JP2005110032A - Network system, image supply device, display device, controlled device, control unit, display method, and recording medium and program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network system, an image supply device, a display device, a controlled device, a control unit, a display method, and a recording medium and program therefor, for realizing a control unit (display device) which displays an operation panel of a controlled device (image supply device) whose priority is high by a user independent of an operation panel of other controlled devices. <P>SOLUTION: A 1394I/F part 111 receives a display data information of the operation panel containing an element having the attribute information for each group which is utilized for display control from the image supply device by way of a network. A control part 112 selects an element containing the attribute information corresponding to a group from the display data information of the operation panel which the 1394I/F part 111 receives, and makes a drawing control part 115 generate a display data. It makes a display device 118 display a screen containing the display data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a network system comprising a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting a video signal to a network, and a display device for displaying a video based on the video signal input from the image supply device via the network. The present invention relates to a network system, an image supply device, a display device, a controlled device, a control device, a display method, a recording medium, and a program in which the relationship between an image supply device and a display device is a relationship between a controlled device and a control measure.

  There has been an increasing demand for connecting home audio / visual devices and home appliances that have been operated independently by themselves, or that have been operated by a unique connection for each type of device, through a single network. Network communication that can transfer data that requires real-time performance such as moving image data and audio data by high-speed digital communication technology, and data that requires communication reliability such as still image data and control data. This is realized.

  The device that provides the user interface as the center of the home network is a TV, and the remote operation screen of the connected device is displayed on the TV screen, and the user's operation is input by the TV remote control device. And a program for executing device control according to user operation is required for each device. Since there are a variety of devices connected to the network and models with new functions appear over time, it is difficult to prepare a control program for all devices that can be connected on the TV side.

One approach for solving these problems is Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, image data of an operation panel is transmitted from a controlled device connected to a network, and a remote control device (display device) including a display device typified by a television receives the image data to inform an operator. On the other hand, a system has been proposed in which an operation panel image is displayed on a display device and at the same time an operation input from an operator is transmitted to the controlled device to control the controlled device.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-3314

  However, in the system of FIG. 22, the remote operation screen data transmitted from the controlled device 510 is displayed on the display device 524 of the control device 520 as shown in FIG. As described above, when a plurality of operation panels are mixed on the display device 524 and the user wants to use the operation panel of the controlled device having a high priority for the user, the other operation panels occupy the display. The ratio increases, the appearance on the display device 524 is very complicated, and it is difficult to recognize a desired operation panel. In addition, the display area of the TV or video image on the back of the operation panel may be reduced. Conventionally, in order to solve this problem, there has been considered a method of converting an icon other than a desired operation panel into an icon. However, a controlled device that is not outputting a screen cannot perform a control operation with the icon as it is. In order to avoid this problem, if the entire operation panel is displayed in a reduced size instead of the icon, the size of the buttons and the like is also reduced, so that the operation panel becomes difficult to see. When a small operation panel that has been corrected in advance is prepared on the controlled device 510 side, a user action that requires a small operation panel is required every time, and the operation panel is transmitted from the controlled device 510. As a result, there is a problem that the amount of data transferred on the network increases and the data transfer efficiency of the entire system deteriorates.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and does not increase the amount of communication with the controlled device (image supply device), and the controlled device (image supply device) having a high priority for the user. Network system, image supply device, display device, controlled device, control device, and display method for realizing a control device (display device) capable of differentiating and displaying an operation panel and an operation panel of another controlled device An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium and a program thereof.

  In the network system of the present invention, a network system comprising a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network and a display device for displaying video based on video signals input from the image supply devices via the network. The image supply device includes: image information generating means for generating display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display device; and image information generating means The display device includes a transmission unit that transmits the display image information generated to the display device via the network. The display device receives the display image information from the image supply device via the network and a control signal from the outside. The group specifying means for specifying the group and the group specifying means based on the display image information received by the receiving means Characterized by comprising a display means for displaying selected image elements having attribute information corresponding to the group to be constant.

  In one embodiment of the network system of the present invention, the group is a group for identifying any one or a plurality of image supply devices, and the control signal is transmitted from the plurality of image supply devices. The group specifying means supplies the video signal being displayed based on the control signal for controlling the switching of the video signal from a plurality of image supply devices. A group for identifying a device is specified.

  In the image supply device of the present invention, the image supply device can communicate with the display device via a network, and has at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display device. Image information generating means for generating display image information including at least one image data, and transmitting means for transmitting the display image information generated by the image information generating means to a display device via a network.

  The display device of the present invention is a display device capable of communicating via a network with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting a video signal to the network, and includes group-specific attribute information for use in display control. Receiving means for receiving display image information including at least one image element from the image supply device via a network, group specifying means for specifying a group based on an external control signal, and a display image received by the receiving means Image information processing means for generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to a group specified by the group specifying means from information, and display means for displaying the image data generated by the image information processing means It is characterized by doing.

  The network system of the present invention is a network system in which a control device including a display unit and one or a plurality of controlled devices can communicate with each other via a network, and the controlled device performs display control in the display unit. Operation environment information including display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group for use in operation and operation information that allows a user to operate an image corresponding to the image element via a network A transmission unit that transmits to the control device, a reception unit that receives control information from the control device via a network, and a control unit that performs control according to the control information received by the reception unit. Receiving means for receiving information from the controlled device via the network and group identification that identifies the group based on external control signals And an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified by the group specifying means based on the display image information and the operation information included in the operation environment information received by the receiving means, and selecting the selected image element Display control means for displaying on the display means an operation panel operable by the user to control the controlled device, and control information for generating control information in accordance with the user's operation on the operation panel displayed on the display means It is characterized by comprising generating means and transmitting means for transmitting the generated control information to the controlled device via the network.

