JP2005210705A - Display device, television receiver, image display control method and image display control processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device which can significantly enhance the battery service time, while ensuring backlight which is bright and easily to see, and is suitable for a mobile purpose, and to provide a television receiver, an image display control method and an image display control processing program. <P>SOLUTION: The television receiver is provided with a display control unit 167 for receiving a specified program and controlling at least any one of the backlight luminance, spatial resolution of liquid crystal driving and temporal resolution, on the basis of the acquired specified program. The unit 167, for example, performs control so as to maintain the backlight luminance at a reference level, while a user is viewing a program other than the specified program and to lower the backlight luminance, the spatial resolution and/or temporal resolution, while the user is viewing the specified program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device, a television receiver, an image display control method, and an image display control program, and more particularly, to an energy saving effect (hereinafter referred to as energy saving) and display characteristic improvement of the display device.

  Hereinafter, in the description of the specification, display characteristics include at least one of display brightness, spatial resolution, and temporal resolution. The definition of the reference level is a default value, generally a display brightness that is acceptable to the user. The specific program having periodicity is a program that appears in the same time zone on a plurality of days, for example, a scheduled news / weather information program. Further, the specific program having regularity is a program appearing accompanying a certain program, for example, news / weather information / traffic information after a long program broadcast ends.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, liquid crystal display devices are roughly classified into a transmission type that displays an image by controlling the transmitted light amount of light irradiated from the outside, and a reflective type that displays an image by controlling the reflected light amount. A transmissive liquid crystal display device generally uses an illumination device called a backlight on the back surface. The backlight is connected to a backlight drive circuit, and necessary drive power created based on a commercial power source or a power source such as a battery is supplied through the drive circuit. Reflective liquid crystal display devices can display using ambient light, but the display brightness is very dependent on the surrounding environment, and the display cannot be recognized at all in the dark, especially at night. There is also. For this reason, an illumination device called a front light that illuminates the reflective liquid crystal display element from the front is provided in the case where sufficient ambient light cannot be obtained, and there is also a device that is similarly turned on using a drive circuit.

  Such a drive circuit includes an inverter circuit, generates a pulse lighting signal having a cycle of about 100 to 400 Hz based on driving power supplied from a power source, and inverts the inverter during a period when the pulse signal is at a high level. The circuit is driven to generate a high frequency voltage having a period of 40 K to 200 KHz. Thereafter, the high-frequency voltage is applied to the backlight and driven.

  In addition, a portable display device typified by a portable television receiver is battery-powered when being portable. In the portable display device, the power consumed by the backlight unit is the largest, and the battery driving time varies greatly depending on whether the backlight is turned on or off and its brightness. Generally, the display screen is easy to see when the luminance of the backlight is high, and difficult to see when the luminance is low. Since the use of the backlight greatly affects the battery driving time, the backlight luminance is controlled to extend the battery driving time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a personal computer that calculates current consumption from a set battery driving time and the total battery capacity, and drives the backlight only during the time set by the user.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus that controls the lighting time of a device in accordance with the remaining battery capacity. Patent Document 3 discloses a portable viewing device that switches the backlight to low power driving when the remaining battery level is below a certain level, and turns off the video and switches to memory card recording when the battery level drops further.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-192015 JP-A-7-327004 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-122937

  However, in such a conventional portable display device, the backlight brightness and the operation of the device are only partially limited according to the remaining battery level, and the backlight that is optimal for the time that the user wants to watch is used. The brightness of was not ensured.

  For example, in a portable television receiver, when the backlight is dimmed during the program time that the user really wants to watch or when the remaining battery level is sufficient, the time when the user does not watch with much interest or the backlight of the program Is high brightness. These are not effective use of the backlight. In the former case, the user's feeling of use is impaired, and in the latter case, the battery is consumed and the battery driving time is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a display device, a television receiver, an image display control method, and an image display control capable of ensuring backlight brightness that is bright and easy for a user to view a viewing program. An object is to provide a processing program.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a display device, a television receiver, an image display control method, and an image display control processing program capable of reducing power consumption.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a display device, a television receiver, an image display control method, and an image display control processing program suitable for mobile use, which can significantly extend battery driving time while ensuring a bright and easy-to-see backlight for the user. For the purpose.

  The display device of the present invention is a display device including a liquid crystal panel and an illumination light source unit that illuminates the liquid crystal panel, a specific program acquisition unit that acquires a specific program having periodicity or regularity, and the acquired specific program And an image display control means for controlling display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel or the illumination light source unit.

  The display device of the present invention is a display device including a liquid crystal panel and an illumination light source unit that illuminates the liquid crystal panel, a specific program acquisition unit that acquires a specific program having periodicity or regularity, and the acquired specific program And an image display control means for controlling at least one of display brightness of the liquid crystal panel, spatial resolution of the liquid crystal panel, and temporal resolution.

  As a specific aspect, the specific program acquired by the specific program acquisition unit is regular news or weather information.

  As a more preferred specific mode, the specific program acquisition means acquires a specific program by extracting a program having periodicity or regularity from an electronic program guide.

  As a specific aspect, the control of the brightness of the display on the liquid crystal panel includes a control for changing the luminance of the illumination light source unit according to the reservation status.

  As a specific aspect, the control of the spatial resolution includes control for changing the size of an image to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel according to the reservation status.

  As a specific aspect, the control of the temporal resolution includes control for changing the frame frequency of the liquid crystal panel according to the reservation status.

  The image display control means may perform partial lighting or extinguishing of the illumination light source unit according to the reservation status.

  The display device of the present invention further includes a battery that drives the display device, and a battery remaining amount detecting unit that detects a remaining capacity of the battery, wherein the image display control unit detects the battery detected as the specific program. The image display control is performed based on the remaining capacity.

  As a more preferred specific mode, the image display control means performs control for lowering the display characteristics below a reference level for the specific program.

  A television receiver according to the present invention includes any one of the display devices described above.

  A display device control method according to the present invention is a display device control method including a liquid crystal panel and an illumination light source unit that illuminates the liquid crystal panel, the step of acquiring a specific program having periodicity or regularity, And a step of controlling at least one of display brightness, display spatial resolution, and temporal resolution based on the specified program.

  From another viewpoint, the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the display device control method.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to secure a bright and easy-to-read backlight for the user regarding the viewing program. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce power consumption by not using extra power. As a result, a display device, a television receiver, and an image display control method that are excellent in energy saving effects can be realized.

  Further, it is possible to greatly extend the battery driving time while securing a bright and easy-to-see backlight for the viewing program.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a display device, a television receiver, and an image display control method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the basic concept of the present invention will be described.

[Basic configuration]
1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating the basic concept of the present invention.
In FIG. 1A, the display device of the present invention is
Specific program acquisition means for acquiring a specific program having periodicity or regularity a. When,
Image display control means for controlling at least one of backlight luminance (illumination light source unit) luminance, liquid crystal drive spatial resolution, and temporal resolution based on the acquired specific program b. When,
Image display control means b. Control object controlled by c. The basic configuration is that

In FIG. 1B, the display device of the present invention is
Further, a battery remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining capacity of the battery d. Image display control means b. Performs image display control based on the detected remaining battery capacity.

[Control target]
The image display control includes backlight control and liquid crystal drive control. The backlight control includes changing the backlight brightness, turning on / off the backlight, and controlling partial lighting of the backlight. The liquid crystal drive control is control of spatial resolution for changing the image size and temporal resolution for changing the frame rate. Both are performed from the viewpoint of low power consumption while ensuring the user's viewability of the reserved viewing program. It is also possible to combine backlight control and liquid crystal drive control.

  In a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display device, for example, a TFT (Thin film transistor) liquid crystal panel, a plurality of vertical selection lines are sequentially driven by a vertical scanning circuit, whereby a liquid crystal display element connected to these vertical selection lines ( Hereinafter, the liquid crystal cell is functioned. By driving one vertical selection line, one row of pixels can be displayed by a plurality of liquid crystal cells connected to the vertical selection line. By sequentially driving each vertical selection line, an image of one frame on the display panel is displayed.

