JP2002077958A - Television receiver, data transmitting/receiving apparatus and self-diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a television receiver capable of displaying and informing a diagnostic result to a user or a serviceman even when a television screen does not function normally, a data transmitting/receiving apparatus and a self- diagnostic system. SOLUTION: The diagnostic results obtained by checking circuits (2, 4 to 7) in the television receiver are not only screen displayed by display means (11, 9) of the receiver, but also can be transmitted to a personal computer 31 in response to a transmission request from the computer 31 of an external data transmitting and receiving unit. Thus, even when the diagnostic result cannot be displayed on the screen of the receiver, the result of the receiver transmitted to the computer 31 is displayed on the screen of the computer 31, and fault position and contents can be confirmed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a television receiver, a data transmission / reception device, and a self-diagnosis system capable of diagnosing a circuit operation inside a television receiver and displaying a result of the diagnosis.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, television receivers having a self-diagnosis function of diagnosing the operation of various circuits (especially IC circuits) constituting the television receiver have been commercialized. In addition to television receivers, there are products having a self-diagnosis function for various electric appliances.

[0003] Such a self-diagnosis function is used not only to notify a user of a malfunction such as an abnormality or a failure of a circuit inside the device, but also to promptly perform repairs by a serviceman knowing the information. ing.

[0004] In a television receiver, a diagnosis result is displayed on a television screen by using an on-screen display (OSD) function.

In this case, for example, a tuner, an audio circuit, A
Even if there is a problem with the V input switching circuit and the video signal is not displayed properly on the TV screen,
Since the SD diagnosis can be displayed, a diagnosis result (a defective portion or the like) by the self-diagnosis can be displayed by an OSD signal.

However, if there is a defect in the deflection circuit or a bus line commonly connected to various circuits and the screen does not function properly as a television receiver, the OSD
Display cannot be performed with a signal. Therefore, instead of the OSD, for example, a light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as an LED) blinks to indicate that a problem has occurred. There is a problem that we cannot give details.

[0007]

