapping table (see Table 7) stored in the memory 6 and the read control target device type is displayed on the operation display window 9 and is temporarily stored in a buffer at the same time (S302). A function control code value, a function control code length, and an infrared transmission method (see Tables 5 and 6) corresponding to the digital code value specifying the control target device control code are read from the memory 6 and are also temporarily stored in the buffer (S303). The digital code value for button mapping is then detected and a function is assigned to a button corresponding to the detected digital code value and this assignment information is also temporarily stored in the buffer (S304). When the detected digital code value is "0x02" in Table 2 (S305), the digital code allocation is terminated accordingly, the values temporarily stored in the buffer are additionally stored in the memory 6 or the values in the memory 6 are updated using those temporarily stored in the buffer, and information indicating the completion is displayed on the operation display window 9 and a sound indicating the completion is output at the same time (S306). Then, the procedure is terminated. On the other hand, when the digital code value is not "0x01" (S301), it is also checked whether or not the digital code value indicates the end of digital code allocation or adjustment (S307). If the digital code value indicates the end of digital code allocation or adjustment, the digital code value has been erroneously detected or erroneously printed, and thus "ERROR" is displayed on the operation display table 9 (S308). If the digital code value does not indicate the end of digital code allocation or adjustment, the digital code value is one of the remaining digital code values in the self-setting code value range table (see Table 2) indicating internal configuration setting such as "remote controller's LED brightness adjustment" and "remote controller's operation sound volume adjustment", and thus information indicating the configuration setting is displayed on the operation display window 9 (S309). The configuration setting is performed according to a control command in Table 2 corresponding to the digital code value and the configuration setting information is temporarily stored in the buffer (S310). When the digital code value indicating the end of the adjustment is detected (S311), the values temporarily stored in the buffer are stored in the memory 6 and information indicating the completion is displayed on the operation display window 9 and a sound indicating the completion is output (S306). Then, the procedure is terminated.
Embodiment 3
This embodiment relates to a method for accessing a URL corresponding to a digital code, read using a remote control system according to the present invention, via the Internet and downloading and watching VOD on a digital TV. A digital code in the service request code range of Table 4 on the printable material 2 is scanned using the remote controller 15, and the scanned digital code is reconstructed and transmitted to a digital TV set-top box. Then, the user can access a URL corresponding to the digital code via the Internet to download and watch VOD and the like. This embodiment can be used for a two-way digital TV in such a manner. FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the configuration of a remote control system according to the present invention that is applied to the two-way digital TV set-top box and FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the operation of the remote control system. This embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 7, and 8.
First, a digital code printed on printable material 2 is scanned and reconstructed, and, when no self-setting code is present, a control target device type code is detected and displayed on the operation display window 9 as described above in Embodiment 1 (S200-S203). However, when the detected control target device control code is not present in the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5) stored in the memory 6 (S202), the control code conversion processor 5 combines the digital code value with a predetermined carrier code (for example, xOFF) (S400) and modulates and amplifies it into a transmission signal using a predetermined binary coding scheme and transmits the transmission signal to the digital TV set-top box (S401). The carrier code and the binary coding scheme are predetermined by agreement with the digital TV set-top box's manufacturer. Such a transmitted control signal is received by a signal reception unit 39 in a two- way digital TV set-top box 30. The received control signal is reconstructed into a function control code and is then input to a remote control driver 38 of an operating system (O/S) 35 (S402). The remote control driver 38 functions to distribute the function control code to a device control processor 36 and an application program execution processor 37. The function control code combined with the carrier code is input to the application program execution program 37 after the carrier code is removed from the function control code (S403). Of course, general function control codes present in the control target device control code mapping table (see Table 5) in the memory 6 are input to the device control processor 36 to control the two-way digital TV set-top box 30. Then, the application program execution processor 37 reads a URL corresponding to the function control code from the memory 40 and downloads data such as VOD at the URL from a digital TV service server 32 via the Internet and transmits the downloaded data to a digital TV 31 (S404). According to this embodiment, the user can download desired VOD via the Internet and watch it on the digital TV by scanning a digital code printed on printable material 2 such as a leaflet or flyer.
