PCT
`
`WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION
`International Bureau
`
`INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)
`
`(51) International Patent Oassification 5 :
`H04Q 1/00, 9/00
`
`Al
`
`(11) International Publication Number:
`
`WO 94/03017
`
`(43) International Publication Date:
`
`3 February 1994 (03.02.94)
`
`(21) International Application Number:
`
`PCT/US93/06662
`
`(22) International Filing Date:
`
`15 July 1993 (15.07.93)
`
`(81) Designated States: AU, CA, JP, KR, European patent (AT,
`BE, CH, DE, DK, ES, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC,
`NL, PT, SE).
`
`Published
`With international search report.
`Before the expiration of the time limit for amending the
`claims and to be republished in the event of the receipt of
`amendments.
`
`(30) Priority data:
`915,114
`
`17 July 1992 (17.07.92)
`
`us
`
`(71) Applicant: VOICE POWERED TECHNOLOGY INTER(cid:173)
`NATIONAL, INC. [US/US]; 19725 Sherman Way,
`Suite 295, Canoga Park, CA 91306 (US).
`
`(72) Inventor: FISCHER, George, H. ; 19725 Sherman Way,
`Suite 295, Canoga Park, CA 91306 (US).
`
`(74) Agents: SCHERLACHER, John, P. et al.; Spensley Hom
`Jubas & Lubitz, 1880 Century Park East, Fifth Floor, Los
`Angeles, CA 90067 (US).
`
`(54) Title: UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE
`
`9
`
`s..._
`~ Mem.Oa.--ta ~ - - ' - - ;
`'--------' L IRQ
`
`2
`'--..
`
`Input
`.
`.
`V01ca Signal
`
`put
`
`AGC Control
`
`Key Strobe
`
`3......_
`
`IROu tpu t~
`✓ 12
`
`rd
`
`Sense
`
`Low Battery
`Sense
`
`Chg. Battery
`Sense
`
`IR Output
`
`Battery Circuit
`
`1 - - - - Ground
`
`(57) Abstract
`
`A method and apparatus are described for a remote control device (1) to execute system control functions in response to a
`single user command request (3) and for the apparatus to self configure based on the configuration of the equipment to be con(cid:173)
`trollecl. System control functions, wliich can consist of one or more controls from a single remote control or from multiple remote
`controls, are controlled by transmitting a string or sequence of commands from the apparatus to single or to multiple pieces of
`equipment for control of that equipment. The system control functions are selected by the user by the activation of a single key
`(33-53) representing the specific function. The apparatus self configures (figures 4, 7-9) determining what system functions are
`applicable based on what equipment the user has and based on what functions were learned from the user's remote control.
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`FOR THE PURPOSES OF INFORMATION ONLY
`
`Codes used to identify States party to the PCT on the front pages of pamphlets publishing international
`applications under the PCT.
