JP2010134455A - Display control device, content creation device, content display system, content processing device, display control method, content creation method, content processing method, control program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control a content processing device that processes contents while achieving set target power consumption. <P>SOLUTION: The content processing device that processes contents by controlling the operations of one or more processing units includes: a power consumption estimation section 22 that estimates power consumed by the processing unit/units in order to process the contents; a power consumption comparison section 24 that compares power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation section 22 and target power consumption, which is a target value for suppressing power consumption of the content processing section; and a processing unit control section (back-light control section 27) that controls the processing unit on the basis of the comparison results of the power consumption estimation section 22 so that estimated power consumption may not exceed the target power consumption. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content processing apparatus and a content processing method for controlling power consumption of a content processing apparatus that processes content, and in particular, a display control apparatus, content generation apparatus, and content display for controlling power consumption of a display apparatus. The present invention relates to a system, a display control method, a content generation method, a control program, and a recording medium.

  In recent years, it has become common to employ liquid crystal displays, organic EL displays, and the like for display devices such as television receivers, personal computers, and mobile phones. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the display device.

  In recent years when global environmental problems and energy problems are being addressed, electrical appliances such as those described above are strongly required to be so-called energy-saving products and eco-friendly products that are friendly to the global environment. Conventionally, there is an apparatus that realizes energy saving and low power consumption by suppressing power consumption of a backlight unit included in these display devices (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and the like).

JP 2007-316606 A (released on December 6, 2007) JP 2008-158401 A (released July 10, 2008)

On the other hand, the seriousness of global environmental problems and energy problems has permeated among consumers (users), and users are increasingly interested in energy-saving products. In various consumption activities, making users aware of their contribution to energy conservation is an important issue from the viewpoint of product sales promotion. In order to make the user aware of energy saving, it is effective to use specific numerical values such as “CO ₂ reduction amount / emission amount” and “saving electricity bill”.

  However, although the above-described conventional apparatus achieves low power consumption, a specific reduction target value or the like is not set and controlled. Therefore, there is a problem that the user cannot be aware of energy saving.

  Further, for example, a general television receiver is equipped with a function for adjusting the brightness and contrast of a displayed image. More specifically, various display modes such as “dynamic”, “standard”, “cinema”, and “low power consumption” are provided, and different screen brightness and contrast are set for each display mode. Among them, when the low power consumption mode is selected, the luminance and contrast are lowered, and the power consumption can be suppressed.

  However, the luminance and contrast change depending on the content of the display target content (such as a still image or a moving image), and the power consumption fluctuates due to the influence of the change. Therefore, in the above configuration, there is a problem that it is not possible to control the content display so as to maintain a target power consumption by setting a specific reduction target value.

  Note that the above problem is not limited to a television receiver, and similarly occurs in a display device including a backlight or a self-luminous display panel in which luminance and power consumption are closely related.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display control device that controls a display device so that the display device can display content while achieving the set target power consumption. A content generation device, a content display system, a display control method, a content generation method, a control program, and a recording medium are realized. Another object of the present invention is to realize a content processing apparatus and a content processing method for controlling a content processing apparatus so that the content can be processed while achieving the target power consumption.

  In order to solve the above problems, the display control device of the present invention is a display control device that controls the backlight of a display device that displays content, and that consumes power to estimate the backlight during the content display. Comparison of power estimation means, power consumption comparison means for comparing estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation means with target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing power consumption of the backlight, and power consumption comparison means It is characterized by comprising backlight control means for controlling the backlight so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the result.

  According to the above configuration, the power consumption estimation means calculates the power consumption of the backlight when the display device displays the content as the estimated power consumption. Then, the power consumption comparison means compares the estimated power consumption with the target power consumption. Here, the target power consumption indicates a target value for suppressing the power of the backlight consumed when displaying the content.

  The backlight control means controls the backlight so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption. Control is performed to save the power of the backlight so that the estimated power consumption is less than or equal to the target power consumption.

  Thereby, the display control device can control the display device so that the display device can display the content while achieving the target power consumption.

  The power consumption estimation unit may estimate power consumption based on the luminance of the backlight, and the backlight control unit may control the luminance of the backlight.

  According to the above configuration, the power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption based on the luminance information of the backlight. Therefore, the backlight control means saves the power of the backlight by controlling the brightness of the backlight (mainly lowering the brightness). This makes it possible to achieve the target power consumption.

  Alternatively, the backlight control means can be controlled to vary the luminance for each arbitrary region on the light emitting surface of the backlight, and the power consumption estimation means can be used to change the display size of the content. The area where the display is not displayed is regarded as the backlight extinction area, the power consumption of the backlight is estimated, and the backlight control means may extinguish the backlight extinction area.

  According to the above configuration, the backlight control unit controls the backlight capable of varying the luminance for each arbitrary region on the light emitting surface. Then, when an area in which no content is displayed occurs in the display area of the display device due to the change in the display size of the content (for example, reduction or deformation of the display size), the power consumption estimation means The power consumption of the backlight is estimated by regarding the non-display area as the backlight extinguishing area. The smaller the display size of the content, that is, the wider the extinguishing area where the backlight is partially turned off, the more the power consumption is reduced.

  Therefore, the backlight control means saves the power of the backlight by turning off the backlight in the turn-off area determined from the display size of the content. This makes it possible to achieve the target power consumption.

  The display control apparatus of the present invention further includes backlight simulation means for simulating the light emission state of the backlight, and the power consumption estimation means is configured to display the content based on the simulated light emission state. The required power consumption of the backlight is estimated, and the backlight simulation means determines that the backlight power consumption comparing means determines that the estimated power consumption does not achieve the target power consumption. When the light emission state is changed, and the power consumption comparison unit determines that the estimated power consumption has achieved the target power consumption, a control value based on the simulated light emission state is obtained as the backlight control unit. May be output.

  According to the above configuration, the backlight simulation unit simulates the light emission state (luminance, light emission region, etc.) of the backlight. And the said power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption of a backlight based on the said simulated light emission state. The power consumption comparison means compares the estimated power consumption based on the simulated light emission state with the target power consumption. In other words, it is determined whether or not the estimated power consumption exceeds the target power consumption.

  If the estimated power consumption does not reach the target power consumption, the light emission state of the backlight must be changed so that the power consumption can be further suppressed. Therefore, the backlight simulation means changes the light emission state of the backlight (in the direction of reducing power consumption).

  On the other hand, if the estimated power consumption reaches the target power consumption, the target power consumption can be achieved if the current simulated light emission state is maintained in the actual backlight, so there is no need to change the light emission state. Absent. Therefore, instead of further changing the light emission state, the backlight simulation means uses the current simulated light emission state control value (for example, luminance information and information about the extinguishing area) to actually control the backlight. Output to the light control means.

  Thus, the backlight control can control the backlight based on a control value that can achieve the target power consumption.

  The content includes target power consumption to be achieved by the display device when the content is displayed, and the power consumption comparison unit includes the target power consumption extracted from the content and the estimated power consumption. May be compared.

  According to the above configuration, the backlight control means displays the content according to the target power consumption set in advance for the content to be displayed, saving power consumption so as not to exceed the target power consumption. It becomes possible to do. That is, it is possible to perform backlight control suitable for each content.

  The content further includes a limit value indicating a limit state in which the display quality of the content is not impaired with respect to the light emission state of the backlight, and the backlight control means does not exceed the limit value. It is preferable to control the backlight in the range.

  According to the above configuration, in addition to the target power consumption, a limit value related to the light emission state of the backlight is defined for the content. The backlight control means controls the backlight by referring to the limit value together with the target power consumption. The backlight control means changes the light emission state of the backlight until the target power consumption is achieved. For example, the brightness is reduced or the extinguishing area is increased. However, the change in the light emission state in the direction of saving the power consumption in this way mostly affects the deterioration of the visibility of the content.

  Therefore, a limit value is set for the backlight control means that the quality related to the display of the content cannot be guaranteed if the light emission state is changed any more. By setting the limit value in this way, the backlight control means can perform the light emission state in a range not exceeding the limit value when changing the light emission state in order to achieve the target power consumption.

  As a result, it is possible to avoid the disadvantage that the display quality of the content is impaired in order to achieve the target power consumption.

  In order to solve the above problems, the display control device of the present invention is a display control device that controls a self-luminous display panel that displays content, and that reduces power consumption of the self-luminous display panel during the content display. Power consumption estimation means for estimating, power consumption comparison means for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation means with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing power consumption of the self-luminous display panel, and And luminance control means for controlling the luminance of the self-luminous display panel so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means.

  According to the above configuration, in a display device including a self-luminous display panel, it is possible to display content while suppressing the power consumption of the self-luminous display panel to a target power consumption or less.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the content generation device of the present invention determines a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption with respect to the power consumption of the backlight necessary for the display device to display the content. It is characterized by comprising power consumption determining means and content generating means for embedding the target power consumption determined by the target power consumption determining means in the content.

  According to the above configuration, the target power consumption determining unit determines a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption for the power consumption of the backlight required when the display device displays the content. The target power consumption determined by the target power consumption determining unit may be specified by, for example, the user, may be set in advance for each content or each model of the display device, and is not particularly limited.

  The content generation unit associates the target power consumption determined by the target power consumption determination unit with the content to complete the content.

  This makes it possible to control the display device according to the target power consumption set by the side that generates and supplies the content.

  The content generation device further reproduces the luminance of the backlight based on the predetermined power consumption of the display device, presents the content to the user at the luminance, and presents the predetermined power consumption to the user. Luminance reproducing means may be provided, and the target power consumption determining means may determine the power consumption as the target power consumption when the user approves the presented predetermined power consumption.

  According to the above configuration, first, the luminance reproduction unit reproduces the luminance of the backlight based on the predetermined power consumption of the backlight of the display device, and how the content is displayed on the display device is visually recognized. To the user. Further, in that case, the expected power consumption of the backlight of the display device (the predetermined power consumption) is presented to the user.

  The user checks the visibility of the content simulated in the content generation device and the expected power consumption at that time. The user may input an instruction signal for approving the predetermined power consumption if it is determined to be valid after determining the legibility of the content and the validity of the target power consumption value.

  Thereby, the target power consumption determination means determines the predetermined power consumption approved by the user as the target power consumption.

  As a result, the user of the content generation device can set an appropriate target power consumption for each content and supply the content to the display device.

  A content display system including the display control device described above and the content generation device described above also falls within the scope of the present invention.

  In order to solve the above problems, the display control method of the present invention is a display control method for controlling the backlight of a display device that displays content, and that consumes power to estimate the backlight during the content display. A power estimation step, a power consumption comparison step for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the backlight, and the power consumption comparison step. And a backlight control step for controlling the backlight so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the display control method of the present invention is a display control method for controlling a self-luminous display panel that displays content, and reduces the power consumption of the self-luminous display panel during the content display. A power consumption estimation step for estimating, a power consumption comparison step for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the self-luminous display panel; And a luminance control step for controlling the luminance of the self-luminous display panel so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the comparison result in the power consumption comparison step.

  The content generation method of the present invention includes a target power consumption determining step for determining a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption for the power consumption of the backlight required when the display device displays the content, and the target A content generation step of embedding the target power consumption determined in the power consumption determination step in the content.

  In order to achieve the above object, the content processing apparatus of the present invention controls the operation of one or more processing units to process the content, and the power consumption consumed by the processing unit to process the content is processed. Power consumption estimation means for estimating the power consumption estimation means, the power consumption comparison means for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation means with the target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the content processing apparatus, and the power consumption And a processing unit control means for controlling the processing unit so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the comparison result of the power comparing means.

  According to the above configuration, the power consumption estimation unit calculates the power consumption of each processing unit consumed when each processing unit processes the content as the estimated power consumption. Then, the power consumption comparison means compares the estimated power consumption with the target power consumption. Here, the target power consumption indicates a target value that suppresses the power of each processing unit consumed when processing the content.

  Then, the processing unit control means controls the processing unit so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption. Control is performed to save the power of the processing unit so that the estimated power consumption is equal to or less than the target power consumption.

  Thereby, the content processing apparatus can control each processing unit of its own apparatus so that the content can be processed while achieving the target power consumption.

  The processing unit control means includes a plurality of power reduction means for controlling one or more processing units by a plurality of methods to reduce power consumption, and the content processing apparatus further includes: A reduction tool selection unit that selects a power reduction unit to be operated may be provided based on priority order information that specifies the order of operations for each of them.

  The content includes the priority information according to the content, and the reduction tool selection unit may select the power reduction unit based on the priority information included in the content to be processed. Good.

  The content processing apparatus of the present invention includes a display device that displays content, and the power consumption estimation unit estimates power consumption based on luminance of a backlight as the processing unit included in the display device, and performs the processing. The unit control means may include a backlight control means for controlling the luminance of the backlight.

  The content processing device includes a display device that displays content, and the display device includes a backlight that can be controlled to vary the luminance for each arbitrary region on the light-emitting surface as the processing unit, and The power estimating means estimates the power consumption of the backlight by regarding the area where the content is not displayed as the display size of the content is changed as the backlight extinguishing area, and the processing unit control means Backlight control means for turning off the area may be provided.

  The content processing device includes a display device that displays content, and a moving image calculation unit for displaying content that is a moving image on the display device as the processing unit, and the power consumption estimation unit includes a frame of the content Frame rate conversion that estimates the power consumption of the moving image calculation unit based on the calculation load according to the rate, and the processing unit control means reduces the load of the moving image calculation unit by reducing the frame rate of the content Means may be provided.

