JP3108292B2 - Automatic time setting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic time setting device for automatically setting the time of a built-in clock based on time data included in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period of a video signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a video tape recorder (hereinafter referred to as VTR), channel setting and time setting are operations that must be performed before a user starts using the device. In recent years, there has been realized an automatic time setting device having an automatic tuning function for automatically searching for and storing a tuned channel and an automatic time setting function for setting a time based on an additional signal of a vertical blanking period of a video signal. There is a VTR that is equipped with it and simplifies the operations that users must perform.

An operation procedure of a time setting process of a VTR provided with a conventional automatic time setting device based on an EDS (Extended Data Service) signal which is one of the additional signals of the vertical blanking period is described below on an on-screen display. A description will be made based on a configuration example in which an instruction is given to a display unit using an OSD by an input unit using a menu key, a cursor key, and an execution key.

First, a user operates a menu key to call up a main menu on an OSD screen. The main menu is “TUNER PRESET”, “CLOCK SET”, “TIMER SET
/ CHECK ”, etc., and the highlighted part of the entry is the cursor position. By operating the execution key, the entry at the cursor position is processed. First, use the cursor key to set the time. To move the cursor to the "CLOCKSET" entry and then press the Enter key.
The menu of “CLOCK SET” is used to set the time automatically based on the EDS signal.
(AUTO) "and" MANUAL "to set the time manually.

[0005] In order to set the time based on the time data of the EDS signal, the user operates a cursor key to select "EDS (AUTO)".
Move the cursor to the entry and operate the execution key to bring up the "SET EDS CHANNELS" menu on the screen. The “SET EDS CHANNELS” menu is used to set the time after searching for a channel that includes time data in the EDS signal. If the user knows the channel that includes time data in the EDS signal, It consists of "MANUAL" entries, which eliminates the hassle of searching by entering a channel. Next, operate the cursor keys to select “AUT
The execution of the time setting process is set by moving the cursor to the entry "O" and operating the execution key.

When the power of the apparatus is turned off, a time setting process is started to sequentially search from the lower frequency to the higher frequency of the receivable channels to determine whether or not the channels are transmitting time data. I will do it. When a channel for transmitting time data is found, the time is set based on the time data.

[0007]

Since the conventional automatic time setting device is configured as described above, it is necessary to turn off the power once to set the time, and then to set another time in the main menu. If you do, you must turn on the power again. Further, the search for all the channels is performed twice by the channel setting and the time setting, which takes time. Also, since the interval at which the time data of the EDS signal is transmitted differs depending on the broadcasting station, if the number of broadcasting stations transmitting the time data is very small, it is wasteful to search channels in order, and the There is a problem that it takes a long time to receive data, and the search may take more time to complete the setting.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is not necessary to turn off the power supply for time setting, the number of searches for all channels is reduced, and time setting processing can be further executed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic time setting device capable of surely setting the time.

[0009]

An automatic time setting device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes means for determining whether or not time data is included in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period, and the means for searching for a channel. When a channel including time data is found in the channel, the channel is deactivated from the next channel onward.

An automatic time setting device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes means for identifying whether or not time data is included within a predetermined time in an additional signal of a vertical blanking period, and a channel searched by the means. If it is determined that the time data is not included in the predetermined time, the next channel is searched.

An automatic time setting device according to a third aspect of the present invention is configured such that when a channel including time data is found in an additional signal of a vertical blanking period, a storage means for storing the channel, and a channel stored in the storage means. After that, there is provided a channel selecting means for controlling a tuner to select the channel, and a means for setting a time based on time data which is an additional signal of a vertical blanking period of the channel.

An automatic time setting apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention sets and corrects time when a channel including time data in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period cannot be found after searching for a predetermined number of channels. It is characterized by having no configuration.

An automatic time setting device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is configured to deactivate the time setting and correcting means when it is determined that the time data of the channel stored in the storing means is not included within a predetermined time. It is characterized by having been done.