`
`AT
`AU
`BB
`BE
`BF
`BG
`BJ
`BR
`BY
`CA
`CF
`CG
`CH
`Cl
`CM
`CN
`cs
`CZ
`DE
`DK
`ES
`Fl
`
`Austria
`Australia
`Barbados
`Belgium
`Burkina Faso
`Bulgaria
`Benin
`Brazil
`Belarus
`Canada
`Central African Republic
`Congo
`Switzerland
`Cote d'Ivoire
`Cameroon
`China
`Czechoslovakia
`Czech Republic
`Germany
`Denmark
`Spain
`Finland
`
`FR
`GA
`GB
`GN
`GR
`HU
`IE
`IT
`JP
`KP
`
`KR
`KZ
`LI
`LK
`LU
`LV
`MC
`MG
`ML
`MN
`
`France
`Gabon
`United Kingdom
`Guinea
`Greece
`Hungary
`Ireland
`Italy
`Japan
`Democratic People's Republic
`of Korea
`Republic of Korc:a
`Kazakhstan
`Liechtenstein
`Sri Lanka
`Luxembourg
`Latvia
`Monaco
`Madagascar
`Mali
`Mongolia
`
`MR
`MW
`NE
`NL
`NO
`NZ
`PL
`PT
`RO
`RU
`SD
`SE
`SI
`SK
`SN
`TD
`TG
`UA
`us
`uz
`VN
`
`Mauritania
`Malawi
`Niger
`Netherlands
`Norway
`New Zealand
`Poland
`Portugal
`Romania
`Russian Federation
`Sudan
`Sweden
`Slovenia
`Slovak Republic
`Senegal
`Chad
`Togo
`Ukraine
`United States of America
`Uzbekistan
`Viet Nam
`
`.,
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`WO94/03017
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`PCT /US93/06662
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`1
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`"lJmv-ersal 1Remote Control Device"
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention is directed to a remote
`control apparatus and in particular to a universal
`remote control which automatically selects and
`configures a system of electronic components to
`effectuate selected component and system functions.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`Many remote control devices which control multiple
`pieces of equipment such as TVs, VCRs and cable boxes
`are difficult to operate for several reasons. If the
`remote controls functions are not combined into a
`single universal remote control, the user, to perform a
`specific function may need to select multiple functions
`on one or 1 more of their remote controls. The intent
`of the universal remote control was to simplify the
`control of multiple equipment components but in so
`doing created a new problem to the user which is a
`complex set of controls.
`Many universal remote controls require the user to
`first select the equipment component on the remote
`control they desire to control such as the TV, VCR or
`cable box. After selecting the component to be
`controlled by use of a device select switch, the user
`then has to select the
`function relating to the
`selected component. For example, to control audio
`volume output, the user first has to select which
`component to use (typically a TV or cable box).
`Moreover, if the user wants to select a system
`function which requires multiple selections from
`multiple remote controls the user must select the first
`equipment component to be controlled followed by the
`selected function for that controller and then select
`the second and possibly the third equipment component
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`example, to record a TV broadcast onto a videotape, the
`user typically must perform the following steps with
`his remote control: (1) select cable box;
`(2) change
`channel; (3) select VCR;
`(4) set the VCR tuner to the
`cable box broadcasting channel; and finally (5) record.
`One approach taken by the prior art as shown in U.S.
`Patent No. 4,825,200 to overcome the multiple step
`operation is to use a trained "macro" instruction. In
`such a system, the user trains his universal remote
`control by programming in a series of commands
`representing the necessary string of commands required
`to perform a particular function, such as the record
`operation described above. This approach has two
`obvious limitations. The first limitation is that
`since the key representing the macro function is
`typically a general purpose function key the key
`typically is labeled "Function A" or something similar
`making it difficult for the user to remember what
`function is associated with the function keys. The
`second and possibly the most difficult of the user's
`impediments to the macro instruction is the user's
`capability to program the macro instruction.
`Programming the macro instruction by the user requires
`intimate knowledge of the equipment being controlled
`25 which frequently is beyond the user's expertise. Many
`users for instance, would not know to select the TV/VCR
`function control on their VCR remote control after
`powering on the VCR if they were to get snow on their
`TV picture.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`Accordingly, an objective of the present invention
`is to provide a device which automatically selects the
`correct component in a component system to effectuate a
`35 particular desired function which is shared in common
`by one or more of the components, such as to increase
`the audio volume for example using a TV volume output
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`even if a cable box in the system also includes a
`volume function.
`Another objective of the present invention is to
`provide a device which automatically configures the·
`5 necessary components in a component system to
`effectuate a particular desired system function, such
`as to begin recording a TV broadcast onto videotape.
`As used herein, the term "component system" (or
`system of components) is used generally to refer to a
`home entertainment system. comprised of at least two
`separate electronic components such as a TV, VCR, cable
`box, satellite receiver, etc. A "component function"
`refers generally to functions that require control of
`only a single electronic component, such as a "channel"
`function, which should only affect one component in the
`component system. When a component command is entered
`by the user (either by voice or by means of a keyboard)
`the component function is generated by outputting IR
`remote control codes to the particular component. A
`"system function" conversely refers generally to
`functions that require control of more than one of the
`electronic components in the component system, such as
`the "record" function described above, which requires
`that the VCR as well as
`the TV (or cable box) be
`controlled. When a system command is entered by the
`user (again either by voice or by means of a keyboard)
`the system function is generated by outputting a
`specific sequence of IR remote control codes to two or
`more components.