  The content processing apparatus includes, as the processing unit, an audio output unit that outputs an audio signal included in the content to the outside, and the power consumption estimation unit is included in the sound pressure level of the audio signal and the audio output unit. The power consumption of the audio output unit is estimated based on at least one of the gains of the amplifier, and the processing unit control means outputs a sound pressure level output from the attenuator included in the audio output unit to the amplifier. And an audio output control means for controlling the audio output unit so as to reduce at least one of the gains of the amplifiers.

  In order to achieve the above object, the content processing method of the present invention is a content processing method in a content processing apparatus that processes the content by controlling the operation of one or more processing units. Power consumption estimation step for estimating power consumption consumed by a unit, consumption for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing power consumption of the content processing device And a processing unit control step of controlling the processing unit so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on a comparison result in the power consumption comparison step. .

  The display control device, the content processing device, and the content generation device may be realized by a computer. In this case, the display control device and the content processing device are operated by causing the computer to operate as the respective means. Alternatively, a display control device for realizing the content generation device by a computer, a control program for the content processing device or the content generation device, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded fall within the scope of the present invention.

  The display control apparatus according to the present invention includes a power consumption estimation unit that estimates power consumption of the backlight during the content display, a target that suppresses the estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation unit and the power consumption of the backlight. A backlight that controls the backlight so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means that compares the target power consumption indicating the value and the power consumption comparison means And a control means.

  The display control apparatus according to the present invention includes a power consumption estimation unit that estimates power consumption of the self-luminous display panel during the content display, an estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation unit, and the self-luminous display panel. Based on the comparison results of the power consumption comparison means for comparing the target power consumption indicating the target value for suppressing the power consumption of the power supply and the power consumption comparison means, the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption. And luminance control means for controlling the luminance of the light emitting display panel.

  According to the above configuration, in a display device including a self-luminous display panel, it is possible to display content while suppressing the power consumption of the self-luminous display panel to a target power consumption or less.

  The content generation apparatus according to the present invention includes a target power consumption determining unit that determines a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption for the backlight power consumption required when the display device displays the content, and the target Content generating means for embedding the target power consumption determined by the power consumption determining means in the content is provided.

  The display control method of the present invention suppresses the power consumption estimation step for estimating the power consumption of the backlight during the content display, the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step, and the power consumption of the backlight. The backlight is controlled so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the power consumption comparison step for comparing the target power consumption indicating the target value and the comparison result in the power consumption comparison step. And a backlight control step.

  The display control method of the present invention includes a power consumption estimation step for estimating power consumption of the self-luminous display panel during the content display, the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step, and the self-luminous display. Based on the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means comparing the target power consumption indicating the target value for suppressing the power consumption of the panel and the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means, the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption. And a luminance control step for controlling the luminance of the self-luminous display panel.

  The content generation method of the present invention includes a target power consumption determining step for determining a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption for the power consumption of the backlight required when the display device displays the content, and the target A content generation step of embedding the target power consumption determined in the power consumption determination step in the content.

  Therefore, it is possible to control the display device so that the display device can display the content while achieving the set target power consumption.

  The content processing apparatus of the present invention includes a power consumption estimation unit that estimates power consumption consumed by the processing unit to process content, an estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation unit, and a consumption of the content processing device. Based on the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means for comparing the target power consumption indicating the target value for suppressing power, and the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means, the processing unit is controlled so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption. And a processing unit control means for controlling.

  The content processing method of the present invention includes a power consumption estimation step for estimating power consumption consumed by the processing unit to process content, an estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step, and the content processing apparatus. Based on the comparison result in the power consumption comparison step for comparing the target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing power consumption and the power consumption comparison step, the processing is performed so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption. And a processing unit control step for controlling the unit.

  Therefore, it is possible to control the content processing apparatus so that the content can be processed while achieving the target power consumption.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the display control apparatus mounted in the television receiver in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the television receiver in embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen for a user to set a display mode, (b) is a figure which shows the specific example of the setting information memorize | stored in a setting information storage part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the backlight control process which the display control part in embodiment of this invention performs. It is a figure explaining the concept of the backlight control method based on the change of the display size of the content in this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the other display control apparatus mounted in the television receiver in other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the eco content display system in other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the content generation apparatus in other embodiment of this invention. It is the data structure figure which showed roughly the data structure of the eco content which is a still image. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the model information memorize | stored in the model information storage part. (A) and (b), when reproducing eco content on a television set, the user sets the target power consumption based on the quality assurance minimum power value and quality assurance maximum power value embedded in the eco content. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen for. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen for simulating a brightness | luminance and for a user to designate target power consumption. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the backlight control process which the display control part in other embodiment of this invention performs. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of the screen when displaying the information of the target power consumption during content display with a content. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the television receiver as another embodiment of this invention as a display control apparatus and / or a content processing apparatus. (A) is the data structure figure which showed roughly the data structure in case the eco content 82 is a still image. (B) is a diagram showing a specific example of the distribution ratio information 84 included in the eco content 82. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen for a user to set a display mode, (b) is a figure which shows the specific example of the setting information memorize | stored in a setting information storage part. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the video signal processing part with which the television receiver in other embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the audio | voice signal processing part with which the television receiver in other embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the display control part with which the television receiver in other embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the television receiver in other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the brightness | luminance reduction process of the display control part in other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the display size reduction process of the display control part in other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the load reduction process of the video signal process part in other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the volume reduction process of the audio | voice signal processing part in other embodiment of this invention.

Embodiment 1
An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as an example, a television receiver as a display device equipped with the display control device of the present invention will be described as an example.

[Configuration of TV receiver-overview]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the television receiver 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the television receiver 100 includes at least a control unit 10, a display unit 2, a storage unit 3, an operation unit 4, and a content acquisition unit 5.

  The control unit 10 performs overall control of each unit included in the television receiver 100. The control unit 10 includes a display control unit 1 as a functional block. The display control unit 1 controls the display unit 2. Specifically, one of the display control functions provided in the display control unit 1 is to control the backlight unit 12 to reduce power consumption. The display control unit 1 shown as a functional block is a CPU (central processing unit) that reads a display control program stored in a storage device such as a ROM (read only memory) into a RAM (random access memory) or the like. The display control device of the present invention can be realized by executing the above. The configuration and operation of the display control unit 1 will be described in detail later.

  The display unit 2 is a display device that displays content (such as still images and moving images) stored in the television receiver 100. In the present embodiment, for example, it is realized by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 2 includes a liquid crystal module 11 and a backlight unit 12.

  More specifically, the liquid crystal module 11 includes a liquid crystal display panel having a display surface, and a scanning line driving circuit and a signal line driving circuit for inputting a signal for displaying an image on the liquid crystal display panel.

  The backlight unit 12 is provided behind the liquid crystal module 11. The backlight unit 12 includes a backlight having a light emitting surface and a backlight driving circuit for driving the backlight. The backlight unit 12 may be configured to allow so-called local dimming. The local dimming means that the luminance can be varied for each predetermined area in the light emitting surface. According to such a configuration, it is possible to control the turning on and off of the backlight partially in an arbitrary area rather than the entire light emitting surface, so the brightness of the backlight is controlled more finely according to the display contents. Therefore, it is preferable in adjusting the power consumption. However, the configuration of the backlight unit 12 is not limited to the above configuration.

  The storage unit 3 stores a control program executed by the control unit 10, an OS program, and various data read when the control unit 10 executes various functions of the television receiver 100. A display control program for backlight control performed by the display control unit 1 is also stored in the storage unit 3. The storage unit 3 includes a content storage unit 40 and a setting information storage unit 41. The content storage unit 40 is for storing content to be displayed on the display unit 2, and the setting information storage unit 41 is information related to display control of the display control unit 1 and is selected by the user This is for storing various setting information such as the display mode.

  The operation unit 4 is an input device for a user to input a signal for operating the television receiver 100. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the operation unit 4 includes, for example, a remote controller (remote controller) for remotely operating the television receiver 100.

  The content acquisition unit 5 acquires content to be displayed on the display unit 2 from an external device of the television receiver 100 or an external recording medium via an appropriate communication unit or interface unit. There are several specific examples of the content acquisition unit 5. For example, the broadcast data receiving unit 13, the external interface 14, the communication unit 15, the infrared communication unit 16, and the like are not limited to the above.

  The broadcast data receiving unit 13 receives content broadcast by terrestrial digital broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, or the like, and includes a tuner, a demodulation unit, a TS decoder, an AV decoder, and the like. The video data separated by the TS decoder of the broadcast data receiving unit 13 and the information data related to the video data are processed by each unit of the control unit 10, respectively.

  The external interface 14 accesses an external recording medium and reads content recorded on the external recording medium. External recording media that can be read by the external interface 14 are removable such as a USB memory, SD card, miniSD card, microSD card, memory stick (MEMORY STICK (registered trademark)), smart media (Smart Media (registered trademark)), etc. An auxiliary storage device such as a simple recording medium, a flash memory, or a hard disk, or an optical disc such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R / BD played by a disc playback device.

  The communication unit 15 communicates with another communication device via a communication network, and acquires content therefrom. Examples of the content acquired by the communication unit 15 include Internet content distributed using the HTTP protocol from a server device of a content provider via the Internet. Alternatively, the communication unit 15 may acquire the home network content from the home server by performing wireless or wired communication with the home server via the home LAN. The communication unit 15 may acquire cable content supplied by a cable TV service provider.

  The infrared communication unit 16 receives content transmitted from a device having an infrared communication function such as a mobile phone. More specifically, the infrared communication unit 16 includes an infrared light receiving unit (not shown) that receives infrared light emitted from a mobile phone and converts it into an electrical signal. The infrared communication unit 16 converts the electrical signal obtained by the infrared light receiving unit into digital data according to a predetermined infrared communication protocol (for example, IrSS communication), acquires it as content, and transmits it to the control unit 10 .

  The content acquired by the content acquisition unit 5 described above is processed by the display control unit 1 of the control unit 10 and output to the display unit 2. The content displayed on the liquid crystal module 11 of the display unit 2 is visually recognized by the user while maintaining appropriate brightness by the backlight unit 12 adjusted to an appropriate luminance according to the set target power consumption.

[Configuration of TV receiver-details]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a display control unit 1 of a television receiver 100 as a display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the display control unit 1 includes a display target acquisition unit 21, a power consumption estimation unit 22, a target value acquisition unit 23, a power consumption comparison unit 24, a luminance simulation unit 25, a luminance information output unit 26, and The backlight control unit 27 is provided. Furthermore, the setting reception part 20 may be provided.

  First, a specific example of the target power consumption setting method will be described.

  The setting receiving unit 20 receives the display mode selected and set by the user from the operation unit 4 and stores it in the setting information storage unit 41 as setting information. The display control unit 1 can perform display control according to the target power consumption based on the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 41.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, the target power consumption is determined for each display mode. The user can set the target power consumption related to the display of the television receiver 100 by operating the operation unit 4 and selecting the display mode.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen for the user to set a display mode, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a specific example of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 41. It is.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the television receiver 100 has three display modes (three target power consumptions) determined in advance, and the user can select one of the three options 200W, 100W, and 50W. Can be selected. When the user selects “50 W: low power consumption mode”, the setting reception unit 20 stores a value of “50 W” as the target power consumption in the power consumption setting field as shown in FIG. To do. Based on this target power consumption, the display control unit 1 can control the luminance of the backlight so that the power consumption of the backlight unit 12 when displaying content does not exceed 50 W.

  The method for setting the target power consumption is not limited to the above. For example, the user may be allowed to input and set an arbitrary wattage. In this case, the setting reception unit 20 stores the wattage input by the user in the field.

  In the present embodiment, the display control unit 1 controls the backlight unit 12 based on the fixed value set as described above, but is not limited thereto. For example, the display control unit 1 may dynamically control the luminance of the backlight unit 12 that is different for each content with reference to the target power consumption determined for each content to be displayed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the user can select whether or not to prioritize the target power consumption set in the content separately from the fixed value. When the brightness control of the backlight unit 12 is dynamically performed for each content, the user may select “eco content setting: ON”. As shown in FIG. 3B, the setting receiving unit 20 stores the value of “ON” in the eco content setting field. Thereby, the display control unit 1 controls the backlight unit 12 according to the target power consumption determined for each content.

  Next, the configuration of the display control unit 1 for performing the brightness control of the backlight unit 12 according to the set target power consumption will be described.

  The display target acquisition unit 21 acquires content to be displayed by the television receiver 100 from the content storage unit 40 when the television receiver 100 starts an operation of displaying the content. The content stored in the content storage unit 40 is input and stored in the television receiver 100 using appropriate means via each unit of the content acquisition unit 5 described above.

  The power consumption estimation unit 22 calculates the power consumption (wattage) in the backlight unit 12 based on the pixel value of the display target content and the luminance of the backlight unit 12 necessary for displaying the content. Is.

  First, the power consumption estimation unit 22 calculates a luminance necessary for displaying a certain content (for example, a still image) acquired by the display target acquisition unit 21 as usual (without restriction on target power consumption). . In the present embodiment, the calculation is performed at a ratio when the maximum luminance when the entire screen is displayed in white (the highest luminance) is 100%. And the power consumption estimation part 22 calculates the power consumption of the backlight unit 12 normally required when displaying the said content based on the calculated brightness | luminance (%). Thus, the initial estimated power consumption (W) estimated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 is transmitted to the power consumption comparison unit 24.