  In such a liquid crystal driving circuit, each vertical selection line is driven from the ground potential GND to the driving voltage Vp for each horizontal period. That is, since each vertical selection line is charged from the ground potential GND to the drive voltage Vp, power is consumed accordingly.

For example, when the number of vertical selection lines of the liquid crystal panel is k, the capacity per vertical scanning line is Cs, the drive voltage is Vp, and the frame frequency is fv, the power consumption Pc for driving the vertical selection line of the liquid crystal panel is Is obtained by the following equation (1).
Pc = k · Cs · Vp ² · fv (1)

  As the liquid crystal display device is increased in panel size and resolution, the capacity per line is increased by increasing the length of the vertical selection lines, and the number of vertical selection lines is further increased, so that the power consumption Pc is increased. Furthermore, in a liquid crystal display device in which measures for increasing the frame frequency are taken in order to reduce flicker (flickering of the display screen), the power consumption Pc increases due to the increase in the frame frequency.

  The power consumption Pc in the liquid crystal panel is obtained by the above formula (1). In the spatial resolution change, the number k of vertical selection lines is reduced to display a low resolution or a small screen. In changing the temporal resolution, the frame frequency fv is lowered. Thereby, the power consumption Pc can be reduced.

[Control contents]
Image display control means b. Performs image display control based on a specific program having periodicity or regularity. The specific program is, for example, a program such as scheduled news or weather forecast. User selection based on the EPG can be omitted. Further, the battery remaining amount detecting means d. It is preferable to detect the remaining battery level by reflecting the remaining battery level information in the image display control.

  Image display control means b. Keeps the backlight brightness, spatial resolution, or temporal resolution for a specific program with periodicity or regularity. Therefore, for a specific program, the backlight brightness, spatial resolution, or temporal resolution is lowered. If the backlight is turned off, leave a sound.

  Image display control will be described by taking backlight control as an example. [Pattern 1] In the broadcast time zone of the reserved viewing program, the backlight luminance is increased, and the backlight luminance of the program in the time zone other than the reserved viewing program is kept at the reference level. Further, the brightness of the backlight is reduced for a specific program. [Pattern 2] The brightness of the backlight is secured for the broadcast time zone of the viewing reservation program, and the brightness of the backlight other than the viewing reservation program is lowered. Further, the specific program lowers or turns off the backlight brightness. The above pattern is an example, and various combinations of patterns and pattern contents are possible. Furthermore, backlight partial lighting control and liquid crystal drive control may be used alone or in combination with backlight luminance control.

First Embodiment FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention based on the basic concept of FIG. The display device according to this embodiment is applied to a display device of an AC-driven digital television receiver.

  In FIG. 2, the display device of the television receiver includes a liquid crystal panel 100 (control target) and a cold cathode tube (CCFT) as a light source for a backlight (illumination light source unit) that irradiates the liquid crystal panel 100 with light. The backlight 110 (to be controlled) and the supply power supply voltage as basic parameters, and further, backlight luminance control is performed according to display control signals from the display control unit 167 (specific program acquisition means, image display control means). A microcomputer 120, an AC adapter 130 that converts an external commercial power source to an appropriate DC power source and supplies the device to the apparatus, a power source voltage supplied from the AC adapter 130 is rectified, and a predetermined DC voltage is supplied to the microcomputer 120. And a plurality of inverters 151 to 154 to output the DC voltage An inverter circuit 150 that converts the high frequency voltage of K to several hundreds KHz to drive the backlight 110, an external input 160 including a CATV, a tuner 162 that receives a broadcast signal from an antenna 161, and a multiplexed broadcast signal received Broadcast information detection that detects a program information separation unit 163 that separates the program supplementary information, a decoding unit 164 that decodes stream data, and an EPG (Electrical Program Guide) included in the program supplementary information Unit 165, an operation unit 166 including a key input unit for inputting user operation information such as backlight control mode setting, a pointing device, a remote control device, and the like, processes the decoded video signal, and outputs the processed video signal to LCD controller 168. Specific programs with periodicity or regularity Display control unit 167 for controlling at least one of backlight luminance, liquid crystal drive spatial resolution, and temporal resolution based on a regular program, display data, display data transfer clock, scanning start signal, display data latch The LCD controller 168 supplies a liquid crystal drive signal such as a signal, and a liquid crystal drive circuit 169 that outputs a drive voltage to the liquid crystal panel 100 according to the liquid crystal drive signal.

  The microcomputer 120, the AC adapter 130, the regulator 131, and the inverter circuit 150 constitute a backlight lighting device 155 that lights the backlight 110 as a whole.

First, the backlight lighting device 155 will be described.
The backlight 110 includes a plurality of discharge lamps 111 to 114 as light sources for irradiating the liquid crystal panel 100 with light. Although FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration including four discharge lamps 111 to 114, the number and arrangement of the discharge lamps and inverters can be arbitrarily determined according to the dimensions of the liquid crystal panel.

  The microcomputer 120 includes a control unit 121 that performs backlight luminance control on each internal component and a device external to the microcomputer 120, and a dimming pulse generation circuit that supplies a dimming pulse to the inverter circuit 150 (backlight driving unit). 122 and PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) units 123 to 126 that modulate the pulse width and period of the dimming pulse generated by the dimming pulse generation circuit 122 and input the modulated pulse width and period to the inverter circuit 150.

  The dimming pulse generation circuit 122 includes a reference oscillator (not shown) that generates a reference oscillation clock, and generates a dimming pulse based on this clock. In the present embodiment, a plurality of dimming pulses having different frequencies may be generated by one reference oscillator and output to the PWM units 123 to 126, or a plurality of reference oscillators may be provided, each having a different period. The dimming pulses may be output to the PWM units 123 to 126.

  Since the PWM units 123 to 126 correspond to the discharge lamps 111 to 114 of the backlight 110, the microcomputer 120 includes the same number of PWM units as the discharge lamps of the backlight 110.

  The inverter circuit 150 includes a plurality of inverters 151 to 154. Each of the inverters 151 to 154 receives a DC voltage supplied from the output of the AC adapter 130 as a trigger, converts it into a high frequency voltage of several tens of K to several hundreds KHz, and supplies it to the discharge lamps 111 to 114. In addition, dimming pulses generated by the dimming pulse generation circuit 122 and modulated by the PWM units 123 to 126 are input to the inverters 151 to 154. The dimming pulses cause the inverters 151 to 154 to input the discharge lamps 111 to 114, respectively. The high frequency voltage to be supplied is adjusted.

  Thereby, in the backlight lighting device 155 of the present embodiment, the operation of the dimming pulse generation circuit 122 and the PWM units 123 to 126 of the microcomputer 120 is controlled to supply the high frequency to be supplied to the discharge lamps 111 to 114. Arbitrary dimming can be performed on the voltage.

  Since the inverters 151 to 154 also correspond to the discharge lamps 111 to 114 of the backlight 110 as in the PWM units 123 to 126, the inverter circuit 150 includes the same number of inverters as the discharge lamps of the backlight 110. Shall be provided.

  In the backlight lighting device 155 of the present embodiment, the AC adapter 130 includes a switch circuit SW1. The operation of the switch circuit SW1 is controlled by the control means 121 of the microcomputer 120.

  In addition to the basic driving power control of the backlight lighting device 155, the control unit 121 receives a display control signal from the display control unit 167 and performs driving power control for changing the backlight luminance of the backlight lighting device 155. The drive power control performed in response to the display control signal from the display control unit 167 includes changing the backlight brightness, turning on / off the backlight, and partially turning off each of the discharge lamps 111 to 114.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing in detail a configuration example of each PWM unit, each inverter, and each discharge lamp of the present embodiment shown in FIG. The circuit shown in FIG. 3 is a generally known inverter circuit for a backlight, and shows a case where one discharge lamp is turned on.