`In accordance with one embodiment of the present
`invention, there is provided a remote control device
`for controlling a component system. A keyboard or
`voice input permits a user to enter a system command.
`A configuration memory stores system configuration data
`and remote control codes for each of the components in
`the system. A program memory contains a control
`program whose instructions are executed by a processor.
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`The processor generates a sequence based on the system
`command and the configuration data; this sequence, as
`mentioned above, can include remote control codes for
`two or more components for carrying out the system
`command. Finally, a remote control code transmitter
`coupled to the processor transmits the sequence of
`remote control codes to the components to perform the
`system function corresponding to the system command.
`The same embodiment also handles component functions in
`the manner described abo~e; namely, the processor
`selects both the component and the remote control code
`corresponding to the component function based on the
`component command and the configuration data. An input
`capture circuit coupled to the processor is used for
`capturing the remote control codes from the separate
`components. The control program generates the
`configuration data based on the remote control codes
`captured.
`Finally, in accordance with a more specific
`embodiment of the present invention, the user may also
`enter, as part of the system command, programmed
`sequence timing data to effectuate remote control of
`the system components at a later time, such as, for
`example, to record a future TV broadcast on a VCR. The
`25 present invention then generates the necessary sequence
`of remote control codes at the later time based on the
`timing data. For a future record operation, for
`example, a first portion of the sequence of remote
`control codes is generated at a first time based on the
`timing data (for example at the start time) while a
`second portion of the sequence of remote control codes
`is generated at a second time based on the timing data
`(such as at the stop time).
`Thus, the present invention provides a simple way
`for a user to control a system of home entertainment
`electronic components. While the present invention is
`described in connection with electronic components used
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`in a home entertainment system, it will become apparent
`to skilled artisans that the invention is applicable
`for any number of environments requiring control of
`separate electronic components.
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`Other objects, features and advantages of the
`present invention will become evident from the ensuing
`"Detailed Description of the Invention" when read in
`conjunction with the acc~mpanying drawings in which:
`FIG.l is a block diagram of a remote control device
`in accordance with the present invention;
`FIG.2 is a flow diagram detailing the setup mode
`software routine implemented in a control program
`forming part of a program ROM;
`FIG.3 is a flow diagram describing the voice
`operation mode software routine implemented in the
`control program forming part of a program ROM;
`FIG.4 is a flow diagram describing the manual
`20 operation mode software routine implemented in the
`control program forming part of a program ROM;
`FIGs. SA and SB show a housing which may be used to
`enclose the present invention, including casing,
`keyboard keys, sliding door and LCD;
`FIGs. 6A and 6B show the LCD used in the present
`invention;
`FIG. 7 is a flow diagram describing the channel
`control configuration software routine implemented in
`the control program forming part of a program ROM;
`FIG. 8 is a flow diagram describing the volume
`control configuration software routine implemented in
`the control program forming part of a program ROM;
`FIG. 9 is a flow diagram describing the playback
`and stop control configuration software routine
`implemented in the control program forming part of a
`program ROM.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPT°ION OF THE INVENTION
`A.
`STRUCTURE OF THE VOICE CONTROLLER
`The hardware of the present invention consists of
`several functional sections as shown in Figure 1. As
`can be seen therein, a Voice Controller 1 embodying the
`present invention consists generally of an Analog Voice
`Input 2, a Keyboard 3, a Battery Circuit 4, IR Input 5,
`a ROM Code Library 7, an External DRAM 8, a Shift
`Register 9, an LCD 10, a Piezo Beeper 11, an IR Output
`12 and a Microcontroller 20. These circuits are
`described in detail below.