  Furthermore, the power consumption estimation unit 22 can also calculate the power of the backlight unit 12 consumed when displaying the content with the luminance (%) simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25. In this case, the estimated power consumption (W) after the second time estimated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 is transmitted to the power consumption comparison unit 24.

  The target value acquisition unit 23 acquires a target power consumption value to be followed when displaying the content from the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 41. Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3B, when the eco-content setting field is “OFF”, the target power consumption of a fixed value stored in the power consumption setting field is acquired. On the other hand, in the case of “ON”, the target power consumption determined for the content is acquired. In this case, the target power consumption is stored in the content storage unit 40 in association with the content. The target power consumption (W) acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23 is transmitted to the power consumption comparison unit 24.

  The power consumption comparison unit 24 compares the estimated power consumption (W) calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 with the target power consumption (W) acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23.

  As a result of comparing the initial estimated power consumption with the target power consumption, if the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the estimated power consumption> the target power consumption, it is necessary to reduce the estimated power consumption to the target power consumption. . In this case, the power consumption estimation unit 22 and the luminance simulation unit 25 repeat the simulation of the luminance of the backlight unit 12 and the estimation of the power consumption, respectively, to obtain a luminance reduction rate for achieving the target. The luminance simulation unit 25 virtually reproduces a state in which the luminance is reduced at a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum luminance, and transmits the simulated luminance information to the power consumption estimation unit 22. The power consumption estimation unit 22 can calculate the power consumption in the backlight unit 12 based on the luminance simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25.

  After the trial and error of the power consumption estimation unit 22 and the brightness simulation unit 25 described above, if the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the estimated power consumption after the second time ≦ target power consumption, the luminance simulation unit 25 is found to be able to achieve the target power consumption with simulated brightness. Then, the power consumption comparison unit 24 notifies the luminance information output unit 26 to that effect. Further, the luminance simulation unit 25 transmits the obtained simulated luminance information to the luminance information output unit 26. Thereby, the luminance information output unit 26 can know how much the luminance should be reduced in order to achieve the target power consumption, and output the luminance information that can achieve the target power consumption to the backlight control unit 27. Is possible. Alternatively, the brightness simulating unit 25 may transmit to the brightness information output unit 26 the brightness reduction rate from the initially assumed brightness to the simulated brightness when it is determined that the target has been achieved. The luminance information output unit 26 controls the backlight unit 12 based on the luminance information or the luminance reduction rate simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25 when the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the target can be achieved. The actual luminance information is output to the backlight control unit 27.

  The backlight control unit 27 controls the luminance of the backlight unit 12 based on the luminance information supplied from the luminance information output unit 26.

  Thereby, when displaying the said content, the backlight unit 12 can be adjusted to the brightness | luminance which can achieve a target. That is, the luminance of the backlight unit 12 can be kept below a predetermined level, and as a result, the backlight unit 12 can be maintained in a state that does not exceed the target power consumption.

[Backlight control processing flow]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of backlight control processing performed by the display control unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When an operation of displaying a still image is started in the television receiver 100, the display target acquisition unit 21 acquires a still image to be displayed from the content storage unit 40 as shown in FIG. 4 (S101). The power consumption estimation unit 22 is based on the pixel value of the still image acquired by the display target acquisition unit 21 and the luminance of the backlight unit 12 necessary for displaying the still image in the normal mode. The estimated power consumption (for example, 80 W) is calculated (S102).

  On the other hand, the target value acquisition unit 23 refers to the setting information in the setting information storage unit 41 and acquires the target power consumption therefrom. Here, as an example, a fixed target power consumption (for example, 50 W) is acquired from the power consumption setting field (S103).

  Next, the power consumption comparison unit 24 compares the estimated power consumption (80 W) calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 with the target power consumption (50 W) acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23. In the example shown here, since the estimated power consumption exceeds 30 W (YES in S104), the process proceeds to a luminance reduction rate calculation step for achieving the target power consumption after S107.

  On the other hand, if the estimated power consumption is less than or equal to the target power consumption (NO in S104), it means that the target can already be achieved by normal backlight control, so that the brightness of the backlight is further reduced. There is no need. Therefore, the luminance information output unit 26 outputs the luminance information to the backlight control unit 27 based on the luminance when the power consumption estimation unit 22 initially estimates in S102 (S105). The backlight control unit 27 controls the backlight unit 12 according to the luminance information output from the luminance information output unit 26 (S106).

  In the luminance reduction rate calculation step after S107, first, the luminance simulation unit 25 simulates the luminance reduced by a predetermined percentage from the luminance when the power consumption estimation unit 22 first estimates in S102 (S107). Whether the reduction rate is set to% is determined by appropriate judgment.

  Subsequently, the power consumption estimation unit 22 recalculates the estimated power consumption based on the luminance simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25 by reducing the initial luminance and the pixel value of the still image (S108). .

  The power consumption comparison unit 24 determines whether or not the estimated power consumption in S108 is equal to or lower than the target power consumption in S103 (S109). If the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the target has been achieved (YES in S109), the luminance simulation unit 25 reduces the luminance based on the current simulated luminance in S107. The luminance reduction rate indicating whether or not it has been transmitted to the luminance information output unit 26. The luminance information output unit 26 outputs luminance information based on the luminance reduction rate, and outputs the luminance information to the backlight control unit 27 (S110). The backlight control unit 27 controls the backlight unit 12 according to the luminance information output from the luminance information output unit 26 (S106). On the other hand, when the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the estimated power consumption has not yet reached the target power consumption (NO in S109), the processing of S107 and S108 is executed again to achieve the target power consumption. The above process is repeated until a brightness for obtaining the brightness is obtained.

  In the above description, the backlight control method when the content is a still image has been described. However, the display control unit 1 also performs backlight control for achieving the target power consumption even when the content is a moving image. Can be done.

  In this case, the power consumption estimation unit 22 determines the pixel values of all or some of the frames (still images) included in the moving image, the luminance of the backlight unit 12 necessary for reproducing the moving image, and the reproduction of the moving image. Based on the time, the estimated power consumption in the backlight unit 12 is calculated. When the content is a moving image, how to obtain the pixel value of the moving image and calculate the estimated power consumption is not particularly limited. For example, an average value of pixel values of each frame of the moving image may be used, or a pixel value of a frame having the maximum luminance among all the frames may be used. Alternatively, the power consumption estimation unit 22 may assume a case where the playback time of the moving image is displayed in full screen white, and may estimate the power consumed in that case as the estimated power consumption.

<< Embodiment 2 >>
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration for achieving the target power consumption by adjusting the luminance of the backlight unit 12 of the television receiver 100 has been described. However, the backlight control method for achieving the target power consumption is not limited to the above example.

  When the backlight unit 12 is configured to be capable of local dimming, the power consumption of the backlight unit 12 can also be suppressed by changing the display size of the content displayed on the display unit 2. Is possible.

  In the local dimming, as already described, it is possible to partially control the turning on and off of the backlight in an arbitrary area rather than the entire light emitting surface. Therefore, it is possible to partially turn off the backlight only for a portion where nothing is displayed or a black region. In addition, power consumption can be reduced by the amount that the backlight is turned off. As described above, when the local dimming technique is used, the power consumption can be effectively suppressed without sacrificing the visual effect of the display content. That is, it will be described as follows based on FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the concept of a backlight control method based on a change in the display size of content in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, when the still image P is displayed on the entire display screen, the entire light emitting surface of the backlight unit 12 becomes the lighting region W. On the other hand, when the display size of the still image P is reduced by 50%, an area E where nothing is displayed is formed on the display screen. Here, the backlight is unnecessary for the area E where nothing is displayed, and therefore the backlight can be turned off for the area E. In this way, since the light-off region B occupies half the area of the light emitting surface, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the backlight by 50%.

  Hereinafter, in addition to the luminance control, the configuration of the television receiver 100 and the display control device that achieve the target power consumption by controlling the backlight extinction region by adjusting the display size of the content will be described.

[Configuration of TV receiver-details]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the display control unit 6 of the television receiver 100 as a display control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the display control unit 6 of the television receiver 100 is configured to further include a display size simulation unit 28 and an unlit area output unit 29 compared to the display control unit 1 shown in FIG. 1. 6 correspond to the reference numerals assigned to the respective constituent elements in FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals indicate the same constituent elements. Therefore, the description of the components already described in the above embodiments will not be repeated.

  The display size simulation unit 28 virtually reduces the display size of the display target content acquired by the display target acquisition unit 21 and displays it on the display unit 2. The area area is transmitted to the power consumption estimation unit 22. The power consumption estimation unit 22 calculates the area of the non-display area of the display screen, that is, the backlight extinguishing area based on the display size of the content simulated by the display size simulation unit 28, and the power consumption in the backlight unit 12 is calculated. Can be calculated.

  In the present embodiment, the power consumption estimation unit 22 estimates the backlight unit 12 based on both the luminance information simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25 and the display size simulated by the display size simulation unit 28. Outputs power consumption. The estimated power consumption based on the luminance information and the display size output from the power consumption estimation unit 22 is compared with the target power consumption by the power consumption comparison unit 24.

  The unlit area output unit 29 identifies a non-display area that occurs when displaying reduced content, and outputs backlight unlit area information to the backlight control unit 27. More specifically, based on the simulated content reduction rate and display position when the estimated power consumption can be achieved by the power consumption comparison unit 24, the extinguishing area output unit 29 Identify the unlit area.

  According to the above configuration, not only lowering the backlight brightness of the backlight unit 12 but also reducing the display size of the content and increasing the backlight extinction area can further reduce the power consumption of the backlight. it can. In addition, if there is a risk that the brightness will decrease too much to achieve the target and the visibility may be impaired, instead of reducing the brightness, the display size can be reduced to increase the extinction area, so the above inconvenience can be avoided. Become.

  Further, the display control unit 6 may include an arbitration unit 30. In this embodiment, the arbitration unit 30 determines how much power is to be reduced when the target power consumption is achieved by both means for reducing luminance and reduction in display size (power reduction tool). It is what adjusts the contract.

  For example, when the user desires to balance the reduction of the luminance and the reduction of the display size, the user can set the power consumption to be reduced to be evenly charged by two means. is there. Specifically, on the operation screen shown in FIG. 3A, the user sets the power consumption reduction tool setting items to luminance: 50% and display size: 50%. In response to this, the setting receiving unit 20 stores the values of “luminance: 50, display size: 50” in the field of the power consumption reduction tool setting of the setting information storage unit 41 as shown in FIG. . When the display control unit 6 performs display control for suppressing the content to the target power consumption, the arbitration unit 30 refers to the value of the field stored in the setting information storage unit 41.

  For example, when the power consumption to be reduced is 30 W, the arbitration unit 30 sends an instruction to the luminance simulation unit 25 and the power consumption estimation unit 22 so that 50 W of 15 W can be reduced by adjusting the luminance. At the same time, an instruction is sent to the display size simulation unit 28 and the power consumption estimation unit 22 so that the remaining 50% of 15 W can be reduced by changing the display size.

  Thereby, arbitrary weighting can be added to the two means, and the power consumption of the backlight unit 12 can be suppressed.

  Also, for example, when the user desires to reduce power consumption by reducing the display size exclusively without sacrificing luminance, the display size side of the bar shown in FIG. You just have to operate. As a result, the display control unit 6 can realize much power consumption reduction by reducing the content display size.

<< Embodiment 3 >>
In the above-described embodiments, the display control unit (display control device) that controls the backlight according to the target power consumption set by the user has been described. In the present embodiment, a display control apparatus that controls backlight according to target power consumption determined for each content to be displayed will be described. A content generation device that generates content associated with target power consumption will also be described.

[Outline of Eco Content Display System]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of the eco-content display system in the embodiment of the present invention. The eco-content display system shown in FIG. 7 includes a display device for displaying content and a content generation device for generating content to be displayed on the display device, which are equipped with the display control device (display control unit) of the present invention. Contains. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the eco-content display system 700 includes a plurality of television receivers 100a and 100b as display devices, a digital photo frame 101 as a display device, and a content server 200 as a content generation device. A digital camera 201 and a home server 202 are included. Here, the television receiver 100a, the television receiver 100b, the digital photo frame 101, and the home server 202 are connected to each other via a home LAN (Local Area Network) 8 by wired or wireless connection. A home network is built. Each device of the home network can communicate with an external device such as the content server 200 via the home LAN 8 and the Internet 7. The configuration of the eco-content display system 700 shown in FIG. 7 is an example and does not limit the present invention.

  The television receiver 100a and the television receiver 100b are display devices on which the display control unit 1 or the display control unit 6 described above is mounted. Its configuration and operation are as described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the television receiver 100a and the television receiver 100b have different models.

  The digital photo frame 101 displays a digital image like a photo of a photo frame, and is a display device on which the display control unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 or the display control unit 6 shown in FIG. 6 is mounted. The configuration is almost the same as that of the television receiver 100 shown in FIGS. The digital photo frame 101 has the same shape as that of a normal photo frame, and includes a display unit 2 for displaying a digital image on a portion where a photo is posted. In the present embodiment, the digital photo frame 101 displays JPEG still image content on the display unit 2.