As described above, conventionally,
When a problem that the screen does not appear normally occurs, the diagnosis result cannot be displayed to notify the user or the service person.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a television receiver, a data transmission / reception device, and a self-diagnosis system capable of displaying a diagnosis result to a user or a service person to notify the user of the problem even when the television screen does not function properly. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a television receiver confirms operations of various circuits in the television receiver and diagnoses whether or not the operations are normally performed. Determining means, display means for displaying the diagnosis result on a television screen, and transmission / reception means for receiving a transmission request from an external device and enabling transmission of the diagnosis result of the determination means in response to the transmission request It is characterized by having done.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the result of the diagnosis of each circuit in the television receiver is displayed not only on the screen of the display means of the television receiver but also in response to a transmission request from an external device. It can be sent to an external device. Thus, when the diagnosis result cannot be displayed on the screen of the television receiver, the diagnosis result of the receiver can be called from the external device, transferred to the external device, and the diagnosis content can be confirmed. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transmitting / receiving apparatus, comprising: a command generating means for generating a transmission request command for requesting a television receiver to transmit a diagnostic result; transmitting the transmission request command to the television receiver; A wireless communication unit for receiving a diagnosis result transmitted from a television receiver, and a display unit for displaying the received diagnosis result are provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the data transmission / reception device, which is an external device for acquiring a diagnosis result of the television receiver, first issues a request for transmitting diagnostic data to the television receiver, After receiving the diagnostic result transmitted from the device, the diagnostic result is displayed on the display means. This allows the diagnosis result of the television receiver to be viewed on another device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-diagnosis system for confirming operations of various circuits in a receiver and diagnosing whether or not those operations are performed normally, and a diagnosis thereof. Display means for displaying the result on a television screen, and a television receiver comprising a transmission / reception means for receiving a transmission request from an external device and transmitting a diagnosis result of the determination means in response to the transmission request, Command generation means for generating a transmission request command for requesting transmission of the diagnosis result to the television receiver, and transmitting the transmission request command to the television receiver and the diagnosis result transmitted from the television receiver. The data transmission / reception device includes a wireless communication unit for receiving and a display unit for displaying the received diagnosis result.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the result of the check of the circuit in the television receiver is wirelessly transmitted to and received by the external data transmission / reception device in response to a transmission request from the data transmission / reception device. Can be displayed on the display means of the data transmitting / receiving device. Therefore, when the diagnosis result cannot be displayed on the screen of the television receiver, the diagnosis result of the receiver can be called from a separate data transmission / reception device, and the diagnosis content can be confirmed by the device. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the self-diagnosis system according to the third aspect, the television receiver comprises a receiver having a wireless transmission / reception circuit, and the data transmission / reception device has a wireless communication port. And a two-way communication between the television receiver and the data transmission / reception device using a predetermined communication protocol.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the transfer of the diagnosis result from the television receiver to the personal computer as the data transmitting / receiving device is performed by setting a necessary communication protocol program to the general-purpose personal computer using software. The diagnostic data can be transmitted and received and displayed on a personal computer with only a very simple operation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the self-diagnosis system according to the third or fourth aspect, the two-way wireless communication between the television receiver and the data transmitting / receiving device is performed by an infrared signal. .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, if the communication between the television receiver and the data transmission / reception device is performed by an infrared signal, an infrared signal transmission circuit can be used in addition to the remote control receiving circuit normally used for the television receiver. The light emitting element and its driving circuit may be provided, and a standard signal format for infrared communication can be used, which is advantageous in cost.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the self-diagnosis system according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, the television receiver has an operation time measuring means for counting an operation time after shipping. The operation time is displayed together with the diagnosis result on a display means in the television receiver or a display means in the data transmission / reception device.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the operating time used after the television receiver is shipped can be measured and displayed. Therefore, if the operating time is referred to together with the diagnosis result, when a serious failure occurs in the receiver, etc. The serviceman can use the information as a reference as to whether the operation time of the receiver is near the end of its life or not.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a self-diagnosis system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a television receiver includes an antenna 1, a tuner 2, an intermediate frequency amplification and detection circuit (hereinafter, IF circuit) 3, and an audio / video input switching circuit (hereinafter, AV input switching circuit) 4. , External input terminals 4a to 4c, a video / chroma / deflection processing circuit (hereinafter, V / C / D circuit) 5, an audio circuit 6, and a deflection circuit 7.
A deflection yoke 8, a cathode ray tube (CRT) 9,
A speaker 10 and an on-screen display circuit (hereinafter referred to as OS
D circuit) 11, a microcomputer (hereinafter, microcomputer) 12, a bus line 13, and an infrared transmitting / receiving circuit 14.
, Remote control receiving circuit 15, and transmitting LED drive circuit 1
6, a transmission LED 17, and a light emitting diode (hereinafter, L
ED) 18, 19, a power supply circuit 21 for the microcomputer, and a power supply circuit 21 for other than the microcomputer.

The television broadcast signal received by the antenna 1 is supplied to a tuner 2. The tuner 2 selects a channel under the control of the microcomputer 12 connected via the bus line 13 and performs conversion to an IF frequency. The IF circuit 3 performs IF amplification and further performs detection to obtain baseband video signals and audio signals (hereinafter, AV signals), which are input to the AV input switching circuit 4. In addition to the AV signal from the IF circuit 3, the AV input switching circuit 4
A plurality of AV signals can be input from external input terminals 4 a to 4 c connected to a video output terminal (not shown) such as a microcomputer, and a microcomputer 12 connected via a bus line 13.
, One of a plurality of AV signals is selected and output.

