JP2005295262A - Program receiving system and program receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program receiving system and a program receiver capable of contributing to the protection of viewers' eyes by automatically controlling an ambient lighting environment corresponding to the contents of a program in order to prevent the occurrence of eyestrain or the like caused by the view in a dark environment. <P>SOLUTION: A television signal, in which view environment information instructing a view environment is multiplexed, is transmitted from the program provider side. After receiving the television signal, the receiver side extracts the view environment information included in the television signal. A signal for controlling a lighting device is generated by utilizing the extracted view environment information. The lighting device is controlled so as to make the view environment close to the instructed view environment. By this, when it is instructed to view in a bright environment, the lighting can be automatically made bright. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a program receiving system and a program receiving apparatus such as a television receiver and a VTR, and in particular, enables the viewing environment to be controlled according to the contents of a displayed program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a television receiver as a program receiving apparatus, for example, using a display apparatus such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), a liquid crystal panel, or a plasma display. In such a television receiver, the user adjusts the brightness, contrast, image quality, hue, etc., and the screen brightness is increased or decreased according to the viewing environment (for example, the brightness of lighting). Was. On the other hand, among programs that are viewed on a television receiver, there are programs that should be set in a state suitable for the content of the program. For example, in the case of an animation program for children, the brightness of the scene changes suddenly. If this is not desirable visually, you should say, “Please keep the screen more than ○○ meters away when watching the screen” or “ "Take a look" and send a message to the viewer.

    Further, Patent Document 1 is provided with detection means for detecting the brightness level around the display means. When the ambient brightness level is less than a predetermined value, “Let's turn on the light for eye health. Is displayed to inform the viewer.

Also, in Patent Document 2, an optimum image quality level (contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc.) is set according to the type of received program (for example, genre such as news or movie), and the optimum image quality desired by the viewer is set. There is also an example of automatic adjustment
JP 2000-69392 A (pages 4-5, FIG. 1) JP 2002-158941 A (pages 3 to 6, FIG. 1)

In the example of alerting the viewer by playing a conventional telop, or by providing a detection means to detect the brightness level of the surroundings and displaying the message to inform the viewer, the viewer did not read the telop or message If the warning or warning is ignored, there is a disadvantage that viewing cannot be performed in the optimum environment. In addition, even with a method of setting the optimum image quality level (contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc.) according to the type of program received, it only controls the brightness of the display screen, etc. Control is not possible, and it is insufficient to protect the viewer's eyes.
In view of such problems, the present invention provides a program receiving system and a program receiving apparatus that contribute to the protection of the eyes of the viewer by automatically controlling the viewing environment, for example, the surrounding lighting environment, according to the program content. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention provides a transmission means for transmitting a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information indicating a viewing environment from a program provider side; receiving the transmitted television signal and extracting the viewing environment information; A program reception comprising: a receiving means for generating a signal for controlling the lighting device using the extracted viewing environment information, and for controlling the lighting device so as to approach the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side System.

  Further, the present invention is a program receiving apparatus for transmitting a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information for instructing the viewing environment from the program provider side, receiving the television signal, and automatically adjusting the viewing environment, A main signal processing circuit that receives the transmitted television signal, demodulates a video signal and an audio signal, processes and outputs the video signal and the audio signal; and viewing included in the received television signal An extraction circuit for extracting environmental information; a viewing environment instructed by the program provider side by comparing the current viewing environment with the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side based on the viewing environment information extracted by the extraction circuit; And a lighting controller that generates a control signal for controlling the lighting device so as to approach the instructed viewing environment in different cases.

  According to the present invention, a program can be viewed in a viewing state recommended by the program provider.

  Hereinafter, a program receiving system and a program receiving apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an outline of an embodiment of a program receiving system and a program receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a receiving device that receives a television signal transmitted from a program provider such as a broadcasting station and displays the program on a screen 2, and is a television receiver, for example. Reference numeral 3 denotes an illumination device, which can adjust the lighting state and illuminance in response to a control signal transmitted from the television receiver 1.