  In FIG. 3, a power source 201 corresponds to the DC voltage supplied from the regulator 131 in FIG. 2, and this DC voltage is converted into a high frequency voltage by an inverter circuit, and the discharge lamp 111 is driven. The PWM dimming circuit unit 203 corresponds to the PWM units 123 to 126 in FIG. 2, and the other circuit portions correspond to the inverters 151 to 154 in FIG. 2.

  The dimming pulse generated by the dimming pulse generation circuit 122 of FIG. 2 is input to the terminal S1 of the PWM dimming circuit unit shown in FIG. 3, and is output to the inverter circuit portion through the transmission circuit. As a result, the drive voltage supplied from the power source 201 and output to the discharge lamp 111 as a high-frequency voltage can be turned on / off at a constant cycle.

  In the present embodiment, the backlight lighting device 155 using CCFT as the light source of the backlight 110 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an EL (Electro Luminescence) or white LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as the backlight 110 light source. Other types of light sources can be used. In addition to the backlight 110 method, the illumination light source unit that illuminates the liquid crystal panel 100 includes a front light method, and the backlight method includes an edge light method. Further, a combination of backlight type and edge light type LEDs is also included.

Next, the display control unit 167 of the digital television receiver will be described.
The program information separation unit 163 separates the program supplementary information multiplexed in the received digital broadcast signal (FIG. 4). The broadcast content detection unit 165 acquires the EPG included in the program supplementary information and outputs it to the display control unit 167. This example shows an example of acquiring an EPG distributed by terrestrial digital broadcasting, but the type of EPG is not limited. For example, iEPG, DEPG, ADAMS for acquiring program data from G guide, ADAMS-EPG, and the Internet. -EPG + may be used.

  The display control unit 167 processes the video signal decoded by the decoding unit 164 and outputs the processed video signal to the LCD controller 168. Also, the display control unit 167 has periodic news or weather with periodicity or regularity based on the EPG acquired by the broadcast content detection unit 165. The specific program acquisition for extracting a specific program such as a forecast is performed. The display control unit 167 has an OSD (On Screen Display) generation function unit therein, and displays information such as a channel, time, and volume on a screen of a television or the like. The OSD data is not an image, but is stored in a format called a bitmap. This bitmap is converted into YUV format pixel values represented by Y, Cb, and Cr, and the converted pixels are used for television broadcasting or the like. Is superimposed on the original image.

  The display control unit 167 performs image display control for controlling at least one of backlight luminance, liquid crystal drive spatial resolution, and temporal resolution based on the acquired specific program. As an example of image display control, for a specific program, image display control is performed to lower the backlight brightness compared to other programs. Image display control is divided into backlight control and liquid crystal drive control depending on the control target. The backlight control is performed by a display control signal from the display control unit 167 to the microcomputer 120 of the backlight lighting device 155, and the microcomputer 120 that has received the display control signal changes the luminance of the backlight 110 and the entire backlight 110 or Turn part on / off. The liquid crystal drive control is performed by a control signal to the LCD controller 168 that supplies a liquid crystal drive signal. The LCD controller 168 that receives the control signal controls the liquid crystal drive signal supplied to the liquid crystal drive circuit 169, and the liquid crystal panel 100. The image display size or the frame frequency fv is changed. A combination of this backlight control and liquid crystal drive control is also possible. For example, when the image size of the liquid crystal panel 100 is reduced, it is preferable to control the lighting area of the backlight 110 to be reduced accordingly.

Hereinafter, the operation of the display device of the television receiver configured as described above will be described.
First, the operation of the backlight lighting device 155 will be described.
In FIG. 2, the power supply voltage supplied from the AC adapter 130 is converted into a predetermined DC voltage by the regulator 131 and rectified, and then supplied to the microcomputer 120 and the inverter circuit 150.

  The control means 121 of the microcomputer 120 generates a dimming pulse having a predetermined frequency (100 to 400 Hz in the present embodiment) by the dimming pulse generation circuit 122 and outputs the dimming pulse to each PWM unit 123 to 126. Each PWM unit 123 to 126 modulates the input dimming pulse to a preset pulse width and frequency, and outputs the modulated light pulse to each inverter 151 to 154 of the inverter circuit 150.

  The inverters 151 to 154 of the inverter circuit 150 convert the DC voltage from the regulator 131 into a predetermined high frequency voltage (40 K to 200 KHz) using the input dimming pulse as a trigger, and this high frequency voltage is converted to each of the backlights 110. It supplies to the discharge lamps 111-114.

  Next, the image display control operation of the display device of the television receiver will be described.

[Backlight control]
As image display control, backlight control will be described as an example. This is because the display device consumes the largest amount of power in the backlight unit, and power consumption can be reduced when the backlight control is executed effectively. The backlight control includes changing the backlight luminance, turning on / off the backlight, and controlling partial lighting of the backlight.

  This television receiver receives digital television broadcast programs such as terrestrial waves, CATV, BS, and CS. The broadcast television broadcast program is received by the receiving device as a signal including the received broadcast program from the input terminal, and the received data is input to the present television receiver.

  The tuner 162 is a processing unit that receives a broadcast signal from the antenna 161, selects a specific one or a plurality of program broadcasts, and generates a broadcast stream that can be used in the next processing, and includes a descrambler that pre-processes the program. Consists of including. As shown in FIG. 4, the broadcast stream received by the tuner 162 is generally transmitted by multiplexing program supplementary information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a broadcast stream. As shown in this figure, the broadcast stream has video, audio, and program supplementary information packets, and the program supplementary information packet includes a header part and an information part. . An EPG is added to the program supplementary information.

The program information separation unit 163 separates the program supplementary information multiplexed in the received broadcast signal, sends the separated program supplementary information to the broadcast content detection unit 165, and sends the broadcast stream to the decoding unit 164.
The broadcast content detection unit 165 detects an EPG included in the program supplementary information.

  The display control unit 167 processes the decoded video signal and outputs the processed video signal to the LCD controller 168, and acquires a specific program that extracts a specific program having periodicity or regularity based on the acquired EPG. The specific program acquisition is, for example, regular news or weather forecast provided at a fixed time on weekdays. Since these can be discriminated based on past histories, the user does not need to perform a user operation such as displaying an EPG on the liquid crystal panel 100 and selecting and determining a desired program from the displayed EPG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific program extracted from the EPG. In FIG. 5, 175 is an electronic program guide by, for example, iEPG. In FIG. 5, the electronic program guide 175 displays a program for a time period of 3 hours for 5 channels every n days (here, 2 weeks). Programs that appear periodically in the same time zone of the same channel are extracted as specific programs 179 to 182. In CH1, a weather information program periodically appears at 19:58 and a news program periodically appears at 20:45, so these are extracted as specific programs 178 and 179. Similarly, in CH4-6, since news or weather forecasts appear periodically at 20:54, these are extracted as specific programs 180-182, respectively. Here, the specific program 180 is a specific program with regularity that appears after the end of the CH4 “Professional Baseball” broadcast, and the specific program 181 is attached after the end of the CH5 “Ultra Friday” (long time program) broadcast. It is also a specific program with regularity that appears. In this way, a specific program with periodicity and a specific program with regularity often overlap, but by checking the regularity, a short-term program (news etc.) after the end of a long-time special program without periodicity Can be extracted as a specific program.

  The display in FIG. 5 is an example, and a specific program is extracted from more channels and time zones, and a specific program map for each channel and time zone is created and stored.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a specific program shown in the EPG display. The same components as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 6, the electronic program guide 175 displays a program for a time period of 3 hours by 5 channels on one screen. The display in FIG. 6 is an example, and more channels and time zones may be displayed, or display by genre, time order display, and keyword search display may be performed. The user displays the electronic program guide 175 with the EPG button installed in the remote control device, and sets the reserved viewing program 176 based on the electronic program guide 175 by the cross key operation and the enter button. Here, “CH4 19:00 broadcast start professional baseball” is reserved as a viewing reservation program 176.