The AV selected by the AV input switching circuit 4
The video signal among the signals is supplied to the V / C / D circuit 5, and the audio signal among the AV signals is supplied to the audio circuit 6.
The V / C / D circuit 5 separates a luminance signal and a chrominance signal, separates a synchronization signal, and generates R, G, and B primary color signals under the control of the microcomputer 12 connected via the bus line 13. The primary color signal from the V / C / D circuit 5 is supplied to each color cathode of the CRT 9, and the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals separated in synchronization are supplied to the deflection circuit 7. The deflection circuit 7 generates horizontal and vertical deflection signals under the control of the microcomputer 12 connected via the bus line 13 and supplies the signals to the deflection yoke 8. The deflection yoke 8 has a horizontal deflection coil and a vertical deflection coil. The deflection yoke 8 deflects and scans the electron beams of each color in the CRT 9 in response to horizontal and vertical deflection signals from the deflection circuit 7 so that the R, G, and B fluorescent films are formed. And a color image is displayed.

The microcomputer 12 includes a CPU as a central processing unit, a ROM storing program data including a control program, a self-diagnosis program, a communication protocol program, and the like necessary for the operation of the receiver. And at least a RAM serving as a data memory for storing data indicating an operating state such as a channel, a sound volume level, and an image adjustment state. Further, a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM may be mounted so that operation data and diagnostic data at the time of turning off the television receiver can be held even when the television receiver is completely turned off.

The television receiver has a time counter that operates under the control of the microcomputer 12.
It is used for purposes such as counting the operation time of the receiver.

As the bus line 13, an IIC (Inter-IC) bus is used as an internal data bus.
This IIC bus has two signal lines, a clock signal line and a data signal line. The microcomputer 12
ACK is determined via the IIC bus for each of the addressed IC circuits (2, 4, 5, 6, 7) as to whether or not there is an abnormality.
(Acknowledgment) can be checked by checking.

The microcomputer 12 controls each IC circuit (2, 4,
When an abnormality has occurred in (5, 6, 7), it is possible to know what abnormality has occurred in which IC, so that a control signal for generating character information indicating the abnormality is generated and O
By supplying the OSD signal to the SD circuit 11, an OSD signal corresponding to the character information indicating the abnormality is generated. The abnormal condition mentioned here includes a case where the value of the current, voltage, etc. at a specific portion of each IC circuit exceeds the limit value in the specification of the device. The OSD signal from the OSD circuit 11 is supplied to the V / C / D circuit 5 as diagnostic information, and is superimposed on the video signal and displayed on the screen of the CRT 9. Although the OSD circuit 11 is separate from the microcomputer 12 in FIG. 1, the OSD circuit 11 may have a built-in OSD section in the microcomputer 12A as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, an OSD signal representing character information is directly output from the microcomputer 12A,
It is supplied to the V / C / D circuit 5.

In FIG. 1, the microcomputer 12 has a bus line 13
When a serious failure such as disconnection, short-circuit between two signal lines, or short-circuit to ground (GND) occurs, the screen display of the CRT 9 does not function properly. LED 18,
One of the nineteen can be made to blink to notify the user.

Further, the microcomputer 12 includes the microcomputer 1
A function of constantly monitoring the presence or absence of an error detection signal indicating an abnormal current detected by an excessive current detection means (not shown) provided in a power supply circuit 21 for supplying a power supply voltage to circuit elements other than the second circuit element; In addition, if such an error is detected, one of the LEDs 18 and 19 is blinked to notify the user.

The microcomputer 1 according to the present embodiment
2 receives a transmission request from the personal computer 31 which is an external data transmission / reception device, and responds to the transmission request by the microcomputer 1.
The infrared transmission / reception circuit 14 is connected as transmission / reception means for enabling transmission of the second diagnostic data to the personal computer 31. The infrared transmitting / receiving circuit 14 includes a remote control receiving circuit 15
, A transmission LED drive circuit 16 and a transmission LED 17.