  The present invention controls the lighting device 3 in response to the control signal transmitted from the television receiver 1 as described above. Specifically, the illumination device 3 is included in the television signal transmitted from the program provider side. The lighting device 3 is controlled according to the viewing environment information. That is, the signal transmitted from the broadcast station includes program information such as EPG, for example, and viewing environment information embedded in the program information is extracted to control the television receiver 1 and the lighting device 3. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, program information is transmitted in addition to video / audio signals. The program information includes current date / time information, channel information, individual program guides, and the like. In addition to the viewing environment information is embedded.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a specific example of the television receiver 1 and the illumination device 3. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 11 denotes an antenna. A television signal received by the antenna 11 is selected by a tuner 12, and the selected signal is supplied to a selection circuit 14 at the next stage. The selection circuit 14 is also supplied with a television signal from the external input terminal 13, and one of the signals is selected and supplied to the demodulation circuit 15.

  The demodulating circuit 15 processes the input television signal, separates and outputs the main signal video signal and audio signal, and separates and outputs the synchronizing signal by the synchronizing separation circuit 151.

  The separated video signal is supplied to the video signal processing circuit 16 to adjust brightness, contrast, and the like. The audio signal is supplied to the audio signal processing circuit 17 and the volume and the like are adjusted.

  The video signal from the video signal processing circuit 16 is further supplied to the display 19 via the synthesis circuit 18. As the display 19, a cathode ray tube, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display or the like is used.

  The synchronization signal separated by the synchronization separation circuit 151 is supplied to a drive circuit 20 for driving the display 19. The drive circuit 20 is a horizontal / vertical deflection circuit when the display 19 is a cathode ray tube, and is a circuit for driving horizontal / vertical scanning electrodes when the display 19 is a liquid crystal display or a plasma display.

  The demodulating circuit 15 is connected to a program information extracting circuit 21. The program information extracting circuit 21 extracts program information (EPG data). The program information thus extracted is supplied to a microcomputer 22 (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer 22). The microcomputer 22 uses the EPG data to display a program table on the screen of the display 19, and further includes the program information. For example, a warning message is displayed on the screen of the display 19. For this reason, for example, a character generator 24 is provided, and various character / graphic data are supplied to the synthesis circuit 18 under the control of the microcomputer 22 to enable on-screen display.

  Further, the microcomputer 22 controls the illumination controller 25 based on the extracted viewing environment information. The lighting controller 25 controls the lighting device 3 in light of the surrounding viewing environment, and has a transmitter 26, and transmits a control signal for turning on / off the lighting device 3 or adjusting the illuminance from the transmitter 26. To do. On the other hand, the lighting device 3 includes a receiver 31 and receives a control signal from the transmitter 26, and the lighting device 3 is controlled in response thereto.

  Reference numeral 23 denotes an optical sensor that detects the brightness around the television receiver 1 and notifies the microcomputer 22 of the brightness. A remote controller 27 is used for controlling the television receiver 1 and the like. The remote controller 27 includes, for example, a channel selection key and various adjustment keys such as display screen brightness, contrast, image quality, volume, and sound quality, as well as a mode switch 271 that instructs whether or not to automatically control the illumination device 3. Have. The mode switch 271 may be provided on the main body side of the television receiver 1.

  The lighting device 3 receives a control signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter 26. As a signal transmitted from the transmitter 26, an optical signal such as an infrared ray, a radio wave (RF signal), or the like is used. It is done. In addition to wireless communication, wired transmission / reception is also possible, and communication control may be performed between the television receiver 1 and the lighting device 3 via a home appliance network. However, in the following description, wireless communication is an example. Explained.

  Next, the operation of the program display system (or program display device) having such a configuration will be described. In the system of the present invention, the television receiver 1 is turned on, and the circuits (12 to 20) operate to display an image on the display. On the other hand, the program information extraction circuit 21 separates and extracts program information (EPG data) from the television signal transmitted from the broadcasting station, and supplies it to the microcomputer 22. When the mode switch 271 is in the automatic mode, the microcomputer 22 extracts the viewing environment information from the program information and controls the illumination controller 25.

  The viewing environment information includes an instruction signal (code) indicating whether or not the surrounding environment should be controlled in accordance with the contents of the transmitted program, and the microcomputer 22 is based on the instruction signal. Then, it is determined whether or not the program should be changed to an appropriate ambient environment for viewing the program. That is, in the case of an animation program for children, it is desirable to view in a bright room. Therefore, from the program provider side, viewing environment information instructing viewing in a bright environment is embedded in the program information. Sent.

