JP2005136908A - Information processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing unit which determines with respect to a viewing channel of an electronic apparatus, having a digital interface that can be connected to a network. <P>SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus is provided with an input video apparatus determining means (130) that uses a digital interface to determine an input video apparatus connected with a display device; a tuning information acquiring means (140) that uses the digital interface, to acquire the tuning information of the determined input video apparatus; and a channel-determining means (110) that determines the channel being watched, on the basis of the acquired tuning information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that determines a viewing channel, and more particularly, to a viewing channel determination apparatus using a digital interface.

  When it is common to use a television receiver (hereinafter referred to as a TV) alone, the TV on / off status and the channel number of the tuner in the TV are used for audience rating measurement. It was sufficient to collect it in association with time data, but it was sufficient to record AV equipment such as a video tape recorder or AV TV (a TV that has a plurality of external input terminals and can be used as a monitor such as an externally connected video tape recorder). As a result of the widespread use, it has become necessary to first determine the source that is actually being viewed on a television prior to channel determination.

For this reason, in the conventional viewing channel determination device, first, the source is determined, and then the video / audio output of each tuner in the device is used as reference data, and the video / audio of the TV for which the viewing channel is determined as an external input. The viewing channel is determined from the coincidence of the reference data and the measured data by comparing the output as measured data with channel scanning one after another (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3035408 (pages 5-7, FIGS. 1-3)

  However, in the conventional viewing channel determination apparatus, as the number of channels increases as in digital broadcasting, the time required for determination becomes enormous in proportion to the number of channels.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that determines a viewing channel for an electronic device having a digital interface connectable to a network.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an input video device determination unit that determines an input video device connected to a display device using a digital interface, and channel selection information of the determined input video device is acquired using the digital interface. An information processing apparatus comprising: channel selection information acquisition means for performing channel determination means for determining a channel being viewed based on the acquired channel selection information.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided detection means for detecting a connection device connected via a digital interface, and which input video device among a plurality of input video devices in the detected connection device using the digital interface. Input video device determination means for determining whether or not a display device is connected, channel selection information acquisition means for acquiring channel selection information of the determined input video device using the digital interface, and the acquired channel selection An information processing apparatus comprising: channel determination means for determining a channel being viewed based on information.

  The third aspect of the present invention further includes power state determination means for determining the power state of the display device, and the channel determination means determines the channel being viewed in consideration of the result of the power state determination means. This is an information processing apparatus according to the first or second invention.

  A fourth invention is the information processing apparatus according to the first or second invention, wherein the channel determination means determines whether or not the acquired channel selection information is valid.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information processing apparatus which determines a viewing channel with respect to the electronic device which has a digital interface which can be connected to a network can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a viewing channel determination system according to the present embodiment. Reference numeral 100 denotes a viewing channel determination apparatus which is an information processing apparatus, and reference numeral 200 denotes a digital video (hereinafter referred to as DVHS). A set top box (hereinafter referred to as STB) 300 is connected to the viewing channel determination apparatus 100 and the DVHS 200 through a digital interface. Below, the case of IEEE1394 is demonstrated as an example of a digital interface. The analog TV 400 is connected with an analog cable.

The STB 300 includes an IEEE 1394 interface (hereinafter referred to as 1394 I / F) 310 connected to the viewing channel determination apparatus 100, a 1394 I / F 320 connected to the DVHS 200, and an analog video output terminal 330 connected to the analog TV 400. In addition, a tuner 340 for receiving terrestrial broadcasts, a tuner 350 for receiving BS digital broadcasts, and a video signal of any of these tuners 340 and 350 or 1394 I / F 320 for DVHS are selected. And a switch (SW) 360 for outputting to the output terminal 330.

  Then, the 1394 I / F 310 sends information regarding the SW 360, the 1394 I / F 320, the terrestrial tuner 340, and the BS digital tuner 350 to the viewing channel determination apparatus 100.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the viewing channel determination apparatus 100. The 1394 I / F 150 is connected to the STB 300 via an IEEE 1394 serial bus cable, and acquires various types of information. The type information of the device to which the 1394 I / F 150 is connected is analyzed by the connected device detection unit 120, and the device type is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110. Then, the type information of the video input device selected by the SW 360 of the STB is analyzed by the display input device detection unit 130, and the input video type is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110. Finally, the channel selection information of the video input device is analyzed by the channel selection information acquisition unit 140, and the channel selection information is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110.