  In the controlled device of the present invention, the controlled device can communicate with the control device including the display unit via the network, and has an attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display unit. Transmission means for transmitting operation environment information including display image information including at least one element and operation information that allows a user to operate an image corresponding to the image element to the control device via the network, and control via the network It is characterized by comprising receiving means for receiving control information from the apparatus and control means for performing control according to the control information received by the receiving means.

  Further, in the control device of the present invention, the control device can communicate with the controlled device via a network, and the display unit can display images and characters, and is grouped for use in display control in the display unit. Receiving operation environment information from a controlled device via a network including display image information including at least one image element having attribute information and operation information enabling a user to operate an image corresponding to the image element Corresponding to the group specified by the group specifying means based on the display image information and the operation information included in the operation environment information received by the receiving means and the group specifying means for specifying the group based on the control means from the outside An image panel having attribute information to be selected is selected, and an operation panel that includes the selected image element and can be operated by the user to control the controlled device is displayed. Display control means for controlling the display means, control information generating means for generating control information in response to a user's operation on the operation panel displayed on the display means, and the generated control information to the controlled device via the network Transmission means for transmitting.

  The display method of the present invention is a display method using a display device capable of communicating via a network with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network, and is used for display control. A first step of receiving display image information including at least one image element having different attribute information from the image supply device via a network; a second step of specifying a group based on an external control signal; A third step of generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified in the second step from the display image information received in the first step, and generating in the third step And a fourth step of displaying the processed image data.

  The recording medium of the present invention is a recording medium that records a program for a display device that can communicate with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network via the network, and is used for display control. A first step of receiving display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group from the image supply device via the network, and a second step of specifying a group based on an external control signal A third step of generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified in the second step from the display image information received in the first step, and a third step A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing the display device to execute a fourth step of displaying the image data generated in step It is a recording medium.

  The program of the present invention is a program for a display device capable of communicating via a network with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network, and is group-specific attribute information for use in display control. A first step of receiving display image information including at least one or more image elements from the image supply device via a network, a second step of specifying a group based on an external control signal, and a first step A third step of generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified in the second step from the display image information received in the step, and the image data generated in the third step This is a program for causing the display device to execute the fourth step of displaying.

  According to the present invention, the display device (control device) does not increase the communication amount with the image supply device (controlled device), and the image supply device (controlled) having a high priority for the user according to the attribute information. The operation panel of the (device) and the operation panel of other controlled devices can be differentiated and displayed.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a remote control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The system is connected to a network by a high-speed digital interface, and has a digital TV 110 having a user operation input by a remote controller 121, a tuner 100 and a D which are displayed for operation on the digital TV 110 and are remotely controlled by a remote control input of the digital TV 110. -It is comprised from VCR (Digital-Video Cassette Recorder) 130.

  Reference numeral 100 in FIG. 1 denotes a tuner that is remotely controlled via a digital television. A tuner main unit 104 receives a broadcast, selects an arbitrary program, and outputs the selected program. A display data generator 103 stores or generates display data (GUI (Graphical User Interface) data) displayed on the digital television 110 for remote control. Reference numeral 102 denotes a control unit that controls the tuner main body unit 104 and the display data generator 103 by performing communication via a network. Reference numeral 101 denotes a 1394 I / F (interface) unit that is an interface of a 1394 high-speed serial bus, and is connected to 1394 I / F units 111 and 131 of a digital television 110 and a D-VCR 130 described later by network cables 2 and 3. .

  Reference numeral 110 in FIG. 1 denotes a digital television having a user operation input by a remote controller. Reference numeral 111 denotes a 1394 I / F unit which is an interface of a 1394 high-speed serial bus. A decoder 113 includes a function of decomposing the stream data received by the 1394 I / F unit 111 into a video stream and an audio stream and decoding each stream data. Reference numeral 119 denotes an audio output unit including D / A conversion and amplification of the decoded audio data and a speaker.

  A display data temporary memory 114 temporarily stores display data (GUI data) received by the 1394 I / F unit 111 for remote control. Reference numeral 116 denotes a remote control control unit that performs user operation input using infrared or wireless. Reference numeral 115 denotes a drawing control unit that generates a display for remote control of the tuner 100 or the D-VCR 130 based on display data for remote control. Reference numeral 120 denotes a display memory that stores data generated by the drawing control unit 115. Reference numeral 117 denotes an image composition unit for combining the video data output from the decoder 113 and the display output from the display memory 120 to display on the display device 118. A control unit 112 controls the 1394 I / F unit 111, the decoder 113, the display data memory 114, the remote controller control unit 116, and the drawing control unit 115.

  The control unit 112 receives stream data transmitted from the tuner 100 or the D-VCR 130 connected to the network, and outputs the stream data to the display device 118 and the audio output unit 119. As another process, the control unit 112 serves as a trigger for causing the drawing control unit 115 to generate a display, and controls the tuner 100 or the D-VCR 130 by a display for remote control displayed on the display device 118 and a remote control operation input. The operation of the digital television 110 performing the above is controlled in an integrated manner.

  There are a plurality of types of image scanning formats of the video stream data of the digital television 110. For example, in the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), there are 18 types of formats depending on the number of scanning lines, aspect ratio, and frame (or field) rate. Since the display device 118 of the digital television has one or a few unique display scanning modes, as a function of the decoder 113 (not shown), the down stream for adjusting the image scanning format of the input stream data to the display scanning mode of the display device 118. Perform conversion or up-conversion.

  The drawing control unit 115 performs display for remote control on the two-dimensional area having the resolution according to the display scanning mode of the display device 118, and displays the display memory through the drawing control unit 115 output in the same display scanning mode. The data from 120 and the output data from the decoder 113 are combined by the image combining unit 117. That is, for the drawing control unit 115, the display area (the number of pixels) for remote control differs depending on the display scanning mode of the display device 118.