  When the viewing environment information is extracted by the microcomputer 22, the microcomputer 22 confirms the contents and starts the operation so as to change the surrounding environment based on the instruction signal. That is, the microcomputer 22 first checks whether the received program instructs to change the viewing environment based on the instruction signal. If the viewing environment information instructs to view in a bright environment, it is checked whether or not the current viewing environment matches the instructed environment. For example, the viewing environment can be determined based on the ambient light level detected by the optical sensor 23. If the viewing environment is different from the instructed viewing environment, the illumination controller 25 is controlled to enter the designated state. 3 is controlled.

  For example, when viewing is specified in a bright room, it is checked whether the environment in which the television receiver 1 is placed is bright. If the environment is dark, the lighting device 3 is turned on to brighten the room. Control to increase the illuminance. In addition, when controlling, you may announce to a viewer by an audio | voice or a display. In addition, when there is this announcement and the viewer releases the automatic mode by operating the mode switch 271, the automatic control of the lighting device 3 may be stopped. Thus, by automatically controlling the lighting device 3 according to the state of the viewing environment, it is possible to prevent viewing in a dark room, for example, when viewing an animation program for children. Therefore, it is possible to surely realize viewing in a bright environment rather than appealing for viewing in a bright room with a telop, which helps to protect the eyes.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining control of the surrounding environment according to the present invention. In FIG. 4, the microcomputer 22 determines whether or not the mode switch 271 is in the automatic mode (step S1). When in the automatic mode, program information (EPG data) is extracted in step S2, and viewing environment information is extracted in step S3.

  Next, in step S4, it is determined whether or not a change of viewing environment is instructed, and in the next step S5, it is determined whether or not there is viewing environment information instructed. If there is the instructed viewing environment information, the process proceeds to step S6, and the microcomputer 22 checks whether the current viewing environment matches the instructed environment, and if it is different from the instructed viewing environment. In step S7, the illumination controller 3 is controlled so as to be in the designated state by controlling the illumination controller 25. Note that the control of the lighting device 3 may be stopped when the viewer makes an announcement (notification) to the viewer by voice or display and the viewer releases the automatic mode.

  If the automatic mode is not set in step S1, the change of viewing environment is not instructed in step S4, the viewing environment information instructed in step S5 is not present, and the current viewing environment is further determined in step S6. If the instructed viewing environment is appropriate, the process proceeds to step S8 and the process ends.

  FIG. 5 shows an operation flowchart showing the second embodiment of the present invention. That is, in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, the television receiver 1 having the optical sensor 23 has been described as an example. However, in FIG. 5, the time information included in the program information is used without using the optical sensor 23. It controls the viewing environment.

  FIG. 5 shows a step of determining step S6 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 using time information. That is, when determining whether or not the current viewing environment matches the designated viewing environment, the microcomputer 22 extracts time information included in the program information (EPG data) in step S61. Next, in step S62, it is determined whether or not it is a sunset time based on the time information. In step S63, the microcomputer 22 checks the state of the lighting controller 25, determines whether or not a lighting instruction is given to the lighting device 3, and if not lighting, proceeds to step S7 to control lighting of the lighting device 3. To do. If it is determined in step S62 that it is not after sunset, it is determined that the image is bright in step S64, and the process proceeds to step S8 to end the process. Similarly, if the lighting device 3 has already been instructed to be lit in step S63, it is determined that the light is bright in step S64, and the process proceeds to step S8 and ends. Note that steps S7 and S8 in FIG. 5 are the same as steps S7 and S8 in FIG.

  In step S62, since the determination of sunset time varies depending on the season, the sunset time can be more reliably determined by incorporating date information in addition to the time information included in the program information.

FIG. 6 shows a program receiving apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and shows a case where it is applied to a recording / reproducing apparatus. That is, the case where the signal sent from the program provider side is recorded in a recording / reproducing apparatus such as a VTR and then reproduced and viewed is taken into consideration.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of the third embodiment, in which a transmitted signal is received and recorded by the VTR 4 and the reproduced signal is viewed by the television receiver 1. In other words, a case where a sent program is once recorded by the VTR 4 and is played back later is dealt with. In this case, the viewing environment information is simultaneously recorded by the VTR 4, and the lighting device 3 is controlled based on the information during reproduction.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the VTR 4. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 41 denotes an antenna. A television signal received by the antenna 41 is selected by a tuner 42, and the selected signal is supplied to a demodulation circuit 43.

