JP2008042353A - Image display device and program and method for limiting looking and listening - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device changing a distance conducting visual-aural limitation according to a screen size and a resolution of an image in the image display device conducting the visual-aural limitation according to the distance between a user (a viewer) and the device. <P>SOLUTION: A table storing a visual-aural distance corresponding to the resolution of the image and the screen size is fitted to a storage 102, the resolution of the displayed image is discriminated by an MPEG 107, and the visual-aural distance corresponding to the resolution is acquired from the table. Consequently, when it is determined that a person approaches a screen exceeding the visual-aural distance by information detected by a viewer sensor 111, a warning is given by a warning 110, and a power supply is turned off (visual-aural limitation) by a power-supply control unit 109. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video display device such as a television receiver (hereinafter simply referred to as a television), and more particularly to a video display device that limits viewing according to the distance between a user (viewer) and the device.

  Since a video display device typified by a television can have an adverse effect on the human body (decrease in visual acuity or fatigue), it is not preferable to view this image too close to the screen. In view of this point, Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose a related art regarding a warning or a power-off process when a person (viewer) is closer to a television than a predetermined distance.

JP-A-6-38145 JP-A-8-65599 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-74854 JP 2004-120049 A

  Video displayed on a video display device typified by a television has video with different resolutions (for example, a standard-definition television (SDTV) and a high-definition television (HDTV)), and video with multiple resolutions. There is also a video display device capable of displaying the image. The high-resolution video has the characteristics that the pixels constituting the video are finer than the low-resolution video, and the roughness of the video is not noticeable even when approaching the screen. Based on this, there are concepts such as “standard viewing conditions” and “optimum viewing distance” according to the resolution and screen size. High-resolution video is viewed closer to the screen than low-resolution video. However, one of the advantages of the high-resolution video display device is that the roughness of the video does not matter.

  However, since the above-described conventional technology does not take into consideration the resolution and screen size, when the viewer approaches the device more than a predetermined distance, viewing such as power off regardless of the resolution of the video. Restrictions will be made. Therefore, even if it is a high-resolution video, viewing is limited at the same distance as in the case of a low-resolution, and “the roughness of the video is not concerned even if watching closer to the screen than the low-resolution video” The significance of the advantages of the high-resolution video display device may be lost.

  In view of the above-described points, the present invention is a video display device that limits viewing according to the distance between a user (viewer) and the device, and that performs viewing limitation according to the screen size and video resolution. An object of the present invention is to provide a video display device that changes the screen.

  The video display device according to claim 1 is a video display device capable of displaying video of a plurality of resolutions, a resolution detection unit that detects the resolution of the video signal, a control unit that performs control of the entire device and various arithmetic processes, A viewing restriction unit that restricts viewing on the displayed video, a viewer sensor unit that detects the presence of a person and distance information from the device, and viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution and screen size of the video are associated with each other. A storage unit stored therein, whereby the resolution of the video being displayed is determined by the resolution detection unit, and the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution and the viewer detected by the viewer sensor unit The distance information from the other device is compared, and if it is determined that the distance from the viewer device is closer than the viewing distance information, the viewing restriction unit applies the viewing restriction to the displayed video. The features.

  According to the above configuration, whether or not the viewing restriction can be executed is determined based on “viewing distance information” corresponding to the resolution and screen size of the video. That is, the distance at which viewing is restricted (the distance between the user and the device) also changes depending on the resolution of the video being displayed. Note that “viewing restriction” is any restriction that hinders the normal viewing state. For example, the power of the device is turned off, the brightness level of the screen is lowered (darkening the screen), or part or all of the screen is restricted. For example, it is erased, or some image or character is displayed superimposed on the display image.

  The video display device according to claim 2 is the video display device according to claim 1, wherein the video display device includes a warning unit that issues a warning to the viewer. It is characterized by performing a warning for.

  According to the above configuration, the viewer is warned before the viewing restriction is imposed. The “warning” may be one that displays character information indicating a warning on the screen, one that outputs sound, and one that causes the light emitting device to emit light (provided with a dedicated indicator). It should be noted that “warning is performed before the viewing restriction process is executed” does not necessarily indicate that “viewing restriction” and “warning” are completely different. That is, for example, when the “warning” is to display a warning text superimposed on the video, the “warning” itself becomes a part of “viewing restriction (prevents normal viewing state)”. It can be said that “warning” is part of the staged viewing restrictions.

  The video display device according to claim 3 is the video display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a power supply unit that supplies power to each unit in the device, and the power supply unit to each unit in the device And a power supply control unit that controls power supply, so that the viewing restriction process by the viewing restriction unit is a power-off process by the power supply control unit.