  1 is a VCR (D-VCR) that is remotely controlled via the digital television 110. A D-VCR main unit 134 records and reproduces stream data using a tape (magnetic tape for recording and reproduction). Reference numeral 133 denotes a display data generator that stores or generates display data (GUI data) to be displayed on the digital television 110 for remote control. A control unit 132 controls the 1394 I / F unit 131, the D-VCR main unit 134, and the display data generator 133. Reference numeral 131 denotes a 1394 I / F unit.

  The IEEE 1394 high-speed serial bus in this embodiment is a network path that supports a daisy chain method, a node branching method, and a combination thereof, and enables a highly flexible connection. In a data transfer method in which serial transfer is performed at 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, and 400 Mbps, devices having higher transfer rates support lower data transfer rates, and thus devices having different transfer rates can be mixed. Asynchronous transfer for transfer of asynchronously transferred data such as control signals such as commands and file data, and transfer of data requiring continuity in time such as video data and audio signals (so-called stream data) Has two transfer modes of isochronous transfer in which each is performed sequentially for a certain period (125 μs).

  Data transfer using the 1394 high-speed serial bus is configured in a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. The 2101 physical layer is responsible for mechanical and electrical specifications of cables and connectors, input / output signal encoding / combination, bus initialization, and bus arbitration. The 2102 link layer provides a service for realizing transmission and reception of packet data between the 2101 physical layer and the 2103 transaction layer. The 2103 transaction layer provides three types of asynchronous transactions of read, write, and lock by node ID designation between the 2102 link layer and the upper layer.

  In the 1394 I / F bus, there are two bus management nodes, a bus manager (BM) and an isochronous resource manager (IRM). These may be the same node.

  The 2104 bus management layer performs node control, isochronous resource management, and bus management. The node control exists in each node of the 1394 I / F bus, and manages asynchronous transmission between nodes by a control status register (hereinafter referred to as CSR) defined by the IEEE1212 standard.

  Isochronous resource management is performed by the node that became the IRM, and a channel number (band number) and a band width (bandwidth) are given to the node that is going to perform isochronous communication, and the channel number used for the isochronous communication and the guaranteed bandwidth Is secured. Bus management is performed by the bus manager node, which performs connection information management (topology map creation), speed information management (speed map creation), power supply management, and the like.

  A Function Control Protocol (FCP) 2107 transmits and receives data within 512 bytes called an FCP frame using Asynchronous Transaction, and enables control between nodes (connected devices and device problems).

  The command frame of the FCP frame is written from the control node (controller) to the command register of the controlled node (target), and the response frame is data written from the controlled node to the response register of the control node in response to the command frame. In the FCP Asynchronous packet format, FCPframe data is written in the data portion of the packet.

  The AV / C command set is an upper layer of the FCP, and applies control commands for AV devices such as AV / C Isochronous transfer connection control, television, monitor, and video recorder to the FCP Frame.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the transfer and display of display data (GUI data) for remote control of the remote control system and the procedure of remote control, paying attention to the communication of the 1394 network. Here, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that only the tuner 100 and the digital television 110 are connected to the network.

  In FIG. 2, the control unit 112 of the digital television 110 first establishes an isochronous connection for transmitting the stream output of the tuner 100 to the digital television 110 by the connection establishment procedure described above. That is, after securing a channel and a band for isochronous transfer from the IRM of the 1394 network (in this embodiment, the digital television 110 is responsible), the isochronous plug of the 1394 I / F 101 of the tuner 100 is isochronous of the 1394 I / F 111 of the digital television 110 from the isochronous plug. A peer-to-peer connection to the plug is established (201).

  Next, the control unit 112 of the digital television 110 issues and establishes an Allocate_Attach command in order to establish an Asynchronous serial bus connection for transmitting display data (GUI data) of the tuner 100 to the digital television 110 (202). When preparation for transferring stream data and display data is completed, the digital television control unit 112 issues a Gui_Update (start) command of an AV / C command (204). The Gui_Update (start) command instructs the OSD data generator 103 of the tuner 100 to notify the digital television 110 of the change by sending new display data when the display data changes. The effect continues until a Gui_Update (stop) command is received.

  Next, the control unit 112 of the digital television 110 issues a Push_Gui command for directly requesting display data of the tuner 100 (205). On the other hand, display data for remote control is transferred from the display data generator 103 of the tuner 100 to the digital television 110 through the asynchronous serial bus connection (206).

  The display data transferred to the digital television 110 is stored in the display data temporary memory 114, read by the control unit 112, and sent to the drawing control unit 115. Thereby, the drawing control unit 115 generates a display image, and the generated display image is stored in the display memory 120. The display memory 120 is in one-to-one correspondence with the address on the screen of the display device 118, and one pixel is stored in units of 8 bits for each of RGB. The value of the display memory 120 at the time of power thrower is 00h. And Then, when outputting the image video data from the decoder 113 and the display image from the display memory 120 to the display device 118, the image composition unit 117 switches the scanning based on the position and size data of the display image. The display image from the display memory 120 and the image video data on the back surface are combined. The composite image displayed on the display device 118 is provided as an operation environment (operation panel) for the user.

  The display data is a set of elements displayed as an operation environment and has a tree-structured data structure with a panel element as a root. FIG. 3 is a table showing these elements and essential data or selection data subordinate to each element, and FIG. 4 is a table showing user actions that are operations that the user can perform on each element.

  The panel element in FIG. 3 is a set of elements of the operating environment, and holds a column of IDs that each element has as a link. In addition, it has a link to a label, which is character string data serving as a title of the panel element, and position and size data on the display screen displayed by the panel. Also, it is possible to retain as options the color specification of the panel background, the link to the bitmap data displayed on the background, and the font selection specification for the character string to be displayed. In addition, Isochronous transfer channel data for transferring video and audio streams can be held as an option. When this option is specified, audio video data decoded from the transferred stream is displayed on the entire panel element. To do.

