JP2007166523A - Function control method for electronic apparatus, electronic apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a function control method for an electronic apparatus, electronic apparatus, and program in which suitable control corresponding to an apparatus-side configuration can be made compatible with operability for a user. <P>SOLUTION: A tuner mounted in an electronic apparatus 1 is detected and a function corresponding to the detected tuner is displayed on a display screen of an electronic program management application 150, so that the common electronic program management application 150 can be used regardless of the situation of mounting the tuner regarding a TV function. Therefore, at a maker side, one electronic program management application 150 not depending upon the kind of tuner is provided to a user, so that management of maintenance, updating and the like can be rationalized together with reduction of costs. Furthermore, functions executable in the electronic apparatus 1 are displayed on the screen for the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a function control method, an electronic device, and a program for an electronic device such as a personal computer (PC), and in particular, it is possible to achieve both appropriate control according to the configuration on the device side and user operability. The present invention relates to a function control method for an electronic device, an electronic device, and a program.

  As electronic devices typified by PCs are becoming more sophisticated and multifunctional, those capable of receiving and watching TV broadcasts, music, and video distribution on PCs are becoming popular. In particular, since television broadcasting will shift from an analog system to a digital system in the future, it is required to be able to easily enjoy television broadcasting of different systems without forcing the user to perform complicated operations.

  Watching TV broadcasts on a PC, or recording broadcasts on a built-in hard disk drive (HDD), etc., is based on TV applications for viewing programs, recording / playback, and reservations. In order to cope with the wave, it is necessary to install a receiver configuration and application capable of receiving a desired broadcast wave on the PC, and providing an appropriate application for each receiver configuration imposes a burden on the manufacturer side. Become.

Tuner reception that eliminates the need to reinstall the tuner control application in accordance with the country of use by controlling the tuner according to the channel number being broadcast as a way to enhance the device's compatibility with the usage environment Control units have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-309261 A

  However, as described in Patent Document 1, even if installation of an application can be made unnecessary depending on the use environment, it is mainly for convenience of adjustment on the device side. Absent. For example, a PC may be temporarily unable to use functions even though it is implemented by parallel processing in the background. Even in such a case, it is necessary to provide an operating environment that is clear to the user and does not cause erroneous operations.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device function control method, an electronic device, and a program capable of achieving both appropriate control according to the configuration on the device side and user operability.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention searches for a first step of detecting hardware mounted on a computer, a driver that drives the detected hardware, and based on the driver, the hardware. A second step of detecting whether the hardware is operable, and a third step of displaying an image including the operable hardware on a display screen to perform an operation on the target hardware in a unified manner. Provided is a function control method for an electronic device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention searches for a first step of detecting a TV tuner mounted on a computer, a driver for driving the detected TV tuner, and based on the driver, A second step of detecting whether or not the TV tuner is operable, and an image corresponding to the function of the operable TV tuner is displayed on a display screen to perform a centralized operation on the target TV tuner. And a function control method for an electronic device including the three steps.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention searches for a first step of detecting a TV tuner mounted on a computer, a driver for driving the detected TV tuner, and based on the driver, A second step of detecting whether the TV tuner is operable, and an image corresponding to the function of the operable TV tuner is displayed on the display screen, and operations on the target TV tuner are integrated in the same application. And a function control method for the electronic device including the third step.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a hardware detection unit that detects hardware installed in a computer and a driver for operating the hardware, and based on the driver, There is provided an electronic apparatus including an operation detection unit that detects whether hardware is operable, and a display control unit that centrally displays a display image on the function of the hardware operable by the computer on a display screen.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a hardware detection unit for detecting a TV tuner mounted on a computer and a driver for operating the TV tuner, and based on the driver, There is provided an electronic apparatus having an operation detection unit that detects whether a TV tuner is operable, and a display control unit that centrally displays a display image regarding the function of the TV tuner operable by the computer on a display screen.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a hardware detection unit for detecting a TV tuner mounted on a computer and a driver for operating the TV tuner, and based on the driver, Provided is an electronic device having an operation detection unit that detects whether a TV tuner is operable and a display control unit that displays the functions of the TV tuner operable by the computer in a single application.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention searches for a first step of detecting a TV tuner mounted on a computer, a driver for driving the detected TV tuner, and based on the driver, A second step of detecting whether the TV tuner is operable, and an image corresponding to the function of the operable TV tuner is displayed on the display screen, and operations on the target TV tuner are integrated in the same application. A program for executing the third step to be performed using a computer is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both appropriate control according to the configuration on the device side and user operability.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(Configuration of electronic device 1)
The electronic device 1 is a notebook PC having a television broadcast receiving function capable of receiving terrestrial analog broadcast and terrestrial digital broadcast, and receives a terrestrial analog tuner 10 that receives terrestrial analog broadcast, and terrestrial digital broadcast. Digital terrestrial tuner 11, display unit 12 including a liquid crystal display, display control unit 13 for driving display unit 12, I / F unit 14 for connecting to a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and HDD And a control unit 16 that controls each unit of the electronic device 1. In addition, other configurations not shown include configurations such as an input operation unit such as a touch pad and a keyboard, a video processing unit, an audio processing unit, a power management unit, and a DISC drive.

