JP2008305274A - Entries selecting equipment and method, computer program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide entry selecting equipment which decreases the number of operational keys further, and makes it possible to choose simply any entry in many entries by it, by using an operation device which has an operating object which can perform both of a tilting operation and a rotation operation. <P>SOLUTION: The entry selecting equipment 120 is an entry selecting equipment which chooses one from two or more entries, responding to a control signal from an operation device 132 with an operation object which can output a control signal corresponding to the rotation operation and the tilting operation in multi-directions respectively, and has two or more kinds of operational menus 130. A process performed by responding to the control signal is defined by the rotation operation for every operational menu 130 and the process performed by responding to the control signal by the tilting operation in multi-directions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is used in the operation of various electric devices that are assumed to have a display unit or be used together with a display device, such as a television receiver (hereinafter referred to as “TV”) and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder. The present invention relates to an item selection device used when selecting an item such as a desired function, an item selection method using the device, a computer program therefor, and a recording medium recording the computer.

  In recent years, various electronic devices such as televisions and DVD recorders have become highly functional and diversified. Along with this, remote controllers (hereinafter referred to as “remote control transmitters”) for remotely operating these electronic devices are also required to be capable of complex and diverse operations with simple operations.

  Conventional remote control transmitters generally support multiple functions by assigning one or more functions to one key. However, with the development of electronic technology, the number of functions provided in electronic devices has greatly increased, and it has become necessary to control a plurality of devices such as a television and a DVD recorder with a single remote control transmitter. It has become necessary to arrange a large number of operation keys.

  When there are a large number of operation keys in this way, the remote control operation becomes complicated. In order to search for a necessary function, it is necessary to search for a desired key from among a large number of keys, or to search for a specific key assignment for indicating a desired function. Therefore, there is a need for a control device for an electronic device that can easily instruct many functions while preventing the number of operation keys from increasing as much as possible.

  In such a background, a remote control transmitter having a ring-shaped operating body capable of sending both rotation operation and tilting operation in a plurality of directions is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and This is proposed in Patent Document 2.

  The remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a ring-shaped operation body capable of sending control signals for both rotation operation and tilting operation in a plurality of directions. A function group to be controlled is selected by the tilting operation on the operating body, and a desired function is selected from the functions selected by the tilting operation by the rotating operation.

  For example, selection of a television broadcasting station can be instructed by a tilting operation, and channel switching can be performed by a rotating operation. Channel switching can be instructed according to the direction of the rotation operation. When the volume adjustment function is selected by a tilting operation, the volume can be adjusted by a rotation operation.

The remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a ring-shaped operation body that can send control signals for both rotation operation and tilting operation in a plurality of directions. The first function is controlled by the rotation operation, and the second function different from the first function is controlled by the tilting operation. In the DVD playback apparatus, for example, in a recording / playback operation, a frame is moved by a tilting operation, and an operation item of the target frame is selected by a rotation operation. In the remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 2, functions are assigned to a rotation operation and a tilting operation for each GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen.
JP 2006-33680 JP2002-108547

  The remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Literature 1 or Patent Literature 2 uses an operating body capable of performing both tilting operation and rotating operation as described above. Therefore, the number of operation keys can be considerably reduced as compared with the number of controllable functions.

  However, in any remote control transmitter, the number of operation keys other than the operation tool is still large, and the operation is complicated. This is considered to be because the advantage of this operating body that the tilting operation and the rotating operation are possible is not yet fully utilized. When there are many operation keys, it becomes difficult to find the target key, or the line of sight must be frequently moved between the screen and the remote control transmitter, resulting in a burden on the user. There is.

  For example, both Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that it is difficult to understand which function is assigned to each of the rotation operation and the tilting operation on each operation screen. In a remote control transmitter having this type of operation body, it is impossible to describe each function in the main body of the remote control transmitter. For this reason, it is extremely difficult or difficult for a user who does not know the assignment of functions to the rotation operation and the tilt operation to operate this remote control. Specific examples are given below.

  In the remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the function assigned to the rotation operation is switched by the tilting operation, or the function assigned to the rotation operation depending on whether the time from the previous operation to the present time is within a predetermined time. Switch. However, if the functions assigned to the rotation operation differ depending on the case, there is a problem that it is difficult to know which function is assigned to the rotation operation when the user intends to use the remote control transmitter. If the operation is not performed, the function assigned to the rotation operation may not be known.

  In the remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 2, functions are assigned to the tilt operation and the rotation operation, respectively. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to understand which function is assigned to the operation on the GUI screen. As a result, there is a problem that even if the remote control transmitter is operated using the GUI screen, it is difficult for the user to know what to do with the remote control transmitter in order to realize the desired function. is there. Therefore, the remote control transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem that it is difficult to operate unless the user is skilled in operation.

  Further, in both cases of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there are problems that it is difficult to find a target item when there are a lot of items to be selected such as selection when reproducing a channel or a recorded program. . Compared to simply using the operation keys, it is certain that such a selection is much easier because the rotation keys are used. However, until the target item is reached, the operating body must be rotated many times, or the key must be pressed many times in a predetermined direction.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to further reduce the number of operation keys by using it together with an operation device having an operation body capable of performing both tilting operation and rotation operation, and thereby among many items. It is an object to provide an item selection apparatus and method, a computer program, and a recording medium thereof that make it possible to easily select any one.

  Another object of the present invention is to further reduce the number of operation keys by using it together with an operating device having an operating body capable of performing both tilting operation and rotating operation, and thereby among many items. To provide an item selection apparatus and method, a computer program, and a recording medium thereof, which can be easily selected without any prior knowledge while allowing an arbitrary one to be easily selected.

  The item selection device according to the first aspect of the present invention is responsive to a control signal from an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting a control signal corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions. An item selection device for selecting one of a plurality of items, having a plurality of types of operation menus, processing performed in response to a control signal by a rotation operation for each operation menu, and tilt operations in a plurality of directions The processing to be performed in response to the control signal is determined.

  Preferably, in at least one of a plurality of types of operation menus, items to be selected are arranged in a circular or arc shape, and a rotation operation and a tilting operation in two selected directions among a plurality of directions are performed. In any case, any one of the items to be selected can be selected by bidirectionally moving in a circular shape or an arc shape.

  More preferably, in response to the tilting operation in two directions, the item selection device determines the position of the next item to be selected based on the elapsed time from the previous operation and the position of the selected item. It is characterized by determining.

  More preferably, at least one of a plurality of types of operation menus is provided with a plurality of pages in which items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. In at least one operation menu, the item selection device moves the position of the item selected in the two-dimensional matrix arrangement one frame at a time according to the tilt direction of the tilt operation in response to a control signal by the tilt operation The operation menu page is moved to another page in response to a control signal generated by the rotation operation.

  The operation device may output a control signal indicating the rotation angle in accordance with the rotation operation. The item selection device determines a movement amount when moving the page of the operation menu to another page according to the rotation speed of the rotation operation calculated based on the control signal indicating the rotation angle of the rotation operation.

  Preferably, in at least one of a plurality of types of operation menus, items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. In this at least one operation menu, the item selection device responds to the control signal by the tilting operation in accordance with the tilting direction of the tilting operation by selecting the position of the selected item one frame at a time in the two-dimensional matrix arrangement. The position of the item selected in the operation menu is moved to another position in response to a control signal from the rotation operation.

  More preferably, the controller device outputs a control signal indicating the rotation angle in response to the rotation operation. The item selection device determines a movement amount when moving the position of the item selected in the operation menu according to the rotation speed of the rotation operation calculated based on the control signal indicating the rotation angle of the rotation operation. And

  More preferably, in at least one of a plurality of types of operation menus, items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. In response to receiving the control signal by the rotation operation following the control signal by the previous tilt operation, the item selection device performs the previous tilt operation in the operation menu having the selection target arranged in the two-dimensional matrix. The movement direction of the item by the rotation operation is determined by the control signal by the rotation operation and the rotation direction of the rotation operation indicated by the control signal by the rotation operation.

  The item selection device determines whether or not the rotation operation is clockwise according to the control signal from the rotation operation, and if it is clockwise, the rotation operation is performed in the same direction as the moving direction of the selection item by the control signal by the previous tilting operation. The moving direction of the selection item by the rotation operation may be determined in a direction different from the movement direction of the selection item by the control signal by the previous tilting operation.

  Preferably, the different direction is a direction opposite to the moving direction of the selection item by the control signal by the previous tilting operation.

  More preferably, at least one of the operation menus is a numerical value selection menu for selecting a numerical value associated with the function to be selected. The item selection device is characterized in that, in the numerical value selection menu, in response to a control signal corresponding to the rotation operation, a numerical value associated with the function to be selected is changed according to the rotation direction of the rotation operation.

  More preferably, the item selection device is responsive to a control signal from either a rotation operation or a tilting operation in a plurality of directions, and in response to the operation menu being used and the received control signal. The operation menu is created.

  At least one of the plurality of operation menus may be a circular menu in which a plurality of selection target items are arranged in a circle or an arc. The item selection device moves the position of the selected item in a predetermined direction in the circular menu by a rotation operation, and moves the position of the selected item to a position having a predetermined relationship with the position of the selected item in the circular menu by a tilt operation. It is made to move.

  Preferably, at least one of the plurality of operation menus has a circular shape in which selection target items included in the selected group among a plurality of selection target items divided into a plurality of groups are arranged in a circular shape or an arc shape. It is a menu. In response to the rotation operation, the item selection device moves the position of the selection item in the circular menu in a predetermined direction, and responds to the tilting operation in a predetermined relationship with the group displayed in the circular menu. A circular menu is reconfigured by a certain group.

  More preferably, the item selection device further includes a display unit for displaying the created operation menu.

  More preferably, the item selection device changes the display mode of the operation menu according to the operation history by the user.

  The item selection method according to the second aspect of the present invention is responsive to a control signal from an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting a control signal corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions. This is an item selection method in an item selection device that selects one of a plurality of items. This item selection method includes a plurality of types of operation menus, a first process performed in response to a control signal by a rotation operation for each of these operation menus, and a second process performed in response to a control signal by a tilt operation in a plurality of directions. A step of preparing a process, a step of executing a first process prepared for an operation menu to be operated in response to a control signal by a rotation operation from the operation device, and And executing a second process prepared for the operation menu to be operated in response to the control signal by the tilting operation.