  The button element of FIG. 3 is an element that can be operated by the user to be pressed (pressed down) or released (released) by the remote controller as shown in FIG. Each can hold a link to two bitmap data to be displayed on the key top. The size of the bitmap is indicated by size data, and the display position is indicated by position data. The position data specifies the relative position within the panel element to which this element belongs in pixel units. In addition, a link to a label serving as a title (or functional description) of a button element can be held, and a font option for a character string to be displayed can be held as an option.

  The text element in FIG. 3 is an element that displays a title and description as a character string, and holds a position, size, and a link to text data as a label, and a background color designation and font options as options. Can do.

  The icon element in FIG. 3 is an element that displays a bitmap and can be selected by the user as shown in FIG. 4, and includes a link to bitmap data, a label, a position, a size, and a link to text data as a label. And font options as options.

  The range element in FIG. 3 is an element that displays a numerical range indicating the maximum and minimum values, and a specific indication value within this range, holds a position, a size, and a link to text data as a label, and a font. Can be held as an option.

  Fig.5 (a)-FIG.5 (m) are figures which show the data structure of display data. FIG. 5A shows a data structure of element data such as a panel element and a button element. All elements hold element IDs for identification in the display data. The element type is a code indicating the type of the element, and the element type shown in FIG. In the element data, data held by the element is stored in the order of essential data and selection data.

  FIG. 5B shows a data structure of actual data such as text and bitmap linked from each element as essential data or selection data. All real data holds element IDs for identification as well as elements. The element type is a code indicating the type of actual data, and stores the data type shown in FIG. If the actual data is text data, character string data is stored. If it is bitmap data, a bitmap data string is stored.

  FIG. 5C to FIG. 5K show data structures of elements or data that are essential data held by the element data or selection data. FIG. 5C shows a link to the actual text data, and the element ID of the link text plan data is stored in the element ID. FIG. 5D shows a link to bitmap actual data, and the element m of bitmap actual data is stored in the element ID. FIG. 5E shows a link to an element. The element ID stores element IDs of elements such as button elements and text elements belonging to the panel element. The element type is the element type shown in FIG. Stored. FIG. 5F shows a data structure of color data designated as a background color, and stores color data expressed in RGB of 8 bits.

  FIG. 5G shows the position coordinate data structure of the panel element, and FIG. 5I shows the data structure that specifies the display position of the elements other than the panel element, that is, the position coordinate data structure. In the case of a panel element, x and y coordinates are specified with reference to the upper left corner of the display range of the display device 118. Elements such as buttons other than the panel have relative x and y coordinates from the upper left corner of the panel element. FIG. 5H shows a data structure that specifies the size of the panel element, that is, a size data structure, and FIG. 5J shows a size data structure that displays elements other than the panel element. Stored in “width” and “height” are values representing the size of the element in units of pixels. In the data structures of FIG. 5 (h) and FIG. 5 (i), the position coordinate and the size value have five kinds of values classified into groups A to D.

  FIG. 5 (k) shows a data structure for specifying the font size of the text displayed by the element, and the font code shown in FIG. 6 (d) is stored. FIG. 5 (l) shows a data structure when selection data is stored in the element data of the element. The selection data type shown in FIG. 6 (c) is stored in “Selection data type”, and the background color is stored in “Selection data”. A data structure to be selectively added, such as a font and a font, is stored. FIG. 5 (m) shows a data structure for designating an isochronous channel for transferring audio historical data on which panel elements are displayed. An isochronous channel is stored in the lower 6 bits, and 0B is set in the upper 2 bits.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an overview example of the control remote controller 121 of the digital television 110. As shown in FIG. 21, the remote controller 121 includes an input switching button 667, a panel selection / button selection switching button 661, cursor buttons 662, 663, 665, 666, and an enter button 664. An input switching button 667 switches the video input device on the display device 118. The panel selection / button selection switching button 661 switches between the focus movement state (FIG. 12) of the operation panel itself and the focus movement state (FIG. 9) of the button element itself as in the display examples of FIGS. The cursor buttons 662, 663, 665, and 666 are used to move the focus and select panel elements and button elements. A determination button 664 is used to determine selection, request an operation panel, and the like.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of the operation panel for remotely controlling the tuner 100 generated from the display data. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure of panel elements of the operation panel. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the data structure of a button element designated as button link (1) in the data structure of the panel element. Display data including the data shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is transferred from the tuner 100 to the digital television 110 through the asynchronous serial bus connection. As a result, the digital television 110 can display an operation panel as shown in FIG. 9 on the display device 118.

  The control unit 112 displays a display as shown in FIG. 9 on the display device 118 through the drawing control unit 115, and accepts a user's remote control operation input through the remote control unit 116. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the user operates the cursor of the remote controller 121 in a state where the power button 603 is in focus and the user highlights the button highlight display 616, In response, the focus position (the position of the highlight display 616) is changed. Hereinafter, this operation is referred to as navigation. Further, an operation of switching the button display from the released bitmap display to the depressed bitmap display is performed in response to the determination operation of the selected remote controller 121 for the focused button.

  When detecting a user action allowed for each display element such as pressing of a button, the control unit 112 of the digital television issues a User_Action command and notifies the control unit 102 of the tuner 100 (207 in FIG. 2).

  The control unit 102 performs control corresponding to a predetermined user action on the tuner main body unit 104. The display data generator 103 reflects the change in the operation state of the tuner main body 104, and when the display data is changed, the changed display data is transferred to the digital television 110 by the Asynchronous serial bus connection (FIG. 2). 208). Depending on the control of the tuner main body, transfer of new stream data is started through Isochronous connection (209).

