JP2002112127A - Channel selection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a channel selection device, that enables easy selection of an analog broadcast channel from among hierarchical channels. SOLUTION: While an analog broadcast channel of a major channel is selected, whether a channel-up key or a channel-down key is double-clicked is discriminated (S1, S2); and when the channel-up key is double-clicked ('YES' in S1), a major channel next to a major channel selected at present is selected (S3), when the channel-down key is double-clicked ('YES' in S2), a major channel before the major channel selected at present is selected (S4); and after the processing by the steps S3, S4, a minor channel '0' has been selected in a step S5 as an analog broadcast channel (S5).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a channel selecting device for selecting a desired channel from a plurality of channels.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital image processing technology has advanced,
Digital broadcasting of television programs is being put to practical use. In digital television broadcasting, the number of channels is greatly increased compared to the conventional analog broadcasting mode because of the adoption of the moving image compression coding technology. As a result, the channels are classified into a plurality of layers. ing.

[0003] For example, ATSC (Advanced Television System Committe) which is a standard of digital television broadcasting.
In e), up to five channels of digital broadcasting can be superimposed on one frequency band. As shown in FIG. 4, the channel number of the frequency itself is called a major channel (main channel) and is included in the frequency band. The plurality of channel numbers are called minor channels (sub-channels).

Further, in the current ATSC, digital broadcasting of up to five channels is superimposed on one frequency band as described above, and one analog broadcast is simultaneously broadcast. For example, as shown in FIG. Major channels “1”, “2”, “3”, which are frequency bands,
... each has a maximum of "0" to "5" minor channels. In addition, “1” to digital broadcasting
The minor channel of "5" indicates that the number of digital broadcast channels is actually five, and which of the two-digit numbers is assigned to the minor channels corresponding to the five digital broadcasts Is left to each broadcasting station, and the number of minor channels corresponding to digital broadcasting can be freely changed depending on the time zone.

Therefore, the user can select and enjoy one analog broadcast and a maximum of five digital broadcasts in one major channel.
At this time, the user must select and input all the layers from the upper layer to the lower layer to view the desired channel.

More specifically, when a channel is selected by operating a ten-key on a remote controller, first, a two-digit ten-key operation for designating a major channel is performed, and then a two-digit numeric key for designating a minor channel. You need to do at least the operation. For example, "02 * 01"
When the key operation is performed, the minor channel of "1" among the major channels of "2" is selected and designated. At this time, “0” of the minor channel is fixedly assigned especially for analog broadcasting, but at least a four-digit numeric key operation such as “02 * 00” is required for the designation operation.

[0007]

However, some users want to select only the analog broadcast of each major channel. However, according to the above-described conventional selection method, two digits for designating the major channel are used. The ten-key operation and the two-digit (here, “00” of analog broadcast channel) numeric key operation for designating a minor channel must be repeatedly performed, which is complicated in order to select a desired analog broadcast channel. Frequent operations are very cumbersome for the user,
It is desired that a desired channel can be selected by a simpler operation.

As a method for reducing the user's operation for channel selection, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-28
No. 243 discloses an apparatus for storing a favorite genre designated by a user, selecting a program from the stored genre, and selecting a channel. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-112945 discloses an apparatus in which a genre name of a program is displayed on a screen, and a program can be selected while specifying a number from a rough genre to a fine genre. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-150691 describes an apparatus that allows a user to select a program while viewing a screen showing the contents of the program.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-135, No. 7 discloses that a teletext and data broadcast receiving apparatus stores teletext and data broadcast data in advance in accordance with a reception schedule created based on a reception area or a channel setting performed by a user. It describes a technique that allows data to be displayed immediately upon use.

[0009] However, none of the publications described in these publications make it possible to easily select an analog broadcasting channel from a plurality of hierarchized channels.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily select an analog broadcasting channel from a plurality of hierarchical channels.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a remote controller provided by a predetermined operation of a plurality of operation keys including a number key, a channel up key, and a channel down key. , A television channel selection device for selecting a desired channel from among a plurality of channels hierarchized into a main channel and a sub-channel including one analog broadcast channel and at least one digital broadcast channel A double-click signal output from the remote controller when any one of the channel up key and the channel down key is double-clicked in a state where any one of the analog broadcast channels of the main channel is selected. A remote control receiving unit for receiving, and the remote control receiving unit When received more the double click signal, is characterized by comprising a control unit to tune to the next said main channel or before the main channel analog broadcast channel.

According to such a configuration, by double-clicking either the channel up key or the channel down key of the remote controller, the next main channel or the previous main channel is selected as an analog broadcast channel. The user only needs to perform a very simple operation, and can easily select an analog broadcasting channel from a plurality of hierarchical channels.

[0013] The present invention also provides a mode key provided on the remote controller and operated when switching to an analog mode for selecting an analog broadcast channel, and a state in which one of the main channels of the analog broadcast channel is selected. A remote control receiving unit that receives a mode switching signal output from the remote controller when the mode key is operated, and when the mode switching signal is received by the remote control receiving unit, the next main channel or And a control unit for selecting a channel for analog broadcasting of the main channel.

