A RF4CE-based remote controller with interactive graphical user interface applied to home automation system

Abstract

With the increase in commercial electronic equipment and its complicated control interfaces, how to design an effective and user-friendly control interface has become a topic for many researchers. This research introduces two-directional communication of an interactive graphical user interface on a universal remote control (URC). It is different from current URCs where users must often spend huge amounts of time setting the command codes and encoding each device. With the increase in the number of appliances that the controller needs to manage and the complicated and numerous control buttons, using such controllers often causes difficulties for users. This research employs a cross-platform with integration theories, so when a user wants to connect an appliance, both the appliance end and the controller end will build a two-directional connection through pairing over Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics (RF4CE). After connection, the system will automatically set the communication protocol between the controller and the device. The appliance will automatically transmit its current state and service in the form of bundles to the controller, then the controller will project it onto an LCD screen. The controller can also show the number of appliances connected to the current position of the user, allowing the user to use one controller to control all home appliances with ease, achieving a simplified and instinctive control interface to build the integrated control environment for commercial appliances.