Below, operation | movement of the viewing-and-listening channel determination apparatus 100 is demonstrated in detail using the flowchart of FIG.

  The connected device detection unit 120 acquires device type information for other devices connected by IEEE1394 (S110). With the IEEE 1394 network configuration as shown in FIG. 1, device type information can be acquired for the DVHS 200 and the STB 300. In this process, a SUBINFO INFO command or the like is used among AV / C command protocols for acquiring information defined on IEEE1394. Here, information that the configuration of the device is STB can be acquired from the 1394 I / F 310. Therefore, it can be determined that the monitor is an analog TV.

  As a result of the acquisition, for the device whose device type is determined to be STB (Yes in S120), the input video determination unit 130 determines which input video device is currently displaying and outputting a signal (S130). ). This process is equivalent to determining the state of the SW 360 in the STB 300, and a CONNECT command or the like may be used among AV / C command protocols for obtaining information defined in IEEE 1394.

  As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the output of any of the tuners built in the STB 300 is currently being displayed (Yes in S140), the channel selection information acquisition unit 140 acquires the current channel selection information of the tuner. Perform (S150). In the case of the present embodiment, the case where the SW 360 is connected to the terrestrial tuner 340 or the BS digital tuner 350 corresponds. On the other hand, when the SW 360 is connected to the 1394 I / F 310, channel selection information is not acquired (No in S140). For example, the SW 360 acquires channel selection information (channel selection information (2)) of the BS digital tuner 350. This process may be performed using an OPEN DESCRIPTOR, READ DESCRIPTOR command, etc., among AV / C command protocols for obtaining information defined on IEEE1394.

  Next, the viewing channel determination unit 110 analyzes the acquired channel selection information. In the channel selection information, the channel selection information is invalid because the antenna cable is not used, the reception status is bad, or the broadcasting is stopped, in addition to the currently selected channel information. Information such as whether or not.

  If the analyzed channel selection information is valid (Yes in S160), the viewing channel determination unit 110 determines that the channel described in the channel selection information is the current viewing channel (S170). In addition, in order to determine the viewing status for each television, it may be confirmed whether there are unexamined devices (S180).

  According to this embodiment, even if the number of channels increases as in digital broadcasting, the time required for the survey does not become enormous in proportion to the number of channels, and the viewing channel can be surveyed at high speed.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a digital television will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, about the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment, please refer to description of 1st Embodiment and it abbreviate | omits here.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a viewing channel determination system according to the second embodiment. Reference numeral 100 denotes a viewing channel determination apparatus, and reference numeral 200 denotes DVHS. A digital television (hereinafter simply referred to as TV) 500 is connected to the viewing channel determination apparatus 100 and the DVHS 200 through a digital interface. Below, the case of IEEE1394 is demonstrated as an example of a digital interface.

The TV 500 includes an IEEE 1394 interface (hereinafter referred to as 1394 I / F) 510 connected to the viewing channel determination apparatus 100, a 1394 I / F 520 connected to the DVHS 200, and an analog video input terminal 580 connected to the game machine 600. In addition, a tuner 540 for receiving terrestrial broadcasts, a tuner 550 for receiving BS digital broadcasts, and a video signal of any one of these tuners 540, 550 or 1394 I / F 520 for DVHS are selected. Thus, a switch (SW) 560 for outputting to a display device (monitor) 570 such as a cathode ray tube is provided.

  The 1394 I / F 510 sends information regarding the SW 560, the 1394 I / F 520, the terrestrial tuner 540, and the BS digital tuner 550 to the viewing channel determination apparatus 100.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of the viewing channel determination apparatus 100. The 1394 I / F 150 is connected to the TV 500 with an IEEE 1394 serial bus cable, and acquires various types of information. The type information of the device to which the 1394 I / F 150 is connected is analyzed by the connected device detection unit 120, and the device type is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110. The type information of the video input device selected by the SW 560 is analyzed by the display input device detection unit 130, and the input video type is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110. The channel selection information of the video input device is analyzed by the channel selection information acquisition unit 140 and the channel selection information is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110. Finally, the power state of the display device 570 is analyzed by the display device power state determination unit 160 and the power state is sent to the viewing channel determination unit 110.

