GB2323761A

GB2323761A - Operating device for video-technical apparatuses

Info

Publication number: GB2323761A
Application number: GB9805062A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Frank Jung; Rolf Grzibek; Sven Papke; Alfred Krug; Reiner Leiter; Volker Dalheimer
Original assignee: Philips Electronics NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 1997-03-27
Filing date: 1998-03-10
Publication date: 1998-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 2018-03-10
Also published as: GB9805062D0; JPH10304245A; GB2323761B; DE19713026B4; DE19713026A1

Abstract

In an operating device for video-technical apparatuses, particularly video mixers, an operating surface of a graphic user interface is displayable by means of a display screen and comprises buttons in an outer area and fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters in an inner area.

Description

1 Operating device for video-technical apparatuses 213,Z3-r61

Description

The invention relates to an operating device for video-technical apparatuses, particularly but not exclusively video mixers.

The operation of video-technical apparatuses, particularly video mixers, which are becoming increasingly more complex, imposes considerable demands on the users.

Even known graphic operating surfaces for personal computers provide little help because their hierarchically ordered window structure does not render them very suitable for controlling video-technical apparatuses and/or displaying the operating state of these apparatuses.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a more user-friendly operating device for controlling and monitoring video-technical apparatuses, adapted particularly to the circumstances of use in videotechnical apparatuses.

The invention provides an operating device for video technical apparatuses in which an operating surface of a graphic user interface is displayable by means of a display screen, the graphic user interface comprising buttons in an outer area and fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters in an inner area. In one implementation of the invention, a plurality of selectable menus are displayable on the display screen. The menus allow a convenient monitoring of auxiliary device settings such as, for example, those of fader circuits or chroma key generators of video mixers, and allow their settings to be modified in an advantageous way.

In a further embodiment of the operating device according to the invention a series of switching fields is provided at both a first border and at a second, opposite border. This embodiment may further include buttons, which are used substantially for selecting the menus, at a third border extending perpendicularly to the first and the second border and indicator fields, for control parameters to be supplied by means of input elements, at a fourth border.

The operating device according to the invention may be in ':ented -in such a way that the operation, for example, by means of a mouse, is W'3'v_ia.thp graphic user interface displayed on the display screen. However, it has been foufid'td be advantageous to provide for operation by means of other input elements to, be perforined1or'.

2 different uses or settings.

In a further embodiment of the invention, digipots are provided as input elements for the control parameters outside the fourth border. The buttons may be supplemented in that keys are arranged outside at least one of the first, second, and third 5 borders and aligned with the buttons, which keys have the same functions as the buttons.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the operating device according to the invention the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters are arranged in lines and columns, while a column of the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters can be activated with the aid of the buttons and keys at the first or the second border, for input by means of the input elements at the fourth border. A multiple functionality of the input elements at the fourth border can then be realized, while switching between the individual functions is effected in a very simple and convenient way. The relevant activated field for indicating or inputting control parameters can then be accentuated in colors.

A special simplification of standard operating procedures in one embodiment the operating device according to the invention is possible in that buttons at the end of a series of buttons extending at the border of the display screen have a menu independent function.

A very convenient display of the adjusted control parameters in an operating device may be achieved by providing that the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters have bar diagrams. To enable a precise and exactly reproducible setting to be achieved, a further embodiment provides that the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters can be supplemented by optional addition of numerical indications.

Particularly in the color television technique, the adjustment and indication of angle lines is necessary. In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of an operating device according to the invention, control parameters which are measured in angle lines, may be indicated by means of bar diagrams.

An essentially larger number of settings is often possible when they can be conveniently displayed simultaneously on the display screen. Therefore, another further embodiment may provide in that at least one button is associated with a plurality of additional buttons which appear upon activation of the button and/or a juxtaposed operating element and are arranged in such a way that they partially overlap the neighboring buttons. The operation may be further simplified when the additional buttons are automatically removed after a predetermined period of time which can be stored for the individual users.

3 Video-technical apparatuses are frequently used for different purposes and by different users. Cumbersome settings for a given purpose for given users may be simplified in an embodiment of an operating device according to the invention in which the supplied control parameters can be stored in a non-volatile manner and are retrievable by using one of the predetermined menus.

An advantageous use of an operating device according to the invention is as a supplementary operating device for an operating device of a video mixer. Further functions may then be taken over by the supplementary operating device when a further field is visible in the central area, which field comprises indications which, when clicked upon, open a sub-menu showing a selection of lists and/or bar diagrams, the selection of lists being used for source selection or allocation. For example, a source selection may be performed by means of the mouse.