  According to the above configuration, the power-off process of the device is performed as viewing restriction. Note that “power-off processing” refers to a so-called standby state (a state in which power supply to unnecessary parts in the apparatus is stopped and a part of the microcomputer or the like is in an energized state). This indicates something that turns off the power (even in this case, the microcomputer may be in an energized state), etc. (not limited to complete “power off” of the entire apparatus).

  The video display device according to claim 4 is the video display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the viewer sensor unit is configured by a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor. Features.

  According to the above configuration, the “viewer sensor unit” for detecting information on the presence of a person and distance information from the apparatus includes two sensors, a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.

  The viewing restriction program according to claim 5 includes a step of determining a resolution of a video being displayed on the video display device according to claim 1, and a step of acquiring the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution from the storage unit; Obtaining distance information from the viewer's device, comparing the viewing distance information obtained thereby with distance information from the device, and, as a result, the distance from the viewer's device is obtained from the viewing distance information. If it is determined that the image is close, the step of restricting viewing to the image being displayed by the viewing restriction unit is executed.

  The viewing restriction program according to claim 6 is the viewing restriction program according to claim 5, wherein a warning is given to the viewer when it is determined that the distance from the viewer's device is closer than the viewing distance information; Determining whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed after the warning; determining whether or not a distance from the viewer's device is closer than the viewing distance information even when the predetermined period has elapsed; If it is determined that this is closer, a step of turning off the power of the apparatus is executed.

  The viewing restricting method according to claim 7 is a viewing restricting method in a video display device capable of displaying a plurality of resolution videos and measuring a distance from the viewer's device, according to the video resolution and the screen size. By managing the viewing distance information, the resolution of the image being displayed is determined, the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution is compared with the distance information from the viewer's device, and the viewer's device Is determined to be closer to the viewing distance information, the viewing restriction is applied to the video being displayed.

  A video display device capable of displaying a plurality of resolution images according to claim 1 of the present invention, a resolution detection unit for detecting the resolution of a video signal, a control unit for performing overall control of the device and various arithmetic processes, A viewing restriction unit that restricts viewing on the displayed video, a viewer sensor unit that detects the presence of a person and distance information from the device, and viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution and screen size of the video are stored in association with each other. A resolution of the video being displayed is determined by the resolution detection unit, the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution, and the viewer sensor detected by the viewer sensor unit The distance information from the device is compared, and if it is determined that the viewer's distance from the device is closer than the viewing distance information, the viewing restriction unit adds a viewing restriction to the displayed video. According to the image display device according to, on the basis of the "viewing distance information" corresponding to the resolution and the screen size of the video, whether to execute the viewing restriction is determined. In other words, since the viewing restriction (distance between the user and the device) also changes depending on the resolution of the displayed video, the video can be viewed at an appropriate viewing distance according to each resolution. It becomes possible.

  The warning unit for warning the viewer according to claim 2 of the present invention is provided, whereby the warning is given to the viewer by the warning unit before the viewing restriction process is executed. According to this video display device, a warning is given to the viewer before the viewing restriction is imposed. Accordingly, “viewing restriction” such as power off is not performed suddenly, but “viewing restriction” such as power off is executed after a warning, which is excellent in user convenience.

  The video display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the viewer sensor unit according to claim 4 of the present invention is configured by a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor. For example, a “viewer sensor unit” for detecting information on the presence of a person and distance information from the apparatus includes two sensors, a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor. Therefore, the accuracy of distance information detection can be improved as compared with the case where only the pyroelectric sensor is used, and the “viewer sensor unit” can be configured at a relatively low cost.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is one form when the present invention is embodied, and is not intended to limit the present invention within the scope thereof.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a part relating mainly to the present invention of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus (video display apparatus) of the present embodiment, and FIG. It is the flowchart which showed the outline of the process regarding this invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a digital television 1 includes a control unit 101 that controls the entire apparatus and various arithmetic processes, a storage unit 102, a tuner unit 106 that receives digital broadcast waves of each frequency, and a tuner unit. An MPEG unit 107 that performs digital demodulation processing of a signal received by the network 106, decoding processing conforming to the MPEG standard, and the like, and an operation unit 103 (a main body operation unit 1032 and a remote control device 1034) that are input interfaces to the user. A light receiving unit 1033 for receiving a signal from the remote control device 1034, a key determining unit 1031 for determining the signal content from the main body operating unit 1032 or the light receiving unit 1033), and video data output from the MPEG unit 107. Display processing unit 104 that performs processing to be displayed on display unit 105, display unit 105, and person A viewer sensor unit 111 that detects information indicating presence and distance from the device, and a power source unit 108 that generates DC power from a commercial power source and supplies power to each unit in the device (in the figure, mainly a signal Only power lines are shown, power supply lines are not shown, but in reality power supply lines are provided to each part in the apparatus), and control of power supply from the power supply part 108 to each part in the apparatus A power control unit 109 that performs the above, a warning unit 110 that generates a predetermined warning message, and the like.

