JPH11284925A - Onboard video audio output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select immediately a receptible channel when the reception condition becomes worse. SOLUTION: The onboard video audio output device is provided with 1st and 2nd tuner sections 2, 3 that are used to extract an electric field strength when an antenna 1 receives a radio wave of other broadcast station for the features of channel selection functions, a video signal processing section 4 that detects a signal from the 1st tuner section 2 and provides an output of a video signal and an audio signal processing section 9 that detects a signal from the 1st tuner section 2 and provides an output of an audio signal, a video display section 5 that displays the video signal as a video image, a voice output section 10 that provides an output of an audio signal as sound, and a control section 6 that allows the 2nd tuner section 3 to select a channel whose reception condition is excellent while the 1st tuner section 2 received a channel so as to switch the channel received by the 1st tuner section 2 into the channel selected by the 2nd tuner section 3 and hose reception state is excellent when the reception condition of the 1st tuner section 2 becomes worse.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-vehicle video / audio output apparatus mounted on a vehicle and capable of selecting and receiving a desired channel from a plurality of television broadcasts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of on-vehicle video / audio output device, it is most important for a driver to be careful not to hinder driving, but the device itself is configured to be easily operated. There is a need to. For example, it is important to be able to easily change channels during driving without disturbing driving. Further, as a specific problem of the in-vehicle video / audio output device, the reception status at the current location and the reception status at the destination are different even for the same channel. In the case of local broadcasting, there is a case where reception is possible at the current location but not at the destination. In order to cope with such a problem, a technique for automatically selecting a receivable channel by the device, displaying the channel on a display screen, and allowing the user to select the channel is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-139.
No. 075.

[0003]