`Looking at Figure 1 and proceeding
`counterclockwise, the first functional block is IR
`Input 5. This circuit is used to capture IR remote
`control codes for later control of each unit of the
`user's equipment, such as their TV, VCR, cable box,
`satellite dish receiver and the like. The present
`invention includes sufficient RAM capacity to learn and
`store the IR codes from several separate remote
`control units. While the present embodiment is
`directed to an infrared (IR) remote control signal
`capturing circuit, it will be apparent to the skilled
`artisan that a radio-frequency (RF) capturing circuit
`could easily be used instead for learning RF codes from
`RF remote controllers. Moreover the IR or RF capturing
`circuit could easily consist of a direct electrically
`connected interface between the user's remote
`controller and the present invention in lieu of the
`present wireless embodiment.
`IR Input 5 is comprised of well-known IR remote
`control capture circuits. A typical example of such a
`circuit can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,857,898
`(Smith) which is hereby incorporated by reference as if
`fully set forth herein.
`In the present invention, this
`circuit consists of a conventional input photodiode and
`a transistor amplifier (not shown).
`IR Input 5 is
`activated to capture IR remote control codes when
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`placed into the "~ETUP" mode by the user as described
`below. This section of the hardware is normally
`powered down to minimize power consumption from the
`battery. To learn the IR remote control codes from the
`S user's remote controllers, the user points the
`transmitting end of the remote controller to be learned
`at the input IR window (not shown) of IR Input S. The
`IR code from the teaching remote control passes through
`the IR window to a photodiode in IR Input S which
`converts the IR signal t~ an electrical signal. The
`output of the IR Input 5 photodiode is signal
`conditioned by a conventional two transistor amplifier
`which converts the analog electrical signal to a
`digital electrical signal.
`IR Input 5 handles IR
`remote control codes with carrier frequencies from 20
`KHz to 70 KHz and IR pulse codes with long and short
`"on" times. The digital signal translated from the IR
`code from the user's remote control is input into an
`interrupt input of the Microcontroller 20 which reads
`the code, converts the code to a particular format and
`stores the converted code in RAM 23 for later use to
`control the separate components (TV, VCR and cable box)
`of the user's systems. While one embodiment of IR
`Input 5 has been shown, it would be apparent to one
`skilled in the art that a number of acceptable
`alternatives which capture remote control codes could
`be used in place of the circuit shown.
`The IR remote control codes from the user's
`separate remote controllers are stored by the
`Microcontroller 20 until such time as the user desires
`to control one of the separate components in their
`system. The IR remote control codes are output by IR
`Output 12.
`IR Output 12, as with IR input 5, is also
`conventional, and consists of a well-known circuit
`including three (3) infra-red light emitting diodes
`(LEDs) driven by two transistors which in turn are ·
`driven from an. output port of the Microcontroller 20.
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`A representative example of the state of the art in
`such circuits can be seen in the Smith patent referred
`to above, and also in U.S. Patent No. 4,425,647
`(Collins et. al.) which is also hereby incorporated by
`reference.
`In the present invention, three (3) light emitting
`diodes provide the coverage needed for operation in the
`various physical positions that the present invention
`may be used. Two LEDs are positioned at 90 degree
`angles from each other, ~hile the third light emitting
`diode is positioned at the center of the 90 degree
`angle, 45 degrees from the two end diodes. The IR
`diodes used are model No. QED243 by Quality Technology,
`which are known for their ability to provide a wide
`15 dispersion IR beam of light. The axial dispersion of
`the 3 IR LEDs are 130 degrees with relatively full
`coverage in-between the diodes.
`In operation, the 3
`LEDs, which are in series with each other, are driven
`in a well-known circuit configuration as explained
`earlier. A first series pass transistor (not shown) is
`also in series with the diodes and is driven directly
`from an unregulated battery voltage from Battery
`Circuit 4. The LEDs are configured in the circuit to
`provide their own current limiting. A second
`transistor (not shown) buffers the output port of the
`Microcontroller 20, driving the base of the first
`series pass transistor thus driving the LEDs. The
`drive circuit to the LEDs also provides protection to
`ensure that the LEDs will not remain on all the time in
`the event Microcontroller 20 fails to toggle its I/O
`line to turn the LEDs off.