Embodiment 4
In this embodiment, the remote control system according to the present invention is applied to control of an MP3 player. When using printable material containing only text and a conventional MP3 player that outputs audio corresponding to the text, it is difficult to locate a correct position of audio data corresponding to the text, thereby making it difficult to directly locate or repeatedly listen to audio data at a desired position. However, if text, which contains a digital code in each section, is used so that the MP3 player detects the digital code, it is possible to locate a correct position of each audio data section. This is useful especially for application to MP3 players that provide lyrics. FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the structure of conventional MP3 audio data that provides lyrics. FIG. 10 schematically illustrates the structure of MP3 audio data that contains digital codes according to the embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 11 illustrates an example structure of printable material that contains digital codes in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the configuration of a conventional MP3 player. The conventional MP3 player that provides lyrics outputs texts "TEXT 1", "TEXT 2", ..., and "TEXT N" to a display device 44 when times corresponding to "TIME 1", "TIME 2", ..., and "TIME N" are reached, respectively, as shown in FIG. 9. However, in this embodiment, audio data having a structure that substitutes a digital code 1, a digital code 2, ..., and a digital code N for the texts "TEXT 1", "TEXT 2", ..., and "TEXT N" as shown in FIG. 10. Transparent or semi- transparent digital codes indicating the respective positions of a plurality of spots on printable material are printed on the printable material as shown in FIG. 11 , and the printed digital code is detected using the remote control system according to the present invention. Thus, a unique digital code is assigned to each specific time value. This makes it possible to correctly locate a desired position.
FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the operation of a remote control system that is applied to an MP3 player according to the embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the remote control system in this embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 13.
First, the user directly connects the remote controller 15 according to the present invention to an MP3 player 50 through an external input/output device 47 in the MP3 player 50 using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) (S500). Text, which contains a digital code in each section as shown in FIG. 11 , is scanned using the scanner 14 of the remote controller 15 (S501). The control code conversion processor 5 reconstructs the digital code input through the image sensor 4 and transmits the reconstructed digital code to the external input/output device 47 of the MP3 player 50 (S502). A processor 45 detects the digital code and reads a record corresponding to the digital code in the text area as shown in FIG. 10 that is located in a rear portion of an audio file in a flash memory 46 (S503). The processor 45 moves to the position of the requested audio data based on a time value of the record and outputs the audio file to a speaker 42 through an MP3 decoder 43 (S504). Thus, the user can easily access audio data that is located exactly at a position desired by the user. Although novel and basic features of the present invention have been disclosed with reference to a variety of embodiments, the embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes to provide an overall understanding of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions can be made to the aspects and details of the invention as disclosed above, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and the modifications, additions and substitutions should be considered as included in the claims.

Claims

[CLAIMS]
[Claim 1 ] A remote control system for scanning a printed digital code to control a control target device, the remote control system comprising: a printed digital code; a sensor for detecting and converting the digital code into a digital signal; a memory for storing control codes corresponding to digital codes, each of the control codes including a control target device function control code value and a transmission method code value; a processor for receiving and reconstructing the digital signal into a unique digital code value, extracting a control code corresponding to the reconstructed digital code value from the memory, and modulating the control code into a transmission signal; and a signal transmission unit for transmitting the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device.
[Claim 2] The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the range of the digital code values includes: a range of self-setting code values for additional setting of a control function to a control target device and for configuration setting of the remote control system; a range of control target device control code values for controlling a control target device; and a range of service request code values for accessing the Internet.
[Claim 3] The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein the range of the digital code values further includes control target device type code values for displaying a currently controlled device.
[Claim 4] The remote control system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the range of the digital code values further includes button mapping code values for associating additionally set control functions of the control target device with buttons of the remote control system.
[Claim 5] The remote control system according to claim 4, wherein the digital code includes a self-setting code value, a control target device type code value, a control target device control code value, a button mapping code value, and a self-setting code value that are printed and detected in a specific order.
[Claim 6] The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the memory stores: a mapping table including control target device function control code values, function control code lengths, and transmission method codes corresponding to digital code values; a mapping table including signal transmission method types corresponding to the transmission method codes; a mapping table including control target device types corresponding to digital code values; and a mapping table including button types of the remote control system corresponding to digital code values, wherein the mapping tables are updated by adding values to the mapping tables.