  The storage unit 15 reserves, records, plays back, and manages terrestrial analog broadcasts and terrestrial digital broadcasts received by the terrestrial analog tuner 10 and the terrestrial digital tuner 11 and manages them according to user preferences. Application 150, terrestrial digital tuner driver 151 that is software necessary for operating terrestrial digital tuner 11 on a PC, and terrestrial analog tuner that is software necessary for operating terrestrial analog tuner 10 on a PC The driver 152 is stored.

  The control unit 16 detects a hardware detection unit 161 that detects hardware installed in the electronic device 1 and a driver for operating the hardware, and detects whether the hardware is operable based on the driver. And an operation detection unit 162 that performs the operation.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electronic apparatus (notebook PC) according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 1 is roughly divided into a main body 20 and a movable portion 21, and the main body 20 includes a character input unit 200, a touch pad 201, and a determination switch 202 including a left switch 202A and a right switch 202B. The movable portion 21 includes a liquid crystal display portion 210 and a hinge portion 211 that supports the movable portion 21 to the main body portion 20 so as to be freely opened and closed.

  FIG. 3 is a first display screen displayed on the liquid crystal display unit when the electronic program management application is activated in the electronic device 1. The electronic program management application has a configuration in which a player unit 310, a program list unit 320, a recording reservation management unit 330, and a recording data management unit 340 are arranged so that they can be displayed on the same screen. In addition, a display corresponding to the type of broadcast wave that can be received by the electronic device 1 is displayed below the player unit 310. In the figure, a terrestrial analog broadcast (terrestrial A) display 350, a terrestrial digital broadcast (terrestrial D) display 351, and a recorded data operation display (viewed navigation content) 352 are displayed. The terrestrial analog broadcast (terrestrial A) display 350 and the terrestrial digital broadcast (terrestrial D) display 351 can display an image on the player unit 310 when a display portion is selected.

  The first display screen 300 includes a TV image display unit 311 as a player unit 310, a volume adjustment unit 315 such as a slide bar 312, a mute switch 313, and a monaural changeover switch 314, and a tuner type (ground A / ground D). A tuner type section 316 to be displayed, a title display section 317 to display the title of a program to be played back by the player section 310, title skip, one-touch replay / skip, fast reverse, pause, playback, fast forward, recording, stop, slow, And an operation switch group 318 including switches for time slip, recording image quality, and playback recording.

  The program list section 320 displays a list of programs for each channel with channels in the vertical axis direction and time zones in the horizontal axis direction.

  The recording reservation management unit 330 displays a list of the titles, channels (CH), reservation times, and image quality of programs for which recording reservations have been made.

  The recorded data management unit 340 displays a list of recorded program thumbnails. In the same figure, it is not displayed because there is no recorded program.

  In the first display screen 300, since the terrestrial analog tuner 10 and the terrestrial digital tuner 11 are receivable, an analog tab 331 and a digital tab 332 are displayed at the top of the recording reservation management unit 330. By selecting a tab, the corresponding contents can be displayed. In FIG. 3, the analog tab 331 is selected, and the recording reservation content by the terrestrial analog tuner 10 is displayed.