  The demodulation circuit 43 processes the input television signal, and separates and outputs the video signal and the audio signal. The separated video signal / audio signal is supplied to the signal recording circuit 44 and recorded on the tape 45. A signal reproduction circuit 46 reproduces and outputs a video signal and an audio signal recorded on the tape 45. The video signal and the audio signal are supplied to the video signal processing circuit 47 and the audio signal processing circuit 48, and the video signal from the video signal processing circuit 47 is further supplied to the video output terminal 50 via the synthesis circuit 49. The output of the audio signal processing circuit 48 is supplied to the audio output terminal 51.

  The signal reproduction circuit 46 is connected to a program information extraction circuit 52, and the program information extraction circuit 52 extracts program information (EPG data). The program information thus extracted is supplied to a microcomputer 53 (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer 53), and the microcomputer 53 extracts viewing environment information from the program information. In order to display a warning message, a character generator 54 is provided. Various character / graphic data are supplied to the synthesis circuit 49 under the control of the microcomputer 53, and the reproduction screen is viewed on the television receiver 1. Sometimes it can be displayed on-screen.

  The microcomputer 53 controls the illumination controller 55 based on the extracted viewing environment information. The illumination controller 55 controls the illumination device 3 in light of the surrounding viewing environment, and has a transmitter 56, and transmits a control signal for turning on / off the illumination device 3 or adjusting the illuminance from the transmitter 56. To do.

  An optical sensor 58 detects the brightness around the VTR 4 and notifies the microcomputer 53 of the brightness. Reference numeral 57 denotes a remote controller, which is used for controlling the VTR 4. The remote controller 57 includes, for example, various operation keys such as playback, fast forward, rewind, and stop, and a mode switch 571 that instructs whether to automatically control the lighting device 3. The mode switch 571 may be provided on the main body side of the VTR 4.

The lighting device 3 receives a control signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter 56,
In addition to wireless communication, wired transmission / reception is also possible, and communication control may be performed between the VTR 4 or the television receiver 1 and the lighting device 3 via a home appliance network.

  In this way, by providing the VTR 4 with a function of extracting viewing environment information, it is possible to extract the viewing environment information from the program information and control the illumination controller 56 when the VTR 4 is played back. For example, when playing an animated program for children and watching in a dark room, the lighting device 3 can be controlled to brighten the room, and the recorded signal can be played back reliably. Can be viewed in the state of being played. Although FIG. 6 shows an example in which the VTR 4 is used as the recording / playback apparatus, the present invention is not limited to the VTR.

  In the above description, the viewing environment information is transmitted while being embedded in program information such as EPG. However, the viewing environment information may be transmitted superimposed on the vertical blanking interval (VBI).

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a program receiving system of the present invention. Explanatory drawing explaining an example of the transmission form of viewing environment information. The block diagram at the time of applying the program receiver of this invention to a television receiver. The flowchart explaining the operation | movement of FIG. The flowchart explaining the operation | movement in other embodiment of this invention. The schematic block diagram which shows other embodiment of the program receiving system of this invention. The block diagram at the time of applying the program receiver of this invention to VTR.

Explanation of symbols

1 Television receiver 3 Lighting device 4 VTR
12 Tuner 15 Demodulation Circuit 21 Program Information Extraction Circuit 22 Microcomputer 23 Optical Sensor 25 Illumination Controller 26 Transmitter 27 Remote Control 271 Mode Switch 31 Receiver

Claims (14)