[Claim 7] The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is transmitted according to infrared communication, USB communication, or wireless communication according to a Bluetooth protocol.
[Claim 8] A remote control method of a remote control system for scanning a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of: converting the printed digital code into a digital signal through a sensor and inputting the digital signal to a processor; reconstructing, by the processor, the digital signal into a unique digital code and reading, by the processor, a function control code value and a transmission method code value corresponding to the digital code from a memory; and modulating, by the processor, the control code into a transmission signal and transmitting the transmission signal to the control target device through a signal transmission unit.
[Claim 9] A remote control method of a remote control system for detecting a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of: a) detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; b) checking whether or not any self-setting code value is present in the digital code value; c) reading and modulating a control code corresponding to the digital code value into a transmission signal and transmitting the transmission signal to a corresponding control target device if no self-setting code value is present in the digital code value; and d) performing additional setting of a control function of the control target device to the remote control system and internal configuration setting of the remote control system based on the digital code value if any self-setting code value is present in the digital code value.
[Claim 10] The remote control method according to claim 9, wherein the step c) includes the steps of: reading and displaying a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value; reading a function control code value, a function control code length, and a binary coding scheme code corresponding to the digital code value; and reading a transmission method corresponding to the binary coding scheme code and modulating the function control code value according to the transmission method repeatedly a plurality of times corresponding to the function control code length.
[Claim 11 ] The remote control method according to claim 9, wherein the step d) includes the steps of: e) checking whether or not a first digital code in the digital code value is a code indicating start of digital code allocation; f) adding a control function of a control target device based on the digital code value, setting the control function to a button of the remote control system, and storing the setting of the control function if the first digital code is a code indicating start of digital code allocation; and g) performing internal configuration setting of the remote control system and storing the configuration setting if the first digital code is not a code indicating start of digital code allocation.
[Claim 12] The remote control method according to claim 11, wherein the step f) includes the steps of: reading, displaying, and temporarily storing a control target device type corresponding to the digital code value; reading and temporarily storing a function control code value, a function control code length, a binary coding scheme code corresponding to the digital code value; setting the added control function to a button corresponding to the digital code value and temporarily storing the set control function; and storing the temporarily stored data and terminating digital code allocation if a digital code indicating end of digital code allocation is detected.
[Claim 13] The remote control method according to claim 11, wherein the step g) includes the steps of: displaying information indicating configuration setting; performing configuration setting of the remote control system according to a configuration setting code present in the digital code value and temporarily storing the configuration setting; storing the temporarily stored data and terminating digital code allocation if a digital code indicating end of digital code allocation is detected.
[Claim 14] A remote control method of a remote control system for detecting a printed digital code to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of: detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; combining the digital code value with a carrier code and transmitting a transmission signal modulated according to a specific transmission method if no control code corresponding to the digital code value is present; receiving the transmission signal, reconstructing a control code from the received transmission signal, and removing the carrier code from the control code; and reading a URL corresponding to the control code, accessing the Internet with the URL, and downloading data.
[Claim 15] The remote control method according to claim 14, wherein the carrier code and the transmission method are set according to a scheme predetermined according to the control target device.
[Claim 16] A remote control method of a remote control system for detecting at least one digital code printed on at least one spot on printable material to control a control target device, the method comprising the steps of: detecting and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; transmitting the digital code value; and retrieving data located at a position corresponding to the received digital code value from a stored file and reading the retrieved data.
[Claim 17] The remote control method according to claim 16, wherein the file includes one or more data elements that are assigned one or more digital code values at corresponding positions.
[Claim 18] A remote control method of a remote control system for detecting at least one digital code printed on at least one spot on printable material to control an audio device that outputs audio, the method comprising the steps of: scanning and converting the printed digital code into a digital signal and reconstructing the digital signal into a digital code value including a series of digits; transmitting the digital code value to the audio device; reading a time data element corresponding to the digital code value from an audio file stored in the audio device, the audio file including a text area and an audio data area, wherein at least one digital code value is combined with at least one corresponding time data element in the text area; and moving to audio data corresponding to the read time data element and outputting the audio data.
[Claim 19] The remote control method according to any one of claims 8-18, wherein the transmission is performed according to infrared communication, USB communication, or wireless communication according to a Bluetooth protocol.
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