  A computer program according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of computer programs in response to control signals from an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting control signals respectively corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions. In an item selection device comprising a computer that selects one of the items, when executed by a computer, the computer responds to a plurality of types of operation menus and a control signal from a rotation operation for each operation menu. Means for preparing the first process performed in response to the control signal by the tilting operation in a plurality of directions, and the operation signal in response to the control signal by the rotating operation from the operating device. In response to a control signal generated by the tilting operation from the operating device and a means for executing the first process prepared for the target operation menu, To function as a means for performing a second process that has been prepared for the operation menu that is the elephant.

  A recording medium according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium that records the above-described computer program.

  According to the item selection device of the present invention, by using an operation device having an operation body that can output control signals corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilt operation in a plurality of directions, a rotation operation is performed for each operation menu. The process performed in response to the control signal by and the process performed in response to the control signal by the tilting operation in a plurality of directions can be executed. Therefore, one item can be efficiently selected from a plurality of items for each menu.

  The item to be selected is arranged in a circular shape or an arc shape, and any one of the items to be selected can be moved by moving the circular shape or the arc shape in both directions by either a rotation operation or a tilting operation in two directions. You can choose. Items can be selected in the same way by either operation.

  In response to the tilting operation in two directions, the position of the next selected item is determined based on the elapsed time from the previous operation and the position of the selected item. Different movements can be made when performed continuously and when performed independently, which is a natural operation for the user.

  When there are a plurality of pages in which items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, the position of the item selected by the tilt operation is moved one frame at a time, and the page is moved to another page by the rotation operation. be able to. The amount of movement can be changed according to the rotation angle of the rotation operation. As a result, any one of items arranged in a two-dimensional matrix can be efficiently selected.

  In the same way, even when the position of the selected item is moved one frame at a time in response to the control signal by the tilting operation and the item position is moved to another position by the rotating operation, it is arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. Any one of the selected items can be efficiently selected.

  In an operation menu having selection targets arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, when a rotation operation is performed following the previous tilt operation, the item of the item by the rotation operation depends on the previous tilt operation and the rotation direction of the rotation operation. When the movement direction is determined, the selection item can be efficiently moved in any direction by a rotation operation. As a result, any one of items arranged in a two-dimensional matrix can be efficiently selected.

  When the position of the selection item is moved in a predetermined direction in the circular menu by a rotation operation, and the position of the selection item is moved to a position having a predetermined relationship with respect to the position of the selection item in the circular menu by a tilt operation Of the many items to be selected, it is possible to immediately move to an item located far away. As a result, any one of a plurality of items can be efficiently selected. The same applies to the case where the items are divided into a plurality of groups, the items of one group are displayed as a menu, and the groups are switched by a tilting operation.

  By providing a display unit that displays the created operation menu, one of a plurality of items can be efficiently selected by any of the selection methods described above without preparing a separate display device.

  When the display mode of the operation menu is changed according to the operation history by the user, an operation menu according to the user's habit or preference can be provided.

  Further, according to the item selection method according to the second aspect of the present invention, by using an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting control signals respectively corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions, For each operation menu, it is possible to execute a process performed in response to a control signal by a rotation operation and a process performed in response to a control signal by a tilting operation in a plurality of directions. Therefore, one item can be efficiently selected from a plurality of items for each menu.

  Effects similar to those of the item selection device and method described above by causing a computer constituting the item selection device to execute the computer program according to the third aspect or the computer program recorded in the recording medium according to the fourth aspect. Can be obtained.

[Outline]
In any of the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, although ring-shaped operating bodies are used, the mode for displaying the functions assigned to them is not particularly devised. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to understand the operation by rotation, the function displayed on the screen, and the relationship between the function and other functions. In the present embodiment, the item to be selected is arranged in a ring shape or arc shape on the screen in accordance with the operation of “rotation” with respect to the ring-shaped operation body, and the focus is adjusted according to the rotation operation with respect to the operation body. Or, by moving on the arc, the currently selected item is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

  In the present embodiment, an operation for a determination instruction can be performed together with the above-described tilting operation and rotating operation.

<Appearance and behavior>
First, the appearance of a DVD recorder and a TV remote control transmitter, which are control apparatuses for an electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment, and a TV screen display associated with the operation will be described. The DVD recorder and the television are used by being connected to each other. Therefore, the screen images shown below are generated by a DVD recorder and displayed on a television screen.

  FIG. 1 shows a front view of remote control transmitter 70 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a remote control transmitter 70 includes a casing 98 having a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape so that it can be easily held with one hand, a rotary operation body 72 disposed on the upper surface (operation surface) of the casing 98, Recorder and television power keys 88 and 90, recorder and television switching key 86, start menu button 84 for instructing the DVD recorder or television to display a start menu, which will be described later, and termination for instructing the end of the operation. A key 92 and a “return” key 94 for instructing the DVD recorder or television to return to the state before the previous operation. The remote control transmitter 70 further includes an internal circuit (not shown in FIG. 1) and a transmission unit 96 that is provided at the tip of the housing 98 and transmits a control signal by infrared rays to the DVD recorder and the television. The configuration of the internal circuit of the remote control transmitter 70 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The rotary operation body 72 is provided at the center, and is provided so as to surround the cross key 82 and a cross key 82 that can be tilted up and down and left and right in FIG. And a ring portion 80 rotatable around the cross key 82. In the present embodiment, the operation of pushing the cross key 82 into the housing 98 is regarded as pressing of the “decision key” and is referred to as “decision operation”. Therefore, the cross key 82 may be referred to as a “decision key”.

  When each key is operated, the remote control transmitter 70 generates a control signal corresponding to the key and transmits the control signal to an external receiver via the transmission unit 96. In the case of a rotation key, a signal linked to a rotation operation (rotation angle information, rotation speed, rotation direction, finger placement position, etc.) is generated.

  FIG. 2 shows an outline of the top menu displayed on the television screen when the DVD recorder is operated using the remote control transmitter 70 according to the present embodiment. If a TV is selected as an input, a TV top menu is displayed here. Referring to FIG. 2, the top menu screen 120 includes a center rotation menu 130, a lower left remote control image 132, an upper right submenu 134 for the focused item in the rotation menu 130, and a lower center menu. An operation guide 136 is displayed.

  The rotation menu 130 is displayed in a form in which menu items are pasted on the surface of a sphere. In the present embodiment, in the rotation menu 130, the focused item is displayed larger than the other items. When the user rotates the ring unit 80 of the remote control transmitter 70, the size of each item changes as if the sphere on which the rotation menu 130 is pasted is rotated, and the focused item is the largest. Displayed so that the border is brighter (as it is closest to you). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the item “start menu” is selected.

  The remote control image 132 is used to indicate what key is effective in the remote control transmitter 70 using the image of the remote control transmitter 70. Since the image of the remote control transmitter 70, the position of the available keys, and the operation direction are displayed together, the user can easily understand how to operate the remote control transmitter 70.

  The submenu 134 is for displaying an item to be displayed as a menu item in the center on the screen displayed when the currently focused item is selected. In the example shown in FIG. 2, when the cross key 82 is pressed while the “start menu” is in focus, the start menu is displayed (see FIG. 3). Items displayed in the start menu are displayed in advance in the submenu 134. Therefore, when selecting an item of the rotation menu 130, there is an effect that it becomes easy for the user to understand which menu is displayed when which item is selected. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, since each item of the submenu 134 is also arranged and displayed on the arc, what kind of operation should be performed on the rotary operation body 72 after selecting the item, There is also an effect that the user can easily predict the above.

  FIG. 3 shows a screen (start menu) displayed when the item “start menu” shown in FIG. 2 is selected in the remote control transmitter 70 according to the present embodiment, or when “start menu” is selected in the top menu. Screen) 150. Referring to FIG. 3, start menu screen 150 includes a menu 162 arranged on an arc at the center, and a remote control image 160 displayed at the lower left of the screen. Each item of the menu 162 is separated from the surrounding by an oval boundary of a predetermined color.

  Also in the present embodiment, the operation of selecting an item on the menu 162 can be performed using either the ring unit 80 or the cross key 82. Referring to FIG. 3, the focused item 164 is displayed larger than the outside, and its boundary is displayed brightly. Also on the start menu screen 150, the focused item 164 is overlapped with an explanation image 166 of a screen that will be displayed when a predetermined time elapses without any operation being performed and the item is selected. Displayed. Further, an explanatory note 168 indicating what kind of work can be performed is displayed on the screen when the item is selected.

  As described above, the explanation image 166 of the screen that will be displayed when the menu item is selected is displayed, so that the user can easily determine which item should be selected. Since the images are used, the operation method can be understood without understanding the terms. In addition, the function of the item to be selected can be easily understood from the description 168.

  Thus, after the focus moves to a certain item, if there is no key operation for a while and the explanation image is displayed, a user who is proficient in the operation will perform the necessary operation without taking time. The explanation image is not displayed, and necessary items can be selected in a short time.

  FIG. 4 shows a channel switching screen 180 that is displayed when the television channel is switched. Referring to FIG. 4, on channel switching screen 180, current state 206 is displayed in the upper center, channel menu 192 is displayed in the center, remote control image 190 is displayed in the lower left, and operation description 204 is displayed in the lower right. .

  The channel menu 192 includes a current channel display 194 arranged largely in the center, and channel lists 196, 198, 200, and 202 arranged in an arc shape above and below the current channel display 194. The current channel display 194 and the channel lists 196, 198, 200, and 202 are displayed on the spherical surface by reducing the font as the distance from the current channel display 194 is the same as the items of the menu 162 shown in FIG. Are displayed as if they were placed.

  Also on this channel switching screen 180, the remote control image 190 shows the keys that can be operated and the operation method thereof, and what function is executed by what operation is performed by the operation explanation 204. Is shown.

  On the channel switching screen 180, items of the channel menu 192 can be moved by rotating the ring unit 80.