  The difference from the configuration of the television receiver 100 shown in FIG. 2 is that the digital photo frame 101 does not include the broadcast data receiving unit 13. The digital photo frame 101 can read a JPEG still image from a removable external recording medium such as an SD card via the external interface 14 as the content acquisition unit 5. The external interface 14 may have various cable terminals. In this case, content captured by the digital camera 201 or the digital video camera may be acquired via various cables. In addition, the communication unit 15 can perform wireless / wired communication to receive a still image from another communication device (such as the home server 202, the content server 200, or a mobile phone).

  The content server 200, the digital camera 201, and the content server 200 illustrated in FIG. 7 are content generation devices that generate and supply content to be displayed on each display device described above.

  The content server 200 executes a content distribution service operated by a content service provider. The content server 200 supplies content to each display device of the client via the Internet 7. For example, moving image content such as movies and still image content such as photographs are supplied.

  The digital camera 201 captures a subject and generates photographic data. In the present embodiment, the digital camera 201 stores photograph data captured in JPEG format in a built-in storage unit, and supplies still image content to the digital photo frame 101 and the television receiver 100a (100b) via a cable. Alternatively, photographic data may be stored in a removable external recording medium and read by each display device.

  The home server 202 acquires and stores content recorded by a recording / playback apparatus (not shown) in the home network via the home LAN 8. In response to the request, the content stored in itself is supplied to each display device in the home network.

  As described above, each display device of the eco-content display system 700 displays content acquired from inside and outside the home network on the display unit 2 of its own device while suppressing the target power consumption. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the eco content setting field (see FIG. 3B) in the setting information storage unit 41 of the display device is “ON”. That is, the target power consumption corresponding to the content is associated (embedded) with the content, and the display control unit 1 (6) of each display device refers to the target power consumption according to the content. Thus, the backlight unit 12 is dynamically controlled. The content including the target power consumption is referred to as eco content here. The eco content is stored in the content storage unit 40 of each display device, and the target power consumption value included in the eco content is acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23 of the display control device.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the content generation apparatus (the content server 200, the digital camera 201, and the home server 202) that generates eco content and the data structure of the eco content will be described in more detail.

[Configuration of Content Generation Device-Details]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the content generation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a case where the content generation apparatus of FIG. 8 is applied to the content server 200 will be described. The content generation apparatus as the digital camera 201 and the home server 202 has the same configuration as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the content server 200 is configured to include at least a control unit 50 and a storage unit 51. The content server 200 may further include an operation unit 52 and a display unit 53.

  The control unit 50 performs overall control of each unit included in the content server 200. The control unit 50 includes at least a content acquisition unit 60, a target power consumption determination unit 61, and an eco content generation unit 62 as functional blocks. Further, the control unit 50 may include a lower limit setting unit 63 and a brightness simulation unit 64.

  The storage unit 51 stores a control program executed by the control unit 50, an OS program, and various data read when the control unit 50 executes various functions of the content server 200. The storage unit 51 is for storing content generated or acquired by the content server 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a model information storage unit 70 and a luminance lower limit value storage unit 71 may be further included.

  The operation unit 52 is an input device for a user to input a signal for operating the content server 200. The operation unit 52 of the content server 200 is configured with, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. In the digital camera 201, the operation unit 52 includes various buttons provided on the main body. The operation unit 52 of the home server 202 may be configured with a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, or the remote control of the television receiver 100a (100b) may function as the operation unit 52.

  The display unit 53 is a display device that displays various types of information such as content acquired by the content server 200. An appropriate display device is used according to the content generation apparatus. The display unit 53 is realized by, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display).

  In addition, each part of the control part 50 shown as a functional block is a RAM (random access memory) etc. for the program for eco-content production | generation which CPU (central processing unit) is memorize | stored in storage devices, such as ROM (read only memory) The content generation apparatus of the present invention can be realized by reading and executing the above.

  The content acquisition unit 60 of the control unit 50 acquires content 80 to be supplied to the display device. There is no particular limitation as to where and how the content acquisition unit 60 acquires the content. For example, in the content server 200, the content acquisition unit 60 may acquire from the storage unit 51 the content input by the content service provider to the content server 200 by an appropriate means. In the digital camera 201, the content acquisition unit 60 may acquire still image content from an imaging unit that images a subject. Or in the home server 202, the content acquisition part 60 may acquire a moving image content from a recording / reproducing apparatus via a communication part.

  The target power consumption determination unit 61 determines the target power consumption when displaying the content to be given to the content acquired by the content acquisition unit 60. Specifically, the user inputs target power consumption 81 to be designated, and the target power consumption determining unit 61 determines the target power consumption according to the target power consumption 81. Alternatively, the target power consumption to be given to the content may be determined with reference to a predetermined target power consumption value stored in the model information storage unit 70.

  The eco content generation unit 62 generates eco content by associating or embedding the content acquired by the content acquisition unit 60 with the target power consumption determined by the target power consumption determination unit 61 in the content. is there. For example, when the content acquisition unit 60 acquires a JPEG format still image, the eco content generation unit 62 sets the determined target in the EXIF (Exchangeable image file format) area included in the still image. Add power consumption. The eco content 82 including the target power consumption generated by the eco content generation unit 62 is supplied to the display device via an appropriate output unit. In the content server 200, the eco content 82 is transmitted via the communication unit. In the digital camera 201, the eco content 82 is stored in a removable external recording medium. Or it outputs to a display apparatus via a cable.

[Data structure of eco-content]
FIG. 9 is a data structure diagram schematically showing the data structure when the eco contents 82 are still images. As shown in FIG. 9, the eco content 82 is JPEG format data including a still image area 830 and an EXIF area 800.

  The still image area 830 is an area for compressing and storing the still image content 80 to be displayed. On the other hand, the EXIF area 800 is an area for storing meta information related to a still image stored in the still image area 830. The EXIF area 800 includes a manufacturer note area 810 that can be freely used by a manufacturer such as a digital camera.

  In order to display the content 80 stored in the still image area 830 on the display device in the low power consumption mode, the target power consumption is stored in the maker note area 810 in the present embodiment. More specifically, the eco-content generator 62 reserves a specific area (metadata area 820) in the maker note area 810 as an area for storing the target power consumption. Then, the eco-content generating unit 62 writes the value of the target power consumption 81 transmitted from the target power consumption determining unit 61 such as “target power consumption: 40 W” in the metadata area 820.

  When displaying the eco content 82, each display device such as the television receiver 100 can refer to the target power consumption 81 in the metadata area 820 and control the backlight unit 12 accordingly. That is, control for reducing the luminance of the backlight unit 12 is executed in order to achieve the target power consumption 81.

  Although an example in which the target power consumption is stored in the maker note area has been described here, the area for storing the target power consumption is not limited to the maker note area. The target power consumption may be stored in another application area or comment area. Further, the format of the eco contents 82 including the target power consumption is not limited to data in the JPEG format.

  The eco content generation unit 62 can generate the eco content 82 in any format. For example, the eco content generation unit 62 can associate the target power consumption with the content as structured data in XML format or CSV format. In addition, the eco content generation unit 62 can add target power consumption data to HTTP header information when distributing content such as a streaming video via a network. Further, when the content generation device is a device that broadcasts broadcast waves such as terrestrial digital, sanitary digital, and cable broadcast, the eco-content generation unit 62 outputs target power consumption data to the data broadcast accompanying the program broadcast wave. Can be added.

[About model information]
The content generation apparatus may further include a model information storage unit 70 in the storage unit 51, and the target power consumption determination unit 61 uses the model information stored in the model information storage unit 70 to embed the target in the content. The power consumption may be determined.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of model information stored in the model information storage unit 70. The model information is information on the display performance of the display device for each model of the display device. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the quality assurance minimum power value in each display device is stored in association with the model of the display device (here, a television receiver). The quality assurance minimum power value indicates the minimum power consumption required for the backlight unit 12 when content is displayed on the display device. That is, when the power consumption is lower than the quality assurance minimum power value, it means that the luminance of the backlight unit 12 is too low to guarantee the minimum quality for content reproduction. For example, in a television receiver manufactured by Company A and a model of LC-PA65S, power must be consumed at least 100 W for content display.

  When the content supply destination is known in advance, the target power consumption determination unit 61 determines the target power consumption so as not to fall below the quality assurance minimum power value according to the model of the supply destination. Thereby, in the display device that processes the eco content including the target power consumption, even if the target power consumption is achieved, it is possible to display the eco content while ensuring the minimum necessary quality.

  Alternatively, if it is not known to which model of the television receiver the content is supplied, the model information may be embedded in the content metadata area 820 (FIG. 9) with the table shown in FIG. The target power consumption determination unit 61 adds the model information table to the content using a data format such as XML or CSV. The display device that has received the eco-content refers to the table embedded therein and refers to the quality assurance minimum power value corresponding to the model of the device itself. Thereby, when controlling the backlight to achieve the target power consumption, the display device can maintain the quality by performing the control so as not to fall below the above-mentioned quality assurance minimum power value.

  In the model information, the quality assurance maximum power value may be associated with each model. The higher the luminance of the backlight unit 12, the better the reproduction quality of the content. If the luminance exceeds a certain level, improvement in quality cannot be expected. In other words, when the power consumption exceeds a certain level, the quality is not improved even when the luminance is increased, and power is wasted. Such a constant power consumption value is determined in advance as the quality assurance maximum power value.

  When the content supply destination is known in advance, the target power consumption determining unit 61 determines the target power consumption so as not to exceed the quality assurance maximum power value according to the model of the supply destination. Alternatively, the table shown in FIG. 10 may be included in the content as it is. As a result, if the backlight is controlled in order to achieve the target power consumption, the display device will not exceed the above-mentioned maximum quality assurance power value, and the quality can be maintained while further reducing unnecessary power consumption. .

  FIGS. 11A and 11B show the target power consumption based on the quality assurance minimum power value and the quality assurance maximum power value embedded in the eco content when the eco content is reproduced on the television receiver 100. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen for setting.

  In the display control unit 1 (6) of the television receiver 100, first, the target value acquisition unit 23 acquires a model information table embedded in the eco content 82. Then, the quality assurance minimum power value or the quality assurance minimum power value and the quality assurance maximum power value corresponding to the model of the device itself are acquired. The target value acquisition unit 23 displays the operation screen shown in FIG. 11A on the display unit 2 when only the “quality guaranteed minimum power value: 50 W” is associated with the model of the device itself. Accept user settings. Further, when “the quality assurance minimum power value: 50 W, the quality assurance maximum power value: 400 W”, for example, is associated with the model of the own device, the operation screen shown in FIG. To accept user settings. Further, the recommended target power consumption may be presented to the user in a specific wattage. As a result, the user can arbitrarily set the target power consumption within an appropriate range not less than the quality assurance minimum power value and not more than the quality assurance maximum power value.

  After the user sets the target power consumption, the value is acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23 via the setting reception unit 20, and thereafter, the backlight unit 12 is controlled according to the procedure already described.

[About lower brightness limit]
Returning to the description of the content generation apparatus in FIG. The content generation apparatus may further include a lower limit value setting unit 63 in the control unit 50 and a luminance lower limit value storage unit 71 in the storage unit 51.

  The lower limit setting unit 63 sets, for each content, a minimum luminance value necessary for the content to appear on the display device without a sense of incongruity, that is, a luminance lower limit.

  The luminance lower limit storage unit 71 stores the luminance lower limit of the content. The luminance lower limit value stored in the luminance lower limit storage unit 71 may be predetermined by the user of the content generation device for each content. Alternatively, the luminance lower limit value storage unit 71 may store the result of simulating the luminance and determining the minimum luminance value necessary for the content. The luminance simulation unit 64 for simulating luminance will be described later.

  First, the lower limit setting unit 63 sets the luminance lower limit value of the content to be generated based on the luminance value for each content stored in the luminance lower limit storage unit 71. Then, the eco content generation unit 62 associates the luminance lower limit value set by the lower limit value setting unit 63 with the content (embedded in the metadata area 820) together with the target power consumption determined by the target power consumption determination unit 61. Content 82 is generated.

  Accordingly, the display device that processes the eco content 82 can appropriately control the backlight unit 12 so as not to sacrifice the quality of the content with reference to the luminance lower limit value. For example, when the brightness of the backlight unit 12 is continuously lowered to achieve the target power consumption, but the power consumption cannot be suppressed even when the lower limit of brightness is reached, the display device switches to a method other than lowering the brightness. Thus, it is possible to execute control such as shifting to an operation for achieving the target power consumption. In this way, it is possible to avoid sacrificing the visibility of the content in order to achieve the target power consumption.

[About luminance simulation]
As described above, the content generation apparatus may include the brightness simulation unit 64 in the control unit 50. As a result, the user of the content generation device can arbitrarily arbitrarily specify the target power consumption value embedded in the eco content in advance.

  The brightness simulation unit 64 simulates the brightness of the backlight unit 12 in the display device for each model, and how the content is viewed when the content is displayed on the display device with the simulated brightness. This is reproduced on the display unit 53.