  “CH1 19:58 weather information” is a specific program 178 such as weather forecast, and “CH1 20:45 news in various places” is a specific program 179 such as news. Although FIG. 6 is a one-day EPG display and periodicity is not shown, the specific programs 178 to 182 are periodic programs provided at the same time on weekdays.

  The display control unit 167 performs image display control (backlight control here) and image display control setting processing based on the acquired specific program. Detailed image display control processing will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  In addition, the display control unit 167 multiplexes a message related to backlight display into a broadcast signal by OSD display and outputs the multiplexed signal to the LCD controller 168, and the LCD controller 168 displays the message on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 100.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the specific program extraction operation of the television receiver, which is executed by the display control unit 167 of FIG. In the figure, S indicates each step of the flow.

  First, in step S1000, it is determined whether or not a specific program extraction condition is met. The specific program extraction condition is when a certain period has elapsed since the previous execution of the main flow and the flag for specific program extraction processing permission is set. The specific program is, for example, a nice broadcast or a weather forecast that is broadcast at the same time every day on weekdays. Therefore, the specific program is not so changed when viewed on a weekly basis. Therefore, if a certain period (for example, one week) has not elapsed since the previous execution of this flow or if there is no user permission, the following processing is skipped and extraction processing is not performed. However, when a specific program extraction instruction is issued by the user, it is determined that the specific program extraction condition is satisfied, and the following extraction process is performed.

  In step S1001, an EPG is acquired from the program supplementary information superimposed on the broadcast signal. Specifically, the program supplementary information is separated and acquired from the broadcast signal by the program information separation unit 163, and the EPG included in the program supplementary information is detected by the broadcast content detection unit 165.

  In step S1002, a specific program having periodicity or regularity is extracted. Since this specific program is a program with periodicity or regularity such as scheduled news and weather information provided at a fixed time every day (preferably discriminated between weekdays and holidays) as shown in FIG. Based on the above, it is possible to easily extract the program by comparing the broadcast time and program type of each channel program over two weeks. In FIG. 5, since a weather information program appears periodically at 19:58 of CH1 and a news program appears at 20:45, these are extracted as specific programs 178 and 179. Further, since news or weather forecasts appear periodically at 20:54 of CH4-6, these are extracted as specific programs 180-182. When distinguishing between weekdays and holidays, specific programs are extracted for weekdays and holidays.

  Next, the specific program extracted in step S1003 is stored in a nonvolatile memory or the like for each channel and time period, and this flow is finished.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, programs having periodicity or regularity for each channel are extracted as specific programs 178 to 182 and stored in the memory. In this example, since a specific program having periodicity or regularity is automatically extracted based on the EPG, the user individually designates the specific program while viewing the EPG screen display like a program reservation operation. There is no need. It is also possible for the user to designate a desired program as a specific program using the operation unit 166. Alternatively, it is possible to specify that a program extracted as a specific program is returned to a program other than the specific program.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an image display control operation of the television receiver, and is executed by the display control unit 167 of FIG.

First, in step S101, an EPG is acquired from the program supplementary information superimposed on the broadcast signal.
In step S102, the specific program extracted in advance and stored in the memory is read from the memory and acquired. For example, specific programs 178 to 182 having periodicity or regularity for each channel shown in FIG. 6 are read from the memory and acquired.

  Next, in step S103, it is determined whether or not the image display control mode is set. When in the image display control mode (described later with reference to FIG. 9), it is determined in step S104 whether the acquired specific program or another program is being viewed. When a program other than the specific program is being viewed, the image display control of the normal program set in the image display control mode is executed in step S105, and this flow is ended. For example, since the image display control mode depends on the energy-saving pattern combination, when it corresponds to the above-described backlight control content [Pattern 1], the reference level is set during viewing of the set viewing reservation program in step S105. Increase the backlight brightness more than usual. This backlight control is performed by a display control signal from the display control unit 167 to the microcomputer 120 of the backlight lighting device. In this [Pattern 1] image display control, only backlight control is performed, and liquid crystal drive control is not performed. As a result, in the example of FIG. 5, the backlight brightness becomes brighter and easier to watch during viewing of “professional baseball” than before entering the screen display control mode.

  On the other hand, if the program is a specific program in step S104, the image display control of the specific program is executed in the image display control mode in step S106, and this flow is terminated. For example, in the case of [Pattern 1], the backlight luminance is set to a reference level (normal time), and this flow is terminated. As a result, the backlight luminance becomes the reference level for viewing the acquired specific program. Similarly, when the image display control mode corresponds to [Pattern 2] described above, the backlight luminance is maintained at the reference level in step S105, and the backlight luminance is lowered from the reference level in step S106 to reduce power consumption. Electricity is achieved.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of setting the image display control mode.
First, in step S111, the image display control setting screen is OSD-displayed and a user setting input is waited. Next, in step S112, it is determined which one of the energy saving pattern setting and the customization setting is selected from the image display control setting screen displayed on the OSD. If it is energy saving pattern setting, image display control setting by energy saving pattern selection is performed in step S113, and the process proceeds to step S115. If energy saving pattern setting is customized, image display control setting is customized in step S114, and the process proceeds to step S115.

  In this image display control setting screen, a plurality of image display control combination patterns are prepared in advance from the viewpoint of easy viewing and low power consumption. In the present embodiment, each mode of “luminance priority”, “recommendation (normal)”, “energy saving 1”, “energy saving 2”, “energy saving 3”, and “energy saving 4”, and the user can set image display control parameters more finely. Customization ". The user can control the image display according to the user's preference simply by selecting an item such as “luminance priority”. “Luminance priority” is almost the same as [Pattern 1] described above, and “the brightness of the backlight is increased while the reserved viewing program is being viewed, and the backlight luminance of a program including a specific program other than the reserved viewing program is maintained. “Liquid crystal drive control is not performed.” And “Recommendation” are added to the “luminance priority” control “decrease backlight luminance while viewing a specific program”. “Energy saving 1” is substantially the same as [Pattern 2] described above, and “backlight brightness is ensured while viewing reserved program is being viewed, and backlight brightness is reduced except for reserved viewing programs. "Lower the brightness of the backlight. Liquid crystal drive control is not performed." And "Energy saving 2" are added to the "Energy saving 1" control "Reducing the frame rate of the liquid crystal drive control while viewing a specific program." The “Energy saving 3” is added to the above “energy saving 1” with the control “change the spatial resolution by liquid crystal drive control to display a small screen and turn on the backlight for this small screen while viewing a specific program”. “Energy saving 4” is added with the “energy saving 1” control “turn off the backlight while watching a specific program and switch to only sound”.

  On the other hand, the “customization” is for the user to individually set each parameter described above. By this customization, the backlight control (brightness / off, partial lighting), the spatial resolution of the liquid crystal panel, or the temporal resolution can be individually set for each viewing reservation program, other programs or specific programs. For example, it is possible to make a setting such as “brightness of the backlight is increased while viewing reservation program is being viewed, and only liquid crystal drive control is performed without performing backlight control for programs other than the viewing reservation program or specific programs”.

  In step S115, it is determined whether or not the user setting is completed. When the user setting is completed, the backlight control mode set by the user in step S116 is stored as table data, and this flow is terminated. This table data is stored in a nonvolatile memory area of a microcomputer constituting the display control unit 167, for example.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a temporal change in backlight luminance by backlight control. As shown in FIG. 21A, when the backlight luminance in a certain channel is observed over time, the backlight luminance changes with time when the backlight control is executed. In this figure, when the backlight luminance is higher than the reference level, it is a broadcast time zone of the viewing reservation program, and when it is the reference level, it is a broadcast time zone other than the viewing reservation program. Further, when the backlight luminance is lower than the reference level, it is a broadcast time zone other than the reserved viewing program in the specific program broadcast and the energy saving mode.