  FIG. 5 shows in what sequence a channel is selected when the ring unit 80 is rotated on the channel switching screen 180 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, this channel sequence 220 includes a channel group 230 for terrestrial digital broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as “terrestrial D”), a channel group 232 for satellite digital broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as “BSD”), A channel group 234 of terrestrial analog broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as “terrestrial A”) and a channel group 236 of 110-degree CS broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as “CS110”) by a communication satellite (CS) are included. These channel groups 230, 232, 234 and 236 are arranged so as to form a ring as a whole as shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, 151 channel of BSD is selected as indicated by the current channel display 240. In the present embodiment, when the ring unit 80 is rotated clockwise, the channel sequence 220 is rotated counterclockwise as a whole, and the channel (BSD 161) arranged below the current channel display 240 is the current one. Move to the position of the channel display 240. When the ring unit 80 is rotated counterclockwise, the channel sequence 220 is rotated clockwise as a whole, and the channel (BSD 141) arranged immediately above the current channel display 240 is the position of the current channel display 240. Move to. Therefore, if the ring unit 80 is continuously rotated, all channels included in the channel sequence 220 can be displayed on the current channel display 240.

  On this screen, the program of the channel corresponding to the item is displayed by performing the determination process when the desired item is focused. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there is no key input for a predetermined time in this state, it is considered that the channel operation is finished, and the display of the channel selection menu is stopped. Therefore, in this embodiment, the determination process may not be performed in the case of channel selection.

  In the present embodiment, the menu item can be selected by turning the ring unit 80 as in the case of channel movement, but the item can also be selected using the cross key 82. In this embodiment, a plurality of methods are prepared as item selection methods using the cross key 82. The first method is a method of using the cross key to move one item at a time, and the second method is a method of assigning the cross key to a function called “shortcut”. A method of using the cross key 82 for moving one item at a time will be described later with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, and a shortcut will be described below.

  Even when a large number of items are arranged in the menu as in the channel sequence 220 shown in FIG. 5, any item can be selected by continuing to rotate the ring unit 80. However, it is inconvenient that an arbitrary channel cannot be selected unless the ring unit 80 is continuously rotated. Therefore, in this embodiment, a function called a shortcut as described below is prepared. The shortcut is to cause the channel position to jump to a specific position in a group of items arranged in a ring like the channel sequence 220 by operating the cross key 82 instead of rotating the ring unit 80. Say. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 12, how the item is selected at the time of the shortcut in the present embodiment will be described using the channel sequence 220 shown in FIG. 5 as an example.

  A simplified version of the channel sequence 220 shown in FIG. 5 is shown as a channel sequence 250 in FIG. FIG. 6 also shows a channel menu 252 which is configured by the current channel display 240 and the channels before and after the channel sequence 250 and displayed on the screen.

  Referring to FIG. 6, channel “BSD 151” (hereinafter, “channel” is omitted) in channel sequence 250 is selected as the current channel, and is displayed in a large size as shown by current channel display 260. It shall be. When viewed from the channel (BSD 151) displayed in the current channel display 260, the channel at the opposite position of the ring formed by the channel sequence 250 (this is assumed to be “CS110 320”), and the BSD 151. And two channels located near the center of CS 110 320 (assuming these are “terrestrial D 040” and “terrestrial A 10”) are set as shortcuts for the BSD 151 channel.

  As shown in FIG. 7, by rotating the ring unit 80 clockwise in the channel sequence 250, the channel sequence 250 rotates counterclockwise, and the BSD 161 is displayed on the current channel display 262. Here, since the rotation amount is small, the shortcut is not changed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the channel sequence 250 shown in the upper stage, when the ring unit 80 is turned clockwise, the amount of movement of the channel increases. As a result, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8, the position of each item fluctuates as shown in the channel sequence 256, and the BSD 251 is selected as a new channel and displayed as a current channel display 270. When the channel movement amount becomes large in this way, a process for newly assigning a shortcut is performed. That is, as apparent from the comparison between the upper and lower stages of FIG. 8, the shortcut “terrestrial D 040” is reassigned to a new shortcut 272 “terrestrial D 140”, and the shortcut “terrestrial A 10” is “terrestrial”. A new shortcut 276 “A 2” is reassigned, and a shortcut “CS110 320” is reassigned to a new shortcut 274 “CS110 390”.

  Thus, when the movement amount of the channel selected as the current channel display becomes large, it is reasonable to reassign the shortcut according to the movement amount. However, when the amount of movement of the item is small as shown in FIG. 7, the shortcut may or may not be reassigned. In this embodiment, no shortcut is assigned in such a case.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of display change when the ring unit 80 is further rotated clockwise from the state shown in the lower part of FIG. Referring to the lower part of FIG. 9, it is assumed that as a result of this operation, the channel sequence 256 further rotates to become the channel sequence 258, and the current channel display 270 changes to the channel display 280 of “terrestrial A 12”. Thus, when the amount of rotation of the channel position increases, the media of the channel assigned to each shortcut also changes. As a result, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9, the shortcut 272 “terrestrial D 140” is a shortcut 282 “BSD 151”, the shortcut 274 “CS110 390” is a shortcut 284 “terrestrial D 040”, “ The shortcut 276 “ground A 2” is reassigned to the shortcut 286 “CS110 320”. In this way, the shortcut assignment is changed according to the rotation amount of the ring unit 80.

  FIG. 10 shows a mode of channel selection when the cross key 82 is tilted downward in the state of the channel sequence 258 shown in the lower part of FIG. The upper part of FIG. 10 is the same as that shown in the lower part of FIG. When the cross key 82 is tilted downward in this state, the selected channel is assigned to the shortcut 286 displayed below from “Ground A 12” indicated by the upper channel display 280. Jump to the current channel (CS110 320). As a result, the channel sequence 258 as a whole is in a state similar to that in which an operation of rotating approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise is performed, and a channel sequence 290 as shown in the lower part of FIG. 10 is obtained.

  In the channel sequence 290, the CS 110 320 assigned to the shortcut 286 shown in the upper row is selected and displayed as a large channel display 300. Then, the channels assigned to the shortcuts 284 and 282 and the channel display 280 shown in FIG. 10 are reassigned to the new shortcuts 306, 304, and 302, respectively. That is, the media of the channel assigned to the shortcut may change.

  FIG. 11 shows the channel sequence and display change when the ring unit 80 is rotated counterclockwise from the state of the channel sequence 290 shown in the lower part of FIG. The upper part of FIG. 11 shows the channel sequence 290, and the lower part shows the channel sequence 310 when the ring unit 80 is rotated counterclockwise.

  Referring to the lower part of FIG. 11, it is assumed that the channel sequence 290 rotates clockwise as a result of rotating the ring unit 80 counterclockwise, and as a result, CS110 298 is selected as a new channel. In this state, the CS 110 298 is displayed as a large current channel display 312. Assuming that the rotation amount of the ring unit 80 is not so large, the assignment of the shortcuts 302, 304, and 306 does not change.

  FIG. 12 shows a display change when the cross key 82 is tilted leftward in the state of the channel sequence 310 shown in the lower part of FIG. Referring to the lower part of FIG. 12, in this case, the channel sequence 320 is equivalent to being rotated by 180 °. As a result, the shortcut 304 is newly selected and enlarged as the current channel display 330, the shortcuts 302 and 306 are reassigned to the new shortcut 336 and 332, and the current channel display 312 is reassigned to the shortcut 334, respectively.

  In this way, when there are a large number of items to be selected, the shortcut function can be used to quickly move to a far away channel. By rotating the ring portion 80 from that position, there is an effect that it is possible to easily select another channel in the vicinity thereof.

  FIG. 13 shows a recording reservation screen 350 displayed when the determination operation is performed on the screen shown in FIG. 3, for example. Referring to FIG. 13, the recording reservation screen 350 is divided into roughly four areas 352, 354, 356 and 382.

  An area 352 is an area for explicitly performing display related to the currently executed process. An area 354 is an area for displaying options for possible reservation methods on the recording reservation screen 350 and allowing the user to select one. In the present embodiment, an option 360 for reservation from the program guide, an option 362 for reservation by G code, and an option 364 for making a reservation by specifying the program date and time are displayed in area 354. . In the state shown in FIG. 13, the reservation based on the program guide is selected, and as a result, the option 362 is displayed with higher brightness than the other options.

  Area 356 includes an area 357 for displaying a process to be performed next to the currently performed process, and an area for displaying a remote control image 358 for an operation guide. In the area 352 and the area 357, processing steps to be performed on the recording reservation screen 350 are displayed together with an outline thereof. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the processing step “select reservation method” currently being executed is displayed as “STEP 1” in the area 352, and “select a program to be recorded” and “reservation” that need to be executed after this step. Two steps of “Confirm” are displayed in the region 357 as “STEP2” and “STEP3”, respectively.

  In this way, the processing necessary to execute a certain function is divided into steps, and all the steps are displayed on the screen, so that the user can see the entire operation flow, and the operation is incorrect. The effect that there is little possibility of getting lost in operation is acquired.

  In addition, a remote control image 358 is displayed, and the remote control image 358 shows keys that can be operated and the operation method thereof. Therefore, the user can easily operate the remote control transmitter.

  In the region 382, a screen generated according to the selected process and the process step is displayed.

  In the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. 13, for example, when an option 360 is selected, the screen changes to a recording reservation screen from the program guide at that time. There is no separate button or the like for notifying the system of the end of selection. In this way, on a screen for selecting one of a plurality of options, it is considered that the selection operation has been completed when a certain option is selected, and a transition is made to the next screen. Therefore, the following effects can be obtained.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a selection screen 370 displaying a plurality of options 372 in the conventional system. In addition to the plurality of options 372, the selection screen 370 is provided with a selection end button 374 for notifying the system that selection has been completed. The selection end button 374 has an effect of explicitly notifying the system of the end of the selection, but conversely, if the selection end button 374 is not operated, the selection is not completed and it is not possible to proceed to the next step. There is a problem. If the user does not understand or forgets to operate the selection end button 374, the process is interrupted here.

  On the other hand, in the recording reservation screen 350 in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 13, when one of a plurality of options is selected, it is automatically determined that the selection is completed. Therefore, the process is not interrupted and the entire process can be smoothly proceeded.