  In the present embodiment, the display device 118 of the digital television 110 is not a multi-screen capable of displaying a plurality of input videos, but a screen that displays a single input video. When the tuner 100 and the VCR 130 are connected to the digital television 110 via the network cables 2 and 3 as shown in FIG. 1, and the operation panel of the tuner 100 and the VCR 130 is on the display device 118, the digital television 110 is The focus of the operation panel itself is switched by the cursors 662, 663, 665, and 666 of the remote controller 121 such as 21, and the input switching button 667 of the remote controller 121 is pressed, so that from the connected device controlled by the focused operation panel. Switch to input video. When the first operation panel is requested after the power is turned on, the digital television 110 automatically converts the image on the display device 118 into an input image from a connected device controlled by the operation panel. In addition, the VCR 130 according to the present embodiment has a simultaneous input / output function capable of recording an input video from the outside while reproducing.

The description of FIGS. 12 to 18 will be described in order.
(1) First, as shown in FIG. 12, the digital television 110 displays the input video 301 from the tuner 100 on the display device together with the operation panel 302 of the tuner 100 by a user action requesting the operation panel of the tuner 100. . In addition, the video from the tuner 100 is transferred by the above-described Isochromus transfer. The configuration of the operation panel includes a power button 303, designated channel buttons 309 to 314, up / down channel buttons 306 and 307, a BS button 304, a CS button 305, and a channel determination button 308. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the structure of the panel and button element data indicates that each element has a value for each group, and an element whose position coordinate value is FFFFh does not display the element. The digital television 110 displays an operation panel including only elements belonging to the group A from the received element data. The elements belonging to the groups A to D are collectively shown in FIG. In group A, all panel elements of the tuner 100 are selected and displayed, and an operation panel capable of various operations is provided.

  (2) Next, in response to a user action requesting the operation panel of the VCR 130, the digital television 110 receives the element data of the operation panel of the VCR 130, and displays the operation panel 336 of the VCR 130 as shown in FIG. The configuration of the operation panel 336 of the VCR includes only a recording button 339, a stop button 340, and recording mode buttons 337 and 338. The structure of the panel and button element data is the same as that of the operation panel of the tuner 100, and each element has a value for each group. The digital television 110 is composed only of elements belonging to the group B from the received element data. The operation panel is displayed. The button elements belonging to the groups A to D are collectively shown in FIG. In group B, a stop button, a recording button, and a recording mode button are displayed. As shown in FIG. 13, there are two operation panels of the tuner 100 and the VCR 130 on the display device 118 of the digital television 110. Even if the focus 370 is moved to the operation panel 365 of the VCR 130 as shown in FIG. Unless the input switching button 667 is pressed, the button configurations and sizes of the operation panels of the tuner 100 and the VCR 130 do not change. Further, the recording operation of the VCR 130 can be performed with the operation panel 365 of the reduced VCR 130 as it is.

  (3) Next, the focus of the operation panel is shifted from the operation panel 352 of the tuner 100 to the operation panel 365 of the reduced VCR 130, and the user action of pressing the input switching button 667 of the remote controller 121 is used to perform the operation of the VCR 130 as shown in FIG. The operation panel 389 is displayed. The operation panel of the VCR 130 includes a power button 390, a play button 392, a pause button 396, a stop button 394, a fast-forward button 391, a rewind button 393, a record button 395, a record mode button 398, 399, and a cassette eject button 397. Become. An operation panel composed of elements belonging to group A in FIG. 11, that is, all elements, is displayed. At the same time, as the input video, the input video from the VCR 130 transferred by the above isochronous transfer is displayed on the display device C. However, when the VCR 130 does not reproduce and output the cassette video, as shown in FIG. “NO INPUT” is displayed.

  On the other hand, the operation panel of the tuner 100 shows a case where the user has operated the designated channel button 383 immediately before the focus is moved to the VCR operation panel. At this time, the digital television 110 displays each group shown in FIG. A group B including the designated channel button element operated immediately before is selected from (excluding group A) and displayed. Even when the focus 489 is moved to the operation panel 482 of the tuner 100 as shown in FIG. 16, the button configurations and sizes of the operation panels of the tuner 100 and the VCR 130 do not change unless the input switching button 667 of the remote controller 121 is pressed. Further, since the video of the tuner 100 is input to the VCR 130, it is possible to record on the VCR 130 by changing the channel while the operation panel 482 of the tuner 100 is reduced. Also, the playback video 411 of the VCR 130 as shown in FIG. 17 is obtained by the playback button 493 of the operation panel 490 of the VCR 130.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the focus 449 of the operation panel is moved from the operation panel of the VCR to the operation panel 442 of the tuner 100 which is reduced, and the program is changed by the designated channels 443 to 448 so that recording can be performed simultaneously with the playback of the VCR. is there. The operation of the control unit 112 of the digital television 110 will be mainly described according to the above-described procedures (1) to (3).

  (1) When the control unit 112 detects a user action requesting the operation panel of the tuner 100 after the digital television 110 is turned on, the tuner 100 performs an asynchronous transfer between the 1394 I / Fs 111 and 101 between the digital television 110 and the tuner 100. Requests tuner operation panel data from the control unit 102. Thereafter, when display data on the operation panel of the tuner is sent from the tuner 100 that is a controlled device, the control unit 112 stores the data in the display data temporary memory 114. Then, from the stored display data (FIGS. 7 and 8), the size and position coordinates of the display data group A (FIG. 10), bitmap data, and the like are passed to the drawing control unit 115. Next, a decode command signal is output to the decoder 113 so as to pass the data of the channel number of the isochronous transfer of the tuner 100 from the 1394 I / F unit 111 to the decoder 113, and then a reset signal is output to the drawing control unit 115. Upon receiving this, the drawing control unit 115 clears all data stored in the display memory 120 to 00h, creates a display of the data received from the control unit 112, and stores it in the display memory 120.