The remote control receiving circuit 15 is a circuit for receiving an infrared signal including a transmission request command transmitted from the personal computer 31 and transmitting the infrared signal to the microcomputer 12. Further, the transmission LED drive circuit 16 can receive the diagnostic data taken into the microcomputer 12 from the circuit element inside the receiver at the infrared communication port 32 (or a circuit for infrared communication) of the personal computer 31 of the transmission destination. This is a circuit for transmitting an infrared signal in a format, and a transmission LED
A transmission LED 17 that emits infrared light is connected to the drive circuit 16. Note that, as the remote control receiving circuit 15, a circuit for receiving an infrared remote control signal from a remote control transmitter (not shown) which is generally used for performing various operations of the television receiver can be used as it is. it can. Accordingly, the signal format of the infrared remote control signal of the remote control transmitter and the infrared signal format for transmitting the transmission request command from the personal computer 31 are the same signal format. Of course, the signal format of the transmission infrared signal in the transmission LED drive circuit 16 is also the same as the signal format of the infrared remote control signal of the remote control transmitter, so that the specification of the transmission / reception circuit can be shared between the television receiver and the personal computer to reduce the signal. Costs can be reduced.

By the way, even when the main switch of the television receiver is off (called a standby state), the microcomputer 12 is always supplied with the DC power supply voltage for the microcomputer from the power supply circuit 20 for the microcomputer. The control operation can be started immediately in response to a transmission request command from the personal computer 31 or an operation signal from the remote control transmitter. Therefore, the microcomputer power supply circuit 20 is also called a standby power supply circuit, and supplies a DC power supply voltage for the microcomputer not only to the microcomputer 12 but also to the infrared transmitting / receiving circuit 14.

On the other hand, when the main switch of the television receiver is turned on by operating a remote control transmitter or the like (not shown), the above-mentioned various circuit elements other than the microcomputer 12 are supplied to the circuit elements other than the microcomputer which should be called the main power supply. A DC power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply circuit 21 to each circuit to enter an operation state. Therefore, the microcomputer 12
In this case, when a current abnormality such as an overcurrent occurs in the power supply circuit 21 for each circuit, it is notified as an error detection signal, and a diagnosis result indicating that the power supply circuit 21 is abnormal can be obtained based on the error detection signal.

The personal computer 31 has a CPU as a central processing unit, a hard disk storing an operating system (OS) and various application software (including communication software), and a hard disk storing data necessary for actually operating the personal computer. RAM as a data memory for reading and storing data from a keyboard, a keyboard 33 for operating various instructions with keys, and a liquid crystal display 34 for displaying various data
By operating a predetermined key on the keyboard 33, the transmission request command generated by the CPU in the personal computer 31 is transmitted to the television receiver, while the internal diagnosis result transmitted from the television receiver is transmitted. An infrared communication port 32 (or a circuit for infrared communication controlled by a serial communication system (for example, RS-232C system)) as a wireless communication means for receiving, and a bus for exchanging data between the CPU and each circuit. And at least. Further, there is also a device in which a storage device such as a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a flexible disk is mounted.

Next, the operation of the self-diagnosis system configured as described above will be described.

When the main switch of the television receiver is turned on (that is, the operation state), the microcomputer 12 in the receiver changes the operation state of each of the circuits 2, 4 to 7 inside the receiver to each of the circuits. It checks from the values of current, voltage, and the like, determines whether or not those operations are performed normally, and holds the data as diagnostic data. Alternatively, when each circuit has a function of detecting an abnormality, the microcomputer 12 reads out the abnormality detection result and holds the result as diagnostic data.

Here, means for executing the self-diagnosis function and means for notifying that an abnormality has occurred in the television receiver will be specifically described in the following (1) to (7).

The self-diagnosis operation by the microcomputer 12 in the television receiver is started by transmitting a self-diagnosis start command to the television receiver, for example, by operating a predetermined key on a remote control transmitter or the like (not shown). .

When the self-diagnosis operation is started, the microcomputer 1
Reference numeral 2 confirms the operation of each of the circuits 2, 4 to 7 inside the receiver, determines whether or not those operations are normally performed, and holds the result as a diagnosis result.