  The viewer sensor unit 111 includes a pyroelectric sensor 1111 and an ultrasonic sensor 1112. The pyroelectric sensor 1111 is a sensor that detects infrared rays, detects infrared rays emitted by a person, and sends an output corresponding to the infrared rays to the control unit 101. The ultrasonic sensor 1112 is a sensor for detecting a reflected wave from a detected object by transmitting an ultrasonic wave (transmitting an ultrasonic wave according to an instruction from the control unit 101), and an output (voltage) according to the detected reflected wave. Is sent to the control unit 101. Since the MPEG unit 107 has a function of detecting the resolution of the received video, it also operates as a resolution detection unit.

  The storage unit 102 stores a viewing distance table in which viewing distance information corresponding to video resolution and screen size is associated. FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the viewing distance table 60. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the resolution of the video is “standard video (hereinafter simply referred to as SD video)”, “high definition video (hereinafter simply referred to as HD video)”, “ultra high definition video” (this implementation) The example digital television does not support ultra-high definition video). Also, standard viewing conditions are set according to each resolution (and screen size), and the higher the resolution, the closer to the screen you can watch (the coarseness of the image does not matter) Yes. “H” in the standard viewing condition in FIG. 4 indicates the height of the screen. Therefore, the “standard viewing condition” is determined based on the resolution and the screen size. FIG. 5 shows the screen size (inch display, “W” indicates a wide screen), the diagonal distance and the height of the screen. The viewing distance table 60 in FIG. 6 stores conditions in which the viewing distance for SD video is 5H (H is the screen height) and the viewing distance for HD video is 2H.

  An outline of the operation of the digital television 1 having the above configuration relating to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  Note that the processing in FIG. 2 is processing for viewing restriction (changes the distance for viewing restriction (distance from the user's screen) according to the resolution of the video and the screen size of the television) in the present invention. Whether or not the process can be executed is determined by user settings. That is, for example, when the user setting is acquired by the menu screen as shown in FIG. 3 and stored in the storage unit 102, the processing of FIG. 2 is executed when the user setting is “ON”. It is.

  When the process of FIG. 2 is executed when the user setting is “ON”, the resolution of the video being displayed is acquired by the MPEG unit 107 when the received program display process (step 201) is performed. Then, the control unit 101 acquires the viewing distance corresponding to the resolution and the screen size with reference to the viewing distance table 60, and substitutes it for the variable X (step 203). Note that “screen size” is acquired from the setting information, assuming that information regarding its own screen size is set in the storage unit 102 in advance.

  In step 204, it is determined whether or not the program has changed (when the next program is started or the channel is changed by the user). If there is, the process returns to step 201 and the process is repeated. In this example, it is determined whether or not the program has changed. However, it is determined whether or not the video resolution has changed (can be determined by the MPEG unit 107). It may be transferred.

  In step 205, whether or not the output (voltage) value from the pyroelectric sensor 1111 exceeds a predetermined value (preset and stored in the storage unit 102) (that is, whether or not a person exists in front of the apparatus). If the output value exceeds a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step 206 to cause the ultrasonic sensor 1112 to emit an ultrasonic wave. In addition, it is good also as a process which transfers to step 206, only when the state where the output value from the pyroelectric sensor 1111 has exceeded the predetermined value continues for a certain period of time. In such a case, the following viewing restriction (warning display and power off) processing is not performed).

  The control unit 101 calculates the distance between the device and the person based on the time from when the ultrasonic wave is emitted until the reflected wave is detected, and determines whether or not the distance is closer than X (viewing distance) (step). 207). If the distance between the device and the person is longer than X (viewing distance), the process returns to step 204 to repeat the process. In addition, although the emission of an ultrasonic wave is continuously emitted at an extremely short interval by this process, the ultrasonic wave is emitted at a predetermined interval (after waiting for a predetermined time after the second and subsequent ultrasonic emission). You may do it.

