ZigBee-based IR remote control repeater and its control message frame format

Many legacy consumer devices are controlled via IR remote controls. A user needs one IR remote control per one legacy consumer device and has to guarantee the line of sight towards legacy consumer devices. As the ubiquitous home era emerges, all home devices are required to be controllable at anytime and anywhere. To control IR-based legacy consumer devices regardless of the line of sight, a small ZigBee-based IR remote control repeater is attached near the IR receiving part of a legacy consumer device. It receives the control message via ZigBee protocol and converts the received message into IR signal which is transmitted to the legacy consumer device. To be available for any IR-based consumer device without any modification, it should be made universal and generalized. In this paper we propose the IR remote control repeater and the control message frame format applicable to all types of IR-based legacy consumer devices.