[0014]

The automatic time setting device according to the first aspect of the present invention determines whether or not time data is included in the additional signal of the vertical blanking period while searching for a channel. Thereafter, a channel is set without discriminating the presence / absence of time data in the search.

In the automatic time setting device of the second invention, if the time signal is not included within a predetermined time in the vertical blanking period addition signal of the currently searched channel, the next channel is searched and Explore channels.

In the automatic time setting device of the third invention, when a channel including time data is found in the additional signal of the vertical blanking period, that channel is stored, and the channel is selected later by the channel selection means. To obtain the time data and set the time.

In the automatic time setting device of the fourth invention, if a channel including time data in the additional signal of the vertical blanking period cannot be found after searching for a predetermined number of channels, time setting and correction are not performed. .

In the automatic time setting device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the time data of the stored channel is not included within the predetermined time, the time is not set or corrected. .

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a VTR using an automatic time setting device according to the present invention. The automatic time setting device of this embodiment sets the time based on the EDS signal which is one of the additional signals in the vertical blanking period. The television signal captured by the antenna 1 is received and selected by the tuner 2, processed by a video signal processing circuit 14 through a video intermediate frequency amplifier circuit / video detection circuit (hereinafter referred to as IF / DET) 13, and Is output as Also
The output of the IF • DET 13 is supplied to the EDS extraction unit 4, where only the EDS signal is selectively passed and supplied to the control unit 8.

The control unit 8 includes a specific broadcast station table 5, an EEPROM
6, connected to the display control unit 9, the input unit 11, and the clock circuit 15. The specific broadcast station table 5 is a table of broadcast stations transmitting time data. The EEPROM 6 stores a channel that is a station, a station channel memory 6a,
A specific channel memory 6b for storing the channel transmitting the time data and an automatic correction flag 6c for storing whether or not the time can be automatically set and corrected.
In this embodiment, the specific channel memory 6b is configured to store only one channel.

The display controller 9 is a display unit 10 using the OSD.
The display / non-display is controlled. Reference numeral 11 denotes an input unit, which is composed of input keys.
Given to. The clock circuit 15 is configured so that the time can be set by the control unit 8.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the automatic channel selection processing by the control unit 8. First, when the user gives an instruction to start processing using the input unit 11, the lowest frequency is selected (S1). Next, a channel search is performed (S2), and it is determined whether or not it is a station (S3). The method of determining whether a station is
It is checked whether or not the input video signal includes a horizontal synchronization signal of a certain value or more. If not, the process from S4 to S9 is skipped and the process proceeds to S10. If it is a station, the channel is stored in the station channel memory 6a of the EEPROM 6 (S4).

Next, it is determined whether or not the channel transmitting the time data has been found (S5). S6 if found
The process from S to S9 is skipped and the process proceeds to S10. If not found, it is determined whether or not there is broadcast station data of the EDS signal (S6). The detection of the EDS signal is performed in the EDS extraction section 4 and the field 2 of the video signal input from the IF / DET 13 is detected.
The presence or absence of a signal superimposed on the 21st horizontal synchronizing signal is checked. If there is a superimposed signal, the EDS extraction unit 4 extracts the EDS signal from the horizontal synchronization signal and sends it to the control unit 8.
Supply to If there is no superimposed signal, EDS sampling unit 4
Produces no output.

If there is no input of the broadcast station data from the EDS extraction unit 4, the control unit 8 waits for a predetermined time until there is an input, and if the time expires without any input, the process proceeds to S10 (S8). ). On the other hand, when the broadcast station data is input from the EDS sampling unit 4, it is determined whether or not the broadcast station is transmitting the time data based on the specific broadcast station table 5 (S
7). If the broadcast station is not transmitting time data, S9
Is skipped and the process proceeds to S10. If the broadcast station is transmitting time data, the broadcast station stores the time data in the specific channel memory 6b of the EEPROM 6 as the channel transmitting the time data (S9).