Hereinafter, the operation of the viewing channel determination apparatus 100 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The connected device detection unit 120 acquires device type information for other devices connected by IEEE1394 (S210). With the IEEE 1394 network configuration as shown in FIG. 4, device type information can be acquired for the DVHS 200 and the TV 500. In this process, a SUBINFO INFO command or the like is used among AV / C command protocols for acquiring information defined on IEEE1394. Here, information that the configuration of the device is a digital television can be acquired from the 1394 I / F 510. Therefore, it can be determined that a monitor is provided.

  As a result of the acquisition, for the device whose device type is determined to be TV (Yes in S220), the input video determination unit 130 determines which input video signal is currently displayed and output (S230). This process corresponds to determining the state of the SW 560 in the TV 500, and a CONNECT command or the like may be used among AV / C command protocols for acquiring information defined on IEEE1394.

  As a result of the determination, if it is determined that any output of the tuner built in the TV 500 is currently displayed and output (Yes in S240), the channel selection information acquisition unit 140 acquires the current channel selection information of the tuner. Perform (S250). In the case of the present embodiment, the case where the SW 560 is connected to the terrestrial tuner 540 or the BS digital tuner 550 corresponds. On the other hand, when the SW 560 is connected to the 1394 I / F 520 or the analog video input terminal 580, channel selection information is not acquired (No in S240). For example, the SW 560 acquires channel selection information (channel selection information (2)) of the BS digital tuner 350. This process may be performed using an OPEN DESCRIPTOR, READ DESCRIPTOR command, etc., among AV / C command protocols for obtaining information defined on IEEE1394.

  Next, the viewing channel determination unit 110 analyzes the acquired channel selection information. In the channel selection information, the channel selection information is invalid because the antenna cable is not used, the reception status is bad, or the broadcasting is stopped, in addition to the currently selected channel information. Information such as whether or not.

  If the analyzed channel selection information is valid (Yes in S260), the display device power supply state determination unit 160 acquires the current power supply state of the display device 570 of the TV 500 to be investigated (S270). For this processing, a POWER command or the like among AV / C command protocols for obtaining information defined on IEEE 1394 may be used.

  As a result of the acquisition, if the current power state of the display device 570 is on (Yes in S270), the viewing channel determination unit 110 determines that the channel described in the channel selection information is the current viewing channel. (S290). Note that in order to determine the viewing status of each television unit, it may be confirmed whether there are unexamined devices (S300).

  According to the present embodiment, even if the number of channels increases as in digital broadcasting, the time required for the survey does not become enormous in proportion to the number of channels, and the viewing channel can be surveyed at a high speed. By taking into account the on / off status of the device, it is possible to determine the viewing channel with higher accuracy.

  The above-described embodiment is a preferable specific example of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are attached. However, the embodiments are appropriately combined and changed within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that it can be done. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the viewing channel determination device is independent from the AV device has been described. However, the viewing channel determination device may be incorporated in the AV device. Furthermore, although the IEEE 1394 standard has been described as an example of a digital interface, other digital interfaces may be applied.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a viewing channel determination system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a viewing channel determination device according to a first embodiment. The flowchart of the viewing-and-listening channel determination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic block diagram of the viewing-and-listening channel determination system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The schematic block diagram of the viewing-and-listening channel determination apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart of the viewing-and-listening channel determination apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 viewing channel determination device 110 viewing channel determination unit 120 connection device detection unit 130 display input device detection unit 140 channel selection information acquisition unit 150 1394 I / F
160 Display Device Power State Determination Unit 200 DVHS
300 STB
310, 320, 510, 520 1394 I / F
330 Analog video output terminal 340, 540 Tuner for receiving terrestrial broadcast 350, 550 Tuner for receiving BS digital broadcast 360, 560 SW
400 analog TV
500 TV
570 Display device 580 Analog video input terminal

Claims (4)

Input video equipment determination means for determining an input video equipment connected to a display device using a digital interface;
Channel selection information acquisition means for acquiring channel selection information of the determined input video device using the digital interface;
An information processing apparatus comprising: channel determination means for determining a channel being viewed based on the acquired channel selection information. Detection means for detecting a connection device connected via a digital interface;
Input video equipment determination means for determining which input video equipment is connected to the display device among the plurality of input video equipment in the detected connection device using the digital interface;
Channel selection information acquisition means for acquiring channel selection information of the determined input video device using the digital interface;
An information processing apparatus comprising: channel determination means for determining a channel being viewed based on the acquired channel selection information. A power state determination unit for determining a power state of the display device;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the channel determination unit determines a channel being viewed in consideration of a result of the power supply state determination unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the channel determination unit determines whether the acquired channel selection information is valid.

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