JP2004235920A - Tv receiver and display limiting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a TV receiver which can limit display even in the case that power-on operation is manually performed after power-off in a device which utilizes a timer function to set the display time of a display device and automatically turns off the power with the lapse of time. <P>SOLUTION: The power for the display device is automatically turned off when the time set by a time setting means has passed. When the power is turned on again by a means other than a remote controller (for example, manually) after being automatically turned off, display of the display device is set to be in a muting state in the case that the same mode (game mode) as that before power-off, is selected. The muting state is released in response to operation from the remote controller. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a television receiver having a timer function, in which an external device such as a game machine can be connected. The present invention relates to a television receiver for preventing visual fatigue and a display restriction method for the television receiver.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a television receiver having a timer function so that the power can be turned on or off at a time set by a user. Also, a VTR, a DVD, or a game device is connected as an external device, and any one of the external devices is selected by a user's selection operation so that the user can enjoy the TV device.
[0003]
In such a television receiver, if a user continues to watch a television program for a long time or continues a video game for a long time, the user will be visually fatigued, and the visual acuity will be reduced. In particular, young people may be hooked on video games, and without parental control, they may continue playing video games endlessly. For this reason, a device that limits the game time by a timer function has been considered.
[0004]
For example, Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-23391) discloses a means for setting a use end time in order to restrict the use of a television, and a character that warns the television screen that the user is watching too much when the use end time approaches. The television receiver is provided with means for displaying the character and gradually changing the expression of the character to an expression that scolds as it approaches the use end time, and furthermore, automatically turns off the power when the use end time comes. Have been.
[0005]
However, even if the warning is displayed (or a warning sound is issued) and the power is turned off, if the user manually turns on the power again and restarts the video game, it is necessary to take measures. Instead, it leads to reduced vision.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-23391 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In conventional television receivers, there was a technology in which the power was automatically turned off by a timer function, or the power was turned off after warning of excessive viewing, but a warning display (or a warning sound) was issued. Even if the power is turned off, if the user manually turns on the power again and restarts the video game, there is a problem that the user will continue watching, especially preventing children from visual fatigue. Was not enough.
[0008]
The present invention prevents a user from continuing a video game even if the user manually turns on the power after the power is turned off by the timer function, and a television receiver and display restriction effective for preventing visual fatigue. The aim is to provide a method.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a television receiver capable of selecting one of a plurality of types of video signal inputs and displaying the selected one on a display, and performing various controls in response to a remote control operation.
Display time setting means for restricting a display time of an image on the display to a preset time; and including a timer circuit, when the time set by the time setting means elapses, automatically turning on a power supply for the display. A power control circuit for turning off the power; after the power is automatically turned off, when the power is turned on again by means other than the remote control operation, and the same type of video signal input as before the power was turned off is selected, A video mute circuit for muting the display on the display; and a unit for canceling the mute state when an operation is performed from the remote controller in the mute state.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a television receiver capable of executing various controls in response to a remote control operation,
A signal selection circuit for selecting one of a first mode for receiving and processing a television broadcast signal and displaying it on a display, and a second mode for processing a signal input from an external device and displaying it on a display; Display time setting means for restricting the display time of the display in a second mode to a preset time; and a timer circuit, and when the time set by the time setting means elapses, the power supply for the display is turned on. A power supply control circuit for automatically turning off; a memory for storing a lapse of time set by the time setting means and information of a selection mode in the signal selection circuit; and a power supply automatically turned off. Thereafter, when the power is turned on again by means other than the remote control operation, the signal selection circuit at the time of turning on the power again based on the information stored in the memory. A video mute circuit for judging a selection mode and muting the display on the display when the second mode is continued; and in the mute state, when there is an operation from the remote controller in the mute state And means for canceling.
[0011]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a television receiver capable of selecting one of a plurality of types of video signal inputs, displaying the selected one on a display, and executing various controls in response to a remote control operation. Display restriction method,
Setting a display time in order to limit a display time of an image on the display; counting an elapse of a time set in the time setting step; and counting a time set in advance in the counting step. Automatically turning off the power for the display; judging a selection state of a video signal input when the power is automatically turned off and then turned on by means other than the remote control operation; Muting the display on the display when the same type of video signal input as before turning off is selected; and releasing the mute state when the remote control is operated in the mute state It consists of steps.