  The example in which the backlight luminance is controlled for the set viewing reservation program has been described above, but a modification example in which the spatial resolution and the temporal resolution are controlled as image display control will be described.

[Spatial resolution control]
The backlight control is the most effective for reducing the power consumption, but the power consumption can also be reduced by controlling the spatial resolution and the temporal resolution. When only spatial resolution or temporal resolution is performed, spatial resolution or temporal resolution control is set for each viewing reservation program, other program, or specific program in the above customization. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image on the liquid crystal panel by spatial resolution control. FIG. 10A shows an example in which the original image is reduced to ¼ by the small screen display by the spatial resolution control and displayed in the upper center. Although this alone can hardly be expected to reduce the power consumption, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the combined use of backlight partial lighting in accordance with the small screen display increases the energy saving effect. Further, FIG. 10C is a display example in which the original image is ¼ by the small screen display. When another light source such as an EL or white LED is used for the backlight 110, the backlight unit can be easily composed of a combination of a plurality of surface light sources. As shown in FIG. Partial lighting can correspond to one of these surface light sources. Although not shown, the spatial resolution control includes not only the small screen display but also a case where the number k of the vertical selection lines shown in the equation (1) is decreased to reduce the resolution.

[Time resolution control]
When only the time resolution is performed, the time resolution control is set for each viewing reservation program, other programs, or specific programs in the customization. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image on the liquid crystal panel by time resolution control. FIG. 11A shows a normal screen display example, and FIG. 11B shows a screen display example when the frame frequency fv is lowered by the time resolution. As shown in FIG. 11B, flicker (flickering of the display screen) may occur when the frame frequency fv is lowered. Although this time resolution control alone cannot be expected to reduce the power consumption, if the backlight control is used in combination, the reduction in power consumption increases. Further, when the backlight brightness is lowered, there is an effect that the flicker is not noticeable. Furthermore, spatial resolution control can be used together.

  As described above, the television receiver according to the present embodiment automatically extracts a specific program having periodicity or regularity based on the EPG, acquires the specific program, and backs up based on the acquired specific program. The display control unit 167 controls at least one of light luminance, liquid crystal drive spatial resolution, and temporal resolution. The display control unit 167 sets the backlight luminance to a reference level while watching a program other than a specific program, for example. At the same time, control of lowering backlight brightness, spatial resolution and / or temporal resolution is performed when viewing a specific program. This ensures low power consumption by performing image display control such as lowering or turning off the backlight brightness while viewing a specific program while ensuring a bright and easy-to-view backlight for viewing a program other than the specific program. Energy saving effect.

  Further, the display control unit 167 automatically extracts specific programs such as scheduled news and weather information (weather forecast) based on the periodicity or regularity of the program and performs image display control. Therefore, low power consumption can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, an example of acquiring a specific program with periodicity or regularity has been described. However, even a program without periodicity or regularity can be designated as a specific program by user designation. A similar reduction in power consumption can be achieved. Moreover, although the example which detects EPG from the program supplementary information contained in a digital broadcast signal was demonstrated, EPG can also be acquired from analog broadcasting, and if it can detect EPG, it will be limited to program supplementary information. Instead, for example, an EDS signal included in an EDS (Extended Data Service) signal in a vertical blanking period of a television signal, or time information and commercial information included in a TELEEXT signal may be used. Of course, the EPG may be information acquired from a network such as the Internet.

Second Embodiment FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention based on the basic concept of FIG. The display device according to this embodiment is applied to a display device of a digital television receiver capable of battery driving. In the description of the present embodiment, the same components as those in FIG.

  In FIG. 12, the display device of the television receiver has a liquid crystal panel 100, a backlight 110 that irradiates light to the liquid crystal panel 100, supply power supply voltage and battery remaining amount detection as basic parameters, and further a display control unit 167. A microcomputer 120 that performs backlight luminance control in accordance with a display control signal from (image display control means, priority order setting means), a regulator 131 that rectifies the power supply voltage supplied from the AC adapter 130 and outputs it to the microcomputer 120, lithium A battery remaining amount detecting unit 141 (battery remaining amount detecting means) for detecting the voltage of the battery 140 made of an ion storage battery, an inverter circuit 150 including a plurality of inverters 151 to 154 and driving the backlight 110, and a CATV Including external input 160 and broadcast signal from antenna 161 A tuner 162 for receiving, a program information separating unit 163 for separating program supplementary information multiplexed in the received broadcast signal, a decoding unit 164 for decoding stream data, and detecting an EPG included in the program supplementary information Broadcast content detection unit 165, an operation unit 166 for inputting user operation information such as setting of viewing reservation program, scheduled viewing time and backlight control mode setting, and processing of the decoded video signal and outputting to the LCD controller 168 And a display control unit 167 that controls at least one of backlight luminance, liquid crystal drive spatial resolution, and time resolution based on the set viewing reservation program, an LCD controller 168 that supplies a liquid crystal drive signal, A liquid crystal driving circuit that outputs a driving voltage to the liquid crystal panel 100 according to the liquid crystal driving signal. Configured with a 169.

  The microcomputer 120, the AC adapter 130, the regulator 131, the battery 140, the remaining battery level detection unit 141, and the inverter circuit 150 constitute a backlight lighting device 155A that lights the backlight 110 as a whole.

First, the backlight lighting device 155A will be described.
The microcomputer 120 further includes, as an internal configuration, control means 121 for performing backlight luminance control on each component inside the microcomputer 120 and devices outside the microcomputer 120, characteristic data such as battery discharge characteristics and discharge temperature characteristics, The correlation between the light luminance change and the battery driving time is adjusted in the battery remaining amount setting table 121A which is stored in EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable ROM) or the like as the battery remaining amount setting table data, and the inverter circuit 150 (backlight driving unit). A dimming pulse generation circuit 122 that supplies an optical pulse, and PWM units 123 to 126 that modulate the pulse width and period of the dimming pulse generated by the dimming pulse generation circuit 122 and input the modulated pulse to the inverter circuit 150 are provided. .

  When the backlight lighting device 155A is driven by the power supply voltage from the AC adapter 130, SW1 is turned on (connected state) and SW2 is turned off (disconnected state). When the backlight lighting device is driven by the power supply voltage from the battery 140, SW1 may be turned off and SW2 may be turned on. When both SW1 and SW2 are turned on, the battery 140 can be charged simultaneously with driving the backlight lighting device 155A by the power supply voltage from the AC adapter 130. Further, when both SW1 and SW2 are turned off, no power supply voltage is supplied to the backlight lighting device 155A.

  The battery remaining amount detection unit 141 detects the voltage of the battery 140 and outputs the value to the control means 121 of the microcomputer 120. The control means 121 can control the switch circuits SW1 and SW2 based on this value and various battery characteristics stored in the battery remaining amount setting table 121A, and can switch the drive power supply of the backlight lighting device 115A.

  19 and 20 are diagrams showing battery discharge characteristics that are the basis of the table data of the battery remaining amount setting table 121A, FIG. 19 is a general battery discharge characteristic, and FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a discharge temperature characteristic. It is. The battery remaining amount setting table 121A stores table data based on these battery discharge characteristics, and the control means 121 controls the drive power source of the backlight lighting device 155A with reference to this table data. As shown in FIG. 20, since the battery discharge capacity varies depending on the ambient temperature, a temperature sensor (not shown) is installed around the device or the battery, and the battery periphery when the device is used by the installed temperature sensor. Detect temperature. It is preferable to obtain the battery driving time by using the discharge characteristic data corresponding to the operating temperature with reference to the remaining battery level setting table based on the detected temperature.