  FIG. 15 shows a screen generated by the DVD recorder according to the present embodiment and displayed on the television when the recording reservation option 360 from the program guide is selected on the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 15, a recording reservation screen 380 from this program guide is divided into four areas 352, 354, 356 and 382, like recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. The areas 352, 354, and 356 are the same as the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. 13 except that an explanation 386 of the process on the recording reservation screen 380 from the program guide is displayed in the area 354.

  On the other hand, a program guide 384 is displayed in the area 382 of the recording reservation screen 380 from the program guide. Here, the program table 384 is in the form of a table with the broadcast station (channel) on the vertical axis and the broadcast time on the horizontal axis. In this table, the program to be reserved for recording can be designated by moving the focus to the frame of the desired program of the desired channel using the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 and performing a determination operation. At this time, a program is selected by using the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82. As a designation method for this, a method that has not been used in the present embodiment is adopted. Details of the method will be described later.

  FIG. 16 shows a program designation screen 390 using G codes that is displayed when option 362 is selected on the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 16, program designation screen 390 using G code is also divided into areas 352, 354, 356 and 382, similarly to recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. These displays are the same as the recording reservation screen 350 in FIG. 13 except that the option 362 is displayed with high luminance instead of the option 360 in the area 354.

  In a region 382 of the program designation screen 390 by G code, a GUI component group 392 for program designation by G code is displayed. The GUI component group 392 includes a numeric keypad, a confirmation key, and a G code display area in which the input G code is displayed. When the G code is input using the numeric keypad, the input value is displayed, and the reservation of the program specified by the G code is confirmed by pressing the confirmation key.

  FIG. 17 shows a program selection screen 400 displayed when an option 360 for reservation by the program guide is selected on the recording reservation screen 380 from the program guide shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 17, program selection screen 400 is divided into areas 402, 404, 406 and 408, similar to recording reservation screen 380 from the program guide.

  Similar to the area 352 in FIG. 15, the area 402 is an area for explicitly performing display related to the currently executed process. Here, since the processing is performed in “STEP 2” shown in FIG. 15, a character string “STEP 2: Select a program to be recorded” is displayed in the area 402.

  An area 404 includes a screen title “terrestrial digital program guide” indicating that the program is selected based on the program guide, and detailed information on the focused program among the programs displayed in the area 408. Is displayed.

  In the area 406, a remote control image is displayed. The remote control image shows keys that can be used on the program selection screen 400 and the operation method thereof. At the bottom of the area 406, information on “STEP 3” as the next process is displayed.

  In the area 408, a program guide is displayed. As described above, this program table has a table format in which the vertical axis represents a broadcasting station (channel) and the horizontal axis represents time. However, since the area 408 is smaller than the entire size of the program guide, it is necessary to scroll the display within the area 408.

  Of the programs displayed in the area 408, the frame of the program selected by the user is focused, and this is indicated by the focus frame 410 displayed with high brightness around the frame. The focus frame 410 is displayed in the upper left frame of the area 408 when the display transitions to the program selection screen 400, and moves one by one in the designated direction according to the tilting operation with the cross key 82. When the focus frame 410 comes to the end of the area 408, if there is a frame to be displayed before the end, the screen is scrolled to display the screen. Further, when there is no frame to be displayed, the focus frame 410 stops at that position and does not move.

  FIG. 18 shows a program selection screen 400 when the user tilts the cross key 82 to the right from the state shown in FIG. Compared with the state of FIG. 17, the focus frame 410 is deleted, and the focus frame 412 is displayed in the area on the right side of the focus frame 410. Thus, by deleting one focus frame and newly displaying an adjacent focus frame, the focus frame appears to move on the area 408.

  FIG. 19 shows a program selection screen 400 when the user tilts the cross key 82 downward from the state shown in FIG. Compared with the state of FIG. 17, the focus frame 410 is erased, and the focus frame 414 is displayed in the area below it. That is, the focus frame moves down by one in accordance with the operation of the cross key 82.

  In this way, when the focus frame is moved and the determination operation is performed when the frame of the desired program has the focus frame, the program is selected as a reservation target.

  On the program selection screen 400, operations using the ring unit 80 can be performed in addition to the cross key 82. In the present embodiment, after the focus is moved to one of up, down, left and right using the cross key 82, if the ring portion 80 is rotated at an angular velocity smaller than a predetermined angular velocity, the cross key 82 used immediately before is rotated. The display page is moved vertically or horizontally depending on the direction of tilt. For example, if the focus frame is moved to the right by using the cross key 82 and then the ring unit 80 is rotated clockwise, the next page is displayed in the area 408 along the time axis direction. When turned counterclockwise, the previous page is displayed. On the other hand, after the focus frame is moved downward using the cross key 82 and then the ring unit 80 is turned clockwise, the next page is displayed along the vertical axis. When turned counterclockwise, the previous page is displayed along the vertical axis.

  On the other hand, if the ring unit 80 is rotated at an angular velocity equal to or higher than a predetermined angular velocity after the focus is moved up, down, left, or right using the cross key 82, the direction of the tilt of the cross key 82 used immediately before depends on Then, a list menu of dates of movable program guides is displayed. When a desired date is designated from the displayed date list, a screen shown in FIG. 17 for the designated date is displayed.

  In this way, by causing the cross key 82 and the ring unit 80 to cooperate, even when a large number of selection targets are two-dimensionally arranged or there are a plurality of pages including them, a desired item can be quickly displayed. Can be moved to. At this time, only the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 are used, and the focus can be easily and quickly moved to a desired item without releasing the hand from the remote control transmitter.

  Note that there are other methods for selecting any of the two-dimensionally arranged options using the cross key 82 and the ring unit 80. They are collectively described at the end of the description of the embodiment as a modified example.

  FIG. 20 shows a reservation confirmation screen 420 corresponding to STEP 3 for recording reservation, which is displayed when a reservation target program is selected on the screens shown in FIGS. Referring to FIG. 20, this reservation confirmation screen 420 is roughly divided into eight regions 422, 423, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432 and 434.

  In the area 422, the processing contents of STEP1 already executed are displayed. In the area 423, the content of the process selected in STEP 1 (recording reservation by the program guide) is displayed.

  In the area 424, the processing contents of STEP2 already executed are displayed. The area 426 displays details of the program selected in STEP2.

  In the area 428, the contents of the process performed in STEP 3 (“Confirm reservation”) are displayed. In the area 430, three options (“Reserve recording”, “Change / detail setting”, and “No reservation”) that can be selected in STEP 3 are displayed.

  In the area 432, a remote control image 436 is displayed. The remote control image 436 shows keys that can be used in the processing of STEP 3 and operation methods for the keys. In an area 434 adjacent to the area 432, the time that can be recorded on the hard disk of the DVD recorder is displayed together with a graph showing the ratio of the free capacity to the total capacity of the hard disk. Note that the operation guidance in STEP 3 is displayed at the bottom of the area 430.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19, the operation of selecting one of a plurality of options arranged two-dimensionally using the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 is performed only by reserved recording. It can also be used when a playback target is designated from reserved programs. In the DVD recorder according to the present embodiment, a recorded program to be reproduced is selected by the following display and operation during reproduction.

  FIG. 21 shows a recorded program processing screen 440 displayed when the item “recorded program” is selected in the menu of FIG. 3 in the DVD recorder according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 21, the recorded program processing screen 440 is roughly divided into four areas 442, 444, 446 and 448.

  In the area 442, a title “recorded program” indicating a process to be performed and a character string “select function” as STEP 1 are displayed. Also on the recorded program processing screen 440, the processing for reproduction is roughly divided into three steps. That is, there are three steps: selecting a function, selecting a program, and selecting and executing a setting. In the area 442, the processing content of the first step among these is displayed.

  In the area 444, five options 460, 462, 464, 466, and 468 that can be selected on the recorded program processing screen 440 are displayed. That is, playback 460, group 462, deletion 464, editing 466, and dubbing 468. Since the details of these processing contents are not directly related to the present invention, they will not be described in detail here.

  As shown in FIG. 21, also in the recorded program processing screen 440, one of the five options displayed in the area 444 is focused, and the boundary of the focused option is the other Displayed at a higher brightness and larger than the boundaries of the options. In the region 444, an explanatory text related to the focused option is displayed in a balloon format.

  In the region 446, descriptions of two steps to be executed later among the steps performed here and the remote control image 450 are displayed. In addition to this, the area 446 displays a description of which keys of the remote control transmitter can be operated and how to operate them. As a result of this display, the user is less likely to get lost in the operation of the remote control on this screen.

  Area 448 displays a reduced version of the screen that will be displayed next when a decision process is performed on the focused option among the five options displayed in area 444. The Thus, by displaying a reduced version of the screen, it becomes easier for the user to make a prediction as to what process will be executed when each option is selected, and the possibility of an operation error can be reduced.

  FIG. 22 is a program selection screen 480 for selecting a program to be reproduced, which is displayed when the determination operation is executed in the state where the option 460 is focused on the recorded program processing screen 440 shown in FIG. The program selection screen 480 is roughly divided into six areas 482, 484, 486, 488, 490 and 492.

  In the area 482, the title “recorded program” and the explanation regarding STEP1 already executed in this process are displayed.

  In a region 484, a character string indicating the process selected in STEP 1 (“play” in the example shown in FIG. 22) is displayed. Other options are small and displayed with low brightness.

  In a region 486, a character string (“select program”) indicating processing to be performed in STEP 2 is displayed.

  In the area 488, as will be described later, details regarding the focused program among the recorded programs displayed in the area 492 are displayed.

  In area 490, remote control image 494 and an explanatory text relating to STEP3, which is a process executed after STEP2, are displayed. The explanation regarding STEP3 is smaller than the explanation regarding STEP2, and is displayed with low luminance. In the area 490, an explanatory text is displayed as to which of the keys of the remote control transmitter 70 can be used here and how to operate each key.

  In the area 492, information according to the place designated in STEP1 is displayed. FIG. 22 shows a display example when the option 460 is selected in the example shown in FIG. In this embodiment, thumbnails of program images recorded on a hard disk (or a recording medium selected by setting) of a DVD recorder are two-dimensionally arranged in an area 492 as shown in FIG.

  Here, the images are arranged according to the recording date. The right end of this array is defined by the width of the region 492, and thumbnails are repeatedly displayed in the vertical direction as many times as necessary.