[0012]
According to the above-described television receiver and display restriction method, the power is automatically turned off after a preset time has elapsed, and even if the power is turned on by an operation other than the remote control (for example, manual operation), the same video signal is still output. When in the input mode, the video mute state is set. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to view for more than the set time, the mute state cannot be released except by operating the remote controller.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a television receiver according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a power supply circuit, reference numeral 20 denotes an image receiving circuit, reference numeral 30 denotes a remote controller (hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller), reference numeral 41 denotes a game machine as an external device, and reference numeral 42 denotes a VTR as an external device.
[0015]
The power supply circuit 10 includes a main power switch 12 connected to an AC power supply 11, a standby power switch 13 connected in series to the main power switch 11, and a rectifier circuit including a diode bridge connected to a stage subsequent to the standby power switch 13. And a main power supply circuit 15 connected to the rectifier circuit 14. The DC voltage (+ B1) generated by the main power supply circuit 15 is supplied to the image receiving circuit 20.
[0016]
A standby power supply circuit 16 is connected downstream of the main power supply switch 12 to generate a relatively low DC voltage (+ B2) and supply the power supply voltage to a standby circuit such as a microcomputer or a remote control light receiving circuit described later. To supply.
[0017]
The main power switch 12 is turned on and off by a user, and a DC voltage (+ B2) is constantly output from the standby power circuit 16 while the main power switch 12 is turned on. The standby power switch 13 can be turned on / off manually or in accordance with an instruction from the remote controller 30. While the standby power switch 13 is on, the image receiving circuit 20 operates, the television receiver operates normally, and the standby power switch While the switch 13 is off, only the standby circuit such as a microcomputer operates, the image receiving circuit 20 does not operate, and the television receiver enters a standby state. Hereinafter, the state where the standby power switch 13 is on will be described as power-on, and the state where the standby power switch 13 is off will be described as power-off.
[0018]
Further, the image receiving circuit 20 includes a microcomputer 21 and a remote control light receiving circuit 22 operated by the above-described DC voltage (+ B2), and supplies an instruction from the remote control 30 received by the remote control light receiving circuit 22 to the microcomputer 21. The nonvolatile memory 23 is connected to 2.
[0019]
Further, the image receiving circuit 20 has a tuner section 25 for selecting a television broadcast signal received by the antenna 24. The tuner section 25 demodulates and outputs a video signal and an audio signal of a predetermined channel. To supply. The video / audio selection circuit 26 is also supplied with video / audio signals from the game machine 41 and the VTR 42, and the microcomputer 21 controls the video / audio selection circuit 26 in accordance with an instruction from the remote controller 30, and The video / audio signal is supplied to the video / audio processing circuit 27 at the next stage. The video / audio processing circuit 27 processes the video signal, supplies an RGB signal to the display 51, and processes the audio signal to supply audio signals (for example, stereo L signal and R signal) to the speakers 52, 53.
[0020]
The image receiving circuit 20 is provided with an on-screen display circuit 28 to generate RGB signals for displaying characters such as characters and figures. The RGB signals from the on-screen display circuit 28 are supplied to the video / audio processing circuit 27 and are superimposed on the RGB signals based on the received video signals, so that characters are displayed on-screen.
[0021]
Further, the video / audio processing circuit 27 has a video mute circuit 271 built therein, and operates the video mute circuit 271 under the control of the microcomputer 21 to make the display screen a single color (for example, blue back) when muted. Do not display the original video signal.
[0022]
The channel selection operation by the tuner unit 25, the signal selection operation by the video / audio selection circuit 26, the operation of generating a character signal from the on-screen display circuit 28, the mute operation by the mute circuit 271 are performed by operating the remote controller 30. The control is performed in response to and controlled via the bus line 29 under the control of the microcomputer 21.
[0023]
The microcomputer 21 includes a timer circuit 211, and various timer functions can be realized by using the timer circuit 211. The standby power switch 13 can be turned on and off at a preset time. The timer function includes a game timer, an alarm timer, a good night timer, a viewing reservation timer, and the like. The timer circuit 211 may be provided separately from the microcomputer 21.
[0024]
The game timer limits the play time of the video game to 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, etc., and the alarm timer and the sleep timer turn on or off the standby power switch 13 at a set time. It is. The viewing reservation timer sets a television viewing start time, and switches to a predetermined channel at the set time.