  The user confirms the visibility of the content reproduced on the display unit 53, and determines the limit at which reasonable visibility can be obtained while gradually reducing the simulated luminance. By operating the operation unit 52 (for example, by pressing an OK button), the brightness simulation unit 64 is notified of this. The luminance simulation unit 64 stores the luminance simulated at the time point instructed by the user in the luminance lower limit value storage unit 71 as the luminance lower limit value. Thereby, the eco-content generating unit 62 can embed a lower limit luminance value arbitrarily designated by the user in the content.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the lower limit value is considered for the luminance of the backlight unit 12 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the display size of the content is reduced, the lower limit value of the display size or the limit of the reduction rate The backlight unit 12 may be controlled in consideration of the value.

  The luminance simulation unit 64 reproduces content on the display unit 53 with the luminance simulated based on predetermined estimated power consumption in the display device, and displays the estimated power consumption at that time on the display unit 53. May be. FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating an example of an operation screen for the user to specify the target power consumption by simulating luminance.

  As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the luminance simulation unit 64 of the content generation device reproduces the state of the content displayed on the display device with the simulated luminance on the display unit 53 (still image P). ). Then, together with the still image P, the estimated power consumption necessary for displaying the still image P on the display device is displayed. When the user confirms the appropriate visibility of the still image P and the appropriate value of the estimated power consumption, the user sets the target power consumption determining unit 61 to embed the estimated power consumption in the content as the target power consumption. Can be instructed. Specifically, the user inputs a target power consumption 81 signal to the target power consumption determination unit 61 using the operation unit 52. When receiving an instruction to embed target power consumption, the target power consumption determining unit 61 transmits the value of the target power consumption to the eco-content generating unit 62.

  According to the configuration of the content generation device, the user of the content generation device can generate eco content in which an arbitrary target power consumption is embedded.

  Next, the flow of backlight control processing of the television receiver 100 (digital photo frame 101) that displays the eco content while processing the eco content 82 generated as described above to achieve the target power consumption will be described. To do. In the following description, it is assumed that the eco content 82 is still image content having the EXIF area 800, and that the target power consumption and the luminance lower limit value are embedded in the metadata area 820, the flow of the backlight control processing will be described. To do. Further, the flow of the backlight control process will be described on the assumption that the television receiver 100 equipped with the display control unit 6 shown in FIG.

[Backlight control processing flow]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of backlight control processing performed by the display control unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When an operation for displaying a still image is started in the television receiver 100, as shown in FIG. 13, the display target acquisition unit 21 receives a still image (eco content 82 in FIG. 9) from the content storage unit 40 as a display target. ) Is acquired (S201). The power consumption estimation unit 22 is based on the pixel value of the still image acquired by the display target acquisition unit 21 and the luminance of the backlight unit 12 necessary for displaying the still image in the normal mode. The estimated power consumption is calculated (S202).

  On the other hand, the target value acquisition unit 23 acquires target power consumption to be achieved when the still image is displayed. Specifically, the target value acquisition unit 23 refers to the eco content setting field (FIG. 3B) in the setting information storage unit 41. If the value of the field is “ON” (YES in S203), if the target power consumption is embedded in the EXIF area of the still image (YES in S204), the target value acquisition unit 23 determines the target consumption from there. Power is acquired (S205). Alternatively, when the value of the eco content setting field is “OFF” (NO in S203) or when the target power consumption is not embedded in the EXIF area (NO in S204), the target value acquisition unit 23 sets the setting information A fixed target power consumption is acquired from the power consumption setting field of the storage unit 41 (S206).

  Next, the power consumption comparison unit 24 compares the estimated power consumption calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 with the target power consumption acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23. When the estimated power consumption has already achieved the target power consumption (NO in S207), the backlight control unit 27 performs the backlight unit 12 with the brightness at the time of the initial estimation, as in S105 and after shown in FIG. Is controlled.

  On the other hand, if the estimated power consumption does not achieve the target power consumption (YES in S207), the process proceeds to the luminance reduction rate calculation step and the display size reduction rate calculation step for achieving the target power consumption after S208. .

  First, the brightness simulating unit 25 acquires the brightness lower limit value embedded in the EXIF area of the still image acquired by the display target acquiring unit 21 (S208). The luminance simulation unit 25 reduces the luminance so as not to fall below the luminance lower limit value (S209). Subsequently, the power consumption estimation unit 22 recalculates the estimated power consumption based on the luminance simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25 (S210).

  The power consumption comparison unit 24 determines whether or not the estimated power consumption in S210 is equal to or lower than the target power consumption (S211). When the power consumption comparing unit 24 determines that the target has been achieved (YES in S211), the luminance simulating unit 25 calculates the luminance reduction rate based on the current simulated luminance, as a luminance information output unit. 26. The luminance information output unit 26 outputs the luminance information obtained based on the luminance reduction rate to the backlight control unit 27 (S212). The backlight control unit 27 controls the backlight unit 12 according to the luminance information (S213).

  On the other hand, when the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the target power consumption has not been achieved (NO in S211), the luminance simulation unit 25 determines whether or not the current simulated luminance is equal to or lower than the luminance lower limit value. Is determined (S214).

  If the current simulated luminance exceeds the luminance lower limit value (NO in S214), the luminance simulating unit 25 determines that there is still room for simulation to lower the luminance, and after S209 Repeat the simulation. On the other hand, if the current simulated brightness is equal to or lower than the brightness lower limit (YES in S214), the process proceeds to a display size reduction rate calculation step after S215.

  Simulated brightness ≤ brightness lower limit means that the brightness that has been lowered by the simulation has reached the brightness lower limit, and lowering the brightness further impairs the visibility of the content to reduce power consumption. It means to end up. Therefore, the display control unit 6 switches to control that achieves the target power consumption by a method other than lowering the luminance if the target power consumption cannot be achieved even after the luminance is lowered to the limit. Here, as an example, power consumption is suppressed by reducing the display size of the still image and increasing the extinguishing area of the backlight unit 12.

  First, the power consumption estimation unit 22 acquires the estimated power consumption and the simulated luminance at the time when YES is determined in S214 (S215). Next, the display size simulating unit 28 simulates a still image obtained by reducing the current still image display size acquired by the display target acquiring unit 21 by a predetermined percentage (S216).

  Next, the power consumption estimation unit 22 calculates the estimated power consumption when the still image is reduced and displayed with the simulated size (S217). Specifically, the estimated power consumption of the backlight unit 12 of the display device when the still image is displayed with the simulated brightness acquired at S215 and the display size simulated at S216. Similarly, the calculation is recalculated from the estimated power consumption acquired in S215. Then, the power consumption comparison unit 24 compares the newly calculated estimated power consumption with the target power consumption (S218).

  Here, when the estimated power consumption calculated again does not yet reach the target power consumption (NO in S218), the display size simulator 28 further reduces the still image, and the power consumption estimator 22 estimates. Repeat the step of recalculating power consumption. On the contrary, when the estimated power consumption calculated again reaches the target power consumption (YES in S218), the display size simulation unit 28 reduces the still image based on the currently simulated display size. The rate is transmitted to the unlit area output unit 29 (S219). When the display size simulating unit 28 also simulates the display position of the still image, the display position (such as coordinate information) of the still image may be transmitted to the unlit area output unit 29 together. Based on the still image reduction rate (and display position) acquired from the display size simulation unit 28, the unlit region output unit 29 identifies a region where nothing is displayed on the display unit 2 of the display device, that is, the unlit region. (S220). Then, the unlit area output unit 29 outputs the unlit area information to the backlight control unit 27.

  The backlight control unit 27 controls the backlight unit 12 based on the luminance information simulated by the luminance simulation unit 25 and the display size simulated by the display size simulation unit 28 (S213).

  According to the above method, the display device can control the backlight unit 12 according to the target power consumption set according to the eco content. That is, the eco content can be displayed while maintaining the power consumption so as not to exceed the target power consumption. The user can be aware of the use of content that contributes to energy saving from the recognition that the eco-content set with the target power consumption is displayed. Further, the display control unit 1 (6) of the display device may display information on the target power consumption during content display on the display unit 2 in order to make the target power consumption achieved more conscious by the user. In the example shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the display control unit 1 (6) indicates in which display mode the content is displayed, how much power consumption is suppressed, or during display. Information 140a (140b) such as whether the content is eco-friendly or not is displayed along with the content.

  Further, according to the above method, the eco-content has a luminance lower limit value that is defined by the content producer and guarantees the minimum quality, so that the display device does not fall below the luminance lower limit value. The backlight unit 12 can be controlled. In other words, if the target power consumption is not reached even when the brightness is lowered to the brightness lower limit value, instead of further reducing the brightness, the target consumption is reduced by reducing the display size of the eco content and increasing the unlit area of the backlight unit 12. Achieve power. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the target power consumption without sacrificing the visibility of the eco content.

  In addition, the control method of the backlight unit 12 of the present invention is not limited to the above. A lower limit value is provided for the display size, and the power consumption may be reduced by controlling the luminance to be reduced after the display size is reduced. As described above, the arbitrating unit 30 reduces the luminance and the display size. The power consumption may be reduced by adjusting at what ratio.

  The display device of the present invention can control the backlight unit 12 according to the target power consumption when displaying not only still image eco-content but also moving image eco-content.

  The moving image is a content composed of a plurality of frames, that is, a plurality of still images. Here, if the luminance and the reduction ratio are changed for each still image, the moving image is composed of a plurality of frames having different brightness and display size, and the situation is very difficult to see during reproduction. Therefore, when displaying the eco content of a video, it is assumed that the video always has the maximum brightness (the video is entirely white), and the target power consumption is exceeded even when such video is played. Each of the brightness simulating unit 25 and the display size simulating unit 28 determines the brightness and the display size.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the display control device of the present invention has been described as controlling the power consumption of the backlight of a display device including a backlight. However, the display control device of the present invention is not limited to this. In a display device including a self-luminous display panel, a display control device that controls the luminance of the panel is also included in the scope of the present invention. In this case, instead of the backlight control unit 27, the display control unit 1 includes a luminance control unit (luminance control means) that controls the luminance of the self-luminous display panel as a whole or for each arbitrary region. The luminance control unit controls the luminance of the self-luminous display panel to reach the target power consumption by reducing the luminance of the self-luminous display panel based on the luminance reduction rate simulated by the luminance simulator 25. .

<< Embodiment 4 >>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the power consumption of the television receiver 100 is reduced by the two power reduction tools applied to the display device has been described. The two power reduction tools, namely, the first is a configuration that reduces power consumption by controlling the brightness of the backlight, and the second is the display size of content (still images, videos, etc.). By reducing the size, the area for turning off the backlight is increased, thereby reducing power consumption.

  In the above-described embodiment, when there are a plurality of power reduction tools for achieving the target power consumption, the arbitration unit 30 of the television receiver 100 adjusts the ratio of applying each power reduction tool. In this embodiment, priority is given to each power reduction tool and the order of application is controlled. This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of TV receiver]
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a television receiver 100 as a display control device and / or a content processing device in another embodiment of the present invention. The television receiver 100 of this embodiment is different from the configuration of the television receiver 100 shown in FIG. 2 in that the control unit 10 further includes at least a reduction tool selection unit 9. As shown in FIG. 15, the setting reception unit 20, the target value acquisition unit 23, and the arbitration unit 30 included in the display control unit 1 (6) illustrated in FIG. 1 or 6 may be configured as included in the control unit 10. Good. Further, a video signal processing unit 18 and an audio signal processing unit 19 for processing the content acquired by the content acquisition unit 5 may be provided. As a result, not only a still image but also a moving image and / or content including sound is output.

  The reference numerals assigned to the constituent elements in FIG. 15 correspond to the reference numerals assigned to the constituent elements in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, and the same reference numerals indicate the same constituent elements. Therefore, the same description is not given about the component already demonstrated by each above-mentioned embodiment, and a different point is demonstrated.

  When the television receiver 100 includes a plurality of power reduction tools, the reduction tool selection unit 9 selects a power reduction tool to be applied to achieve the target power consumption based on the priority information associated with each tool. To do. The priority order information is information for designating the order of operation for each power reduction tool.

  For example, it is assumed that a user who often watches a movie on the television receiver 100 desires to always watch movie content on a large screen and considers it not desirable to sacrifice display size. In such a case, priority order information is set so that tools other than the power reduction tool for reducing the display size are preferentially applied. Specifically, it is assumed that “first place” is associated with “luminance reduction” and “second place” is associated with “display size reduction” as priority order information. In this case, the reduction tool selection unit 9 first instructs the display control unit 6 to achieve the target power consumption by the luminance reduction according to the priority order information, and the target power consumption cannot be achieved only by the luminance reduction. In this case, next, the display control unit 6 is instructed to execute display size reduction.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that a user who often appreciates a photograph taken with a digital camera or the like on the television receiver 100 wants to display it neatly in a bright room even if the display size is not full. In such a case, “first place” is set for “display size reduction”. Thereby, the reduction tool selection unit 9 can first instruct the display control unit 6 to achieve the target power consumption by reducing the display size.

[About priority information]
The reduction tool selection unit 9 refers to the priority order information stored as part of the setting information in the setting information storage unit 41, or displays the priority order information associated with the content stored in the content storage unit 40. Or get it.

  The priority order information is set for each power reduction tool by the following method.

  FIG. 16A is a data structure diagram schematically showing the data structure when the eco contents 82 are still images. The eco-content 82 shown in FIG. 16A differs from that shown in FIG. 9 in that the metadata area 820 of the EXIF area 800 further includes priority information 83. If the mediation unit 30 is provided on the content processing side (the television receiver 100), in addition to or instead of the priority order information 83, as shown in FIG. The distribution ratio information 84 may be embedded in the metadata area 820.