  In such an arrangement, as described above with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19, it is possible to select an arbitrary program using only the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82. However, here, when the focus is moved to the right by the ring unit 80 in the right direction, the focus is moved to the left end of the lower row immediately after reaching the right end, and vice versa for the movement to the left. To do. The operation for moving the focus downward is the same as that described with reference to FIGS.

  By moving the focus to the thumbnail position of the desired program and performing the determination process, the program moves to the reproduction process.

  FIG. 23 shows a reproduction menu screen 500 displayed in the program reproduction process. The reproduction menu screen 500 basically includes a ring-type menu 504 having the same format as the top menu screen 120 shown in FIG. The choices are displayed three-dimensionally as if they were pasted in a circle on the surface of the sphere. The focused item (pause key 510) is larger than the other items (for example, the 30-second skip key 514) and is displayed with high brightness. The playback menu screen 500 is displayed at the start of playback or when any key of the remote control transmitter 70 is operated, and is erased if no operation is performed for a certain period of time.

  Information related to playback processing is displayed on the upper left of the playback menu screen 500. In the lower left, a remote control image 506 is displayed together with explanations about available keys. In the lower center part, an explanatory note 508 concerning what processing is performed using which key of the remote control transmitter is displayed.

  In the reproduction menu screen 500 shown in FIG. 23, a desired function is selected as follows using the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 of the remote control transmitter 70.

  FIG. 24A shows a state of the menu 504 at a certain time for explanation. The menu 504 includes a pause key 510, a fast forward key 512, a 30 second skip key 514, a next chapter key 516, a stop key 518, a previous chapter key 520, a 10 second backward key 522, and a fast reverse key 524. Now, assume that the DVD recorder is playing and the focus is on the pause key 510.

  Here, when the cross key 82 is tilted downward, the focus moves to the fast-forward key 512 as shown in FIG. This is because it is natural to select the fast-forward key 512 as the focus moving direction when the down key is pressed. However, in the present embodiment, when the cross key 82 is operated as described above, when the cross key 82 is operated within a predetermined time immediately before that, when the down key is pressed depending on the operation direction at that time. The focus moving direction changes. This is because when the down key is operated continuously, it is natural to move the focus in the same direction as the previous focus movement direction, regardless of the focus position. However, if there is no operation on the cross key 82 for a certain time, the focus moves to the fast forward key 512 when the focus is at the top as shown in FIGS. .

  The same consideration is preferably performed even when the focus is on the lowest stop key 518, and such processing is also performed in this embodiment. In fact, the same considerations are necessary for all keys. For example, when the down key is continuously pressed, the focus may be controlled to move continuously, for example, clockwise regardless of the focus position. However, as a result, there are places where the focus moves from bottom to top. For example, in the arrangement shown in FIG. 24, when the processing is in the range from the previous chapter key 520 to the fast rewind key 524, the focus moves “from bottom to top” when performing the above processing. That is, the operated key (downward key) and the moving direction of the focus are opposite to each other. In such a case, if the key is operated continuously, the focus is moved in the same direction as before, and if the down key is pressed when there is no operation for a relatively long time, the focus is moved downward. It is natural to make it happen.

  In the present embodiment, the focus can be moved using the ring unit 80. In this case, for example, it is intuitively easy to understand that when the ring unit 80 is rotated clockwise, the focus is also rotated clockwise, and when the ring unit 80 is rotated counterclockwise, the focus is also rotated counterclockwise. This situation is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 24C, assume that ring portion 80 is rotated clockwise when pause key 510 is in focus as shown in FIG. In this case, intuitively, the focus is moved from the pause key 510 to the fast-forward key 512 adjacent in the clockwise direction.

  That is, the focus movement on the playback menu screen 500 can be performed using either the cross key 82 or the ring unit 80. However, as a program for processing the input, when the cross key 82 is used, a certain time is required. It is necessary to always check whether or not the cross key 82 has been operated before and in what direction, and change the focus movement direction according to the result.

  In the present embodiment, when the fast forward key 512 is operated while the reproduction menu screen 500 is displayed, the following operations and displays are performed. FIG. 25 shows the display at that time.

  Referring to FIG. 25, when fast forward key 512 is operated, fast forward screen 540 is displayed and the program display is fast forwarded. At this time, the normal playback function is assigned to the fast forward key 512 instead of the fast forward key, and the normal playback key 550 is displayed at the position of the fast forward key 512. If the ring unit 80 is further operated in the forward direction (counterclockwise) while the fast-forward playback screen 540 is displayed, the screen changes to a screen 542 in which the fast-forward speed is further increased. When the ring unit 80 is rotated in the reverse direction (clockwise) on the screen 542, the screen 540 is displayed and normal fast-forwarding is performed. In both screens 540 and 542, a normal playback key 550 is displayed instead of the fast-forward key 512, and the normal playback key 550 is operated to return to the normal playback screen. On the normal playback screen, not the normal playback key 550 but the fast forward key 512 is displayed.

  In the playback menu screen 500, the amount, adjustment, speed, etc. of the object controlled by the selected item can be adjusted with the rotation keys. As described above, when fast-forward is selected, the speed level of fast-forward can be adjusted by the rotary key. When frame advance is selected, continuous frame advance is performed using the rotary key. If the 30-second feed is selected, the 30-second feed is performed again when the rotary key is operated after the 30-second feed. Although not shown here, when a function of cueing a recorded program is provided, the next cueing is performed again when the ring unit 80 is further operated after cueing.

  It should be noted that the currently selected function can be easily understood by displaying the explanatory image or the explanatory text of the focused function. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 25, since the fast-forward key 512 is selected, it is easy to understand if an explanatory note “fast-forward” is displayed.

〔Constitution〕
The structure of the remote control transmitter 70 and the DVD recorder (hereinafter referred to simply as “receiver”) whose appearance and behavior have been described above will be described below.

<Remote control transmitter 70>
FIG. 26 shows a block diagram of the remote control transmitter 70. Referring to FIG. 26, remote control transmitter 70 includes a plurality of keys 560 corresponding to buttons or keys 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94 shown in FIG. 1, cross key 82, and ring unit 80. Based on the rotation operation body 72, a plurality of keys 560, and a signal generated by a user operation on the rotation operation body 72, a remote control signal (hereinafter referred to as "remote control signal") to be transmitted to the receiver is generated. It includes a control unit 564 and a transmission unit 96 (see FIG. 1) connected to the control unit 564 for transmitting a remote control signal to the receiver using infrared rays. In the present embodiment, the control unit 564 is realized by a simple computer including a CPU (central processing unit), a non-volatile memory, an input / output device, and the like that do not have high performance.

<Receiver 580>
FIG. 27 shows a functional configuration of the receiver 580 in a block diagram, and FIG. 28 shows a hardware configuration of the receiver 580 in a block diagram. The receiver 580 determines what program to execute according to the combination of the menu currently displayed on the screen, information on where the focus is, and the remote control signal received from the remote control transmitter 70. To do.

  Referring to FIG. 27, receiver 580 receives infrared remote control signal 590 from transmission unit 96 shown in FIG. 26 and converts it to an electrical signal, and electrical signal output from reception unit 592. A signal content determination unit 594 for determining the signal content of the remote control signal converted into (direction / amount / speed of the rotary key, which key of the cross key, determination key, etc.) and the screen of the receiver 580 Screen status storage unit 598 for storing the status (information about the menu being displayed, what is the displayed menu, what is the focused item, etc.) and the determination result by the signal content determination unit 594 And a screen status acquisition unit 596 for acquiring the screen status when the remote control signal is received from the screen status storage unit 598.

  The receiver 580 further includes a menu creation DB group 604 including a database (DB) group in which information necessary for creating an operation menu from the contents of the remote control signal and the screen status is stored in advance.

  The menu creation DB group 604 displays menu screen image information, what item is selected, which key is accepted, what control is performed for each key, and what screen transition is performed in each menu. Operation menu transition database (DB) 610 for storing information necessary for creating an operation menu from the remote control signal and the screen status, such as what to perform and what is the default selection item, and functions for each function It includes a function explanation information DB 612 that stores information on explanation text and explanation images, and a remote control explanation image DB 614 that stores remote control images for displaying easily operable keys on each menu screen.

  The information stored in the function description information DB 612 is used when displaying a description image or description of each function when selecting a function in each menu. The remote control explanation image DB stores information on a remote control image for easily displaying which keys can be operated on each menu screen.

  The receiver 580 further operates the operation menu transition DB 610 based on the information indicating the signal content of the remote control signal given from the screen status acquisition unit 596 and the current screen status acquired from the screen status storage unit 598, the function description. Referring to the information DB 612 and the remote control explanation image DB 614, the amount of movement and direction of the focus, the transition destination of the screen transition, the control content of each key, etc. are determined and operated according to the current screen situation and the content of the remote control signal. An operation menu creation unit 600 for creating a menu and display information for displaying the operation menu created by the operation menu creation unit 600 on a display screen are created and given to a display device (not shown) to display the operation menu. A display information creation unit 602.

  As shown in FIG. 28, the receiver 580 includes a bus 636, a CPU 630 connected to the bus 636, a ROM (read only memory) 632 connected to the bus 636, and a bus 636. A random access memory (RAM) 634 connected thereto, a large-capacity hard disk 638 connected to the bus 636, an optical disk drive 640 connected to the bus 636 to which an optical disk 642 such as a DVD is mounted, and a bus 636 A magnetic disk drive 646 to which a removable magnetic disk 644 and the like are connected, an external output I / F 650 for video and audio signals connected to the bus 636, and a remote control transmitter connected to the bus 636. In order to receive the infrared remote control signal from 70 and convert it into an electrical signal and give it to the CPU 630 A light receiving section 654, and a tuner 652. A display device 648 such as a television is connected to the external output I / F 650. Any of the computer programs that explain the control structure later is executed by the CPU 630 to realize the various functional blocks described above. These computer programs are all stored in the ROM 632 in this embodiment. Further, necessary information is prepared and stored in advance in the menu creation DB group 604 described above, and can be read immediately when necessary.

