Abstract
A pillow, with its internally contained electronics (an audio receiver, decoder, function controller, power controller, transmitter selector, interface, and transmitter circuitries) that provides a user with the ability to conveniently speak, or sound out in any manner, audible commands into it (the pillow) to remotely control the operating functions of various different types of devices while he or she is comfortably resting on it (the pillow)
Claims
1. Pillow Remote Controller Apparatus Comprising: A Pillow, along with its internally contained parts and equipment, having means of providing the ability of someone to rest on said pillow and also at the same time, if desired, remotely control the operating functions of any number of different devices and equipment by speaking (or sound-out) special audible commands into said pillow. Some of these said devices and equipment include: 1. Adjustable beds 2. Adjustable lift+other chairs 3. Air conditioning units 4. Televisions/radios 5. Window blinds and curtains 6. Other entertainment equipment 7. Telephone equipment Also, internally contained within said pillow and most likely in an enclosure within, may be an audio generating device, such as a radio, player; which would be controlled by audible means from a user resting on said pillow as stated above. With this radio or other audio generating device, its moderate audio output level may travel to the exterior of the said pillow through the same passage way that channels the audible command from said user outside the pillow to the interior of said enclosure. Also with said pillow and most likely within its said enclosure may be a Bluetooth transmitter and/or receiver that would be controlled by audible means by a user in a similar fashion as stated above. This Bluetooth device contained within said pillow can be for telephone/cellular communications or other purposes.
2. A Pillow Remote Controller Apparatus as in claim 1 Comprising: A pillow having a passageway (recommended at end of pillow) for an enclosure with its associated parts, to be inserted into or removed from its interior. Also said pillow having means of storing said enclosure in its interior. Said pillow also having one or more designated areas at its outer surface for receiving an audible acoustical signal and means of channeling said audible signal into said enclosure, internally contained in said pillow. The pillow also having means of passing any internal transmitter generated control signal to its exterior that would enable said signal to travel to a distant receiver for equipment function controlling. The pillow may also have an infrared Light Emitting Diode element near or at its outer surface for ejection of said signal. An enclosure to be contained within said pillow that houses the electronic equipment necessary for the device and equipment controlling operation as described in claim one. Also said enclosure may have one or more battery compartments to contain batteries necessary to power the circuitry within the enclosure. A pressure sensing element (with one arrangement, two sensing elements) physically attached to said enclosure of the pillow that will be active upon the sensing of someone resting on said pillow and in doing so will imitate the powering up and enabling of the of audible command reception from the user. A power distribution point such as the power control and alarm circuitry housed within said enclosure, after having received battery power from pressure sensors will, depending specified conditions, in cases where the power control and alarm circuit is used, distribute the battery power to other circuits such as an audio receiving, decoding and function command circuitry, also possibly a transmitter selector and interface circuitry. An audio receiving, decoding, and function command circuitry also housed within said enclosure of said pillow which receives, decodes (interprets) the audible commands given by a user and applies the ![text missing or illegible when filed]()
Description
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 Overall Diagram of Pillow showing its lengthwise edge view, with internal contents
[0017] FIG. 2 Diagram of Pillow from top view, showing internal contents
[0018] FIG. 3 Schematic diagram of the audio receiving decoding and function command circuitry that employs the Count and hold for function control technique for equipment function controlling.