Next, it is determined whether or not the search has been performed up to the highest receivable frequency (S10). If the search for all the channels has not been completed, the processing from S2 onward is repeated. If the search has been completed, the automatic tuning process ends.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the time setting process by the control unit 8. When the automatic tuning process of FIG. 2 is completed, it is determined whether or not the channel transmitting the time data has been found by the automatic tuning process.
(S1) If not found, turn off automatic correction flag 7
(S6), and the process ends. If found, it controls the tuning circuit 3 to receive the broadcast of the channel transmitting the time data (S2). Next, it waits for the time data of the EDS signal to be transmitted (S3). If the time expires in a state where the time data of the EDS signal is awaited for a predetermined time and no time data can be received, the automatic correction flag 6c is set to OFF (S6), and the process is terminated. When the time data of the EDS signal is received, the time is set in the clock circuit 15 based on the time data (S4), the automatic correction flag 6c is turned on (S7), and the time setting process ends.

As a method for the user to select and execute the setting operation, when the time setting process cannot be executed when a menu is displayed on the OSD as the display unit 10 and the menu is selected and executed, for example, automatic tuning is performed in this embodiment. When the automatic correction flag 6c is OFF in the state where the processing is completed, the entry of the automatic time correction processing in which the time is automatically corrected by the operation of the display control unit 9 without the user's operation is not displayed on the menu. Therefore, when the time setting process cannot be executed, the user cannot select the automatic time adjustment process from the menu.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not time data is included in the additional signal during the vertical blanking period while searching for a channel. Is stored in the storage means, a channel is set without discriminating the presence or absence of the time data at the time of the search after the next channel, and the channel stored in the storage means is tuned by the tuning means to tune the time data. By setting the obtained time, the setting of the channel and the setting of the time are executed together, so that the number of searches for all the channels can be reduced and the processing time can be reduced.

When one channel containing time data is found, the time is set by waiting for the time data only from that channel, so that the time can be surely set. Furthermore, since the channel setting and the time setting are performed collectively,
The burden on the user for operation can be reduced. In this embodiment,
Although applied to a VTR, it is needless to say that the invention can be applied to a television receiver or a tuner that receives television waves.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a VTR according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic tuning process by a control unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a time setting process performed by a control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Tuner 3 Tuning circuit 4 EDS extraction unit 6 EEPROM 8 Control unit 15 Clock circuit

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tuner for receiving television waves and a clock circuit, for searching for and retrieving a channel that can be received as a receivable channel, extracting an additional signal of a vertical blanking period from a video signal, In an automatic time setting device configured to set the time of the clock circuit based on time data included in an additional signal, a means for determining whether or not time data is included in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period is provided. An automatic time setting device, wherein, when a channel including time data is found during the search for the channel, the device is deactivated from the next channel onward. 2. An apparatus for identifying whether or not time data is included in a predetermined time in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period, wherein time data of a channel searched by the means is included in a predetermined time. 2. The automatic time setting device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the next channel is not found, the next channel is searched. 3. When a channel including time data is found in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period, a storage means for storing the channel, and a channel is selected after storing the channel in the storage means. 3. The automatic time setting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a channel selecting unit for controlling a tuner; and a unit for setting a time based on time data which is an additional signal of a vertical blanking period of the channel. 4. When a predetermined number of channels have been searched and no channel including time data is found in an additional signal in a vertical blanking period, time setting and correction are not performed. 4. The automatic time setting device according to 2 or 3. 5. When a channel including time data is found in an additional signal during a vertical blanking period, a storage means for storing the channel, and a channel is selected after storing the channel in the storage means. Channel control means for controlling the tuner, and time setting and correcting means for setting a time based on time data which is an additional signal of the vertical blanking period of the channel, wherein the time data of the channel is within a predetermined time. 3. The automatic time setting device according to claim 2, wherein when it is determined that the time is not included, the time setting and correcting means is deactivated.