However, in the above-described in-vehicle video / audio output device for automatically selecting a receivable channel and displaying the same on a screen, the time at which the automatic selection is made is different from the current time. In such a case, automatic tuning must be performed again.If the channel that can be received by automatic tuning is not displayed or the sound cannot be heard, it is not possible to watch the TV image or listen to the sound. Is often noticed for the first time. In addition, when the receiving condition deteriorates at the destination, there is a problem that an image having a poor receiving condition must be displayed as it is while automatic tuning is performed to search for another channel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and to provide an on-vehicle video / audio output device capable of immediately switching to a receivable channel when a reception condition is deteriorated. With the goal.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a plurality of television tuners, wherein one tuner receives one channel while the other tuner receives another channel. A channel with a good state is automatically selected, and when the reception state of one of the tuner units deteriorates, the channel is immediately switched to a channel with a good reception state. As a result, it is possible to switch to a channel having a good reception state without any operation by the driver, and the driver can concentrate on driving, thereby contributing to safe driving.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a video signal by detecting a plurality of tuners having a tuning function and detecting a signal from one of the tuners. A video signal processing unit that outputs a video signal and an audio signal processing unit that outputs an audio signal, a video display unit that displays the video signal as video, an audio output unit that outputs the audio signal as audio, and the plurality of tuner units. While one tuner section is receiving a certain channel, the other tuner section selects a channel having a good reception state, and when the reception state of one tuner section deteriorates, the reception channel is changed to the other. And a control unit for switching to a channel having a good reception state selected by the tuner unit. The control unit switches the channel when the reception state of one tuner unit becomes poor. It can be switched immediately good channel reception state without the operation of the user, has the effect of realizing a vehicle-mounted audio-video output device with good operability.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for assigning a priority to a plurality of channels and storing the plurality of channels. Select the next highest-order channel, the in-vehicle video / audio output device according to claim 1,
By prioritizing the channels in advance, it is possible to select channels in an order according to the user's preference.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an on-vehicle video / audio output apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the detection of the reception state is performed by detecting the electric field strength of the received signal. This has the effect that the reception state can be detected by detecting the intensity level.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of tuners having a tuning function, and detecting a reception state of the plurality of tuners to select a tuner having a better reception state. Control unit, a video signal processing unit that detects a signal from the selected tuner unit and outputs a video signal, and an audio signal processing unit that outputs an audio signal, and a video display unit that displays the video signal as video. And an audio output unit for outputting the audio signal as audio, the audio output unit being mounted on a vehicle, wherein when the reception status of one tuner unit is deteriorated, the reception status is good immediately without the driver's operation. It is possible to switch to a channel and to achieve an in-vehicle video / audio output device with good operability.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, while one of the tuners receives one channel, the other tuner selects a receivable channel.
The in-vehicle video / audio output device described above has an effect that, when the reception state of one of the tuner units deteriorates, the channel can be immediately switched to a channel having a good reception state without operation by a driver.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention comprises means for assigning priorities to a plurality of channels and storing them, and while one tuner section receives a channel of a certain order, the other tuner section Select the next-ranked channel, the in-vehicle video / audio output device according to claim 4,
By prioritizing the channels in advance, it is possible to select channels in an order according to the user's preference.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-vehicle video / audio output device according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, wherein the detection of the reception state is performed by detecting the electric field strength of the received signal. There is an effect that the reception state can be detected by detecting the reception electric field intensity level.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the video / audio output apparatus for a vehicle according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, further comprising means for setting whether or not to automatically switch channels. This has the effect that it is possible to select whether or not to automatically switch channels according to the user's will.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an on-vehicle video / audio output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an antenna, and reference numeral 2 denotes a first tuner unit, which selects a channel designated by the operation unit 7 from television broadcast waves received by the antenna 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a second tuner unit for extracting an electric field strength when another broadcasting station is received by the antenna 1 in order to feature an automatic tuning function,
A channel having a high received electric field strength is selected from television broadcast waves received by the antenna 1. Reference numeral 4 denotes a video signal processing unit for detecting a signal of a channel selected by the first tuner unit 2 and extracting a video signal, 5 an image display unit for displaying the extracted video signal as an image, and 6 a second tuner unit. 3
Is monitored, and when the reception state of the first tuner unit 2 is deteriorated, the channel being received by the first tuner unit 2 is switched to a channel having a good reception state received by the second tuner unit 3. A control unit 7 starts and stops the apparatus, specifies a channel, and generates an input signal. An operation unit 8 stores a channel having a high reception electric field strength, and assigns a plurality of channels a reception priority. A storage unit 9 for attaching and storing the audio signal; a voice signal processing unit 9 for detecting a signal of a channel selected by the first tuner unit 2 to extract a voice signal; and a voice 10 for outputting the extracted voice signal as voice. Output unit.

Next, the channel switching operation in the control section 6 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, when the power of the apparatus is turned on, the control unit 6 causes the first tuner unit 2 to tune to the channel specified by the operation unit 7 (S1), and then causes the second tuner unit 3 to select the reception electric field strength. A high channel is searched for and stored in the storage unit 8 (S2). Next, the first tuner unit 2 detects the reception electric field intensity of the channel currently being received, and checks whether or not the reception electric field intensity is equal to or higher than a certain level (S3). If the received electric field strength is lower than the certain level, the second tuner unit 3 checks whether there is a receivable channel with the received electric field strength being higher than the certain level (S4). If there is a receivable channel, the channel of the first tuner unit 2 is switched to the channel with the highest received electric field strength, and if there is a priority, the first tuner unit 2 is switched to the channel with the highest priority.
Is switched (S5). If the user does not like the channel, the user can press the down key from the operation unit 7 to select the channel of the next order.

When detecting the received field strength, it is desirable to consider both video and audio. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the electric field limit at which sound can be received is defined as E _S1 , the characteristic value obtained at this time is defined as a threshold V _SD , and the detected voltage value S of the S meter is determined as a threshold V _SD. Check if it is on _SD . Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the electric field strength at which the image can be received is defined as E _S2 , the characteristic value obtained at this time is defined as a threshold value V _AFS , and the detected AFS meter voltage value A A
Is greater than or _equal to the threshold value V _AFS . in this way,
By taking into account both audio and video when detecting the received electric field strength, a balanced television broadcast can be received.