[0019] FIG. 2 shows the top view outline 9, of pillow with cross sectional view of its internal contents which consists of an enclosure 10, (should be of firm plastic composition) to house the electronics. This enclosure should be as flat (low height) as possible, but of sizeable width and length relative to the size of the pillow. The enclosure may have an on-off switch 11, mounted to its surface. The enclosure may have a compartment 12, that retains the battery that powers all of the circuitries, (with exception of the transmitter circuitries) within the enclosure and compartments 13, 14, 15, that retain batteries that power the transmitter circuitries. The somewhat flexible, hollow tube 16, is for channeling the audio command signal from outside of pillow to interior of enclosure and within the enclosure to the exterior of the pillow. The top pressure sensor 17, and the bottom pressure sensor 18, may be relatively flat and each should cover a good portion of the width and length of the enclosure and be physically attached to the top and bottom side of the enclosure, respectively. Within the enclosure there may be a number of individual separately functioning circuitries and may interact with each other. Also, most or all of these individual circuitries may be incorporated onto one printed circuit board. In FIG. 2, the power control and alarm circuitry 19, receives the battery output via on-off switch 11, and top pressure sensor 17, and or bottom pressure sensor 18, (when on-off switch is on and someone is resting on pillow) through jack connection 20. The purpose of this circuitry 19, is to distribute the battery power to the audio receiving, decoding and function command circuitry 21, and the transmitter selection and interface circuitry 22, under certain conditions, such as: [0020] 1. There having to be someone resting on the pillow and that only up to a certain period of time starting from the time the one starts the resting on the pillow. This time period will continue to be extended as long as there is input audio command activity. The audio command activity output line 24, from circuitry 21, controls this delay extension. [0021] 2. There having to be sensed someone's presence nearby, which is done by infrared sensing within the circuitry which uses the output from an infrared human sensing sending until 23.
[0022] In FIG. 2, the audio receiving, decoding and function command circuitry 21, receives the audible command signal, selects the appropriate line of its multiline output 25, this multiline feeds into the transmitter selector and interface circuitry 22, when multiple transmitters are used, the transmitter selector and interface circuitry 22, will first select the appropriate transmitter as per the transmitter selecting segment of a multisegment audible command (properly interfaced), to the selected transmitter. The transmitter circuitries 26 and 27 are of the RF type and when selected, receives the appropriate function control and transmits out a modulated signal accordingly, which signal travels to an intended device for the operation of its functions. In FIG. 2, the infrared transmitter 28, when selected, receives the function command then transmits out its modulated signal to an infrared LED at the pillow's surface VIA flexible cable 29, for infrared transmission to an remote device such as a television, air conditioning unit, or other type equipment.
[0023] FIG. 3 is the schematic diagram of the audio receiving, decoding and function command circuitry which identified as circuitry 21, in FIG. 2. This circuit arrangement uses the count and hold for function control function coding scheme. It operates as follows: The audible commands signal gets received by the microphone 30, with its associated components then goes in and gets boosted up by the amplifier circuit of Z1 31, now this amplified signal go to Z2-A's timing circuit 32, which is a monostable multivibrator with timing just enough to create a constant high at its pin 6 output when a continuous input audio signal is received and its output will go low when that audio signal has gone away. Since each simple word or syllable creates a continuous sound for its duration, one positive level pulse at this output will be generated for the length of time of each syllable or single syllable word. Therefore, the given number of simple words or syllables will cause the same number of positive level pulses to be generated at this output which gets fed into Z3's pulse counter circuit 33. This pulse counter circuit 33,'s binary output feeds into the Z4 decoder circuit 34, which selects one of it's output (making it go high) depending on, in effect the number of simple words or syllables that are spoken. Each of the decoders' output goes to a particular triple input nand gate. Each nand gate's output goes to the composite output command lines 35. Z2-B's timing circuit 36, has a longer timeout period. Its output at pin 10, when the first in a series of pulses from Z2-A pin 6's output occur, the positive going edge of that first pulse causes Z2-B pin 10's output to go high. Which in turn, feeds into a differentiating network which causes a positive voltage pulse at its output. Then it feeds that positive pulse to the reset input to the pulse counter causing the counter to reset to zero before it starts counting a series of pulses; hence, a series of syllables spoken. The remainder of the pulses in that series keeps Z2-B pin 10's output high and no further positive reset pulse for the counter occurs for the duration of that series of pulses. This stays high for that duration because it has a long timeout period. The Z3 pulse counter gets triggered (increments) on the negative going edge of the pulses. Therefore, the positive going edge of the first pulse only in a series of pulses initially resets the counter. Then comes the falling or negative going edges of the remainder of the pulse in that series causes the counter to increment (count up) to a value equal to the number of pulses (or syllables) in that series. The nand gates input from Z2-B pin 9 insures the function selection is only made after all of the pulses (syllables) in a series are in and the counting is completed. The nand gates input from Z2-A pin 6 causes the selected output for a function to occur for the duration and only that duration of time of the follow up sustained sound which comes at the end of the pause that follows audible counting. The nand gate outputs provide the sinking technique for controlling inputs of other circuitry.