  In addition to the basic driving power control of the backlight lighting device 155A, the control unit 121 receives a display control signal from the display control unit 167 and performs driving power control for changing the backlight luminance of the backlight lighting device 155A. Do. The drive power control performed in response to the display control signal from the display control unit 167 includes changing the backlight brightness, turning on / off the backlight, and partially turning off the backlight.

Next, the display control unit 167 of the digital television receiver will be described.
Returning to FIG. 12, the program information separation unit 163 separates the program supplementary information multiplexed in the received digital broadcast signal (FIG. 4). The broadcast content detection unit 165 acquires the EPG included in the program supplementary information and outputs it to the display control unit 167. This example shows an example of acquiring an EPG distributed by terrestrial digital broadcasting, but the type of EPG is not limited.

  The display control unit 167 processes the video signal decoded by the decoding unit 164 and outputs the processed video signal to the LCD controller 168, and sets a viewing reservation program set by a user operation based on the EPG acquired by the broadcast content detection unit 165.

  The display control unit 167 performs image display control for controlling at least one of backlight luminance, liquid crystal drive spatial resolution, and temporal resolution based on the set viewing reservation program.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, when the specific program is viewed by detecting the remaining battery level, the backlight brightness is reduced or turned off to control the battery consumption, and the viewing reservation program set by the user is set. Controls the image display so that it can be viewed. Alternatively, image display control is performed so that the viewing reservation program is easier to view than other programs. Image display control is divided into backlight control and liquid crystal drive control depending on the control target. The backlight control is performed by a display control signal from the display control unit 167 to the microcomputer 120 of the backlight lighting device 155A, and the microcomputer 120 receiving the display control signal changes the luminance of the backlight 110 and the entire backlight 110. Alternatively, a part is turned on / off. The liquid crystal drive control is performed by a control signal to the LCD controller 168 that supplies a liquid crystal drive signal. The LCD controller 168 that receives the control signal controls the liquid crystal drive signal supplied to the liquid crystal drive circuit 169, and the liquid crystal panel. 100 image display size or frame rate is changed. A combination of this backlight control and liquid crystal drive control is also possible.

  The display control unit 167 also detects the remaining battery level detected by the remaining battery level detection unit 141, the set viewing reservation program (when there are a plurality of viewing reservation programs), the broadcast time, and the viewing reservation. Image display control is performed based on time information up to the program. Taking backlight control as an example, if it is determined that the remaining battery level is more than a predetermined amount until the set viewing reservation program ends, and the user has set the backlight control mode, the set viewing program is being viewed. Controls to maintain or increase the backlight brightness. Further, the backlight luminance is lowered for the screen display other than the reserved viewing program so that the set viewing reserved program can be viewed without fail.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time change in backlight luminance by backlight control. FIG. 21B illustrates a case where the remaining battery level is greater than or equal to a predetermined level, and FIG. The case where there are few is shown. As shown in FIG. 21 (b), when the remaining battery level is greater than or equal to a predetermined level, the backlight luminance is changed with time as in FIG. 21 (a) where the remaining battery level is not detected. As shown in FIG. 21C, control is performed so as to lower the backlight luminance level while maintaining the temporal change in backlight luminance.

Hereinafter, the operation of the display device of the television receiver configured as described above will be described.
As the image display control, backlight control is taken as an example. The backlight control includes changing the backlight luminance, turning on / off the backlight, and controlling partial lighting of the backlight. Although backlight control is taken as an example, similar image display control is possible for liquid crystal display control that changes the image display size and the frame frequency fv of the liquid crystal panel 100 as in the modification of the first embodiment. It is.

  13 and 14 are flowcharts showing the backlight control operation of the television receiver, which is executed by the display control unit 167 of FIG. The backlight control corresponds to [Pattern 1] of the backlight control content described above.

  First, in step S1, an EPG is acquired from the program supplementary information superimposed on the broadcast signal. Specifically, the program supplementary information is separated and acquired from the broadcast signal by the program information separation unit 163, and the EPG included in the program supplementary information is detected by the broadcast content detection unit 165. Note that iEPG, DEPG, and ADAMS-EPG + that fetch program data from the Internet may be used as in the first embodiment.

  Next, in step S2, a viewing reservation program by the user is set. For setting of the viewing reservation program, the user checks the program name and the viewing program while viewing the EPG screen display like a program reservation operation performed by a program reservation device or the like. For example, in FIG. 6, it is assumed that “CH4 19:00 broadcast start professional baseball” of the viewing reservation program 176 is reserved for viewing based on the electronic program guide 175.

  In step S200, a specific program having periodicity or regularity is acquired. The specific program is extracted in advance by the flow shown in FIG. 7 and stored in the memory, and is read out from the memory and acquired. For example, specific programs 178 to 182 having periodicity or regularity for each channel shown in FIG. 6 are read from the memory and acquired.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the specific program is acquired in step S201. If it is during a specific program, it is determined in step S202 whether or not it is in the backlight control mode (described later with reference to FIG. 15). In step S203, the backlight luminance is lowered or turned off during the specific program according to the backlight control mode. Audio is output even when the backlight is off. When the normal program other than the specific program is being viewed in step S201, or when the backlight control mode is not set in step S202, the process directly proceeds to step S3.

  When the remaining battery level is detected by the remaining battery level detection unit 141 in step S3 and viewing is performed at normal brightness in step S4, viewing of all set viewing reserved programs is terminated (if there are multiple viewing reserved programs, It is determined whether or not the program can be viewed until the last viewing reserved program is viewed). The normal brightness is a backlight brightness with a default value. As described below, it is possible to effectively perform backlight control such as controlling the backlight luminance so as to keep it longer than the viewing time, and maintaining the backlight luminance or controlling it brighter when a scheduled program is displayed.

  If all of the set viewing reservation programs can be viewed, it is determined whether or not the viewing reservation program start time set in step S5 is reached, and the process waits until the set viewing reservation program start time is reached. For example, when “CH4 19:00 broadcast start professional baseball” shown in FIG. 6 is reserved for viewing as the viewing reservation program 176, a predetermined time before the viewing reservation start time (19:00) of the viewing reservation program 176 ( For example, wait until 5 minutes).

  In step S6, the remaining battery level is detected by the remaining battery level detection unit 141, and whether or not the backlight brightness during viewing of the reserved viewing program set from the remaining battery level detected in step S7 can be increased. Determine. In the example of FIG. 6, the current remaining battery level is detected 3 minutes before the viewing reservation start time (19:00), and the maximum broadcast time of the viewing reservation program 176 “Pro Baseball” set from the detected remaining battery level It is determined whether or not the backlight brightness can be increased during the scheduled broadcast time of 2 hours and 54 minutes from (19:00:00 to 21:54). In the description of this flow, it is described that the backlight luminance is increased from the normal time during viewing of the viewing reservation program, which means that the set viewing reservation program has a viewable luminance. In addition to increasing the backlight brightness to make it easier to see, this includes the case of maintaining the backlight brightness during viewing of a viewing reservation program.

  If the remaining battery level is greater than or equal to the predetermined level and the backlight luminance can be increased, it is determined in step S8 whether or not the backlight control mode is set. When in the backlight control mode (described later with reference to FIG. 15), the backlight brightness is increased from the normal time during viewing of the reserved viewing program set in step S9. This backlight control is performed by a display control signal from the display control unit 167 to the microcomputer 120 of the backlight lighting device. In the example of FIG. 6, the backlight brightness becomes brighter during viewing of “professional baseball”, making viewing easier.

  In step S10, it is determined whether or not the viewing time of the set viewing reservation program has elapsed. If the viewing time of the set viewing reservation program has not elapsed, the process returns to step S9 to return the set viewing program. The backlight brightness is increased from the normal state until the viewing time elapses. When the viewing time of the set viewing reservation program has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S11.

  If the backlight brightness cannot be increased from the remaining battery level detected in step S7, or if the backlight control mode is not set in step S8, the process proceeds to step S11, and the backlight brightness is returned to normal in step S11. This flow ends.