  (2) When the control unit 112 detects a user action requesting an operation panel of the VCR, the VCR operation panel data is transferred to the control unit 132 of the VCR 130 by Asynchronous transfer between the digital television 110 and the 1394 I / F units 111 and 131 of the VCR 130. Make a request. After that, when display data on the operation panel of the VCR is sent from the VCR 130 which is the controlled device by Asynchronous transfer, the control unit 112 continues the display data temporary memory 114 storing the display data in (1). The received display data is stored in the address. Then, the control unit 112 displays the display data from the stored operation panel display data of the VCR 130 based on the display data group B and the display data of the operation panel of the tuner 100 stored in the display data temporary memory 114 in (1). The size and position coordinates of the data group A, bitmap data, and the like are passed to the drawing control unit 115. Next, a reset signal is output to the drawing control unit 115. Receiving this, the drawing control unit 115 clears all data stored in the display memory 120 to 00h, creates data for displaying the display data received from the control unit 112, and stores the data in the display memory 120. .

  (3) The control unit 112 overwrites and stores the button ID of the element on the operation panel 490 of the VCR 130 in the element memory 122 every time the user operates the panel. When the control unit 112 detects an input switching signal from the input switching button 667 of the remote controller 121, the decoder passes the data of the channel number for isochronous transfer of the VCR 130 to the 1394 I / F unit 111 from the 1394 I / F unit 111 to the decoder 113. A decode instruction signal is output to 113. At this time, if there is no channel number, that is, there is no cassette playback video from the VCR 130, the drawing control unit 115 is instructed to display “NO INPUT”. Then, the control unit 112 passes the size and position coordinates of the display data group A, bitmap data, and the like from the display data of the VCR stored in the display data temporary memory 114 in (2) to the drawing control unit n5. Further, from the display data on the operation panel of the tuner 100 stored in the display data temporary memory 114 in (1), the group to which the element of the button ID stored in the element memory 122 belongs is changed from the group B to the group D. And the size and position coordinates of the group, bitmap data, and the like are passed to the drawing control unit 115.

  If there is no group B to group D that includes the corresponding element, the size, position coordinates, bitmap data, etc. of group B are automatically passed to the drawing control unit 115. When there are a plurality of items including the corresponding element, the size, position coordinates, bitmap data, etc. of the group found first are passed to the drawing control unit 115. Next, a reset signal is output to the drawing control unit 115. Upon receiving this, the drawing control unit 115 clears all data stored in the display memory 120 to 00h, creates an operation panel display from the received VCR 130 and the element data of the tuner 100, and stores the operation panel display in the display memory 120.

  In the subsequent user operation, when the input switching operation is performed again, the control unit 112 displays the button that has been operated immediately before, as in the operation (3). Display groups that contain elements preferentially. Further, the above-described operation of the control unit 112 can be handled without any problem even in a situation where two or more operation panels exist on the display device 118.

FIGS. 19A to 19C are flowcharts showing the control operation of the control unit 112 of the digital television 110. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 19A, this control is started when the operation panel display is first requested after the digital television 110 is turned on (S100). The node ID of the controlled device that is the request destination is substituted into the node ID variable A (S101). Then, an Asynchronous transfer start signal is sent to the 1394 I / F 111 in order to start Asynchronous transfer with the controlled device (S102). Next, it is determined whether display data on the operation panel has been received from the controlled device (S103).

  The received display data of the operation panel is stored in the display data temporary memory 114 (S104), and the group A element data is passed to the drawing control unit 115 to display the operation panel (S105). Next, the channel number obtained as a result of reading the aforementioned oPCR of the device with node ID = A is substituted into P1, and it is determined whether the value of P1 is 000000b (S106). If P1 = 000000b, a display signal is sent to the drawing control unit 115 to display “NO INPUT” on the display device (S107). If P1 = 000000b, a decode command signal is sent to the decoder 113 to display the isochronous data of the channel number P1 on the display device (S108).

  Next, all the data stored in the display memory 120 is cleared to 00h, and a reset signal is sent to the drawing control unit 115 to create an operation panel display from the display data (S109). Next, it is determined whether an erasure request has been issued to the operation panel on the display device 118 (S110). If there is no erasure request, the process proceeds to S114. If there is a request, the operation panel is deleted (S111), and it is determined whether the operation panel is for the device with node ID = A (S112). If so, the process returns to START (S100) and waits for an operation panel display request. If the deleted operation panel does not have the node ID = A, the display request for the operation panel display is awaited as it is (S114), and if there is no request, the process returns to S110. If there is a request, the node ID of the controlled device that is the request destination is substituted into the node ID variable B (S115).

  Then, an Asynchronous transfer start signal is sent to the 1394 I / F 111 in order to start Asynchronous transfer with the controlled device (S116). The received display data on the operation panel of the device of node ID = B is stored in the display data temporary memory 114 following the display data of node ID = A processed in S104 (S118), and the device of node ID = A is again stored. In order to display the operation panel, the element data of group A is passed to the drawing control unit 115 (S119). Further, in order to display the operation panel of the device having the node ID = B, the element data of group B is passed to the drawing control unit 115 (S120). Next, all data stored in the display memory 120 is cleared to 00h, and a reset signal is sent to the drawing control unit 115 in order to create an operation panel display from the received display data (S121).

  Next, if there is a display request for the operation panel, the process returns to S115 (S123). If the button element is pressed down for the operation panel currently focused on the display device 118 (S122), the button ID is stored in the element memory 122 (S125). If there is an erasure request for the operation panel on the display device 118 (S126), the operation panel is erased (S127), and if the operation panel is for the device with node ID = A (S128), The process returns to START (S100) and waits for an operation panel display request. When the input switching signal is received (S130), the node ID of the controlled device that is the input switching request destination is substituted into the node ID variable C (S131).