  FIG. 29 shows the configuration of the operation menu transition DB 610. Referring to FIG. 29, operation menu transition DB 610 has a record for each of a plurality of menu screens. Each record has a menu column 670 for storing information (menu name) for identifying a menu when expressed in a table format, and a rotation for storing information for specifying an operation when the ring unit 80 is operated. Column 672, a cross column 674 for storing information for specifying an operation when the cross key 82 is operated, and a determination key column 676 for storing information for specifying an operation when the determination key is operated. And a return key column 678 for storing information for specifying an operation when the “return” key is operated.

  The cross column 674 includes four columns (right, left, upper, and lower columns) for storing information for specifying an operation to be executed when these operations are performed according to the four directions of up, down, left, and right. Including.

  For example, the information about the start menu will be described as follows. In the start menu, four functions of (1) reservation, (2) recorded program, (3) setting, and (4) simple function selection are assigned to the rotation key. Therefore, when the ring unit 80 is rotated clockwise (reverse direction) in the start menu, the focus moves to these four functions in this order. When the ring unit 80 is rotated counterclockwise, the focus moves in the reverse order.

  No operation is assigned to the right key operation and the left key operation of the cross key 82.

  Four functions of (1) reservation, (2) recorded program, (3) setting, and (4) easy function selection are assigned to the upper key of the cross key 82. Therefore, when the up key is operated while the start menu is displayed, the focus moves in this order. This order is the same as that assigned to the rotary keys.

  The same function as the upper key is assigned to the lower key of the cross key 82. Therefore, in the state where the start menu is displayed, the same operation is realized regardless of whether the up key or the down key is pressed.

  An operation for moving to the selected item menu screen is assigned to the enter key. That is, when the determination operation is performed while the start menu is displayed, a menu screen corresponding to the item that is focused at that time is displayed. Information indicating which item is in focus is stored in the screen status storage unit 598 by the operation menu creation unit 600.

  In the reservation screen, the ring unit 80 is assigned three items (1) program guide, (2) G code, and (3) date and time designation (see FIG. 13). Accordingly, when the rotation key is rotated clockwise, the focus moves in this order. When rotated counterclockwise, the focus moves in the opposite direction.

  Similarly, in the right key and the left key, three items, (1) program guide, (2) G code, and (3) date / time designation, are assigned as in the ring unit 80. Nothing is assigned to the upper key, and an operation to move to the next STEP 2 is assigned to the lower key when it is decided to select the reservation method being selected. The same applies to the enter key. When the return key is operated, the start menu is restored.

  The STEP2 menu ("program guide") in the reservation specifies the operation in the program guide, and the page portion in the designated direction is specified in the ring unit 80, and each key of the cross key 82 is in the designated direction. Focus movements are assigned respectively. The decision key is assigned an operation for confirming the reservation in the selected program, and the return key is assigned an operation for returning to the reservation (STEP 1).

  In channel selection, focus movement in a designated direction is assigned to the ring unit 80. In the present embodiment, each cross key 82 is assigned an operation of moving to a corresponding shortcut.

  An operation for deleting the menu by operating the channel in the selected channel is assigned to the decision key, and an operation for displaying the top menu is assigned to the return key.

  Thus, by preparing the operation menu transition DB 610 shown in FIG. 29, the menu to be displayed next can be selected according to the currently displayed screen status and the content of the remote control signal.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the function description information DB 612. As illustrated in FIG. Referring to FIG. 30, the function explanation information DB 612 has a record for each function menu, and each record includes a function name 690, an explanation sentence 692, and an explanation image file name 694 corresponding to the explanation sentence.

  Function name 690 is the name of the function menu. When the menu indicated by this content is displayed, the description 692 of the record corresponding to the function is displayed on the screen as the description of the menu. Then, an explanation image indicated by the explanation image file name 694 is displayed. Thereby, for example, an explanation image related to the function of the focused item can be displayed like the explanation image 166 of FIG.

  FIG. 31 shows the configuration of the remote control explanation image DB 614 storing remote control images. In the present embodiment, the remote control image is an image for explaining the keys that can be used on the remote control transmitter 70 and the operation method displayed on the lower left of each menu (FIGS. 2 to 4, FIG. 13, (Refer to FIGS. 15-23 etc.). Referring to FIG. 31, remote control explanation image DB 614 has a record for each menu. Each record includes a menu name 700 and a file name 702 of the remote control image at the lower left of the menu screen.

  If the menu name to be displayed is known, a remote control image to be displayed on the menu screen can be acquired by searching the remote control explanation image DB 614 for a record corresponding to this menu.

<Program configuration of receiver 580>
The remote control transmitter 70 described above can be created by conventional techniques. In the following, the function of each functional block shown in FIG. 27 is realized by the execution of the CPU 630 in the receiver 580 described above, and the creation and display of the menu image described above and the execution of the process according to the operation A control structure of a computer program for performing the above will be described.

  FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing a main routine of a program executed by receiver 580. Referring to FIG. 32, this program waits until a remote control signal is input from remote control transmitter 70, and in response to the input of the remote control signal, the content of the remote control signal is changed to the signal content. Step 722 determined by the function of the determination unit 594, and the screen status when the remote control signal is received by the function of the screen status acquisition unit 596 in response to the content of the remote control signal determined in step 722, the screen status storage unit 598 (See FIG. 27).

  This program is further executed following step 724. The screen status acquired in step 724, the contents of the remote control signal determined in step 722, the operation menu transition DB 610, the function explanation information DB 612, and the remote control in FIG. Step 726 for executing the process determined by the screen status and the remote control signal using the stored contents of the explanation image DB 614, and creating the operation menu to be displayed next, the process executed at step 726 and the next operation menu The screen status information stored in the screen status storage unit 598 is updated to reflect the next screen status based on the information related to the screen status, and the display information is updated based on the operation menu created in step 726. Step 730 to be created and the operation menu created in Step 730 Give surface information to the display device 648 via an external output I / F650, and a step 732 to be displayed. The processing in FIG. 32 is finished, but if any input is received, execution of the processing starts again from step 722.

  The processing executed in steps 726 and 728 in FIG. 32 varies depending on the screen status and the content of the remote control signal as described above. Below, what kind of processing is executed according to the screen situation will be described using a plurality of flowcharts.

  The process described below includes a plurality of processes as follows.

(1) FIG.
In the operation menu in which items are arranged in a circle or arc, a process of performing the same focus movement by the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 is shown. When the ring unit 80 is operated, the focus is moved according to the rotation direction. When the cross key 82 is operated, the direction of focus movement is determined by whether or not the cross key 82 has been operated a predetermined time before the operation. To change.

(2) FIG.
In the operation menu in which a large number of items are arranged in a circle, the focus is moved according to the rotation direction when the ring unit 80 is operated, and when the cross key 82 is operated, the focus is set at the shortcut position according to the operation direction. Move.

(3) FIG.
In an operation menu composed of a plurality of pages in which a large number of items are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, when the ring unit 80 is operated, the page is moved according to the rotation direction, and when the cross key 82 is operated, the operation direction Move the focus within the page accordingly.

  The control structure of the program that implements the above processing will be described below with reference to FIGS. Although not particularly shown in FIGS. 33 to 35, when a new operation menu is determined and the focus position is determined, information for specifying the screen status is stored in the screen status storage unit 598. The processing executed in FIGS. 33 to 35 corresponds to the functions of the operation menu creation unit 600 and the display information creation unit 602 in FIG.

  FIG. 33 is a flowchart of a program for processing remote control input in an operation menu in which items are arranged in a circle or arc. Referring to FIG. 33, this program determines whether or not the content of the remote control signal represents the input of the enter key, and branches control according to the determination result, and the determination result in step 750 is NO. And step 752 for determining whether or not the content of the remote control signal represents an operation of the ring unit 80 and branching the control according to the determination result.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 752 is NO, and it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the previous remote control input to the current remote control input is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value. Step 754 for branching control according to the result, and the previous operation direction of the cross key 82, which is executed when the determination result in step 754 is YES and stored in advance in the screen status storage unit 598 (FIG. 27), Step 756 for moving the focus position on the operation menu by one frame in the matching direction, and step 758 executed after step 756, storing the operation time in the screen status storage unit 598, and ending this processing. including.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 754 is NO, and based on the current focus position on the operation menu, the moving direction of the focus position on the operation menu is the direction in which the cross key 82 is tilted. Step 760 for determining the moving direction of the focus to match, step 762 for moving the focus position on the operation menu by one frame according to the moving direction determined in step 760, and the cross key 82 are operated. Step 764 which stores the direction and the operation time in the screen status storage unit 598 (FIG. 27) and ends the process is included.

  The focus moving direction in step 760 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 24A, when the focus is on the top pause key 510 of the operation menu, for example, when the left / right key is pressed, the moving direction of the focus is determined as follows.

  (A) If a certain time has passed since the previous operation, the key may be moved according to the operation direction of the cross key 82. That is, when the cross key 82 is operated to the left, the focus is moved to the fast reverse key 524. When the cross key 82 is operated to the right, the focus is moved to the fast forward key 512. Further, in the present embodiment, when the up key is operated while the focus is on the pause key 510, the focus is moved counterclockwise. That is, the focus moves to the fast reverse key 524. When operated downward, the focus is moved clockwise. That is, the focus moves to the fast forward key 512.

  (B) When a predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous operation of the cross key 82, if the operation direction is the same as the previous operation direction, the focus is moved in the same direction as the previous operation; Move the focus in the opposite direction.

  The same applies when the focus is on the stop key 518. That is, the focus direction is determined as follows.

  (A) If a certain time has elapsed since the previous operation, the key is moved according to the operation direction of the cross key 82. That is, when the cross key 82 is operated to the left, the focus is moved to the previous chapter key 520. When the cross key 82 is operated to the right, the focus is moved to the next chapter key 516. If the up key is operated while the focus is on the stop key 518, the focus is moved counterclockwise. That is, the focus moves to the next chapter key 516. When operated downward, the focus is moved clockwise. That is, the focus moves to the stop key 518.

  (B) The determination of the moving direction of the focus when a predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous operation of the cross key 82 is the same as when the focus is on the pause key 510.

  Further, for example, when the focus is on the fast reverse key 524, the moving direction of the focus is determined as follows.