  FIG. 4 shows a second display screen displayed on the liquid crystal display unit by activating an electronic program management application in an electronic device equipped with only a terrestrial analog tuner. The second display screen 301 has no analog tab 331 and digital tab 332 displayed on the recording reservation management unit 330 of the first display screen, and the tuner type unit 316 in the player unit 310 is simply “tuner”. It is different in that it is displayed. In addition, a television display 353 is displayed below the player unit 310. This television display 353 means that only an analog terrestrial broadcast can be handled by the electronic program management application.

  FIG. 5 shows a third display screen displayed on the liquid crystal display unit by starting the electronic program management application in a situation where the terrestrial digital tuner cannot be used in an electronic device equipped with a terrestrial analog tuner and a terrestrial digital tuner. is there. The third display screen 302 is not provided with the analog tab 331 and the digital tab 332 displayed on the recording reservation management unit 330 of the first display screen, and an operation provided on the player unit 310 of the first display screen 300. Differences are that the recording switch of the switch group 318 is grayed out, the tuner type section 316 and the title display section 317 are not displayed, the digital terrestrial broadcast display 351 and the recording data operation display 352 are grayed out. To do.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the electronic device function control method according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 will be described based on the flowchart. Here, it is assumed that the above-described electronic program management application 150 is installed in the notebook PC that is the electronic device 1.

  First, when the power of the electronic device 1 is turned on, the hardware detection unit 161 searches for a tuner mounted on the electronic device 1.

  When the terrestrial analog tuner is mounted on the electronic device 1 (S1: YES), the analog tuner detection information of the hardware detection unit 161 is stored in the storage unit 15. The electronic program management application 150 is activated as an application corresponding to the terrestrial analog tuner by referring to the terrestrial analog tuner detection information at the time of activation (S2).

  Next, the operation detection unit 162 confirms whether or not the terrestrial analog tuner driver 152 is stored in the storage unit 15, and if it is stored, confirms whether or not the driver 152 is valid (S3). . This is because even if the driver 152 is provided, the driver 152 may not be effective in parallel processing or the like inside the electronic device 1.

  Here, when the driver 152 is not valid (S3: NO), the terrestrial analog TV function is invalid, and therefore the display control unit 13 reads the unavailable message from the storage unit 15 as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the screen (S4).

  When the driver 152 is valid (S3: YES), the hardware detection unit 161 detects whether or not the terrestrial digital tuner is mounted on the electronic device 1 (S5).

  When the terrestrial digital tuner is mounted on the electronic device 1 (S5: YES), the digital tuner detection information of the hardware detection unit 161 is stored in the storage unit 15. The electronic program management application 150 is activated as an application corresponding to the terrestrial digital tuner and the terrestrial analog tuner by referring to the terrestrial digital tuner detection information at the time of activation (S6).

  Next, the operation detection unit 162 checks whether or not the terrestrial digital tuner driver 151 is stored in the storage unit 15, and if it is stored, checks whether or not the driver 151 is valid (S7). . When the driver 151 is valid (S7: YES), the display control unit 13 displays the first display screen 301 including the previous terrestrial analog tuner compatible screen and the digital tuner compatible screen configured to be switchable on the screen. Is displayed on the display unit 12.

  If the driver 151 is not valid (S7: NO), the digital terrestrial TV function is invalid, and the display control unit 13 reads the unavailable message 304 from the storage unit 15 as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the screen (S8). When the user clicks OK of the message 304, the second display screen 301 is displayed on the display unit 12 by the display control unit 13.

  In addition, when the hardware detection unit 161 cannot detect the tuner in step S1 and step S5, the electronic device 1 is activated as having no corresponding tuner. In this case, the electronic program management application 150 displays a display screen displaying available functions on the liquid crystal display unit 210. Note that a message prompting the user that no tuner is present when the electronic device 1 is activated based on the setting of the electronic program management application 150 may be displayed on the screen.