  Then, it is determined whether C = B (S132). If C = B, the process returns to S122, and the processes up to S132 are repeated. If C = B, the channel number obtained as a result of reading the above-described oPCR of the device with node ID = C is substituted into P2, and it is determined whether the value of P2 is 000000b (S133). If P2 = 000000b, a display signal is sent to the drawing control unit 115 to display “NO INPUT” on the display device (S134). If P2 = 000000b, a decode command signal is sent to the decoder 113 to display the isochronous data of the channel number P2 on the display device (S135). In order to display the operation panel of the device with the node ID = C, the element data of the group A is transferred from the display data with the node ID = C in the display data temporary memory 114 to the drawing control unit 115 (S136).

  Next, an appropriate group to which the element of the button ID stored in the element memory 122 belongs is retrieved from the display data groups B, C, and D of the node ID = A stored in the display data temporary memory 114. (S137). That is, a group whose position coordinate value is not FFFFh is searched. If there is no appropriate group, the element data of group B is passed to the drawing control unit 115 (S138). If there is an appropriate group, the element data of that group is passed to the drawing control unit 115 (S139). Then, all the data stored in the display memory 120 is cleared to 00h, and a reset signal is sent to the drawing control unit 115 to create an operation panel display from the display data passed in S119 and S120 (S140).

  Next, it is checked whether an operation panel exists on the display device 118 (S141). If an operation panel other than node ID = C exists, the process returns to S142. If only an operation panel with node ID = C exists, the value of C is substituted into the node ID variable A (S143), and the process returns to S110. . This control is terminated when there is no operation panel at all (S145).

  As described above, in the remote control system (network system) composed of the digital television 110 that is the display device (control device) in this embodiment, the tuner 100 that is the image supply device (controlled device), and the VTR 130. Display data (display image information) of an operation panel including elements (image elements) having information (attribute information) such as size and position coordinates for each group for use in display control on the digital television 110 via a network From the received display data, for example, an element having attribute information corresponding to the group of the tuner 100 is selected to generate display data for the operation panel, and the operation panel can be displayed by the generated display data. Thereby, the digital television 110 differentiates and displays the operation panel of the tuner 100 having a high priority for the user and other operation panels of the VTR 130, for example, according to the attribute information without increasing the communication amount with the tuner 100. can do.

  That is, the operation panel that is the operation environment displayed on the digital television 110 can be changed and displayed according to, for example, a group that identifies the image supply device (controlled device). For example, the convenience of the operation panel is impaired by limiting the configuration of the display elements of the operation panel corresponding to the image supply device (VTR 130) of the group having relatively low priority for the user and reducing the size of the operation panel. Can be displayed in a reduced size. As a result, a display area for TV images and the like on the back of the operation panel can be secured, and effective use is possible. Further, in the present embodiment, in order to maintain the operability, a method of reducing the operation panel by reducing the number of buttons is used without reducing the size of the buttons for displaying the reduced operation panel. Thereby, the operation panel can be displayed in a reduced size while maintaining the operability of the operator.

  Further, in the digital television 110 according to the present embodiment, for example, when the operation panel is reduced, a request for changing the operation panel to the reduced version on the VTR 130 or data re-transmission of the reduced version operation panel from the VTR 130 is unnecessary. It is possible to change to an operation panel having a different configuration by using the first display data information sent from the VTR 130 without increasing the data transfer amount on the network.

Further, the various processing functions in the tuner 100 and the digital television 110 of the above-described embodiment are realized by reading a program for realizing each function from the memory and executing it by the CPU. Not limited to this, all or part of the functions of each process may be realized by dedicated hardware.
The above-mentioned memory is a non-volatile memory such as a magneto-optical disk device or a flash memory, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM that can only be read, a volatile memory other than a RAM, or a computer read by a combination thereof. The recording medium may be a writable recording medium.

  Further, by recording a program for realizing various functions in the digital television 110 described above on a computer-readable recording medium, and causing the computer system to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium. Each process may be performed. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

  The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system serving as a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition, those holding a program for a certain period of time are also included.

The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.
The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

A program product such as a computer-readable recording medium in which the above program is recorded can also be applied as an embodiment of the present invention. The above program, recording medium, transmission medium, and program product are included in the scope of the present invention.
The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention.

It is a block diagram showing the remote control system concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining transfer and display of display data for remote control of a remote control system, and a remote control procedure paying attention to communication of a 1394 network. It is a figure which shows the table of the element of the operation panel in this embodiment, and the essential data or selection data which depend on each element. It is a figure which shows the table | surface of the user action which is operation which a user can take with respect to each element of the operation panel in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the data structure of display data. It is a figure which shows the element type which shows the classification of an element. It is a figure which shows the data type of real data. It is a figure which shows the selection data type. It is a figure which shows the font code which designates a font size. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the panel element of an operation panel. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the button element designated as button link (1) in the data structure of a panel element. It is an operation panel for remotely controlling the tuner 100, and is a diagram showing a display example of the focus movement state of the button element itself. It is a figure which shows the element which belongs to each group of group A to D. FIG. It is a figure which shows the button element which belongs to each group of group A to D. FIG. It is an operation panel for remotely controlling the tuner 100, and is a diagram showing a display example of a focus movement state of the operation panel itself. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation panels of the tuner 100 and the VTR 130 and a display example in which the operation panel of the tuner 100 is focused while the output of the tuner 100 is being displayed. It is an example of the operation panel of tuner 100 and VTR130, and is a diagram showing a display example in which the operation panel of VTR130 is focused in a state where the output of tuner 100 is an input destination. It is an example of the operation panel of tuner 100 and VTR130, and is a diagram showing a display example in which the operation panel of VTR130 is focused in a state where the output (none) of VTR130 is the input destination. It is an example of the operation panel of tuner 100 and VTR130, and is a diagram showing a display example in which the operation panel of tuner 100 is focused in a state where the output (none) of VTR130 is the input destination. It is an example of the operation panel of tuner 100 and VTR130, and is a diagram showing a display example in which the operation panel of VTR130 is focused in a state where the output of VTR130 is an input destination. It is an example of the operation panel of tuner 100 and VTR130, and is a diagram showing a display example in which the operation panel of VTR130 is focused in a state where the output of VTR130 is an input destination. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a control operation of a control unit 112 of the digital television 110. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a control operation of a control unit 112 of the digital television 110. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a control operation of a control unit 112 of the digital television 110. FIG. It is a figure which shows the hierarchical structure of the protocol at the time of the data transfer by a 1394 serial bus. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overview of a control remote controller 121 of a digital television 110. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the conventional remote control system. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a display example when a plurality of operation panels are displayed on the display device 524 of FIG. 22.