The operating device according to the invention can be realized in a very simple way by means of a personal computer, a picture display device and at least one input device. This has the advantage that many components available for personal computers such as network cards, mass stores and graphic cards can be used for the supplementary operating device. Moreover, a multitude of programming tools is available, which can be used advantageously in the manufacture of the operating device and the data links with the videotechnical apparatuses. Additionally or alternatively to keys and digipots, a mouse or other input devices known from the computer technique may be used.

These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a mixing device with an operating device according to the invention as a supplementary operating device, Figure 2 shows diagrammatically the supplementary operating device, Figure 3 is an example of a graphic user interface with a menu and additional operating elements of the supplementary operating device, Figure 4 shows sections of a plurality of other menus and Figure 5 shows different indication and input fields for analog values.

Corresponding components in the various Figures have the same reference numerals. In Figures 3 to 5, the graphic implementation having different colors, shades and 3D effects provided for the invention are replaced in the drawings by a simplified representation with black lines and shaded areas in order to meet the provisions of Rule 18 of 4 the Patents Rules 1995.

In the mixing device shown in Figure 1, a video mixer 1, an operating device 2, a supplementary operating device 3 and a personal computer 4 are interconnected via a local network 5, preferably a Cheaper net. The personal computer 4 is optional and does not need any further description to explain the invention. Each of the connected apparatuses has an interface in the form of a network card 6.

The mixer 1 is also known per se. However, for the sake of clarity, a particular example is shown which has inputs 7 for video signals, a crossbar 8, fader circuits 9, 10, 11, and an output 12. The crossbar 8 and the fader circuits 9 to 11 are controlled by an arithmetic unit 13 which converts commands received via the local network into control signals for the crossbar 8 and the fader circuits 9 to 11 and supplies state information from the mixing device to the other components via the local network 5.

The operating device 2, which is also an example of a known type, comprises keys 14 for selecting the video signals to be mixed, fader controls 15, and a series of other operating elements which are not shown in Figure 1. Such operating elements are used, for example for selecting trick figures, that is key patterns which define a shape within which or outside which a picture is located, or for adjusting chrominance signal values for the chroma key or color area-generating signals (matte signals). These are signals which represent an essentially single-color or two-color area with continuous or trick pattern- controlled color transitions and, if required, may be used as background signals or for filling up other areas in the picture. The operating device 2 is further provided with a decimal keyboard 16 for entering numerical values. Video recorders, laser discs, disc recorders or video- effect apparatuses may also be operated, particularly positioned and switched to the recording or reproducing mode by the mixing device. To this end, the operating device 2 is provided with a plurality of keys 17.

Both the operating device 2 and the mixer 1 have a plurality of ports 18, 19 via which further devices can be connected and controlled such as, for example, crossbars, video recorders and video-effect devices.

The supplementary operating device 3 may comprise a personal computer 21 to which a picture display device 22 and an input device 23 are connected. The display screen of the display device may be constituted, for example by a liquid crystal display in the TFT technique. The input device 23 may be a keyboard, particularly a keyboard adapted to the display, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, a mouse or a track ball may be used instead or as additional input devices.

Figure 2 shows diagrammatically an embodiment of the supplementary operating device 3 comprising the personal computer 21, the display screen 22 and the input device 23 arranged around the display screen 22. The personal computer 21 comprises, inter alia the mother board 24, a network card 25, a graphics card 26 from which digital VGA signals are transmitted to the display screen 22, a disc controller 27 which controls a hard disk 28 and a disc drive mechanism 29, as well as two R232 interfaces 30.

The display screen 22 is implemented by means of suitable programs as a graphic user interface, in which function of the operating elements 31 of the input device 23 are in context with the relevant contents of the display screen 22.

Dependent on the operation to be performed, different menus can be displayed on the display screen 22, with switching areas, hereinafter referred to as buttons, being arranged at the upper, the lower and the left-hand border of the display screen which, as regards function, correspond to the juxtaposed keys.

As shown in Figure 3, Digipots 41 to 44, which are rotary devices which give an output signal dependent on their angle of rotation, are arranged at the right-hand border of the display screen 22. To set values of several functions, fields 45 to 48 are used which are arranged on the inner side of the right-hand border of the display screen 22, i.e. near the digipots. These fields indicate the function names and the values set in the form of bars or as numerical values. In the menu shown, only three of these inputs are used. An empty field 45 indicates that an input is in principle possible by the digipot 41, but not relevant at this menu.