`While one embodiment of IR Output 12 has been
`shown, a number of equivalent circuits which output IR
`remote control codes could be used in place of the
`35 circuit shown. Moreover, as with the remote control
`capture circuit described above, the remote control
`output circuit (IR Output 12) of the present invention
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`could also easily be implemented by a skilled artisan
`to accommodate RF rather than IR signals. Moreover, IR
`Output 12 could easily output the remote control codes
`to the user's separate electronic components via wire
`rather than through wireless air transmission.
`The present invention may be operated by way of
`voice commands as explained further below. An Analog
`Voice 30 Input 2 converts the audio information in the
`user's voice to an analog electrical signal and also
`conditions this electrical signal for processing by
`Microcontroller 20. The present invention may be
`enclosed in a plastic casing (Fig. SA). Referring to
`Figure 1 again, in a preferred embodiment of the
`present invention, Analog Voice Input 2 includes a
`15 microphone that is mounted against the front of the
`casing with a small opening through the plastic located
`at the center of the microphone. The microphone is
`physically mounted to a printed circuit board
`containing the present invention with a rubber grommet
`(not shown). This grommet not only provides a means to
`physically mount the microphone to the printed circuit
`board but also provides mechanical isolation required
`between the hardware and the microphone. This
`mechanical isolation isolates the microphone from any
`25 mechanical noise induced within the unit when the user
`depresses the voice switch as well as mechanical noise
`when holding the plastic.
`In operation, the voice signal output of the
`microphone is fed into an analog input section of
`30 Analog Voice Input 2. The signal is then conditioned
`by wellknown electronic circuits that amplify and
`filter the voice input signal from the microphone prior
`to going to an analog to digital converter (ADC) 24 in
`Microcontroller 20.
`In a preferred embodiment, Analog
`35 Voice Input 2 consists of three stages of gain and
`filtering. A first stage provides a signal gain of 40
`with frequency emphasis characteristics of 6 db per
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`octave at the upper end of the band pass. The
`frequency emphasis is used to amplify the voice
`information at the upper end of the frequency spectrum
`which has been determined by the inventors to enhance
`the voice recognition capability of the present
`invention. A second stage of Analog Voice Input 2
`consists of an amplifier circuit that provides for
`analog band pass filtering. This filtering band passes
`maximum useful voice information while filtering out
`unwanted noise outside the band pass. The band pass
`section of this analog circuit has minimal gain with a
`frequency response roll off characteristic of 18 db per
`octave. The overall frequency response of the analog
`section is 300 to 4800 Hz. A third and final stage of
`15 Analog Voice Input 2 provides for analog gain control
`(AGC) of the voice input signal. Microcontroller 20
`can adjust the level of the ADC input signal for
`maximum signal to noise ratio, thus enhancing
`recognition performance. The AGC compensates for
`20 variations in audio levels as the user speaks and also
`compensates volume variations which can result from the
`user speaking from various distances into the
`microphone. To maximize on battery life, Analog Voice
`Input 2 is also powered up only when the user activates
`one of three voice keys described below to speak into
`the unit. While one embodiment of Analog Voice Input 2
`is shown herein, it would be apparent to one skilled in
`the art that any equivalent circuit for conditioning
`audio voice information could be used in lieu thereof.
`The output of Analog Voice Input 2 feeds into an
`8-bit ADC 24 within Microcontroller 20 which samples
`the data at 9.6 KHz. ADC 24 then outputs a digital
`signal representing the input analog voice signal from
`Analog Voice Input 2. Microcontroller 20 then
`processes the digital voice signal by means of
`microprocessor 21 and a voice recognition software
`routine that is part of a control program stored in ROM
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`22. The digital ·voice signal is converted into a voice
`template that is compared against previously stored
`voice templates of the user's voice. The program then
`decodes ·the voice templates as explained further below.