(Effect of this embodiment)
According to the present embodiment described above, the tuner mounted on the electronic device 1 is detected, and the function corresponding to the detected tuner is displayed on the display screen of the electronic program management application 150. A common electronic program management application 150 can be used regardless of the tuner installation status. For this reason, by providing the user with one electronic program management application 150 that does not depend on the type of tuner, the manufacturer can rationalize management such as cost reduction, maintenance, and updating. In addition, the user is displayed on the screen with respect to functions that can be executed by the electronic device 1, and when the application cannot be used due to hardware or drivers, a message 304 is displayed to prompt the user to warn the user. It is possible to improve and prevent the occurrence of erroneous operations.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration for detecting the presence / absence of the terrestrial analog tuner and the terrestrial digital tuner and the effectiveness of the driver has been described. Can be applied as

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from or changing the technical idea of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the electronic device (notebook type PC) concerning this embodiment. It is the 1st display screen displayed on a liquid crystal display part by starting an electronic program management application with the electronic device. It is a 2nd display screen displayed on a liquid crystal display part by starting an electronic program management application in the electronic device carrying only a terrestrial analog tuner. It is the 3rd display screen displayed on a liquid crystal display part by starting an electronic program management application in the situation where a terrestrial digital tuner cannot be used in an electronic device carrying a terrestrial analog tuner and a terrestrial digital tuner. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement about the function control method of the electronic device in this Embodiment. This is a message display notifying that the tuner function is invalid.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic device, 10 ... Terrestrial analog tuner, 11 ... Terrestrial digital tuner, 12 ... Display part, 13 ... Display control part, 14 ... I / F part, 15 ... Memory | storage part, 16 ... Control part, 20 ... Main-body part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Movable part, 150 ... Electronic program management application, 151 ... Terrestrial digital tuner driver, 152 ... Terrestrial analog tuner driver, 161 ... Hardware detection part, 162 ... Motion detection part, 200 ... Character input part, 201 ... Touchpad, 202 ... Decision switch, 202A ... Left switch, 202B ... Right switch, 210 ... Liquid crystal display unit, 211 ... Hinge unit, 300 ... Display screen, 301 ... Display screen, 302 ... Display screen, 304 ... Message, 310 ... Player unit, 311 ... TV image display unit, 312 ... Slide bar, 313 ... Mute switch, 314 ... Mono cut off Replacement switch, 315 ... Volume adjustment section, 316 ... Tuner type section, 317 ... Title display section, 318 ... Operation switch group, 320 ... Program list section, 330 ... Recording reservation management section, 331 ... Analog tab, 332 ... Digital tab, 340 ... Recording data management unit, 350 ... Analog terrestrial broadcast (terrestrial A) display, 351 ... Digital terrestrial broadcast (terrestrial D) display, 353 ... TV display

Claims (7)

A first step of detecting hardware installed in the computer;
A second step of searching for a driver that drives the detected hardware and detecting whether the hardware is operable based on the driver;
A function control method for an electronic device, comprising: a third step of displaying an image including the operable hardware on a display screen and performing an operation on the target hardware in an integrated manner. A first step of detecting a TV tuner mounted on the computer;
A second step of searching for a driver that drives the detected TV tuner and detecting whether the TV tuner is operable based on the driver;
And a third step of centrally performing an operation on the target TV tuner by displaying an image corresponding to the function of the operable TV tuner on a display screen. . A first step of detecting a TV tuner mounted on the computer;
A second step of searching for a driver that drives the detected TV tuner and detecting whether the TV tuner is operable based on the driver;
A third step of displaying an image corresponding to the function of the operable TV tuner on a display screen and performing an operation on the target TV tuner centrally in the same application. Function control method. A hardware detection unit for detecting hardware mounted on the computer;
An operation detecting unit for detecting a driver for operating the hardware and detecting whether the hardware is operable based on the driver;
An electronic apparatus comprising: a display control unit configured to centrally display a display image on the hardware function operable by the computer on a display screen. A hardware detection unit for detecting a TV tuner mounted on the computer;
An operation detecting unit for detecting a driver for operating the TV tuner and detecting whether the TV tuner is operable based on the driver;
An electronic apparatus comprising: a display control unit configured to centrally display a display image on the function of the TV tuner operable on the computer on a display screen. A hardware detection unit for detecting a TV tuner mounted on the computer;
An operation detecting unit for detecting a driver for operating the TV tuner and detecting whether the TV tuner is operable based on the driver;
An electronic apparatus comprising: a display control unit configured to centrally display functions of the TV tuner operable on the computer in the same application. A first step of detecting a TV tuner mounted on the computer;
A second step of searching for a driver that drives the detected TV tuner and detecting whether the TV tuner is operable based on the driver;
A third step of performing, using a computer, a third step of displaying an image corresponding to the function of the operable TV tuner on a display screen and performing an operation on the target TV tuner in a centralized manner in the same application. program.

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