  FIG. 16A shows an example in which “first place” is associated with “display size reduction” and “second place” is associated with “luminance reduction” in the priority information 83. In addition, when there are other low-priority power reduction tools, “3rd place”, “4th place”, etc. may be associated with priority order information. Note that the priority order is such that the content providing side (such as the content server 200 in FIGS. 7 and 8) has the least effect on the content depending on the content and the purpose of viewing. Thus, it may be determined appropriately in consideration of the characteristics of the power reduction tool.

  In the present embodiment, it is further assumed that a lower limit is provided for each power reduction tool. In order to save power consumption by the power reduction tool, the lower limit value is set to the minimum value necessary to keep the quality at a minimum so that even if the quality of the output content is reduced, the user can perceive it comfortably. Show. For example, as the size lower limit value, the minimum value (how many pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions × how many pixels) at which the content can be displayed is associated with “reduction in display size”. The lower limit value is desirably set to a value at which the power consumption reduction effect is most obtained within a range in which the eco-content 82 is output in a beautiful state with a constant image quality.

  The lower limit value is embedded in the priority order information 83 by the method already described, for example, by the content generation apparatus (content server 200) shown in FIG.

  Alternatively, the priority order information 83 may be set appropriately by the user according to his / her own usage tendency.

  FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen for the user to set the display mode, and FIG. 17B is a diagram illustrating a specific example of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 41. It is. Compared with the operation screen shown in FIG. 3A, in the operation screen shown in FIG. 17A, the priority order of each power reduction tool is set instead of the menu for setting the application ratio of each power reduction tool. Menu is displayed. The user can specify the order of application he / she wants for “brightness (reduction)”, “display size (reduction)”, and any other power reduction tool.

  For example, when the user does not want to realize the low power consumption mode by reducing the luminance, as shown in FIG. 17A, the order of the power reduction tool “display size” is given priority over the “luminance”. be able to.

  The changed priority information input from the operation unit 4 (FIG. 15) is received via the setting receiving unit 20 (FIG. 15) and stored in the setting information storage unit 41. As shown in FIG. 17B, each power reduction tool is stored in association with the priority order designated by the user.

  Thereby, when the television receiver 100 includes a plurality of power reduction tools, the power reduction tool to be preferentially applied in order to achieve the target power consumption is selected and applied in consideration of the content and purpose. It is possible to control the order.

<< Embodiment 5 >>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the target power consumption is achieved by applying one or more power reduction tools to the display unit 2 (display device) included in the television receiver 100 (content processing device) has been described.

  However, the content processing apparatus of the present invention includes various processing units for processing the content in addition to the display device (the backlight unit), and each of them consumes power to output the content. And is working. Therefore, if the power consumption of the processing units other than the backlight unit 12 can be controlled based on the target power consumption, it is possible to obtain a power consumption reduction effect that is the same as or more than the above-described embodiments. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration for reducing power consumption in the display control units 1 and 6 is applied to the video signal processing unit 18 and the audio signal processing unit 19 of the television receiver 100 shown in FIG. explain.

  The code | symbol attached | subjected to each component of FIGS. 18-20 respond | corresponds to the code | symbol attached | subjected to each component of FIG.1, 2,6 and 15 and the same code | symbol has shown the same component. Therefore, the same description is not given about the component already demonstrated by each above-mentioned embodiment, and a different point is demonstrated.

[Reduce the load on the video processing unit]
As already described, the television receiver 100 includes the video signal processing unit 18 and receives various videos (broadcast program data, video data published on the web, etc.) acquired via the content acquisition unit 5. Output and play content.

  A moving image is a collection of a huge amount of still images and has a very large data size. Therefore, the CPU and GPU (graphics processing unit) constituting the moving image handling control unit 10 and the display control unit 6 are always loaded when handling moving images. The power is consumed according to the size of this load.

  Therefore, power consumption can be reduced by controlling and reducing the load on the moving picture arithmetic unit. Hereinafter, the configuration of the power reduction tool (“moving image load reduction”) for reducing the load on the moving image calculation unit will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the video signal processing unit 18 included in the television receiver 100 according to the present embodiment. The video signal processing unit 18 processes a video signal included in the moving image content.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the video signal processing unit 18 includes a display target acquisition unit 21, a power consumption estimation unit 22, a power consumption comparison unit 24, a frame rate simulation unit 31, and a frame rate conversion unit 32 in detail. It is configured to be equipped.

  Here, the display target acquisition unit 21 acquires the content to be processed from the content storage unit 40 when the power reduction tool “moving image load reduction” is selected by the reduction tool selection unit 9. Alternatively, when other processing is applied to the content by another power reduction tool, the temporary storage unit (not shown) is in the process of temporarily storing the content according to the instruction to the reduction tool selection unit 9 Content may be acquired.

  The frame rate simulating unit 31 virtually reproduces a state in which the original frame rate of the content acquired by the display target acquiring unit 21 is reduced by a predetermined ratio, and the simulated frame rate is sent to the power consumption estimating unit 22. To be sent.

  Here, the power consumption estimation unit 22 estimates the power consumption of the moving image calculation unit when the acquired content is reproduced at the original frame rate or the frame rate simulated by the frame rate simulation unit 31. . The correspondence relationship between the frame rate and the power consumption of the moving image calculation unit varies depending on the specifications of the moving image calculation unit. Therefore, the power consumption estimation unit 22 may read a correspondence table, a graph, or the like prepared according to the specifications of the moving image calculation unit (CPU, GPU, etc.) mounted on the television receiver 100 from the storage unit 3. An equation prepared in accordance with the specification may be held so that the estimated power consumption can be calculated from the frame rate.

  In addition, when the power consumption estimation unit 22 obtains the value of power consumption currently achieved by another power reduction tool from the outside (such as the reduction tool selection unit 9), based on the value, The final estimated power consumption may be summed up in consideration of the calculated power consumption of the moving image calculation unit.

  As long as the target power consumption is not achieved as a result of the comparison of the estimated power consumption (W) calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 and the target power consumption (W) acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23, the power consumption comparison unit 24 The frame rate simulating unit 31 continues to reduce the frame rate. However, in the present embodiment, the frame rate simulation unit 31 simulates the frame rate within a range that does not fall below the frame rate lower limit value provided for the power reduction tool “moving image load reduction”. If the target power consumption cannot be achieved even when the lower limit is reached, the power consumption comparison unit 24 and the frame rate simulation unit 31 calculate the reduced power consumption and the simulated frame rate at that time. You may feed back to the reduction tool selection part 9.

  When the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the target power consumption has been achieved, the frame rate simulation unit 31 notifies the frame rate conversion unit 32 of the value of the frame rate simulated at that time.

  The frame rate conversion unit 32 supplies the moving image with the frame rate lowered to the display control unit 6 so that the moving image is reproduced based on the frame rate notified from the frame rate simulating unit 31. A movie with a reduced frame rate means that frames that are determined not to be processed at a predetermined rate are deleted (that is, frames are thinned out), and the data size is reduced compared to the original movie. It is a video that was made.

  The video signal of the moving image reduced in weight by the frame rate conversion unit 32 is processed by the display control unit 6 and output to the liquid crystal module 11 so as to be visually recognized by the user as an image.

  When the moving image is reduced in weight, the load on the moving image calculation unit such as the display control unit 6 is reduced, and the power consumption is reduced accordingly. As described above, the power reduction tool “moving image load reduction” can realize reduction of power consumption in the content processing apparatus.

[Volume reduction of audio output unit]
The television receiver 100 includes an audio signal processing unit 19 and an audio output unit 17 as shown in FIG. The audio signal processing unit 19 processes the audio data included in the moving image content or the audio signal of only the audio data acquired through the content acquisition unit 5, and the audio output unit 17 receives the audio signal from the user. Is output as audible sound.

  At this time, each part of the audio output unit 17 consumes power according to the volume of the sound to be output. Specifically, in the attenuation unit 17a that attenuates the sound pressure level of the audio signal input from the audio signal processing unit 19, if the sound pressure level output to the amplification unit 17b is not lowered, the power consumption in the amplification unit 17b is reduced. Become the maximum. In addition, the power consumption of the amplification unit 17b increases as the gain increases in the amplification unit 17b.

  That is, the power consumption of the content processing apparatus can be reduced by controlling and reducing the volume processed by the audio output unit. Hereinafter, the configuration of the power reduction tool (“volume reduction”) for reducing the volume processed by the audio output unit 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the audio signal processing unit 19 included in the television receiver 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the audio signal processing unit 19 includes, in detail, a processing target acquisition unit 21a, a power consumption estimation unit 22, a power consumption comparison unit 24, a sound pressure level simulation unit 33, a gain simulation unit 34, and The audio output control unit 35 is provided.

  The processing target acquisition unit 21 a acquires content to be processed from the content storage unit 40 when the power reduction tool “volume reduction” is selected by the reduction tool selection unit 9. Alternatively, when other processing is applied to the content by another power reduction tool, the temporary storage unit (not shown) is in the process of temporarily storing the content according to the instruction to the reduction tool selection unit 9 Content may be acquired.

  The sound pressure level simulating unit 33 virtually reproduces a state in which the sound pressure level in the audio signal included in the content acquired by the processing target acquiring unit 21a is lowered at a predetermined rate, and the simulated sound pressure level is obtained. This is transmitted to the power consumption estimation unit 22.

  The gain simulating unit 34 virtually reproduces the gain when the amplifying unit 17b amplifies the sound pressure level of the input audio signal, and transmits the simulated gain to the power consumption estimating unit 22.

  Here, the power consumption estimation unit 22 estimates the power consumption of the audio output unit 17 when the audio output unit 17 processes the acquired audio signal of the content with the currently set sound pressure level and gain. . Alternatively, the power consumption of the sound output unit 17 when the sound signal is processed with the sound pressure level simulated by the sound pressure level simulating unit 33 and the gain simulated by the gain simulating unit 34 is estimated. . In addition, when the power consumption estimation unit 22 acquires the value of power consumption currently achieved by another power reduction tool from the outside (such as the reduction tool selection unit 9), based on the value, The final estimated power consumption may be obtained by adding the calculated power consumption of the audio output unit 17.

  When power consumption is reduced by controlling the sound pressure level, the power consumption comparison unit 24 calculates the estimated power consumption (W) calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 and the target power consumption ( As a result of comparison with (W), unless the target power consumption is achieved, the sound pressure level simulator 33 continuously simulates the attenuation of the sound pressure level. However, in the present embodiment, the sound pressure level is simulated within a range that does not fall below the lower limit value of the sound pressure level provided for the power reduction tool “volume reduction”. If the target power consumption cannot be achieved even when the lower limit value is reached, the power consumption comparison unit 24 and the sound pressure level simulation unit 33 are able to reduce the power consumption that has not been achieved but has been reduced. The simulated sound pressure level may be fed back to the reduction tool selection unit 9.

  When the power consumption is reduced by controlling the gain, the gain simulating unit 34 simulates a decrease in gain. As in the case of the sound pressure level, the simulation of gain is performed by the power consumption comparison unit 24 using the estimated power consumption (W) calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 and the target power consumption ( As a result of comparison with (W), the operation is continued until the target power consumption is achieved. However, in the present embodiment, the gain is simulated within a range that does not fall below the gain lower limit value provided for the power reduction tool “volume reduction”. When the target power consumption cannot be achieved even when the lower limit value is reached, the power consumption comparison unit 24 and the gain simulation unit 34 reduce the power consumption that has not been achieved but has been reduced and the simulation at that time. The gain obtained may be fed back to the reduction tool selection unit 9.

  In order to realize the power reduction tool “volume reduction”, only the sound pressure level may be controlled, only the gain may be controlled, or both may be controlled in combination.

  When the power consumption comparing unit 24 determines that the target power consumption has been achieved, the sound pressure level simulating unit 33 indicates the attenuation rate of the sound pressure level simulated at that time, and the gain simulating unit 34 determines at that time. The simulated gain is notified to the audio output control unit 35.

  The audio output control unit 35 controls each unit of the audio output unit 17 so that the volume is controlled based on the sound pressure level attenuation rate (gain) notified from each simulation unit.

  The audio output control unit 35 controls the attenuation unit 17a and attenuates the sound pressure level of the audio signal input to the attenuation unit 17a based on the sound pressure level attenuation rate notified from the sound pressure level simulation unit 33. . Furthermore, the audio output control unit 35 controls the amplifying unit 17b to amplify the attenuated audio signal with the gain notified from the gain simulating unit 34. The audio signal output from the amplifying unit 17b is output as sound from the audio output unit 17c realized by a speaker in a state where the sound volume is limited as a result.

  As described above, the power consumed by the audio output unit 17 is reduced by reducing the sound pressure level and / or gain of the audio signal processed by the audio output unit 17. As described above, the power reduction tool “volume reduction” can realize reduction of power consumption in the content processing apparatus.

  FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the display control unit 6 included in the television receiver 100 according to the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the display target acquisition unit 21 retrieves content to be processed from the content storage unit 40 when the power reduction tool “luminance reduction” or “display size reduction” is selected by the reduction tool selection unit 9. get. Alternatively, when other processing is applied to the content by another power reduction tool, the temporary storage unit (not shown) is in the process of temporarily storing the content according to the instruction to the reduction tool selection unit 9 Content may be acquired. Further, the display target acquisition unit 21 acquires the video signal to be processed when it is processed by the video signal processing unit 18. The display target acquisition unit 21 outputs the acquired video signal of the content (still image, moving image) to the liquid crystal module 11 via a frame buffer (not shown).