In the selected menu: "M/El KEY1 main luminance" shown in Figure 3, three different functions may be assigned to the digipots 42, 43, 44. This assignment can be realized by means of keys 49, 50, 51, 67, 68, 69 or mouse clicks on the buttons 52, 53, 54.

Three fields 55, 56, 57; 58, 59, 60; 61, 62, 63 are visible in the relevant column and indicate the value settings as bar diagrams. Small buttons provided with arrows next to the bar diagrams are used for changing the value settings by means of mouse clicks. Moreover, the value settings can be changed by dragging the mouse at the upper edge of the bar.

The fields 55 to 57 are used for indication and adjustment of the transparency, the width and the position of a border, while the fields 58 to 60 are used for adjusting the transparency, the gain and the clipping threshold. The button 53 and the key 50 are used for starting automatic setting of the clipping threshold. The fields 61 to 63 are used for setting the value of a smooth transition and the position of the key signal. Each column is provided with respective buttons 64, 65, 66 at the upper edge of the display screen, with

6 corresponding keys 67, 68, 69 above the display screen which partly also relate to the functions of "border", clip-gain versus clean-up/density mode selection, and "P/S/S". When one of the keys 67 to 69 is activated, or when one of the buttons 64 to 66 marked by means of an arrow head is clicked, a selection menu appears on the display screen, from which menu a desired setting can be performed, for example, the type of border, either by clicking the corresponding areas of the selection menu or activating the keys above it.

Different menus which are used for processing a command or for adjusting an apparatus in the mixer can be called by means of keys combined in a block 70. For example, a start menu is called by means of a key 71, an installation menu by means of the key 72, an application menu by means of the key 73 and a menu for personal data, for example user names and passwords, by means of the key 74. The keys 75 are used for calling menus for different mixer components, for example keying units, fader circuits or trick generators.

Keys 76 arranged at the left-hand edge of the display screen as well as neighboring buttons 77 arranged on the display screen are dependent on the menu, in a similar manner to the keys of the upper row 78 and the lower row 79. Generally the functions of the keys 80 and 81 in the upper row, the keys 82 and 83 in the lower row and the keys 84 in the left-hand row are not dependent on the menu selected. Generally independent of the menu called and similarly to the associated buttons 80' to 84', these keys have the following designations: the key 80 above the button 80', denoted by "delegate", is used for delegating the respective menu to one out of a plurality of similar resources (devices), for example chroma key devices. When the key 80 is activated, a sub-menu shown in Figure 4 will become visible, by means of which one of the devices can be selected by activating the bordering keys or by clicking the relevant button of the sub-menu.

The key 81 and the button 81' are used for copying or exchanging settings to or from other menus.

An automatic exchange of the menu by operating the operating device can be blocked by means of the key 82 and the button 82'.

The key 83 and the button 83' are used to insert the value settings numerically in the fields 55 to 63. This setting, likewise as other settings, can be stored in the "personality" menu for the operating person concerned. A further function of the key 83 and the button 83' is to delegate inputs to the decimal keyboard 16 (Figure 1) by means of a double click. The keys 17 can be used like cursor keys, i.e. in the menu shown by way of example in Figure 3, fields 55 to 63 can be selected and subsequently the value then ---1 - 7 becoming visible can be changed by means of the decimal keyboard. The key 84 and the button 84' provide the possibility of a return to the previously called menu.

The buttons are graphically implemented in such a way that their type and possibly the switching state can easily be recognized. For example, a button with a border such as the button 84' is a dialog button. A button without a border such as, for example the button 53 triggers an action. Buttons with a line at the upper edge in the lower row or at the lower edge in the upper row have an on/off switching function, with a change of color of the line indicating the switching state. Buttons which can be used in the respective menu appear in black script, whereas irrelevant buttons do not appear in script or with a deviating color, for example grey. Buttons with a triangle pointing at the edge indicate that a sub-menu is superimposed upon activation (overlay).

Each menu is clearly characterized by a name in a special field 85. A further field 86 may be used for different indications and inputs, while further fields may appear when clicking single text rows of the field 86.