As a method for switching the reception channel of the first tuner unit 2 to a channel having a good reception state selected by the second tuner unit 3, there is the following method.
That is, in general, a television broadcast having the same content may be set for a specific channel of UHF in correspondence with a specific channel of VHF. For example, as shown in FIG. During reception (S6), if deterioration of the reception state in the first tuner unit 2 is detected by detecting the reception electric field strength (S7), whether the UHF 54 channel broadcasting the same content is in a receivable state. Is checked (S8). The above-described threshold value of the S meter as shown in FIG. 3 and whether or not the AFS meter as shown in FIG.
The channel is switched to the UHF 54 channel which broadcasts the same contents (that is, if the reception sensitivity can be satisfied) (S9). By incorporating such control into the operation program in the control unit 6, it is possible to continuously watch the broadcast of the same content.

As shown in FIG. 6, the detected received electric field intensity is displayed on the video display unit 5 in the order of the electric field intensity level or in the order of priorities, so that the user can confirm it. You may make it selectable from them.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
While the first tuner unit 2 is receiving a certain channel,
When the second tuner section 3 automatically selects another channel having a good reception state and the reception state of the first tuner section 2 becomes poor, the channel is immediately switched to a channel having a good reception state without operation by the driver. be able to.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 7 shows a configuration of an on-vehicle video / audio output apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 11 denotes an antenna, and reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a first tuner and a second tuner for extracting electric field strength when another broadcast station is received by the antenna 11 in order to feature an automatic tuning function. A channel having a high received electric field strength is selected from television broadcast waves received by the antenna 11. 14 is the first tuner unit 12
Or a video signal processing unit for detecting a signal of the channel selected by the second tuner unit 13 and extracting a video signal;
Is a video display unit that displays the extracted video signal as a video, and 16 is a control that monitors the reception status of the first and second tuner units 12 and 13 and selects and switches the tuner unit with the better reception status. An operation unit 17 for starting and stopping the apparatus, specifying a channel, and generating various input signals; and an operation unit 18 for storing a channel having a high reception electric field strength and assigning a reception priority to a plurality of channels. A storage unit 19 for detecting a signal of a channel selected by the first tuner unit 12 and extracting an audio signal; 20 an audio output for outputting the extracted audio signal as audio Department.

Next, the channel switching operation in the control section 16 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, when the power of the device is turned on,
The control unit 16 causes the first tuner unit 12 to select the channel specified by the operation unit 17 (S11), and then selects the second channel.
The tuner 13 is caused to search for a channel having a high received electric field strength, and the search is stored in the storage 18 (S12).
Next, the first tuner unit 12 detects the reception electric field strength of the channel currently being received, and checks whether or not the reception electric field strength is higher than a certain level (S13). If the received electric field strength is less than the certain level, the second tuner unit 13 checks whether there is a receivable channel whose received electric field strength is higher than the certain level (S14). If there is a receivable channel, the connection to the video signal processing unit 14 is switched from the first tuner unit 12 to the second tuner unit 13, and the connection to the audio signal processing unit 19 is also switched to the first tuner unit 12. To the second tuner unit 13 (S1
5). At this time, it is checked whether or not the channel detected by the second tuner unit 13 is the channel whose priority order stored in the storage unit 18 is specified. If not, the channel with the highest received electric field strength is checked. Is output to the video signal processing unit 14 and the audio signal processing unit 19, and when the priority is designated, the signal of the channel with the highest priority is output to the video signal processing unit 14 and the audio signal processing unit 19 Output to The video signal processing unit 14 detects the input video signal and outputs a video signal, and displays the video signal on the video display unit 15. The audio signal processing unit 19 detects the input audio signal and outputs the audio signal. Output a signal,
The voice output unit 20 outputs the voice.

In the meantime, the controller 16 controls the first tuner 1
2 is made to search for a channel having a high reception electric field strength, and the channel is stored in the storage unit 18 (S16). Next, the second tuner unit 13 detects the reception electric field strength of the channel currently being received, and checks whether the reception electric field strength is equal to or higher than a certain level (S17). If the received electric field strength is lower than the predetermined level, the first tuner unit 12 checks whether or not there is a receivable channel whose received electric field intensity is higher than the predetermined level (S18). If there is a receivable channel, the connection to the video signal processing unit 14 is switched from the second tuner unit 13 to the first tuner unit 12 so that the video is displayed on the video display unit 15 and the audio signal processing unit is The connection to 19 is switched from the second tuner unit 13 to the first tuner unit 12, and audio is output from the audio output unit 20 (S19).