According to such a configuration, the user operates the mode key provided on the remote controller to select the next main channel or the analog broadcast channel of the previous main channel. It is only necessary to perform a very simple operation of operating once, and it is possible to easily select an analog broadcasting channel from a plurality of hierarchical channels.

Further, according to the present invention, in a state where an analog broadcasting channel of any one of the main channels is selected,
A remote control receiving unit that receives an analog selection command signal output from the remote controller by operating a predetermined order of two or more of the operation keys among the operation keys; and A control unit for selecting a next main channel or a previous analog channel of the main channel when a command signal is received.

According to such a configuration, by operating a predetermined key among the operation keys of the remote controller in a predetermined manner, the next main channel or the previous main channel is selected as an analog broadcast channel. The user only needs to perform a very simple operation, and can easily select an analog broadcasting channel from a plurality of hierarchical channels.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a digital television broadcast receiving apparatus conforming to the ATSC will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire configuration, FIG. 2 is a partial block diagram, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, a television system which is a receiving device including a channel selecting device in the present embodiment includes:
This television system includes a monitor 1, a tuning device 2,
It comprises an antenna 3 and a remote controller 4. Then, the digitally transmitted broadcast signal is received by the antenna 3, and channel selection and signal processing are performed by the channel selection device 2,
An image and a sound based on the signal processed by the tuning device 2 are displayed and output by the monitor 1.

The remote controller 4 includes a power key for turning on / off the power, a volume adjustment key, numeric keys corresponding to the numbers "0" to "9", a channel up key 4a, and a channel down key. 4b and the like, and has a plurality of operation keys, and transmits a remote control signal composed of, for example, an infrared light signal in response to the key operation toward the tuning device 2.

At this time, the hierarchical channel configuration in the ATSC is as shown in FIG.
When the normal channel selection is performed, specifically, when the minor channel (sub-channel) of “1” is selected from the major channel (main channel) of “2”, for example, the ten-key “02
When "* 01" is operated, the digital broadcast channel of the minor channel of "1" among the major channels of "2" is selected and designated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tuning device 2
Input terminal 10, tuner 11, decoder 12, output processing unit 13, output terminal 14, control unit 16, remote control receiving unit 1
7 and a memory 18.

The input terminal 10 is connected to the antenna 3 by a cable (not shown), receives a broadcast signal from the antenna 3, and sends out received data to a tuner 11 at a subsequent stage. Here, in ATSC, since the number of digital broadcast channels among minor channels can be freely changed depending on the time zone as described above, a broadcast signal including frequency data and channel data is transmitted from a broadcast station.
This is received by the tuner 11 via the antenna 3.

The tuner 11 scans a major channel or a minor channel when the power is turned on by operating a power key of the remote controller 4, for example, to obtain the latest changed channel data, and determines the existing channel and its frequency in the subsequent stage. To the control unit 16. Further, the tuner 11 selects a channel selected by a user's key operation of the remote controller 4 and notified to the control unit 16 from the data received from the input terminal 10, and sends the selected channel to the subsequent decoder 12.

The decoder 12 performs digital demodulation processing on the data received from the tuner 11 and performs error correction.
The demodulated signal is output to the output processing unit 13 at the subsequent stage. On the other hand, the output processing unit 13 performs signal processing for image display and audio reproduction processing on the demodulated signal from the decoder 12. As a result, the signal returns to the original state before being compression-coded for digital transmission, and the video and audio signals output from the output processing unit 13 are output from the output terminal 14 via a cable (not shown) to the monitor 1. And the program being broadcast on the channel selected by the user is displayed on the screen of the monitor 1.

The control unit 16 controls the above-described scan and channel selection by the tuner 11, receives the scan result from the tuner 11, and sets the digital broadcast channel of the minor channel to the ten keys "1" to "10" of the remote controller. Any one of “5” is assigned, and a channel table storing the assignment result and the frequency is created and stored in the memory 18.

Further, the control unit 16 double-clicks one of the channel up key 4a and the channel down key 4b of the remote controller 4 in a state where the analog broadcasting channel of any one of the major channels is selected. At this time, the remote control receiving unit 17 receives the double-click signal output from the remote control 4 to select the next major channel or the analog broadcast channel of the previous major channel.

More specifically, when the analog broadcast channel of "0", which is the minor channel of the major channel of "4", is selected and only the analog broadcast channel of the major channel is to be selected, When the user double-clicks either the channel up key 4a or the channel down key 4b, the next “5” major channel or the previous “3” major channel “0” analog broadcast channel is displayed. It is selected and tuned.

Next, the process of selecting an analog broadcast channel will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Now, as shown in FIG. 3, when an analog broadcast channel of any of the major channels is selected, the channel up key 4 is determined by the presence or absence of a double-click signal from the remote controller 4 by the remote controller receiver 17.
It is determined whether or not a has been double-clicked (S
1) If the result of the determination is NO, a determination is similarly made as to whether or not the channel down key 4b has been double-clicked (S2). If the result of the determination is NO, the process returns to step S1.