Figure 4 shows sections of a further menu. For example, a "ports" menu indicates that the digipots 43, 44 and the keys in the lower row (Figure 3) can be used for moving a cursor so as to realize corresponding settings in a list of the ports 18, 19 (Figure 1). To indicate the function of the digipots and keys, the keys and fields 91 to 96 are provided with corresponding arrow symbols. Apart from the use of operating elements arranged outside the display screen 22, the cursor may also be moved by clicking the corresponding fields 91 to 96 or by clicking the position on the window 97 provided for the cursor. It is possible to browse in long lists by means of a scroll bar 98.

A section from another menu also shown in Figure 4 shows the appearance of a sub-menu when the "delegate" key 80 (Figure 3) or the button 80' is activated. This sub-menu is superimposed on the neighboring buttons so that allocation to the superposed keys can be recognized. A selection from the sub-menu is thus simply possible by using the superposed keys or by clicking one of the buttons 101 to 104. The sub-menu can be closed by clicking the button 105.

A further particular detail shown in Figure 4 is that a key heading in a field 106 indicates to the user that these keys and also the associated buttons 107, 108 and

109 provide the possibility of a 1-out-of-n selection.

When indicating and inputting parameters with a continuous range of values, also referred to as analog values, a convenient display is very important. This applies both to the value set and to further information required in relation to the value. This is 8 realized in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 by differently colored divisions of the bar diagram, by markings in the bar diagram as well as by additional display of numerical values.

1 In the field 101, a relevant setting, which is not delegated to a given device, is clarified in that the background of the bar diagram has the same color as the field 111 itself. The bar itself is black. However, in the field 111, the background of the bar diagram has a deviating color (white) so as to show that this value is delegated. The bar itself is then, for example blue. This is also the case for the value in field 113 in which an additional marking 121 is provided. The field 114 shows the chromaticity value (hue) setting which is preferably shown as a bar diagram in the embodiment, although there is an angle between 0" and 360'. Here, there are three markings 122, 123, 124 which represent predetermined colors. The field 115 is not relevant in the presupposed menu and is therefore shown without a bar and in a single color.

The fields 116 to 120 indicate the same values as the fields I 11 to 115, with an additional numerical indication for each value.

1 9

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An operating device for video-technical apparatuses, in which an operating surface of a graphic user interface is displayable by means of a display screen, comprising buttons in an outer area and fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters in an inner area.

2 An operating device as claimed in claim 1, in which a plurality of selectable menus is displayable on the display screen.

3. An operating device as claimed in claim 2, in which a series of switching fields are provided both at a first border and at a second, opposite border.

4. An operating device as claimed in claim 3, in which further buttons which are used substantially for selecting the menus are provided at a third border extending perpendicularly to the first and the second border, while indicator fields for control parameters to be supplied by means of input elements are provided at a fourth border.

5. An operating device as claimed in claim 4, in which digipots are provided outside the fourth border as input elements for the control parameters.

An operating device as claimed in claims 3 to 5, in which keys are arranged outside at least one of the first, second, and third borders and aligned with the buttons, which keys have the same functions as the buttons.

7. An operating device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, in which the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters are arranged in lines and columns, while a column of the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters can be activated with the aid of the buttons and keys at the first or the second border, for input by means of the input elements at the fourth border.

8. An operating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which buttons at the end of a series of buttons extending at the border of the display screen have a menu independent function.

9. An operating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters have bar diagrams.

10. An operating device as claimed in claim 9, in which the fields for indicating and/or inputting control parameters can be supplemented by optional addition of 6.

1 numerical indications.

11. An operating device as claimed in claim 9 or 10, in which control parameters which are measured in angle lines, are indicated by means of bar diagrams.

12. An operating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which at least one button is associated with a plurality of additional buttons which appear upon activation of the button and/or a juxtaposed operating element and are arranged in such a way that they partially overlap the neighboring buttons.

13. An operating device as claimed in claim 12, in which the additional buttons are automatically removed after a predetermined period of time which can be stored for the individual users.

14. An operating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the supplied control parameters can be stored in a non-volatile manner and are retrievable by using one of the predetermined menus.

15. An operating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, for use as a supplementary operating device for an operating device of a video mixer.

16. An operating device as claimed in claim 15, in which a further field is visible in the central area, which field comprises indications which, when clicked upon, open a sub-menu showing a selection of lists and/or bar diagrams, the selection of lists being used for source selection or allocation.

17. An operating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the supplementary operating device comprises a personal computer, a picture display device and at least one input device.

18. An operating device for video-technical apparatuses, the operating device being substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. Any novel fature or novel combination of features disclosed herein whether or not it relates to the same invention as that claimed in any preceding claim.