  The power consumption estimation unit 22 estimates the power consumption of the backlight unit 12 as in the above-described embodiments. However, in the present embodiment, when the power consumption estimation unit 22 obtains the power consumption value currently achieved by another power reduction tool from the outside (such as the reduction tool selection unit 9), Based on the value, the final estimated power consumption may be obtained by adding the power consumption of the obtained audio output unit 17.

  As long as the target power consumption is not achieved as a result of the comparison of the estimated power consumption (W) calculated by the power consumption estimation unit 22 and the target power consumption (W) acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23, the power consumption comparison unit 24 The brightness simulating unit 25 (display size simulating unit 28) continuously simulates the backlight luminance and the unlit area. However, in the present embodiment, the simulation is performed in a range that does not fall below the lower limit of luminance (size lower limit) provided for the power reduction tools “luminance reduction” and “display size”. When the target power consumption cannot be achieved even when the lower limit is reached, the power consumption comparison unit 24 and each simulation unit (25, 28) The simulated brightness (display size (light-out area)) at that time may be fed back to the reduction tool selection unit 9.

  According to the above configuration, power reduction tools such as “luminance reduction” and “display size reduction” can be applied to the backlight unit 12, and “video load reduction” can be applied to the video computation unit. A power reduction tool can be applied, and a “volume reduction” power reduction tool can be applied to the audio output unit 17.

  In this way, by expanding the range of options for the power reduction tool, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the content processing device for content processing without significantly reducing the content quality to one characteristic. It becomes.

[Content processing flow]
The eco-content processing flow in the television receiver 100 (content processing apparatus) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, as an example, when the television receiver 100 processes the moving image content acquired via the communication unit 15, the moving image content includes priority information 83 for the four power reduction tools described above. Is included.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the television receiver 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When the operation of reproducing the moving image acquired from the content server 200 via the Internet 7 (FIG. 7) is started in the television receiver 100, the control unit 10 displays the content of the moving image to be processed as shown in FIG. Is acquired from the content storage unit 40 (S301).

  More specifically, first, the target value acquisition unit 23 acquires target power consumption to be achieved when the moving image is displayed. Specifically, the target value acquisition unit 23 refers to the eco content setting field (FIG. 3B) in the setting information storage unit 41. When the value of the field is “ON” (YES in S302) and the target power consumption is embedded in the moving image content (YES in S303), the target value acquisition unit 23 adds the content to the content. The embedded target power consumption is acquired (S304). Alternatively, when the value of the eco content setting field is “OFF” (NO in S302) or the target power consumption is not embedded in the content (NO in S303), the target value acquisition unit 23 stores the setting information. The target power consumption of a fixed value is acquired from the power consumption setting field of the unit 41 (S305).

  Next, the reduction tool selection unit 9 determines whether it is necessary to apply the power reduction tool to achieve the target power consumption. Specifically, by controlling each unit (the display control unit 6, the video signal processing unit 18, and the audio signal processing unit 19) that processes the content, the target value acquisition unit 23 acquires the target acquired by the power consumption comparison unit 24. The power consumption is compared with the estimated power consumption obtained from the power consumption estimation unit 22 of each unit (S306).

  If the estimated power consumption has already achieved the target power consumption (NO in S306), the current luminance, display size, frame rate, and volume are maintained and the content is output.

  Conversely, when the target power consumption is not achieved (YES in S306), the reduction tool selection unit 9 determines that it is necessary to apply the power reduction tool, and proceeds to the step of selecting the power reduction tool.

  If the priority order information 83 is not included in the content (NO in S307), the reduction tool selection unit 9 reduces power in the default order (or in the order specified by the user in advance as shown in FIG. 17B). Each part is controlled so that the tool is applied (for example, S208 and after in FIG. 13 are executed).

On the other hand, when the priority information 83 is embedded in the content, the priority of each power reduction tool and the lower limit value included in the priority information 83 are acquired (S308). Here, as an example, the priority information 83 is
1st-Volume reduction (Sound pressure level lower limit)
2nd-Reduced brightness (lower brightness limit)
3rd place-display size reduction (size lower limit)
4th-Movie load reduction (frame rate lower limit)
Suppose that

  In the above example, the reduction tool selection unit 9 determines that the power reduction tool with the highest priority is “volume reduction” (3 in S309, B in S315). First, the current estimated power consumption and the target power consumption are notified to the audio signal processing unit 19, and an instruction to reduce the power consumption is given.

  In accordance with the instruction of the reduction tool selection unit 9, each unit of the audio signal processing unit 19 performs a sound volume reduction process (S317). The audio signal processing unit 19 feeds back to the reduction tool selection unit 9 information on whether the target has been achieved or not achieved and the latest estimated power consumption achieved by the volume reduction processing as the result of the volume reduction processing.

  Here, when the target power consumption is not achieved (NO in S311), if there is still an unexecuted power reduction tool (YES in S312), the reduction tool selection unit 9 includes the unexecuted power reduction tools. Select the power reduction tool with the highest priority. In the above example, “luminance reduction” is determined (2 in S309). Then, the latest estimated power consumption and the target power consumption are notified to the display control unit 6 to instruct a reduction in power consumption.

  In accordance with the instruction of the reduction tool selection unit 9, each unit of the display control unit 6 executes a luminance reduction process (S314). From the display control unit 6, information on whether the target has been achieved or not achieved and the latest estimated power consumption realized by the luminance reduction process are fed back to the reduction tool selection unit 9 as the execution result of the luminance reduction process.

  Here, when the target power consumption is not achieved (NO in S311), if there is still an unexecuted power reduction tool (YES in S312), the reduction tool selection unit 9 includes the unexecuted power reduction tools. Select the power reduction tool with the highest priority. In the above example, it is determined that the display size is reduced (1 in S309). Then, the latest estimated power consumption and the target power consumption are notified to the display control unit 6 to instruct a reduction in power consumption.

  In accordance with the instruction of the reduction tool selection unit 9, each unit of the display control unit 6 executes a display size reduction process (S310). The display control unit 6 feeds back information on achievement or non-achievement of the target and the latest estimated power consumption realized by the display size reduction process to the reduction tool selection unit 9 as the execution result of the display size reduction process. .

  Here, when the target power consumption is not achieved (NO in S311), if there is still an unexecuted power reduction tool (YES in S312), the reduction tool selection unit 9 includes the unexecuted power reduction tools. Select the power reduction tool with the highest priority. In the above example, it is determined that “moving image load is reduced” (3 in S309, A in S315). Then, the latest estimated power consumption and the target power consumption are notified to the video signal processing unit 18 to instruct the reduction of the power consumption.

  In accordance with the instruction of the reduction tool selection unit 9, each unit of the video signal processing unit 18 executes a load reduction process (S316). From the video signal processing unit 18, information on whether the target has been achieved or not achieved and the latest estimated power consumption realized by the load reduction processing are fed back to the reduction tool selection unit 9 as the execution result of the load reduction processing.

  Here, when the target power consumption is achieved (YES in S311), the reduction tool selection unit 9 determines that no more power reduction tools need be applied. Here, the display control unit 6, the video signal processing unit 18, and the audio signal processing unit 19 are based on the latest simulation results, and each processing unit (backlight unit 12, moving image calculation) that is a control target is controlled. The unit and the audio output unit 17) are controlled to reproduce the moving image content (S313).

  If the target power consumption is not achieved even when all the power reduction tools are applied (NO in S311 and NO in S312), a message is sent to the user notifying that the target power consumption has not been achieved. May be displayed. For example, it may be possible to display a message such as "Target power consumption could not be achieved. Further power savings are not recommended because it affects content playback." Further, along with the above message, “Do you want to display the content? (1) Cancel the eco-content setting and play it, (2) Play it with power consumption reduced as much as possible, (3) Play it. A dialog message including an option such as “Cancel” may be displayed to allow the user to select how to handle the content.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the flow of luminance reduction processing of the display control unit 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The luminance reduction process shown in FIG. 22 shows in detail the flow of the luminance reduction process of S314 shown in FIG.

  The brightness simulating unit 25 of the display control unit 6 shown in FIG. 20 acquires the brightness lower limit value from the priority order information 83 (S401). And the power consumption estimation part 22 acquires the newest present estimated power consumption from the reduction tool selection part 9 (S402).

  The luminance simulation unit 25 and the power consumption estimation unit 22 continue the backlight luminance simulation and the calculation of the estimated power consumption until the luminance lower limit value is reached or the target power consumption is achieved. Since this processing flow is almost the same as the description of FIGS. 4 and 13, the description thereof is omitted here.

  When the target power consumption is achieved (YES in S405), the power consumption comparison unit 24 notifies the reduction tool selection unit 9 to that effect (S406). Here, the backlight control unit 27 may control the luminance of the backlight unit 12 in accordance with instructions from the luminance simulation unit 25 and the luminance information output unit 26.

  On the other hand, if the simulated luminance value reaches the luminance lower limit value before the target power consumption is achieved (NO in S405, NO in S407), the power consumption comparison unit 24 indicates that the target has not been achieved. To the reduction tool selection unit 9, and the power consumption estimation unit 22 feeds back the latest estimated power consumption achieved at the present time to the reduction tool selection unit 9 (S408).

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a flow of display size reduction processing of the display control unit 6 in one embodiment of the present invention. The display size process shown in FIG. 23 shows the flow of the display size reduction process in S310 shown in FIG. 21 in detail.

  The display size simulation unit 28 of the display control unit 6 shown in FIG. 20 acquires the size lower limit value from the priority order information 83 (S501). Then, the power consumption estimation unit 22 acquires the latest estimated power consumption of the current status from the reduction tool selection unit 9 (S502).

  The display size simulation unit 28 and the power consumption estimation unit 22 simulate the backlight extinction region until the display size of the simulated content reaches the size lower limit value or until the target power consumption is achieved. Continue to calculate estimated power consumption. Since this processing flow is almost the same as the description of FIGS. 4 and 13, the description thereof is omitted here.

  When the target power consumption is achieved (YES in S505), the power consumption comparison unit 24 notifies the reduction tool selection unit 9 to that effect (S506). Here, the backlight control unit 27 may control the backlight unit 12 in accordance with instructions from the display size simulation unit 28 and the unlit area output unit 29.

  On the other hand, if the simulated display size has reached the size lower limit before the target power consumption is achieved (NO in S505, NO in S507), the power consumption comparison unit 24 indicates that the target has not been achieved. To the reduction tool selection unit 9, and the power consumption estimation unit 22 feeds back the latest estimated power consumption achieved at the present time to the reduction tool selection unit 9 (S508).

  FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the flow of load reduction processing of the video signal processing unit 18 in one embodiment of the present invention. The load reduction process shown in FIG. 24 shows the flow of the load reduction process of S316 shown in FIG. 21 in detail.

  The frame rate simulation unit 31 of the video signal processing unit 18 illustrated in FIG. 18 acquires the frame rate lower limit value from the priority order information 83 (S601). And the power consumption estimation part 22 acquires the newest estimated power consumption of the present condition from the reduction tool selection part 9 (S602).

  The frame rate simulating unit 31 simulates a moving image obtained by reducing a predetermined number (or a predetermined%) of moving image frames acquired by the display target acquiring unit 21 so as not to fall below the frame rate lower limit value (S603). . The power consumption estimation unit 22 obtains the power consumption of the moving image calculation unit when outputting the simulated content, and calculates the estimated power consumption by taking this into consideration (S604).

  The power consumption comparison unit 24 compares the estimated power consumption obtained in S604 with the target power consumption acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23. When the target power consumption is achieved (YES in S605), the power consumption comparison unit 24 notifies the reduction tool selection unit 9 to that effect (S606). Here, the frame rate conversion unit 32 converts the frame rate of the moving image acquired by the display target acquisition unit 21 according to the simulation result performed by the frame rate simulation unit 31, and outputs the converted frame rate to the display control unit 6. Good.

  On the other hand, if the target power consumption has not been reached and the simulated frame rate has not yet reached the frame rate lower limit (NO in S605, YES in S607), frame rate simulating unit 31 and consumption The power estimation unit 22 repeats the processes of S603 and S604, respectively.

  If the simulated frame rate reaches the frame rate lower limit before the target power consumption is achieved (NO in S605, NO in S607), the power consumption comparison unit 24 determines that the target power consumption has not been achieved. In addition to notifying the reduction tool selection unit 9 of the achievement, the power consumption estimation unit 22 feeds back the latest estimated power consumption achieved at the present time to the reduction tool selection unit 9 (S608).

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the flow of the sound volume reduction process of the audio signal processing unit 19 in the embodiment of the present invention. The volume reduction process shown in FIG. 25 shows the flow of the volume reduction process in S317 shown in FIG. 21 in detail.

  The sound pressure level simulating unit 33 of the audio signal processing unit 19 shown in FIG. 19 acquires the sound pressure level lower limit value from the priority order information 83 (S701). Then, the power consumption estimation unit 22 acquires the latest current estimated power consumption from the reduction tool selection unit 9 (S702).