Transmission means for transmitting a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information for instructing the viewing environment from the program provider side;
The transmitted television signal is received and the viewing environment information is extracted, and a signal for controlling the lighting device is generated using the extracted viewing environment information, and the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side is generated. A program receiving system comprising receiving means having means for controlling the lighting device so as to approach. A program receiving device that transmits a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information for instructing the viewing environment from the program provider side, receives the television signal, and automatically adjusts the viewing environment,
A main signal processing circuit that receives the transmitted television signal, demodulates the video signal and the audio signal, processes the video signal and the audio signal, and outputs the processed signal;
An extraction circuit for extracting viewing environment information included in the received television signal;
Based on the viewing environment information extracted by the extraction circuit, the current viewing environment is compared with the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side. When the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side is different, the designated viewing environment And a lighting controller for generating a control signal for controlling the lighting device so as to approach the TV. 3. The program receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the viewing environment information is included in the program information superimposed on the television signal transmitted from the program provider side. 3. The program receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the viewing environment information is superimposed on a vertical blanking period of a television signal transmitted from the program provider side. The lighting controller detects the brightness around the program receiving device when comparing the current viewing environment with the viewing environment designated by the program provider, and the program provider instructs based on the detection result The program receiving device according to claim 2, wherein the lighting device is controlled so as to approach a viewing environment. The lighting controller operates in response to a mode set by the user. When the user sets the automatic mode, the lighting controller automatically controls the lighting device to approach the instructed viewing environment, and the user 3. The program receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein control of the lighting device is not performed when it is not set to. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a notification unit that adds a message signal to the video signal or the audio signal when the lighting device is controlled to approach the viewing environment instructed by the program provider. Program receiving device. 3. The program receiving device according to claim 2, wherein the lighting controller and the lighting device are coupled wirelessly or by wire. A program receiving device that transmits a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information for instructing the viewing environment from the program provider side, receives the television signal, and automatically adjusts the viewing environment,
A signal recording circuit for receiving and recording the transmitted television signal;
A main signal reproducing circuit for reproducing and outputting a video signal and an audio signal from the television signal recorded by the signal recording circuit;
An extraction circuit for extracting viewing environment information included in the television signal recorded by the signal recording circuit;
Based on the viewing environment information extracted by the extraction circuit, the current viewing environment is compared with the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side. If the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side is different, the designated viewing environment And a lighting controller for generating a control signal for controlling the lighting device so as to approach the TV. A program receiver for transmitting a television signal multiplexed with date / time information and viewing environment information indicating the viewing environment from the program provider side, receiving the television signal, and automatically adjusting the viewing environment,
A main signal processing circuit that receives the transmitted television signal, demodulates the video signal and the audio signal, processes the video signal and the audio signal, and outputs the processed signal;
An extraction circuit for extracting the date time information and viewing environment information included in the received television signal;
The current viewing environment is determined using the extracted date / time information, and the viewing environment at the current time and the viewing environment designated by the program provider are different based on the extracted viewing environment information And a lighting controller that generates a control signal for controlling the lighting device so as to approach the instructed viewing environment. 11. The program receiving apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the lighting controller detects a lighting state of the lighting apparatus, and determines the current viewing environment based on the detection result and the date / time information. A program receiver for transmitting a television signal multiplexed with date / time information and viewing environment information indicating the viewing environment from the program provider side, receiving the television signal, and automatically adjusting the viewing environment,
A signal recording circuit for receiving and recording the transmitted television signal;
A main signal reproducing circuit for reproducing and outputting a video signal and an audio signal from the television signal recorded by the signal recording circuit;
An extraction circuit for extracting the date / time information and viewing environment information included in the television signal recorded by the signal recording circuit;
The current viewing environment is determined using the extracted date / time information, and the viewing environment at the current time and the viewing environment designated by the program provider are different based on the extracted viewing environment information And a lighting controller that generates a control signal for controlling the lighting device so as to approach the instructed viewing environment. A program receiving device that transmits a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information for instructing the viewing environment from the program provider side, receives the television signal, and automatically adjusts the viewing environment,
A main signal processing circuit that receives the transmitted television signal, demodulates the video signal and the audio signal, processes the video signal and the audio signal, and outputs the processed signal;
An extraction circuit for extracting viewing environment information included in the received television signal;
An optical sensor that detects the brightness of the surroundings of the program receiving device;
Based on the viewing environment information extracted by the extraction circuit and the detection result by the optical sensor, the microcomputer for comparing the current viewing environment with the viewing environment designated by the program provider side,
In response to the comparison result of the microcomputer, when the current viewing environment is different from the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side, lighting for generating a control signal for controlling the lighting device to approach the designated viewing environment A program receiving apparatus comprising: a controller. A program receiving device that transmits a television signal multiplexed with viewing environment information for instructing the viewing environment from the program provider side, receives the television signal, and automatically adjusts the viewing environment,
A signal recording circuit for receiving and recording the transmitted television signal;
A main signal reproducing circuit for reproducing and outputting a video signal and an audio signal from the television signal recorded by the signal recording circuit;
An extraction circuit for extracting viewing environment information included in the television signal recorded by the signal recording circuit;
An optical sensor that detects the brightness of the surroundings of the program receiving device;
Based on the viewing environment information extracted by the extraction circuit and the detection result by the optical sensor, the microcomputer for comparing the current viewing environment with the viewing environment designated by the program provider side,
In response to the comparison result of the microcomputer, when the current viewing environment is different from the viewing environment instructed by the program provider side, lighting for generating a control signal for controlling the lighting device to approach the designated viewing environment A program receiving apparatus comprising: a controller.

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