  When the distance between the device and the person is closer than X (viewing distance), the warning unit 110 warns that “the screen is too close and the power is turned off if it is not separated from the screen”. A message is generated (which may be set in advance), and is superimposed on the video by the display processing unit 104 and displayed on the display unit 105 (step 208). In this case as well, the warning display may be performed only when the distance between the device and the person is shorter than X for a certain period.

  In step 209, it is determined whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed after the warning by the control unit 101 having a time measuring function, and it is determined that the distance between the device and the person is still closer than X even though the predetermined period has elapsed. In the case of being performed (steps 207 to 209), the process proceeds to step 210, and the power off process is performed by the control unit 101 and the power control unit 109. Note that “power-off processing” refers to a so-called standby state (a state in which power supply to unnecessary parts in the apparatus is stopped and a part of the microcomputer or the like is in an energized state) or the display unit 105 For example, a process of stopping power supply only to the power supply may be used.

  As is clear from the above description, in this embodiment, the control unit 101 and the power control unit 109 or the warning unit 110 and the display processing unit 104 (by displaying a warning superimposed on the video, Since it is no longer in the viewing state), a “viewing restriction unit” is configured.

  As described above, according to the digital television 1 of the present embodiment, the distance at which viewing is restricted (distance between the user and the apparatus) varies depending on the resolution (and screen size) of the video being displayed. Therefore, it becomes possible to view the video at an appropriate viewing distance corresponding to each resolution. In addition, since the viewer is warned before the viewing restriction (forced power-off process) is imposed, the convenience for the user is excellent.

  In this embodiment, since the “viewer sensor unit” for detecting the presence information and distance information from the apparatus is composed of two sensors, a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor, the pyroelectric sensor The accuracy of distance information detection can be improved as compared with the case where only the “viewer sensor unit” is used, and the “viewer sensor unit” can be configured relatively inexpensively. That is, a general pyroelectric sensor module can only output a binary (high / low) output indicating whether a person is present (or whether it has moved) according to the detected infrared level, and measures the distance. On the other hand, an ultrasonic sensor cannot determine whether an object is a person or an object. However, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the presence of a person is detected by a pyroelectric sensor. Since the distance is measured by an ultrasonic sensor, a “viewer sensor unit” that can accurately measure the presence and distance of a person can be configured relatively inexpensively (a general sensor module can be used) For).

  In this embodiment, as an example of the viewing distance table, a table (FIG. 6) in which data is stored for each screen size is shown. By using such a table, a program (program and program) that executes this processing is shown. (Devices with a built-in viewing distance table) can be shared among multiple products (between products with different screen sizes) (a common device by setting the screen size of each product at the time of factory setting, etc.) This is useful, but if you focus on each product alone, you can say that data other than your own screen size is unnecessary. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 as an example, a viewing distance table for each product (screen size) may be used (the viewing distance table 70 in FIG. 7 is an example having a screen size of 32 W). In the case of an individual table as shown in FIG. 7, there is no apparent information regarding the screen size, but even in this case, the “viewing distance according to the resolution and the screen size” remains unchanged (screen Because it is created for each size).

  In this embodiment, the viewing distance condition is 5H for SD video (H is the screen height) and 2H for HD video, but this is merely an example, and it depends on each resolution. The setting of the viewing distance is appropriately changed and applied according to the design concept of the apparatus (it may be possible to set by the user). In this embodiment, the viewing distance is proportional to the screen size (height). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the viewing distance may be determined individually according to the screen size (proportional relationship). It is not limited to those having.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the power-off process is performed as the viewing restriction has been described as an example. However, the “viewing restriction” is fixed as long as it prompts the user to be too close to the screen. In order to more effectively prevent the adverse effects on the human body (decrease in visual acuity and fatigue) that can fulfill the purpose, it is desirable to actively turn off the power. If you take appropriate action, you can obtain the effect of preventing adverse effects on the human body), so it may be any restriction that interferes with the normal viewing state. In addition to turning off the power, for example, the brightness of the screen The level may be lowered (darkening the screen), part or all of the screen may be erased, or some image or character may be displayed superimposed on the display video. Therefore, the warning display also functions as a part of “viewing restriction”. As described above, various methods can be adopted as the “viewing restriction” operation (for example, the process of lowering the brightness level of the screen instead of the warning display in step 208 of FIG. 2 and the power off in step 210). Instead of processing, stop displaying the video and display a message stating that “the video will not be displayed unless you leave the screen”).