  The sound pressure level simulating unit 33 simulates a moving image in which the sound pressure level of the audio signal included in the moving image acquired by the display target acquiring unit 21 is reduced by a predetermined percentage so as not to fall below the lower limit value of the sound pressure level. (S703). Specifically, the average sound pressure level input to the attenuation unit 17a for a predetermined second of the moving image to be processed is acquired, and the sound pressure level when the average sound pressure level is attenuated by a predetermined rate of attenuation is simulated. .

  The power consumption estimation unit 22 obtains the power consumption of the audio output unit 17 when outputting the sound of the moving image at the simulated sound pressure level, and calculates the estimated power consumption by taking this into account (S704).

  The power consumption comparison unit 24 compares the estimated power consumption obtained in S704 with the target power consumption acquired by the target value acquisition unit 23. When the target power consumption is achieved (YES in S705), the power consumption comparison unit 24 notifies the reduction tool selection unit 9 to that effect (S706). Here, the audio output control unit 35 attenuates the sound pressure level of the audio signal of the moving image acquired by the display target acquisition unit 21 according to the attenuation rate of the sound pressure level simulated by the sound pressure level simulation unit 33. The attenuation unit 17a may be controlled.

  On the other hand, when the target power consumption has not been reached and the simulated sound pressure level has not yet reached the sound pressure level lower limit (NO in S705, YES in S707), the sound pressure level simulation unit 33 and the power consumption estimation unit 22 repeat the processes of S703 and S704, respectively.

  If the simulated sound pressure level reaches the sound pressure level lower limit value before the target power consumption is achieved (NO in S705, NO in S707), the power consumption comparison unit 24 In addition to notifying the reduction tool selection unit 9 that the target has not been achieved, the power consumption estimation unit 22 feeds back the latest estimated power consumption achieved at the present time to the reduction tool selection unit 9 (S708).

  In the description based on FIG. 25, in order to simplify the description of the flow, only the configuration for controlling the sound pressure level to be processed by the attenuation unit 17a has been described as a power reduction tool for “volume reduction”. The process of 19 is not limited to this. For example, only the gain processed by the amplifying unit 17b may be controlled, or a combination of these may be controlled.

  In the case of controlling the gain, in S703, the gain simulating unit 34 virtually reproduces the amplifying unit 17b whose gain is lowered so as not to fall below the gain lower limit value acquired in S701, and the display target acquiring unit 21. The amplifying unit 17b that processes the audio signal is simulated at the sound pressure level of the audio signal included in the acquired moving image. Specifically, the amplifying unit 17b that acquires the average sound pressure level output from the attenuation unit 17a for a predetermined second of the moving image to be processed and amplifies the average sound pressure level with a predetermined gain is simulated.

  In S <b> 704, the power consumption estimation unit 22 obtains the power consumption of the audio output unit 17 when the audio of the moving image is amplified with the simulated gain, and calculates the estimated power consumption by taking this into account. The simulation of the gain and the calculation of the estimated power consumption are repeated until the simulated gain reaches the gain lower limit value in S707.

  For example, the following procedure can be considered as a method of simulating the output sound pressure level of the attenuating unit 17a and / or the gain of the amplifying unit 17b and obtaining the power consumption.

  The gain range that can be controlled by the amplifying unit 17b is set to 0% to 100%, and the sound pressure level range that can be controlled by the attenuating unit 17a is set to 0% to 100%.

  Then, the correspondence relation of the power consumption guideline value (W) in the combination of the gain percentage and the sound pressure level percentage is calculated in advance, and is the correspondence table stored in the storage unit 3 of the television receiver 100? Alternatively, the power consumption estimation unit 22 is configured to be able to calculate the reference value (W) from the percentage using a predetermined mathematical formula.

  First, the power consumption estimation unit 22 calculates the average value A of the sound pressure level of the audio signal input to the attenuation unit 17a for n seconds (n is, for example, 5) immediately before the simulation is started. Specify by%.

  Then, based on the average value A, the average value B of the sound pressure levels obtained when the sound pressure level simulating unit 33 reduces m% (m is, for example, 5) from the current sound pressure level. Specify by%. Finally, the power consumption estimation unit 22 obtains a reference value (W) of power consumption corresponding to the average value B (%) of the sound pressure level using the correspondence table or the mathematical formula.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Finally, each block of the display device, the content processing device, and the content generation device, in particular, each of the units 20 to 35 and each of the units 60 to 64 may be configured by hardware logic, or the CPU may be configured as follows. And may be realized by software.

  That is, the display device (or content generation device) includes a CPU (central processing unit) that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, and a RAM that expands the program (Random access memory), a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data. An object of the present invention is to provide a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a control program of a display device (content processing device or content generation device) which is software that realizes the above-described functions. Is supplied to the display device (content processing device or content generation device), and the computer (or CPU or MPU) reads and executes the program code recorded on the recording medium. Can also be achieved.

  Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Further, a display device (content processing device or content generation device) may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Also, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  Since the content processing apparatus of the present invention can control the power consumption of each processing unit of its own apparatus so as not to exceed the target power consumption, various information processing apparatuses (personal computers, televisions) that process content For example, a receiver). In addition, the display control device of the present invention can be suitably used for various display devices including a backlight because it can control the power consumption of the backlight so as not to exceed the target power consumption.

1 Display control unit (display control device / moving image calculation unit / processing unit)
2 Display unit (display device)
3 storage unit 4 operation unit 5 content acquisition unit 6 display control unit (display control device / moving image calculation unit / processing unit / power reduction means)
7 Internet 8 Home LAN
9 Reduction tool selection section (reduction tool selection means)
10 Control unit (video calculation unit / processing unit)
11 Liquid Crystal Module 12 Backlight Unit (Backlight / Processing Unit)
13 Broadcast Data Receiving Unit 14 External Interface 15 Communication Unit 16 Infrared Communication Unit 17 Audio Output Unit (Processing Unit)
17a Attenuator (attenuator)
17b Amplification part (amplifier)
17c Audio output unit 18 Video signal processing unit (power reduction means)
19 Audio signal processor (electric power reduction means)
20 setting reception unit 21 display target acquisition unit 21a processing target acquisition unit 22 power consumption estimation unit (power consumption estimation means)
23 Target value acquisition unit 24 Power consumption comparison unit (power consumption comparison means)
25 Luminance simulation part (Backlight simulation means)
26 Luminance information output unit 27 Backlight control unit (backlight control means / processing unit control means)
28 Display size simulation part (Backlight simulation means)
29 Light-out area output unit 30 Arbitration unit 31 Frame rate simulation unit (moving image calculation circuit simulation means)
32 Frame rate conversion unit (processing unit control means / frame rate conversion means)
33 Sound pressure level simulator (amplifier simulation means)
34 Gain simulation section (amplifier simulation means)
35 Audio output control unit (processing unit control means / audio output control means)
40 content storage unit 41 setting information storage unit 50 control unit 51 storage unit 52 operation unit 53 display unit 60 content acquisition unit 61 target power consumption determination unit (target power consumption determination means)
62 Eco-content generator (content generator)
63 Lower limit setting unit 64 Luminance simulation unit (luminance reproduction means)
70 Model information storage unit 71 Luminance lower limit value storage unit 80 Content 81 Target power consumption 82 Eco content 83 Priority information 84 Distribution ratio information 100 Television receiver (content processing device)
100a Television receiver (content processing device)
100b Television receiver (content processing device)
101 Digital photo frame (display device)
200 Content server (content generation device)
201 Digital camera (content generation device)
202 Home server (content generation device)
700 Eco Contents Display System 800 EXIF Area 810 Manufacturer Note Area 820 Metadata Area 830 Still Image Area

Claims (25)

A display control device that controls a backlight of a display device that displays content,
Power consumption estimation means for estimating the power consumption of the backlight during the content display;
Power consumption comparison means for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation means with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the backlight;
A display control apparatus comprising: backlight control means for controlling the backlight so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on a comparison result of the power consumption comparison means. The power consumption estimation means estimates power consumption based on the luminance of the backlight,
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control unit controls the luminance of the backlight. The backlight control means can be controlled to vary the luminance for each arbitrary region on the light emitting surface of the backlight,
The power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption of the backlight by regarding the area in which the content is not displayed as the display size of the content is changed as the backlight extinction area,
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control unit turns off a light extinction area of the backlight. Backlight simulation means for simulating the light emission state of the backlight,
The power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption of the backlight necessary for displaying the content based on the simulated light emission state,
The backlight simulation means is
When the power consumption comparison unit determines that the estimated power consumption does not achieve the target power consumption, the light emission state of the backlight is changed,
When the power consumption comparison unit determines that the estimated power consumption has achieved the target power consumption, the control value based on the simulated light emission state is output to the backlight control unit. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The content includes a target power consumption that the display device should achieve when displaying the content,
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power consumption comparison unit compares the target power consumption extracted from the content with the estimated power consumption. The content further includes a limit value that indicates a limit state in which the display quality of the content is not impaired with respect to the light emission state of the backlight,
6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the backlight control means controls the backlight within a range not exceeding the limit value. A display control device for controlling a self-luminous display panel for displaying content,
Power consumption estimation means for estimating the power consumption of the self-luminous display panel during the content display;
Power consumption comparison means for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation means with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the self-luminous display panel;
Brightness control means for controlling the brightness of the self-luminous display panel so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the comparison result of the power consumption comparison means. Display control device. Target power consumption determining means for determining a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption for the backlight power consumption required when the display device displays the content;
A content generation apparatus comprising: content generation means for embedding the target power consumption determined by the target power consumption determination means in the content. Reproducing the luminance of the backlight based on the predetermined power consumption of the display device, and presenting the content to the user at the luminance, and including a luminance reproduction means for presenting the predetermined power consumption to the user,
9. The content generation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the target power consumption determining unit determines the power consumption as the target power consumption when the user approves the presented predetermined power consumption. A display control device according to claim 5 or 6,
A content display system comprising: the content generation device according to claim 8. A display control method for controlling a backlight of a display device that displays content,
A power consumption estimation step for estimating power consumption of the backlight during the content display;
A power consumption comparison step for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the backlight;
A display control method comprising: a backlight control step for controlling the backlight so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on a comparison result in the power consumption comparison step. A display control method for controlling a self-luminous display panel that displays content,
A power consumption estimation step for estimating power consumption of the self-luminous display panel during the content display;
A power consumption comparison step for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step and a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing power consumption of the self-luminous display panel;
A brightness control step for controlling the brightness of the self-luminous display panel so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on the comparison result in the power consumption comparison step. Control method. A target power consumption determining step for determining a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption for the power consumption of the backlight required when the display device displays the content;
A content generation method comprising: a content generation step of embedding the target power consumption determined in the target power consumption determination step in the content.   A control program for causing a computer to function as each means of the display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the content generation device according to claim 8 or 9.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the control program of Claim 14. In a content processing apparatus for processing content by controlling operations of one or more processing units,
Power consumption estimating means for estimating the power consumed by the processing unit to process the content;
Power consumption comparison means for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated by the power consumption estimation means with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the content processing device;
A content processing apparatus comprising: processing unit control means for controlling the processing unit so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on a comparison result of the power consumption comparison means. The processing unit control means includes a plurality of power reduction means for controlling one or more processing units and reducing power consumption by a plurality of methods.
The content processing apparatus further includes:
The content according to claim 16, further comprising: a reduction tool selection unit that selects a power reduction unit to be operated based on priority order information that specifies an operation order for each of the power reduction units. Processing equipment. The content includes the priority information according to the content,
The content processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the reduction tool selection unit selects the power reduction unit based on the priority order information included in the content to be processed. The content processing apparatus includes a display device that displays content,
The power consumption estimation means estimates power consumption based on the luminance of the backlight as the processing unit provided in the display device,
19. The content processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processing unit control means includes backlight control means for controlling the luminance of the backlight. The content processing device includes a display device that displays content, and the display device includes a backlight that can be controlled to vary the luminance for each arbitrary region on the light-emitting surface as the processing unit.
The power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption of the backlight by regarding the area where the content is not displayed as the display size of the content is changed as the backlight extinction area.
The content processing apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the processing unit control means includes a backlight control means for turning off the extinguishing region. The content processing device includes a display device that displays content, and a moving image calculation unit for displaying content that is a moving image on the display device as the processing unit,
The power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption of the video computation unit based on a computation load corresponding to the frame rate of the content,
21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the processing unit control means includes a frame rate conversion means for reducing a load on the moving image calculation unit by reducing a frame rate of the content. The content processing apparatus described. The content processing apparatus includes an audio output unit that outputs an audio signal included in the content to the outside as the processing unit.
The power consumption estimation means estimates the power consumption of the audio output unit based on at least one of the sound pressure level of the audio signal and the gain of the amplifier included in the audio output unit,
The processing unit control means controls the audio output unit so as to reduce at least one of a sound pressure level output from the attenuator included in the audio output unit to the amplifier and a gain of the amplifier. The content processing apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 21, further comprising an output control unit. A content processing method in a content processing apparatus for processing content by controlling operations of one or more processing units,
A power consumption estimating step for estimating power consumed by the processing unit to process content;
A power consumption comparison step for comparing the estimated power consumption estimated in the power consumption estimation step with a target power consumption indicating a target value for suppressing the power consumption of the content processing device;
And a processing unit control step of controlling the processing unit so that the estimated power consumption does not exceed the target power consumption based on a comparison result in the power consumption comparison step.   A control program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the content processing device according to any one of claims 16 to 22.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 24 is recorded.

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