Abstract
Home entertainment devices, such as televisions, stereos, and media players, have, traditionally, been equipped with remote controls so that a user might be able to activate or control the home entertainment device wirelessly. Many remote controls’ only wireless communication capabilities are tied to infrared (IR) signaling to control the entertainment device, and as such, are not equipped to respond to communications that might be received through other means. An IR bridge module is described that is capable of “bridging” communications between an entertainment device and another device that might be used as part of home automation, such as a voice-recognizing personal assistant. The IR bridge module receives a wi-fi or ethernet signal from the voice-recognizing personal assistant and, in response, transmits infrared signals to the entertainment device. The IR bridge module may operate in a training mode, during which it learns and maps infrared remote control commands to a voice command. The IR bridge module may also operate in an execution mode, during which it “bridges” active communication and commands between the voice-recognizing personal assistant and an entertainment device.
Recommended Citation
Zaarour, Charbel, "Audible-to-Infrared Bridging", Technical Disclosure Commons, (November 30, 2017)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/839