(1) It is checked whether there is an abnormality in the power supply circuit 21 (for example, detection of an excessive load current).

(2) With respect to the bus line 13, two signal lines constituting the bus line are short-circuited or at least one signal line is grounded (G
Check if there is a short circuit to ND).

(3) For each of the IC circuits 2, 4 to 7, A
A CK (acknowledge) check is performed to check whether each IC circuit is normally connected to the bus line 13.

(4) For each of the IC circuits 2, 4 to 7,
If the C circuit has a function for checking its own abnormality, the value or the like is read to check whether there is any abnormality in the function inside the IC circuit.

(5) For reference, the operation time of the television receiver after shipping is checked.

(6) The above check results (diagnosis results)
Is displayed on the television screen using the OSD function if the television screen can be displayed.

(7) When the television screen cannot be displayed because the television receiver cannot be turned on due to the abnormality of the power supply circuit 21 or the abnormality of the bus line 13, the LEDs 18 and 19 for controlling the lighting by the microcomputer 12. This is used to make it blink, for example, to notify that it is abnormal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the microcomputer in the television receiver in the self-diagnosis system.

In step S1, it is checked whether or not the diagnostic data has been captured in the microcomputer 12. If the diagnostic data has not been captured, the process proceeds to step S2 where the diagnostic data is captured from each circuit in the receiver. The process proceeds to step S3. If the diagnostic data already exists in step S1, the process directly proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, it is checked whether the television screen can be normally displayed.

If the television screen can be displayed normally, it is displayed on the television screen via the OSD function in step S4,
Proceed to step S5. If the television screen cannot be displayed normally, the process proceeds to S5 without performing the screen display by the OSD.

In step S5, it is checked whether there is a communication request (data transfer) from the personal computer 31. If there is a transmission request from the personal computer 31, the process proceeds to step S6, where the data of the diagnosis result in the microcomputer 12 is transmitted to the personal computer 31 using infrared communication.

Note that the communication protocol used for data transfer between the television receiver and the personal computer 31 is related to the amount and speed of information to be transferred. Since the information to be transmitted is about numbers, alphabets, and some symbols, a simple communication protocol can be set, and the burden on the microcomputer of the television receiver can be reduced.

Next, a procedure for performing data transfer of the diagnosis result from the television receiver to the personal computer 31 will be described.

The data transfer from the television receiver to the personal computer 31 is performed by communication using infrared rays between the infrared transmitting / receiving circuit 14 as the transmitting / receiving means in the television receiver and the infrared communication port 32 as the wireless communication means in the personal computer 31. Done. According to the handshake-type procedures (1) to (9) as shown in FIG. 4, data is transferred, the diagnosis result is stored in the memory of the personal computer 31, and the personal computer screen 3 is displayed.
4 is displayed.

The user performs a predetermined key operation on the personal computer 31, whereby the personal computer 31 generates a transmission request command for requesting the television receiver to transmit a diagnosis result.

(1) The personal computer 31 sends a data transmission request of the diagnosis result to the television receiver.

(2) The television receiver prepares transmission data in response to the data transmission request.

(3) A data reception request is sent from the television receiver to the personal computer 31.

(4) ACK is returned from the personal computer 31 to the television receiver.

(5) Data is transmitted from the television receiver to the personal computer 31.

(6) ACK is returned from the personal computer 31 to the television receiver.

(7) The television receiver notifies the personal computer 31 of the end of the transmission data.

(8) The personal computer 31 displays the received data on the screen.

(9) ACK is returned from the personal computer 31 to the television receiver.

Note that a television receiver generally has a remote control code (for example, 32 bits) having a predetermined signal format.
, And cannot receive signals of completely different formats. Therefore, PC3
The first data transmission request command sent from 1 is set in the remote control code. In particular, if there are vacancies in the special commands used in manufacturing or the like, setting them within them will reduce the occurrence of malfunctions and the like.