  On the other hand, when it is not possible to view until the end of viewing of the set viewing reserved program at the normal brightness in step S4, the viewable time until the end of the set viewing reserved program when the backlight luminance is lowered is calculated in step S12. The viewable time is preferably calculated for each case where the backlight luminance is lowered at each stage.

  In step S13, it is determined whether or not the set viewing reserved program can be viewed until the viewing end when the backlight luminance is minimized. If the backlight luminance is set to the lowest and if the set viewing reservation program can be viewed until the viewing end, it is determined in step S14 whether or not the backlight control mode is set. If it is in the backlight control mode, the backlight luminance is controlled so that the program can be viewed until the end of the reserved viewing program set in step S15, and this flow ends. In this backlight control mode, it is possible to control the backlight brightness as much as possible during viewing of the set viewing reservation program, while allowing viewing until the end of the set viewing reservation program. If it is not in the backlight control mode, this flow ends.

  When the backlight brightness is minimized in step S13, if the set viewing reserved program cannot be viewed until the viewing end, the message (see FIG. 16) indicating that the viewing cannot be completed until the viewing program set in step S16 is output. This flow ends.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message 171 displayed on the broadcast screen 170 of the LCD controller 168 that cannot be viewed until the end of the viewing reservation program. As shown in FIG. 16, “Unable to watch until the set program ends. Can be watched for about XX in the energy saving mode” is displayed below the broadcast screen 170. In addition, a display position and a display form are not limited to FIG. For example, the OSD may display a gauge indicating the viewable time (a block display with one second as one block) and the viewable time value, or display the viewable time in a flashing manner. A mode of displaying in stages by identification may also be used. Furthermore, a configuration in which an audio codec (a part of output means) that digitally processes an output signal from the display control unit 167 may be installed as a sound generation device. The audio codec is configured by a PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) sound source IC or the like, converts the signal received from the display control unit 167 into an audio signal, and outputs it from the speaker. For example, “You cannot watch until the end of the set program. You can watch about ○○ if you set the energy saving mode. The setting method of the energy saving mode is △△”. Pronounces human voice data.

  In the present embodiment, the example of controlling the backlight luminance for the set viewing reservation program has been described. However, the present invention can be applied not only to the viewing reservation program but also to a set time arbitrarily set by the user. For example, when the user wants to change the backlight brightness according to changes in the usage environment (use during the daytime or nighttime when the sun is strong) when the user is in the garden, etc., the user arbitrarily sets the image display control time, This control time can be controlled in the same manner as the viewing reservation program.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of setting the backlight control mode.
First, the backlight control setting screen is OSD-displayed in step S31, and a user setting input is waited for in step S32. When the user setting is completed, the backlight control mode set by the user in step S33 is stored as table data. This table data is stored in a nonvolatile memory area of a microcomputer constituting the display control unit 167, for example. Alternatively, it may be stored in the remaining battery level setting table 121A of the microcomputer 120. The backlight control mode includes, for example, backlight control on / off and normal mode / energy-saving mode. The energy-saving mode includes a specific program that does not change the backlight (normal), low luminance, and OFF.

  The backlight control has been described above as an example of the image display control, but the image display size and the frame frequency fv of the liquid crystal panel 100 as in the modified example [spatial resolution / time resolution control] of the first embodiment. The same image display control is possible for the liquid crystal display control for changing the display. Specifically, the image display control setting flow of FIG. 9 is executed instead of the backlight control setting flow of FIG. 15, and the flow of FIG. 9 is performed in the backlight control step (step S9, step S11, step S15) of FIG. The image display control set in step 1 may be executed.

  As described above, the television receiver according to the present embodiment further includes the battery remaining amount detection unit 141, and the display control unit 167 acquires a specific program and when the specific program is viewed, the backlight 110 of the liquid crystal panel 100. The backlight luminance is controlled so that the user-set viewing reservation program and viewing time can always be viewed while reducing the battery power consumption by lowering the brightness of the liquid crystal panel 100 or driving the liquid crystal panel 100. Further, when the user has set the backlight control mode, the backlight brightness is controlled to be higher than the normal brightness during viewing of the set viewing program. As a result, it is possible to save battery power and reduce power consumption when viewing a specific program, and to ensure a bright and easy-to-see backlight luminance in a time zone that the user originally wants to view.

Third Embodiment In the first embodiment, image display control has been described, and in the second embodiment, backlight control has been described as an example of battery-driven display device image display control. In the present embodiment, more specific and detailed examples of backlight control and liquid crystal drive control will be described from the viewpoint of energy saving during battery driving.

  Since the hardware configuration of the display device of the television receiver according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  FIGS. 17 and 18 are flowcharts showing an image display control operation of the display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, which is executed by the display control unit 167 of FIG. Steps for performing the same processing as in the flow of FIGS. 13 and 14 are given the same step numbers and description thereof is omitted.

  When viewing at normal brightness in step S4 is impossible until viewing of all set viewing reservation programs is completed (when there are a plurality of viewing reservation programs, the last viewing reservation program ends), the process returns to step S41. When the light luminance is decreased at each stage, and when the liquid crystal display control is performed to change the image display size and the frame frequency fv of the liquid crystal panel 100, the viewable time until the set viewing reservation program ends is calculated. The viewable time is preferably calculated for partial lighting of the backlight corresponding to a case where the image display size is reduced.

  In step S13, it is determined whether or not the set viewing reserved program can be viewed until the viewing end when the backlight luminance is minimized. If the backlight luminance is set to the lowest and if the set viewing reservation program can be viewed until the viewing end, it is determined in step S14 whether or not the backlight control mode is set. If it is in the backlight control mode, the backlight luminance is controlled so that the program can be viewed until the end of the reserved viewing program set in step S15, and this flow ends. In this backlight control mode, it is possible to control the backlight brightness as much as possible during viewing of the set viewing reservation program, while allowing viewing until the end of the set viewing reservation program. If it is not in the backlight control mode, this flow ends.

  When the backlight brightness is minimized in step S13 and viewing is not possible until the end of viewing of the set viewing reserved program, the setting of the viewing reserved program is set when the frame frequency fv indicated by the equation (1) is lowered in step S42. It is determined whether or not it can be viewed until the end of viewing. When the frame frequency fv is lowered, if the set viewing reservation program can be viewed until the end of viewing, the backlight luminance is minimized in step S43, and image display control is performed to lower the frame frequency fv, and this flow is finished.

  If it is not possible to view until the end of viewing of the set viewing reserved program even if the frame frequency fv is lowered in step S42, the size of the image display on the liquid crystal panel 100 is reduced in step S44 (for example, 1/4 of FIG. 10C). If the corresponding backlight is partially turned on, it is determined whether or not the set viewing reservation program can be viewed until the end of viewing. When the size of the image display is reduced and the corresponding backlight is partially lit, if the viewing of the set viewing reservation program can be completed, the size of the image display is reduced in step S45 and the corresponding backlight portion is displayed. The image display control for lighting is performed, and this flow ends.

  Even if the image display size is reduced in the above step S44 and the corresponding backlight is partially turned on, if it cannot be viewed until the end of the set viewing reservation program, it cannot be viewed until the end of the viewing program set in step S16. Message (see FIG. 16) is output and this flow is terminated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, when a specific program is viewed, the backlight brightness is reduced or turned off and control is performed to reduce battery consumption. For the reserved viewing program, a bright and easy-to-view backlight is secured for the user, and for the main part other than the reserved viewing program, the power consumption can be reduced by the main image display control.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the liquid crystal drive control is performed in addition to the backlight control, the battery drive time can be further extended as compared with the case where only the backlight control is performed. In addition, since the number of options that can be viewed until the set viewing reservation program ends can be increased, there is an effect that the viewing reservation program set by combining the options can be viewed more reliably.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the liquid crystal drive control and the backlight control are used together has been described. However, it is needless to say that the liquid crystal drive control may be performed without using the backlight control as the image display control.