  In this embodiment, the viewer sensor unit has been described as an example constituted by a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an autofocus lens system and a CCD are used. An imaging device such as a C-MOS sensor or the like may be used to focus by the TTL method, and at the same time, an accurate distance may be obtained using a distance encoder incorporated in the lens system.

  In this embodiment, the distance measurement by the ultrasonic sensor is calculated by the control unit based on the time difference from the ultrasonic emission to the reception of the reflected wave, but the output from the ultrasonic sensor input to the control unit is shown in FIG. By adopting the configuration as shown in FIG. 8, the detection area may be divided into a plurality of (three stages in the figure). In the case of the example in the figure, the sensitivity 3 for detecting a short distance, the sensitivity 2 for detecting a medium distance, and the sensitivity 1 for detecting a long distance (the detection level of the reflected wave decreases as the distance increases). Therefore, the amplifiers (1001 and 1002) are respectively amplified and compared with different reference values (V1 to V3) by the comparators (1003 to 1005), respectively, and controlled at different times (time from the ultrasonic emission). By detecting by the unit, the presence of a person is detected by dividing into three detection areas. By adopting such a configuration, the processing on the control unit side can be simplified.

  In the present embodiment, the digital television is used as a specific example of the video display device (particularly, only the digital broadcast wave reception display processing). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and images with different resolutions are displayed. The present invention can be effectively applied to possible video display devices. For example, a video display device that receives video signal inputs from various external devices and displays them (TVs can also display video from external devices, but may also be monitors of personal computers, for example) ) Can be applied effectively.

The block diagram which showed the outline of the structure regarding this invention of a digital broadcast receiver Flow chart showing an outline of processing related to the present invention of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus Figure showing an example of the display screen (menu) Table showing an example of standard viewing conditions corresponding to resolution and screen size A table showing the correspondence between the screen size (inches) and the diagonal distance and height of the screen The figure which showed an example of viewing distance table The figure which showed an example of another viewing distance table Circuit block diagram showing outline of configuration from ultrasonic sensor to control unit

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital broadcast receiver (video display device)
60 viewing distance table 101 control unit 102 storage unit 107 MPEG unit (resolution detection unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 108 Power supply part 109 Power supply control part 110 Warning part 111 Viewer sensor 1111 Pyroelectric sensor 1112 Ultrasonic sensor

Claims (7)

  A video display device capable of displaying video of multiple resolutions, a resolution detection unit for detecting the resolution of the video signal, a control unit for controlling the entire device and various arithmetic processes, and limiting viewing on the displayed video. A viewing restriction unit to be added, a viewer sensor unit for detecting presence information and distance information from the device, and a storage unit in which viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution and screen size of the video is stored in association with each other. By providing, the resolution of the video being displayed is determined by the resolution detection unit, the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution, and the distance information from the viewer's device detected by the viewer sensor unit, In comparison, when it is determined that the distance from the viewer's device is closer than the viewing distance information, the viewing restriction unit adds a viewing restriction to the displayed video.   The video display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a warning unit that issues a warning to the viewer so that the warning is given to the viewer by the warning unit before the viewing restriction process is executed.   A power supply unit that supplies power to each unit in the device; and a power supply control unit that controls power supply from the power supply unit to each unit in the device, thereby performing the viewing restriction process by the viewing restriction unit. The video display device according to claim 1, wherein a power-off process is performed by the power control unit.   The video display device according to claim 1, wherein the viewer sensor unit includes a pyroelectric sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.   The video display device according to claim 1, comprising: determining a resolution of a video being displayed; obtaining the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution from the storage unit; and distance information from the viewer's device. The step of acquiring, the step of comparing the viewing distance information acquired thereby and the distance information from the device, and as a result, when it is determined that the distance from the device of the viewer is closer than the viewing distance information, And a step of adding a viewing restriction to the video being displayed by the viewing restriction unit.   A step of giving a warning to the viewer when it is determined that a distance from the viewer's device is closer than the viewing distance information, a step of determining whether or not a predetermined period after the warning has passed, and the predetermined period A step of determining whether or not the viewer's distance from the device is closer than the viewing distance information even when elapses, and a step of turning off the power of the device when it is determined that The viewing restriction program according to claim 5, wherein the viewing restriction program is executed. A viewing restriction method in a video display device capable of displaying a video of a plurality of resolutions and measuring a distance from a viewer's device, by managing viewing distance information according to the video resolution and the screen size Determining the resolution of the displayed video, comparing the viewing distance information corresponding to the resolution with the distance information from the viewer's device, and the distance from the viewer's device being closer than the viewing distance information A viewing restriction method, wherein the viewing restriction is applied to the video being displayed.

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