[0025]
The various timer functions described above can be arbitrarily selected and set by the user by operating the remote controller 30. FIG. 2 shows an example of the remote controller 30. The remote controller 30 includes a power on / off key 31, a channel selection key 32, a menu key 33, a cursor key 34, an enter key 35, an external input switching key 36, and the like.
[0026]
The operation of the television receiver of FIG. 1 will be described. In the normal mode, the video / audio selection circuit 26 selects the video and audio signals demodulated by the tuner section 25 and supplies them to the video / audio processing circuit 27, and outputs the RGB signals to the display 51 via the video / audio processing circuit 27. And an audio signal is supplied to the speakers 52 and 53.
[0027]
In the game mode, the video / audio selection circuit 26 selects a video / audio signal from the game machine 41 and supplies the video / audio signal to the video / audio processing circuit 27, and displays the video / audio signal on the display 51 via the video / audio processing circuit 27. And an audio signal to the speakers 52 and 53. Similarly, in the VTR mode, the video / audio selection circuit 26 selects and outputs the video and audio signals from the VTR 42, supplies the RGB signals to the display 51, and supplies the audio signals to the speakers 52 and 53.
[0028]
Next, an operation using a timer function (hereinafter referred to as a game timer) in a game mode, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described. Game timers are for example to limit the playing time of video games to only arbitrary times, helping parents to set the playing time before the child starts the game and prevent the child from visual fatigue .
[0029]
Hereinafter, the setting and operation of the game timer will be specifically described with reference to FIG. When the menu key 33 of the remote controller 30 is operated at the time of setting the game timer, the microcomputer 21 controls the on-screen display circuit 28 to generate a menu character signal. A menu screen as shown in a) is displayed. In this case, no video signal is displayed.
[0030]
On this screen (a), various timer functions are displayed, and the game timer is selected by operating the cursor keys 34 of the remote controller 30. Then, the display screen is switched to the display of the game timer as shown in (b), and the playable time (for example, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes) is displayed. On this screen (b), for example, 60 minutes is selected by the cursor key 34, and when the enter key 35 is operated, the screen is switched to (c), and it is displayed that the time has been set to 60 minutes. Is set to 60 minutes, and the timer circuit 211 starts counting time. At this time, it is preferable that the parent holds (or hides) the remote controller 30 so that the child cannot operate the remote controller 30 without permission.
[0031]
Thus, when the video game is started and the set time (60 minutes) is approaching (for example, the remaining time is 10 minutes), a game timer is displayed on the game screen as shown in (d), and "End in 10 minutes" is displayed. The character is displayed on-screen, and the character "End in one minute" is displayed on-screen one minute before the remaining time as shown in (e). When the set time (60 minutes) elapses according to the count of the timer circuit 211, the video mute circuit 271 operates, and the screen becomes a mute screen as shown in FIG. It is impossible to continue. Thereafter, the microcomputer 21 turns off the standby power switch 13 and enters the standby mode. At this time, the non-volatile memory 23 stores that the standby power switch 13 is turned off in the game mode based on the setting of the game timer.
[0032]
When the child manually turns on the standby power switch 13 in this state, the power is turned on again. However, the microcomputer 21 determines the storage state of the nonvolatile memory 23 and the presence or absence of a remote control operation, and determines that the game mode is set. Keeps the video mute state of (f). Therefore, the child cannot play the game even if the power is turned on again after the lapse of the set time (60 minutes).
[0033]
In the above description, the power is turned off after the image mute screen (f) is displayed. However, the power is turned off after the screen (e) is displayed one minute before the remaining time. You may do it. However, even in such a case, if the child manually turns on the power again and tries to continue the game, it is necessary to set the video mute state as shown in (f).
[0034]
When the key operation (for example, the operation of the enter key 35) is performed by the remote controller 30 while the display screen is in the state of (f), the image mute is released, and the image corresponding to the key operation of the remote controller 30 is displayed on the screen. For example, the mode is switched to the normal mode so that the broadcast video can be displayed.
[0035]
Therefore, unless the parent operates the remote controller, the child cannot continue to play the game, and the visual fatigue of the child can be reduced.
[0036]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer 21 in the above-described game mode. When the time set by the game timer is set in step S1, the timer circuit 211 counts down the time in step S2, and the remaining time is set. As the number decreases, in steps S3 to S6, it is displayed on the screen that the remaining time has decreased. When it is determined in step S7 that the set time has elapsed, the fact that the time is up is stored in the nonvolatile memory 23 in the next step S8. Further, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the game mode is set. If the game mode is set, the power is turned off in step S10.