Then, the decision result in the step S1 is YES.
If so, the next major channel after the currently selected major channel is selected (S3). Similarly, if the decision result in the step S2 is YES, the major channel before the currently selected major channel is selected. After the channel is tuned (S4), and after the processes of steps S3 and S4, the minor channel is tuned to "0" in step S5 and tuned to an analog broadcast channel (S5), and thereafter, the process returns to the start.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, by double-clicking either the channel up key 4a or the channel down key 4b of the remote controller 4, the next major channel or the previous major channel can be switched to the analog broadcast channel. The user can select a channel, and the user can easily select only an analog broadcast channel from a plurality of hierarchical channels by performing a very simple operation.

As another embodiment of the present invention, instead of the above-mentioned double click operation of the channel up key 4a or the channel down key 4b of the remote controller 4,
A mode key operated when switching to the analog mode for selecting an analog broadcast channel is provided on the remote controller 4, and when this mode key is operated in a state where an analog broadcast channel of any of the major channels is selected. Alternatively, the mode switching signal output from the remote controller 4 may be received by the remote controller receiving unit 17, and the control unit 16 may select the next major channel or the previous major channel for analog broadcasting.

In this case, the operation of double-clicking is not required, and only a single click operation of the mode key is required. Therefore, the operation becomes simpler. Is very suitable for operation.

As another embodiment of the present invention, two or more predetermined keys among the keys provided on the remote controller 4 are selected in a state where the analog broadcasting channel of any one of the major channels is selected. When the keys are operated in a predetermined order, an analog selection command signal output from the remote controller 4 is received by the remote controller receiver 17 and the controller 16 controls the analog signal of the next major channel or the previous major channel. A channel for a broadcast may be selected.

In this case, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated key such as the mode key described above on the remote controller 4, and it is sufficient to operate a predetermined key among the existing operation keys in a predetermined order. Is easy.

Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention
The case where the present invention is applied to a channel selection device used for digital television broadcasting in ATSC has been described. However, the application range of the present invention is not particularly limited to those conforming to ATSC, and other digital television broadcasting standards. In other words, the present invention can be applied to a television broadcasting system in which a main channel and a sub-channel are hierarchized and analog broadcasting is broadcast in parallel.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes other than those described above can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0037]

As described above, according to the first, second and third aspects of the present invention, the user can perform an analog broadcast of the next main channel or the previous main channel by performing a very simple operation. Since a channel is selected, it is possible to easily select only an analog broadcast channel from among a plurality of hierarchical channels, and to provide an apparatus which can easily select only an analog broadcast channel. it can.

According to the first and third aspects of the present invention, it is possible to easily select a channel for analog broadcasting by operating an existing operation key without providing a new key on the remote controller. .

In particular, according to the first aspect of the present invention, even with the existing operation keys on the remote controller, only one key, the channel up key or the channel down key, needs to be operated. Operation is easier.

On the other hand, according to the second aspect of the present invention, although it is necessary to separately receive the mode key on the remote controller, it is only necessary to operate this mode key once, and a complicated operation such as a double click is not required. It is very easy to use for a user who is unfamiliar with key operations of the remote controller.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a part of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of ATSC digital broadcasting channel hierarchy, which is the background of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Channel selection device 4 Remote controller 4a, 4b Channel up key, channel down key 16 Control unit 17 Remote control receiving unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main channel is selected by a predetermined operation of a plurality of operation keys including a numeric key, a channel up key, and a channel down key provided on a remote controller.
Among a plurality of channels hierarchized into one analog broadcasting channel and at least one sub-channel composed of digital broadcasting channels, in a television broadcasting channel selection device for selecting a desired channel, A remote control receiving unit that receives a double-click signal output from the remote control when any one of the channel up key and the channel down key is double-clicked in a state where the analog broadcast channel of the main channel is selected. And a controller for selecting the next main channel or the previous main channel analog broadcast channel when the double-click signal is received by the remote control receiver. Tuning device. 2. A main channel is designated by a predetermined operation of a plurality of operation keys including a numeric key, a channel up key, and a channel down key provided on a remote controller.
A television broadcasting channel selecting device for selecting a desired channel from among a plurality of channels hierarchized into one analog broadcasting channel and at least one sub-channel comprising a digital broadcasting channel, A mode key operated when switching to an analog mode for selecting an analog broadcast channel, and the mode key is operated when the analog broadcast channel of any of the main channels is selected and the mode key is operated. A remote control receiving unit for receiving a mode switching signal output from a remote controller; and selecting the next main channel or the previous main channel for analog broadcasting when the mode switching signal is received by the remote control receiving unit. And a control unit for controlling The channel selection apparatus. 3. A predetermined operation of a plurality of operation keys including a number key, a channel up key, and a channel down key provided on a remote controller, and
Among a plurality of channels hierarchized into one analog broadcasting channel and at least one sub-channel composed of digital broadcasting channels, in a television broadcasting channel selection device for selecting a desired channel, When the analog broadcast channel of the main channel is selected, an analog selection command signal output from the remote controller by operating a predetermined order of two or more of the operation keys among the operation keys is transmitted. A remote control receiving unit for receiving, and a control unit for selecting the next main channel or the previous main channel analog broadcast channel when the analog selection command signal is received by the remote control receiving unit. A channel selecting device.