As described above, according to the second embodiment,
In order to characterize the automatic channel selection function, a first method for extracting the electric field strength when another broadcasting station is received by the antenna 11 is used.
And the second tuner sections 12 and 13, while the first tuner section 12 is receiving a certain channel, the second tuner section 13 automatically selects another channel having a good reception state. When the first tuner unit 12 automatically selects a channel having another good reception state while the two tuner units 13 are receiving a certain channel, and the reception state of one tuner unit becomes worse, By connecting the output of the other tuner section to the video signal processing section 14 and the audio signal processing section 19, it is possible to immediately switch to a channel having a good reception state without the driver's operation.

The technique described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 can also be applied to the second embodiment.
Further, in each of the above embodiments, selection of whether or not to use the mode for automatically switching channels can be designated by an input from the operation unit. When the automatic switching mode is not selected, the operation of the second tuner unit is stopped, and only the first tuner unit is operated.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A plurality of TV tuners are provided, and while one tuner is receiving a certain channel, the other tuner is automatically selecting a channel having another good reception, and the reception of one tuner is poor. If it becomes, it is possible to immediately switch to a channel with good reception status, so that it is possible to switch to a channel with good reception status without any operation by the driver, and the driver can concentrate on driving, thus ensuring safety. It can contribute to driving.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an on-vehicle video / audio output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of a control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a received electric field strength characteristic of voice according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing a received electric field strength characteristic of an image according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another operation of the control unit in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a screen diagram showing electric field strength display on the video display unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an on-vehicle video / audio output device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference numerals 1, 11 Antenna 2, 12 First tuner 3, 13, Second tuner 4, 14, Video signal processor 5, 15 Video display 6, 16, Controller 7, 17 Operation unit 8, 18, Storage unit 9, 19 Audio Signal processing unit 10, 20 Audio output unit

Claims (8)

[Claims] A plurality of tuners having a tuning function;
A video signal processing unit that detects a signal from one tuner unit of the plurality of tuner units and outputs a video signal, and an audio signal processing unit that outputs an audio signal, and a video display unit that displays the video signal as video. An audio output unit that outputs the audio signal as audio, and while one of the plurality of tuner units is receiving a certain channel, the other tuner unit selects a good channel in a reception state, When the reception condition of one tuner part deteriorates,
A control unit for switching the reception channel to a channel in a good reception state selected by the other tuner unit. Means for storing a plurality of channels with priorities stored therein, wherein one tuner section receives a channel of a certain priority while the other tuner section selects a channel of the next priority. The video and audio output device for a vehicle according to claim 1. 3. The on-vehicle video / audio output device according to claim 1, wherein the detection of the reception state is performed by detecting the electric field strength of the received signal. 4. A plurality of tuner units having a tuning function,
A control unit that detects reception states of the plurality of tuner units and selects a tuner unit having a better reception state; and a video signal processing unit that detects a signal from the selected tuner unit and outputs a video signal. And a sound signal processing unit that outputs a sound signal, a video display unit that displays the video signal as a video, and a sound output unit that outputs the audio signal as a sound. 5. The on-vehicle video / audio output device according to claim 4, wherein while one tuner section is receiving a certain channel, the other tuner section selects a receivable channel. 6. A means for prioritizing and storing a plurality of channels, wherein one tuner section receives a channel of a certain priority while the other tuner section selects a channel of the next priority. The vehicle-mounted video / audio output device according to claim 4. 7. The on-vehicle video / audio output device according to claim 4, wherein the detection of the reception state is performed by detecting the electric field strength of the received signal. 8. The on-vehicle video / audio output device according to claim 1, further comprising means for setting whether or not to automatically switch channels.