`Because of its compact and efficient design the
`present invention consumes minimal electrical power and
`can be powered entirely by conventional batteries.
`Batteries, however, eventually lose their charge, and
`can render the device inoperable. The present
`invention also includes a mechanism for informing the
`user at an early stage when the power level of the
`batteries is running low. As can be seen in Figure 1,
`Battery Circuit 4 provides an analog output to the
`Microcontroller 20 level that is read by the software
`program in ROM 22 to determine when the present
`invention is operating below a preset first voltage
`value.
`In a preferred embodiment, the first value is
`set to 5.2 volts. The output of Battery Circuit 4 is a
`digital signal driven by a operational amplifier
`configured as a comparator and read through a second
`analog to digital converter port of the Microcontroller
`20.
`If the output of the analog to digital converter
`read by the software in ROM 22 is below the specified
`battery voltage, Microcontroller 20 outputs a warning
`25 message to the user on LCD 10.
`When the battery voltage falls below a second
`preset value, a second output designated "change
`battery" is output to Microcontroller 20. This output
`indicates that the battery level has fallen below 4.9
`30 volts. A latched output signal produced by a voltage
`regulator within Battery Circuit 4 prevents the present
`invention from going into and out of the "change
`battery" mode each time the system is operated. This
`could happen, for example during operation when IR
`35 Output 12 photodiodes are transmitting, causing the
`battery voltage typically to drop lower than when
`sitting in an idle or clock mode. Without the latch
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`mode and accompanying hysteresis, the battery voltage
`would momentarily go low then high causing
`Microcontroller 20 to go into and out of the "change
`battery" condition. Again, while one embodiment of the
`5 Battery Circuit 5 has been described, a number of
`alternatives that provide battery information to the
`user could be implemented instead.
`Next, it is often desirable to provide audible
`feedback to the user of the present invention, such as
`10 when the device has finished learning a specific IR
`remote control code from one of the user's separate
`remote controllers. For this reason, the present
`invention also includes a Piezo Output circuit 11 for
`providing audible feedback. Piezo Output 11 is a
`simple single transistor circuit driving a piezo beeper
`from an output port of the Microcontroller 20. The
`output port of the Microcontroller 20 outputs a 4 KHz
`signal with an on time controlled by the software
`program in ROM 22.
`Finally, the majority of the electronic data
`processing and control is performed by 8-bit CMOS
`Microcontroller 20 which has several input and output
`ports interfacing to the various hardware sections
`described above. As explained earlier, included within
`25 Microcontroller 20 is a microprocessor 21 with an
`associated program read-only memory
`(ROM) 22 and an
`internal random access memory
`(RAM) 23 which perform
`voice recognition and other functions described herein.
`For this purpose, ROM 24 contains a 24 kbyte control
`program consisting of microcode instructions executed
`by Microprocessor 21 to effectuate the aforementioned
`functions. An additional 1.5 kbytes of RAM 23 for
`temporary storage is used by Microprocessor 21 for
`computing and for storage of information needed
`frequently. Microcontroller 20 also includes ADC 24
`explained above for converting analog voice signals
`from Analog Voice Input 2 into digital voice signals.
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`Microcontroller 2b also controls all input/output (I/0)
`in the present invention (such as Keyboard 3, IR input
`and output 5 and 12) and drives liquid crystal display
`(LCD) 10 as described below.
`In a preferred
`embodiment, Microcontroller 20 is a Panasonic
`integrated circuit part no. NN 1872410, but it is
`apparent that any number of acceptable Microcontrollers
`and or Microcomputers could be used instead.
`Microcontroller 20 runs off of two standard
`crystals: a first 32.768 KHz crystal for the clock mode
`which is used to maintain the real time clock while
`consuming minimal power (150 microamps) from the
`battery supply and a second crystal running at 8.38 MHz
`for performing voice recognition and transmitting IR
`remote control codes.