Explanation of symbols

100 tuner 101, 111, 131 1394 I / F unit 102, 112, 132 control unit 103, 133 display data generator 104 tuner main body 110 digital television 113 decoder 114 display data temporary memory 115 drawing control unit 116 remote control unit 117 image composition Part 118 display device 120 display memory 121 remote control 122 element memory 134 VCR

Claims (13)

A network system comprising a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network, and a display device for displaying video based on the video signals input from the image supply device via the network,
The image supply device includes:
Image information generating means for generating display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display device;
Transmission means for transmitting the display image information generated by the image information generation means to the display device via the network, and
The display device
Receiving means for receiving the display image information from the image supply device via the network;
Group identification means for identifying the group based on an external control signal;
And a display means for selecting and displaying an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified by the group specifying means from the display image information received by the receiving means. The group is a group for identifying any one or a plurality of the image supply devices, and the control signal is a signal for controlling switching of the video signals from the plurality of image supply devices. In case,
The group specifying means specifies a group for identifying an image supply device that supplies a video signal being displayed based on a control signal that controls switching of video signals from the plurality of image supply devices. The network system according to claim 1.   3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the display unit selects and displays all the image elements included in the display image information received from the image supply device of the group specified by the group specifying unit. An image supply device capable of communicating with a display device via a network,
Image information generating means for generating display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display device;
An image supply apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the display image information generated by the image information generation unit to the display device via the network. A display device capable of communicating via a network with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network,
Receiving means for receiving display image information including at least one image element having group-specific attribute information for use in display control from the image supply device via the network;
Group identification means for identifying the group based on an external control signal;
Image information processing means for generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to a group specified by the group specifying means from the display image information received by the receiving means;
And a display means for displaying the image data generated by the image information processing means. The group is a group for identifying any one or a plurality of the image supply devices, and the control signal is a signal for controlling switching of the video signals from the plurality of image supply devices. In case,
The group specifying means specifies a group for identifying an image supply device that supplies a video signal being displayed based on a control signal that controls switching of video signals from the plurality of image supply devices. The display device according to claim 5.   The display device according to claim 6, wherein the display unit selects and displays all the image elements included in the display image information received from an image supply device of a group specified by the group specifying unit. . A network system in which a control device comprising a display means and one or more controlled devices can communicate via a network,
The controlled device is:
Display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display means, and operation information that allows a user to operate an image corresponding to the image element Transmitting means for transmitting operating environment information to the control device via the network;
Receiving means for receiving control information from the control device via the network;
Control means for performing control according to the control information received by the receiving means,
The control device includes:
Receiving means for receiving the operating environment information from the controlled device via the network;
Group identification means for identifying the group based on an external control signal;
Based on the display image information and the operation information included in the operation environment information received by the reception unit, an image element having attribute information corresponding to a group specified by the group specifying unit is selected and the selected Display control means for displaying on the display means an operation panel including an image element and operable by a user to control the controlled device;
Control information generating means for generating control information according to a user's operation on the operation panel displayed on the display means;
A network system comprising: transmission means for transmitting the generated control information to the controlled device via the network. A controlled device capable of communicating with a control device including a display unit via a network,
Display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display means, and operation information that allows a user to operate an image corresponding to the image element Transmitting means for transmitting operating environment information to the control device via the network;
Receiving means for receiving control information from the control device via the network;
And a control unit that performs control according to the control information received by the receiving unit. A control device capable of communicating with a controlled device via a network,
Display means capable of displaying images and characters;
Display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group to be used for display control in the display means, and operation information that allows a user to operate an image corresponding to the image element Receiving means for receiving operating environment information from the controlled device via the network;
Group identification means for identifying the group based on an external control signal;
Based on the display image information and the operation information included in the operation environment information received by the reception unit, an image element having attribute information corresponding to a group specified by the group specifying unit is selected and the selected Display control means for controlling the display means to display an operation panel that includes an image element and is operable by a user to control the controlled device;
Control information generating means for generating control information according to a user's operation on the operation panel displayed on the display means;
And a transmission unit configured to transmit the generated control information to the controlled device via the network. A display method using a display device capable of communicating via a network with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network,
A first step of receiving display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group for use in display control from the image supply device via the network;
A second step of identifying the group based on an external control signal;
A third step of generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified in the second step from the display image information received in the first step;
And a fourth step of displaying the image data generated in the third step. A recording medium recording a program for a display device capable of communicating with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network via a network,
A first step of receiving display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group for use in display control from the image supply device via the network;
A second step of identifying the group based on an external control signal;
A third step of generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified in the second step from the display image information received in the first step;
A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing the display device to execute a fourth step of displaying the image data generated in the third step. A program for a display device capable of communicating via a network with a plurality of image supply devices capable of outputting video signals to a network,
A first step of receiving display image information including at least one image element having attribute information for each group for use in display control from the image supply device via the network;
A second step of identifying the group based on an external control signal;
A third step of generating image data by selecting an image element having attribute information corresponding to the group specified in the second step from the display image information received in the first step;
A program for causing the display device to execute a fourth step of displaying the image data generated in the third step.

Images