  (A) If a certain time has passed since the previous operation, the key may be moved according to the operation direction of the cross key 82. That is, when the cross key 82 is operated upward, the focus is moved to the pause key 510. When the cross key 82 is operated downward, the focus is moved to the return key 522 after 10 seconds. When the right key is operated while the focus is on the fast reverse key 524, the focus moves to the pause key 510. When operated downward, the focus moves to the return key 522 after 10 seconds.

  (B) When a predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous operation of the cross key 82, if the operation direction is the same as the previous operation direction, the focus is moved in the same direction as the previous operation; Move the focus in the opposite direction.

  When other items have focus, the focus movement direction can be determined in the same way as above.

  Referring to FIG. 33 again, this program is further executed when the determination result in step 752 is YES, and is acquired in step 768 for acquiring the rotation angle of ring unit 80 from the remote control signal, and in step 768. Based on the rotation angle of the ring unit 80, step 770 for calculating the number of moving frames of the focus in the operation menu, the number of moving frames calculated in step 770, and the operation direction of the ring unit 80, And step 772 for moving the focus position and ending the process.

  This program is further executed when it is determined in step 750 that the content of the remote control signal is a decision operation, and the item focused on the currently displayed operation menu is determined from the screen status storage unit 598. And step 766 for executing processing corresponding to the item. The processing in step 766 includes processing for creating and displaying a new menu and starting playback of a moving image.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 34, a flowchart of a program for realizing an operation menu in which shortcuts are set will be described. Referring to FIG. 34, this program determines whether or not the content of the remote control signal represents a determination operation, and branches the flow of control according to the determination result, and the determination result in step 780 is NO. And a step 782 for determining whether or not the content of the remote control signal is an operation of the cross key 82 and branching the control flow according to the determination result.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 782 is NO, and the shortcut destination designated by the operation of the cross key 82 is newly selected as an item to be focused. Further, based on this item, a new A step 784 of assigning a shortcut destination to the shortcut position of the operation menu, a step 786 of assigning a tilt operation of the next cross key 82 to the item executed after step 784 and determined as a new shortcut destination in step 784, Step 788 is executed after step 786 and the focus on the display is moved to the item selected as the item to be focused in step 784, and the new focus item determined in the processing of steps 784, 786 and 788, and Shortcut placement Based, and a step 790 of creating a menu for the ring portion 80.

  This program is further executed after step 790, and it is determined whether or not the shortcut destination determined in step 784 is different from the shortcut destination determined in the previous process, and control is performed according to the determination result. Step 792 for branching the flow and executed when the decision result in step 792 is YES, step 794 for creating the menu for the cross key 82, after step 794, and the decision result in step 792 is NO. Step 796 which is sometimes executed and causes the display device 648 to display the operation menu created by Steps 784 to 794 via the external output I / F 650 (see FIG. 28).

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 782 is YES, and it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the shortcut destination according to the focus movement amount by the operation of the ring unit 80, and according to the determination result. Step 798 for branching the flow of control, Step 800 that is executed when the determination result in Step 798 is YES, and that determines a new shortcut destination based on the item specified by the operation of the ring unit 80; Step 802 is executed after 800 and when the determination result in Step 798 is NO, and a new tilting operation is assigned to the shortcut determined in Step 800 or the like and the control is advanced to Step 788.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 780 is YES, and is executed after step 804 for executing processing corresponding to the focused item on the operation menu screen at this time, and after step 804. And 806 which deletes the displayed menu and terminates the process.

  FIG. 35 shows a selection in which a plurality of items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix and over a plurality of pages both vertically and horizontally like the reservation screens by the program guides shown in FIGS. It is a flowchart of the program for implement | achieving the selection menu screen which is a menu screen and was prepared with respect to each of several dates. Referring to FIG. 35, this program determines whether or not the received remote control signal represents determination processing, and branches the flow of control according to the determination result, and the determination result of step 820 is NO. Executed when the remote control signal represents the operation of the ring unit 80 and branches the control flow according to the determination result, and is executed when the determination result in step 822 is NO Steps 824 and 826 are included in which when there is an item in the direction instructed by the cross key 82, the focus is moved to the item, and when that is not the case, the focus is left as it is.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 822 is YES, it is determined whether or not the angular velocity of rotation in the operation of the ring unit 80 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, and the flow of control according to the determination result Is executed when the determination result in step 828 is NO, and when the page can be moved in the designated direction, the page is moved to the page and the focus position is determined as the head position of the page. 832 and when the determination result in step 828 is YES, a page menu including a list of pages that can be moved is displayed, and further, the user receives a designation of the destination page from the user, and the user in step 834 Moves to the page specified by, and sets the focus position to the specified position (upper left item) And a step 836 to end the constant and the process.

  The program further includes a step 840 that is executed when the determination result in step 820 is YES, starts execution of an operation corresponding to the focused item, and erases the displayed menu. A new screen such as the next operation menu is displayed by the processing started to be executed by the processing in step 838.

[Operation]
The operations of the remote control transmitter 70 and the receiver 580 described above are various. In the following, these operations will be described assuming a typical case.

  For example, the operation of the receiver 580 when the enter key is pressed in the state of the top menu shown in FIG. 2, that is, when it is decided to select the start menu, the block diagram of FIG. 27 and the flowcharts of FIG. Will be described with reference to FIG. When the input signal is received in step 720, in step 722, the signal content determination unit 594 determines the content of the received remote control signal. Here, it is determined that the remote control signal corresponds to pressing of the enter key.

  In step 724 of FIG. 32, the screen status acquisition unit 596 shown in FIG. 27 acquires information on the current display screen (state of FIG. 2) from the screen status storage unit 598. Since the screen shown in FIG. 2 is a display screen of “top menu”, the information “top menu” is acquired here, and further information indicating which item is in focus is obtained. That is, through the processing so far, the information that the “start menu” is focused on the “top menu” screen and the enter key is input can be obtained.

  In step 726, the operation menu creation unit 600 shown in FIG. 27 creates an operation menu to be displayed next from these pieces of information and information stored in the menu creation DB group 604. That is, the operation menu creation unit 600 refers to the operation menu transition DB 610 and acquires information on which menu screen is transitioned to when the enter key is input on the “top menu” menu screen. Here, it is assumed that the operation menu transition DB 610 stores the transition to the “selected item menu screen” when the enter key is operated on the menu screen of the top menu. The item being selected is the “start menu”. Therefore, the operation menu creation unit 600 acquires the menu screen information of “start menu” from the operation menu transition DB 610. Further, the operation menu creation unit 600 refers to the operation menu transition DB 610, determines a default selection item of the selection item of the start menu, and displays the focus on the item. Here, it is assumed that the default selection item is “reservation”.

  Next, the operation menu creation unit 600 refers to the function description information DB 612 to check whether or not the function description information DB 612 has the function name of the focused item. When the function name is in the function description information DB 612, the operation menu creation unit 600 acquires an explanation or explanation image from the function explanation information DB 612, and incorporates the explanation or explanation image into the operation menu information. The operation menu creation unit 600 further refers to the remote control explanation image DB 614 to acquire a remote control image of the start menu and incorporate it into the operation menu information. In step 728, the operation menu creation unit 600 updates the screen situation stored in the screen situation storage unit 598 based on the operation menu information created in this way, and further displays the operation menu information as the display information creation unit 602. To pass. In step 730, the display information creating unit 602 creates display information from the operation menu information and gives it to the display device to display the menu. As a result, the start menu screen shown in FIG. 3 is displayed.

  Furthermore, it is assumed that the user rotates the ring unit 80 of the remote control transmitter 70 clockwise in the state shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 32, in step 722, signal content determination section 594 determines that “the rotation key has been operated clockwise” based on the remote control signal.

  In step 724, the screen status acquisition unit 596 illustrated in FIG. 27 acquires information that the current display screen is “start menu” and the focused item is “reserved” from the screen status storage unit 598. Here, since the operated key is the ring unit 80, the rotation angle is also calculated or acquired from the contents stored in the screen status storage unit 598 and the remote control signal. In some cases, the rotational speed of the ring unit 80 is also calculated or acquired.

  In step 726, the operation menu creation unit 600 creates an operation menu to be displayed next from these information and the information stored in the menu creation DB group 604. That is, the operation menu creation unit 600 refers to the record corresponding to the “start menu” in the operation menu transition DB 610, and obtains information that one of the four items is selected by the rotation key in the “start menu”. Therefore, the operation menu creation unit 600 moves the focus in the forward direction from the current focus (reservation) in accordance with the rotation of the ring unit 80. The amount of focus movement is determined in advance by determining the rotation angle necessary to move one focus.

  Assume that it is determined that the focus destination is the “recorded program” shown in FIG. At this time, in step 726 of FIG. 32, the operation menu creation unit 600 creates menu screen information in which the focus is changed to “recorded program” while keeping the menu screen of “start menu”. Next, the operation menu creation unit 600 refers to the function explanation information DB 612 to check whether the function name “recorded program” exists in the function explanation information DB 612. If there is a record with a function name of “recorded program”, the operation menu creation unit 600 reads the description text or the explanation image information in the record of the function name and reads the file from the hard disk 638 (see FIG. 28). Read and incorporate it into the operation menu information. In the situation described here, the menu screen does not change, so that the remote control explanation image DB is used as it is immediately before. Therefore, the operation menu creation unit 600 does not refer to the remote control explanation image DB 614.

  The operation menu creation unit 600 updates the screen status information stored in the screen status storage unit 598 with the operation menu information thus created. Further, the operation menu creation unit 600 passes this operation menu information to the display information creation unit 602. The display information creation unit 602 creates a display screen according to the operation menu information, and passes it to the display unit for display. As a result, in the “start menu” shown in FIG. 3, a screen in which the focus is moved to “recorded program” is displayed.

  Receiver 580 operates as described above. Although the transition destination screen and the selected function are different based on the information indicating which key is operated in the state in which the operation menu is displayed, they are realized by the same principle as described above.

<Operational features>
As described above, the operational characteristics of remote control transmitter 70 in the present embodiment are as follows.