  Further, the backlight control of the present embodiment corresponds to the above-described backlight control content [Pattern 1] as in the first and second embodiments, but instead of this, [Pattern 2]. In the aspect of “ensure backlight brightness while viewing reserved program, lower backlight brightness other than reserved program, and lower or turn off backlight brightness when viewing specific program” Good. Such a combination of display controls is preferably set as an “energy-saving mode” in which a plurality of patterns are prepared in advance as described in FIG. 9 and selected by the user.

  In the present embodiment, liquid crystal drive control and backlight control are used in combination. As an example, in the above [Pattern 2], not only “lower or turn off the backlight brightness when viewing a specific program”, or instead, the image display size of the liquid crystal panel 100 is reduced (for example, 1/1 / It is also possible to perform partial lighting of the backlight only for the corresponding small image display area.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the image display control is performed for the acquired specific program has been described. However, the embodiment can be applied to a specific time arbitrarily set by the user. For example, when the user designates the weather information of FIG. 6 as the specific program 178, the weather information at this time becomes a control target as a specific program every time (daily).

  Incidentally, since the first to third embodiments use CCFT as the light source of the backlight 110, the partial lighting of the backlight corresponding to the case where the image display size is reduced is, for example, the upper part of the backlight 110. It becomes a mode to light only. However, when another light source such as an EL or a white LED is used for the backlight 110, the backlight unit can be easily composed of a combination of a plurality of surface light sources. It can correspond to one of these. If a white LED is used as the light source of the backlight, the circuit scale is reduced because the inverter circuit and the like are not required because of the extremely low power consumption and long life. Further, since the white LED emits light by a constant current supplied from a constant current circuit, fine backlight brightness control can be performed by current control.

  As described above, this display device having an excellent energy-saving effect is incorporated not only in mobile TVs that receive mobile TV broadcasts, but also in general portable viewing devices having display devices with backlights, such as personal computers and HDDs. Applying to portable video playback devices that play back recorded video, display devices such as mobile phones / PHS (Personal Handy-Phone System) and PDA (Personal Digital Assistants: personal digital assistants) It is possible to improve the battery driving time.

  The first embodiment is an example applied to a display device that is not driven by a battery, and the second and third embodiments are applied to a display device that is driven by a battery, both from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption. It is an effective invention. When viewing scheduled programs or set times that the user really wants to watch, increase the backlight brightness to make it easier to see, decrease the backlight brightness during other times, or decrease / turn off the backlight brightness while watching a specific program For example, a user-friendly device that is easy to see can be realized.

  Note that the display device and the television receiver of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to a television receiver as described above, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to all systems. It may be incorporated as a communication function of a recording / reproducing apparatus or a television receiver. Furthermore, it may be an apparatus integrated with information equipment functions represented by a personal computer.

  Moreover, although the names “display device” and “television receiver” are used in each of the above-described embodiments, this is for convenience of explanation, such as a fluorescent tube lighting control device, a backlight control device, a portable viewing device, a display control method, and the like. Of course, it may be.

  Moreover, although each said embodiment demonstrated the example which used the multi-lamp type backlight which consists of several fluorescent lamps etc. on the back of a display, it controls the brightness of the screen displayed using a display panel. Needless to say, the present invention can be similarly applied to a front light when a reflective liquid crystal display is used. Furthermore, even in a display device using a self-luminous display such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), it is preferable to apply from the viewpoint of brightness adjustment and energy saving that are easy for the user to see.

  Furthermore, it goes without saying that the display device, the control device of the system constituting the television receiver, the type of storage device, the type of data, the selection method, the screen display method, etc. are not limited to the above-described embodiments. Not limited to this, it may be realized by hardware.

  The display device and the television receiver described above are also realized by a program for causing the television receiver or the like to function. This program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium. In the present invention, as the recording medium, the main memory itself may be a program medium, or a program reading device is provided as an external storage device and can be read by inserting the recording medium therein. May be. In either case, the stored program may be configured to be accessed and executed by the CPU, or in any case, the program is read and the read program is not shown in a program storage area. The program may be downloaded and executed by the program. It is assumed that this download program is stored in the main device in advance.

It is a block diagram explaining the basic concept of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the television receiver of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows in detail the example of a structure of each PWM part, each inverter, and each discharge lamp of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a broadcast stream structure. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific program extracted from EPG. It is a figure which shows the viewing-and-listening reservation program set based on EPG. It is a flowchart which shows the specific program extraction operation | movement of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the image display control operation of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the image display control mode setting of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display image of the liquid crystal panel by the spatial resolution control of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display image of the liquid crystal panel by the time resolution control of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the television receiver of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the backlight control operation | movement of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the backlight control operation | movement of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the backlight control mode setting of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the message that it cannot watch until the viewing-and-listening program end displayed on the broadcast screen of the screen display part of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the image display control operation of the television receiver of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the image display control operation of the television receiver of this form. It is a figure which shows the battery discharge characteristic used as the basis of the table data of the battery residual amount setting table of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the battery discharge characteristic used as the basis of the table data of the battery residual amount setting table of the television receiver of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the time change of the backlight brightness | luminance by the backlight control of the television receiver of this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Liquid crystal panel 110 Backlight 111,112,113,114 Discharge lamp 120 Microcomputer 121 Control means 122 Dimming pulse generation circuit 123,124,125,126 PWM part 130 AC adapter 131 Regulator 140 Battery 141 Battery remaining charge detection part (Battery Remaining amount detection means)
150 Inverter circuit 151, 152, 153, 154 Inverter 155, 155A Backlight lighting device 160 External input 161 Antenna 162 Tuner 163 Program information separation unit 164 Decoding unit 165 Broadcast content detection unit 166 Operation unit 167 Display control unit (specific program acquisition means) , Image display control means)
168 LCD controller 169 Liquid crystal drive circuit 170 Broadcast screen 171 Message indicating that viewing cannot be made until the viewing reserved program ends 175,175 _{1 to} 175 _n Electronic program guide 176 Viewing reserved program 178 to 182 Specific program

Claims (13)

A display device comprising a liquid crystal panel and an illumination light source unit that illuminates the liquid crystal panel,
Specific program acquisition means for acquiring a specific program having periodicity or regularity;
A display device comprising: an image display control means for controlling display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel or the illumination light source unit based on the acquired specific program. A display device comprising a liquid crystal panel and an illumination light source unit that illuminates the liquid crystal panel,
Specific program acquisition means for acquiring a specific program having periodicity or regularity;
An image display control means for controlling at least one of display brightness of the liquid crystal panel, spatial resolution, and temporal resolution of the liquid crystal panel based on the acquired specific program.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the specific program acquired by the specific program acquisition unit is regular news or weather information.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the specific program acquisition unit acquires a specific program by extracting a program having periodicity or regularity from an electronic program guide.   The display according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the brightness control of the display of the liquid crystal panel includes a control of changing the luminance of the illumination light source unit according to the reservation status. apparatus.   6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the control of the spatial resolution includes a control for changing a size of an image to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel according to the reservation status.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the control of the time resolution includes a control of changing a frame frequency of the liquid crystal panel according to the reservation status.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the image display control unit performs partial lighting or extinguishing of the illumination light source unit according to the reservation status. Furthermore, a battery for driving the display device, and a battery remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining capacity of the battery,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the image display control unit performs image display control based on the specific program and the detected remaining capacity of the battery.   The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the image display control unit performs control to lower display characteristics than a reference level for the specific program.   A television receiver comprising the display device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A control method for a display device comprising a liquid crystal panel and an illumination light source unit for illuminating the liquid crystal panel,
Obtaining a specific program having periodicity or regularity;
And a step of controlling at least one of display brightness, display spatial resolution, and temporal resolution based on the acquired specific program.   A program for causing a computer to execute the steps according to claim 12.

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