[0037]
In step S9, when the mode is switched to another mode, for example, the normal mode, the power is not turned off.
[0038]
FIG. 4 shows an operation flow of the video mute. If it is determined in step S11 that the time set by the game timer has elapsed, it is determined in step S12 whether or not the game mode is set. When the camera is in the home mode, the video mute is applied in step S13.
[0039]
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to play a video game only within the time set by the timer, and to try to execute the game again after the lapse of time, as long as there is no operation by the remote control. Therefore, it is effective in preventing visual fatigue of the user (especially a child).
[0040]
In the above description, an example in which a child plays a game and a parent manages a remote controller has been described. However, if a user sets a game timer and then leaves the remote controller to another person, even adults may experience visual fatigue. It can be used to reduce Also, the present invention is effective not only in games but also in cases where it is desired to restrict viewing of a highly stimulating graphical image for a long time.
[0041]
Further, in the example of FIG. 3, the remaining time is displayed by a character, but the remaining time may be notified by voice or a warning sound may be emitted. Also, an example has been described in which a time limit such as 30 minutes or 60 minutes is assigned as a method for setting the time of the game timer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a method of setting any time from what time to what time may be used.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is effective to prevent visual fatigue because video of a game or the like cannot be viewed for a long time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram showing a television receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of a remote controller used in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting and display example of a game timer of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a game timer function of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a video mute operation in the game timer function of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 power supply circuit 20 image receiving circuit 21 microcomputer 22 remote control light receiving circuit 23 nonvolatile memory 25 tuner section 26 video / audio switching circuit 27 video / audio processing circuit 271 video mute circuit 28 on-screen display Circuit 30 Remote control 41 Game console 51 Display

Claims (7)

In a television receiver capable of selecting one of a plurality of video signal inputs and displaying the selected one on a display, and performing various controls in response to a remote control operation,
Display time setting means for limiting the display time of the image on the display to a preset time,
A power control circuit for automatically turning off the power for the display when the time set by the time setting means has passed, including a timer circuit,
After the power is automatically turned off, the power is turned on again by means other than the remote control operation, and an image for muting the display on the display when the same type of video signal input as before the power was turned off is selected. A mute circuit,
Means for canceling the mute state when an operation is performed from the remote controller in the mute state. 2. The television receiver according to claim 1, further comprising an on-screen display circuit for displaying a warning on the display as the time set by the time setting means approaches. In a television receiver capable of executing various controls in response to a remote control operation,
A signal selection circuit that selects one of a first mode for receiving and processing a television broadcast signal and displaying it on a display, and a second mode for processing a signal input from an external device and displaying the signal on a display;
Display time setting means for limiting the display time of the display in the second mode to a preset time,
A power control circuit for automatically turning off the power for the display when the time set by the time setting means has passed, including a timer circuit,
A memory for storing the elapse of the time set by the time setting means, and information on a selection mode in the signal selection circuit;
After the power is automatically turned off, when the power is turned on again by means other than the remote control operation, a selection mode in the signal selection circuit when the power is turned on again is determined based on information stored in the memory, A video mute circuit for muting the display on the display when the second mode is continued;
Means for canceling the mute state when an operation is performed from the remote controller in the mute state. 4. The television receiver according to claim 3, wherein the external device is a game machine, and the second mode is a video game mode. 4. The television according to claim 3, further comprising an on-screen display circuit for displaying a remaining time message on the display at predetermined time intervals as the time set by the time setting means approaches. Receiver. A display restriction method for a television receiver capable of selecting one of a plurality of types of video signal inputs and displaying the selected one on a display, and performing various controls in response to a remote control operation,
Setting a display time to limit the display time of the image on the display;
Counting the elapse of the time set by the time setting step,
Automatically turning off the power for the display when counting a preset time by the counting step,
After the power is automatically turned off, the selection state of the video signal input when the power is turned on by means other than the remote control operation is determined, and the same type of video signal input as before the power was turned off is selected. Mute the display on the display,
And releasing the mute state when an operation is performed from the remote controller in the mute state. 7. The display restriction method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of displaying a message of a remaining time at a predetermined time interval on the display in response to the time counting in the counting step.

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