In the data transfer mode, the protocol used in that mode may be a dedicated protocol suitable for transmission and reception between the television receiver and the personal computer. Also, since the data to be transferred is about numbers and alphabets, 7 bits +
This is possible by transferring data in units of 8 bits of parity.

According to the embodiment described above, the result of the self-diagnosis performed by the television receiver is stored in the microcomputer in the receiver, and the diagnosis result is displayed on the television screen by using the OSD function as necessary. Will be displayed. However, if a problem such as an abnormality in the main power supply or an abnormality in the bus line cannot be displayed normally, the OSD function cannot be used, but the microcomputer in the receiver obtains the diagnosis result at that time. Next, using the wireless communication function with the personal computer, the data of the diagnosis result can be transferred to the personal computer and displayed on the personal computer screen. With this, when a serious defect that cannot be displayed on the TV screen occurs, even if a serviceman performs repairs, it can be displayed on the PC screen and the faulty location and contents can be almost specified, making it possible to perform repairs smoothly Become.

[0069]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if a defect occurs in which a television screen cannot be displayed normally, a diagnosis result is displayed and notified to a user or a service person, and the occurrence of the defect is promptly dealt with. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a self-diagnosis system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration when a microcomputer having an OSD function is used in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a microcomputer in the television receiver in the self-diagnosis system.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for explaining a procedure for transferring data of a diagnosis result from the television receiver to the personal computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 ... Tuner 4 ... AV input switching circuit 5 ... V / C / D circuit 6 ... Audio circuit 7 ... Deflection circuit 9 ... CRT (display means) 11 ... OSD circuit (display means) 12 ... Microcomputer 13 ... Bus line 14 ... Infrared Transmission / reception circuit (transmission / reception means) 15 Remote control reception circuit 16 LED transmission circuit 17 Transmission LED 18, 19 LED 20 Power supply circuit for microcomputer 21 Power supply circuit (for circuit elements other than microcomputer) 31 Personal computer ( (Data transmitting / receiving device) 32 infrared communication port 33 keyboard 34 display means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A means for checking the operation of various circuits in a receiver and diagnosing whether or not the operations are performed normally, and a display for displaying the result of the diagnosis on a television screen. And a transmitting / receiving means for receiving a transmission request from an external device and transmitting a diagnosis result of the determining means in response to the transmission request. 2. A command generating means for generating a transmission request command for requesting the television receiver to transmit a diagnosis result, and transmitting the transmission request command to the television receiver and transmitting the transmission request command from the television receiver. A data transmitting / receiving apparatus comprising: a wireless communication unit that receives a diagnosis result; and a display unit that displays the received diagnosis result. 3. A determination means for confirming the operation of various circuits inside the receiver and diagnosing whether or not the operations are performed normally, and a display for displaying the result of the diagnosis on a television screen. Means for receiving a transmission request from an external device, and a transmission / reception means for enabling transmission of a diagnosis result of the determination means in response to the transmission request; and Command generation means for generating a transmission request command for requesting transmission of a result, wireless communication means for transmitting the transmission request command to the television receiver and receiving a diagnosis result transmitted from the television receiver, and A self-diagnosis system comprising: a data transmission / reception device having display means for displaying the diagnosis result. 4. The television receiver comprises a receiver provided with a wireless transmission / reception circuit, and the data transmission / reception device comprises a personal computer provided with a wireless communication port. 4. The self-diagnosis system according to claim 3, wherein the self-diagnosis system can perform bidirectional communication with a data transmission / reception device using a predetermined communication protocol. 5. The self-diagnosis system according to claim 3, wherein the two-way wireless communication between the television receiver and the data transmission / reception device is performed by an infrared signal. 6. The television receiver has an operation time measuring means for counting an operation time after shipping, and a display means in the television receiver or a display means in the data transmission / reception device displays the operation time together with a diagnosis result. The self-diagnosis system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the display is displayed.