`In the higher speed mode the
`power consumption from the battery increases to
`approximately 5 milliamps.
`The input ports of Microcontroller 20 thus include:
`a voice data port for receiving the analog voice signal
`from Analog Voice Input 2; a key strobe port for
`reading the Keyboard 3; an interrupt input (IRQ) for
`reading the IR remote control codes from IR Input 5; a
`memory data port for reading data from ROM Code Library
`7 and External DRAM 8, and low battery ports for
`reading the status of the Battery Circuit 5 for low
`battery and change battery conditions. The output
`ports of Microcontroller 20 then include: an LCD driver
`port to drive a 200 segment LCD 10; an IR port for the
`IR remote control code transmission by IR Output 12; a
`30 piezo port for the Piezo Output 11; an AGC output to
`Analog Voice Input 2; and a key strobe port for driving
`keyboard decode lines on Keyboard 3.
`Microcontroller 20 also has access to 1 MEG of
`External DRAM 8 for additional storage of information
`35 where larger memory capacity is desired.
`In a
`preferred embodiment, External DRAM 8 is a pseudo
`static 1 MEG° DRAM which consumes lower power to operate
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`then conventional DRAMs and at the same time has a
`smaller foot print and is far less expensive then
`static RAMs. To address the External DRAM 8, an 8-bit
`Shift Register 9 is used between Microcontroller 20 and
`5 External DRAM 8 to minimize the number of I/O ports
`used to address External DRAM 8.
`In other words, using
`Shift Register 9 allows use of only two output port
`lines to address External DRAM 8 instead of the normal
`8 address lines. A clock output port line from the
`10 Microcontroller 20 controls the data clock input of
`Shift Register 9, and a second output port serial
`address line provides the address data to be shifted
`into Shift Register 9. The 8 output lines of Shift
`Register 9 provide the RAS and CAS address lines to
`15 External DRAM 8. Because the address lines are shifted
`into Shift Register 9 in a serial manner, External DRAM
`8 access time is significantly longer. Thus,
`Microcontroller 20 works out of its high speed internal
`memory RAM 23 any operations requiring high speed
`20 memory access such as for voice recognition or IR code
`capture or transmission.
`In addition to External DRAM 8 the present
`invention accommodates an additional ROM Code Library 7
`to support a code library of known manufacturer IR
`remote control codes.
`ROM Code Library 7 allows the
`user to select an IR code associated with their
`equipment without having to learn the remote control
`code through IR Input 5. To address ROM Code Library
`7, a second 8-bit shift register is used in the same
`30 manner used to address External DRAM 8 allowing two I/O
`port lines to be used instead of eight ROM Code Library
`7 provides 8 kbytes of additional IR remote control
`code storage.
`Figures SA and SB are depictions of the exterior of
`the casing which can physically incorporate the
`electronics of the present invention. As can be seen
`in Figure SA, the present invention being approximately
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`7 inches by 2 inches by 1 inch is small, compact and
`portable. The exterior embodying the present invention
`includes: LCD 10 which provides visual feedback to the
`user; a plastic outer casing 30; a Keyboard 3 (sliding
`5 door 31 slides to expose part of the keys of Keyboard 3
`that are not used frequently); and a microphone 32 into
`which the user speaks the voice commands. Keyboard 3
`is divided into three logical groups of keys:
`voice-related keys, non-voice related upper keyboard
`keys, and lower keys (co~ered by sliding door 31). The
`voice-related keys include the following: VOICE VCR key
`33, VOICE RECORD key 34 and VOICE CHANNEL key 37. By
`"voice-related" it is meant that these keys are
`depressed by the user prior to speaking a voice command
`into microphone 32. The remaining non-voice related
`keys on the upper portion of Keyboard 3 include: VCR ON
`key 35, TV ON key 36,
`(VOICE and NON-VOICE) CHANNEL key
`37, VOLUME and MUTE key 38, TRAIN key 39 and REVIEW key
`40. The lower keyboard keys covered by sliding door