  Even if the selection items are arranged in a circle on the screen of the television and either the ring unit 80 or the cross key 82 is used, the items can be focused and determined by the same operation. By arranging the items in a circle, it is possible to intuitively understand how the focus is moved by the rotation operation and how the operation should be performed to focus the desired item. Since the cross key 82 can be operated in the same manner as the ring unit 80, an operation menu that is easy to use for both the person who wants to operate the ring unit 80 and the person who wants to operate the cross key 82 can be provided.

  Also, in this embodiment, when a menu with selection items arranged in a circle is operated with the cross key, the menu operation corresponding to each key operation is changed to the focus position and the elapsed time from the operation of the previous cross key. And depends on. For example, in the circular menu as shown in FIG. 24, it is assumed that an operation for rotating the menu clockwise is assigned to the “down” key. At this time, when the focus is changed from the position of the pause key 510 to the fast-forward key 512, it can be easily estimated that the operation can be performed by pressing the “down” key. However, when the focus is on the previous chapter key 520 and the focus is changed to the position of the return key 522 after 10 seconds, it cannot be easily estimated that the “down” key is pressed. This is because the menu positional relationship and the key pressing direction are reversed. In this case, in this embodiment, when the “down” key is continuously pressed from the front and the focus moves to the previous chapter key 520, the return key 10 seconds later when the “down” key is continuously pressed. Control is performed so that the focus is returned to the stop key 518 when the “down” key is pressed without any operation for a predetermined time. By performing such control, the user can select an operation in a natural manner according to the situation at that time, even if the user does not think much about the operation method of the cross key 82 and the ring unit 80.

  The remote control transmitter 70 can be operated with either the cross key 82 or the ring unit 80, so that it is easy to move the focus. The cross key can be used to move the focus to an adjacent menu, and the rotation key can be used to move the focus to a menu farther away. When the focus is moved using the ring unit 80, the rotation speed of the ring unit 80 may not match the moving speed of the focus position on the menu displayed on the screen. In such a case, there may be a case where it is difficult to focus on the target position of the user with the ring unit 80 alone. By using the cross key, the focus position can be finely adjusted.

  On the item selection screen (reservation screen based on program guide and recorded program selection screen, etc.) in which items are arranged two-dimensionally, the cross key 82 is used to move one frame up, down, left, and right, and the ring unit 80 uses the same two-dimensional array. Go to the page. Further, when the ring unit 80 is used, if the rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the screen moves to another item selection screen (for example, a reservation screen based on a program guide on another date). As a result, a desired item can be quickly selected from a large number of items with a simple operation. At this time, there is an effect that the number of operations of the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 can be reduced.

  In the remote control transmitter 70 used in the present embodiment, the rotation operation and the cross operation can be realized by one ring-shaped rotation operation body 72. Therefore, even when operating the remote control transmitter 70 while watching the television screen, it is not necessary to check each key on the remote control transmitter 70, and the number of line-of-sight movements can be reduced.

  When the page is moved by the rotation key, the number of pages to be moved or the focus moving speed is determined by the rotation angle. As a result, a desired item can be selected quickly.

  In the above embodiment, the same operation as the operation of the previous cross key 82 is assigned to the operation by the ring unit 80 on the item selection screen in which items are arranged two-dimensionally. For example, when moving the focus continuously in the horizontal direction, if the movement can be performed only with the cross key 82, the number of operations increases. Therefore, the farther the movement destination is from the current focus position, the more burden is placed on the operation. On the other hand, the rotation operation of the ring unit 80 is lighter than the pressing operation of the cross key 82. Therefore, by allowing the ring unit 80 to perform the same operation as that of the cross key 82, the burden on the user's operation is reduced. At this time, depending on the rotation angle of the rotation key, the number of moving frames or moving pages increases as the rotation angle increases. As a result, a plurality of frame movements or a plurality of page movements can be realized with a simple operation, and the user can easily select an item.

  In the above embodiment, the number of moving frames or the number of moving pages is further determined using the rotational angular velocity of the ring unit 80. The program is created such that the faster the rotational angular velocity, the greater the number of moving frames or moving pages. In this way, when the rotation angular velocity of the ring unit 80 is used, the user can move the focus at his / her favorite speed. As a result, for example, on the item selection screen arranged two-dimensionally, both the operation with the cross key 82 and the operation with the ring unit 80 are possible, the direction is indicated with the cross key, and the continuous movement is performed with the rotation key. An operation method that can be performed easily and at high speed can be realized. As a result, a desired item can be quickly selected with few operations.

  In the above embodiment, when the focus is moved by the rotation of the ring unit 80, the movement in the same direction as the focus moving direction by the operation of the immediately preceding key is assigned to the operation in the clockwise direction of the ring unit 80, and the reverse direction The movement is assigned to the operation of the ring unit 80 in the counterclockwise direction. As a result, when the ring unit 80 is rotated in the clockwise direction at high speed and a desired item has passed, the ring unit 80 may be rotated counterclockwise to return the focus. Such an operation is an operation that matches the operation method intuitively considered by the user, and therefore an easy-to-use operation menu can be realized.

  In the above embodiment, each time a rotation operation or tilting operation is performed, a desired item can be easily selected from a large number of items by determining a menu that can be selected by the rotation operation and tilting operation on the signal receiving device side. At this time, which key of the remote control transmitter 70 can be operated and what control is assigned to these keys are displayed as a remote control image and a guide message. Therefore, the operation method of the remote control transmitter 70 is easy to understand, and even a person who has no experience or experience with the remote control transmitter 70 can easily operate the remote control transmitter 70.

  In the above-described embodiment, each item is selected by rotating the ring unit 80, and a shortcut menu that can shortcut to any item is assigned to the tilting operation of the cross key 82. Shortcut destinations that can be selected by the cross key 82 are displayed in a ring shape together with items that can be selected by the ring unit 80. Therefore, even when there are many items to be selected, a desired item can be quickly accessed using the shortcut menu. Further, the shortcut destination determines whether or not a change is necessary every time the rotation operation by the ring unit 80 or the tilting operation on the cross key 82 is performed, and the shortcut destination is changed if necessary. Even when only the operation of the ring unit 80 is continuously used, the shortcut destination is changed as appropriate, so that the number of items that can be moved by the shortcut is almost constant, and by moving the items using the shortcut, the same level is always maintained. It produces stable results that jump over a number of items. The user can easily predict the result of using the shortcut, and can quickly select a desired item with few operations.

  In the above embodiment, all items are seamlessly arranged in the selection menu. These arbitrary items can be selected simply by rotating the rotation key. Therefore, even a user who does not know the shortcut operation by the tilting operation can select all displayed items using only the ring unit 80 and the enter key (the pressing operation of the cross key 82).

  In the above embodiment, all necessary procedures are displayed on one screen in the form of “STEP 1” when the operation menu is created. This makes it easy for the user to understand the overall flow in performing a desired process and to understand the procedure to be performed next. At this time, the step currently being executed and the step that has already been operated or should be executed later are displayed separately from each other. Therefore, there is an effect that it becomes easy for the user to know where the current state is in the procedure.

  In this embodiment, only one operation is performed in each step (one screen) displayed in this way. Therefore, it becomes easy for the user to understand the necessary operation in each step and where to pay attention on the screen.

  Further, during the process of a certain step, the process can be moved to the previous / next step by pressing the up / down key. Also, by pressing the left and right keys, items can be selected within one step (one screen). That is, the selection item in the step is selected with the left and right keys. When each step is displayed for the first time, the default setting item is focused. As a result, when the process can proceed with the default setting items, the user can proceed with the process by operating only the up and down keys.

  Furthermore, since an explanation image of the function being focused is displayed, the processing contents of each function to be selected can be easily understood.

[Modification of channel switching]
In the above embodiment, in the channel switching menu, for example, as shown in FIG. 36 (A), when “Ground D10” is focused and the other three shortcuts 862, 864, and 866 are set. Further, by operating the “down” direction key, the channel row arranged in a ring shape as shown in FIG. 36C rotates counterclockwise, and new shortcuts 880, 882, 884 and 886 are displayed. Then, the shortcut 880 to the new channel “BSD 151” corresponding to the shortcut 866 is focused. In this case, the display is changed so that the focused item is always located on the right side of the ring.

  However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 36B, the display position of the channels arranged in a ring shape does not change, and only the focus position may move to a position corresponding to the previous shortcut 866. That is, in this case, the focus moves to the item 872, and the item 860 that was previously focused becomes a new shortcut 870. The display positions of the previous shortcuts 862 and 864 and the shortcut destinations do not change.

  In this way, the channel menu may be displayed. However, when such a display is performed, the focus position can be moved up, down, left, and right on the screen, so it is necessary to provide a margin around the operation menu. Alternatively, the display position of the menu may be moved according to the focus position.

[Variations related to shortcuts]
In the above embodiment, a shortcut is assigned to the tilting operation, and in an operation menu including a number of items such as channel switching, it is possible to move to an item far from the currently selected item. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In order to select a desired item from among a large number of items, these items can be grouped in advance, and any of these groups can be assigned to the tilting operation. Then, a group is selected by the cross key 82, and a desired item is selected by using the ring unit 80 from a selection menu including items arranged in a ring shape or an arc shape created by the items included in the group. An implementation method is also possible.

  For example, when a broadcast genre is recorded in the electronic program guide, the channels may be classified into groups according to the genre. In this case, the grouping changes with time.

  FIG. 37 shows display transitions when broadcasts are grouped into genres of movies, music, sports, and all broadcasts and shortcuts are assigned to them. Referring to FIG. 37A, it is assumed that an item 900 representing normal broadcasting (including all BSD, terrestrial analog, terrestrial digital, CS 110, etc.) is currently focused. Music is assigned to the shortcut 902, a movie is assigned to the shortcut 904, and sports are assigned to the shortcut 906.

  FIG. 37B shows a display when the ring portion 80 is rotated in the forward direction (counterclockwise) in this state. Here, the display of the focus position changes to an item 910 indicating a new channel. Items corresponding to other shortcuts (shortcuts 902, 904, and 906) are not changed.

  FIG. 37C shows a display change example when the “down” key of the cross key 82 is pressed in the state shown in FIG. In this example, the focus is moved to “Sports” in the previous shortcut 906, and the program names of the programs belonging to the sports are displayed in an upward-opening arc shape on the focused item 922 and to the left and right thereof. The The shortcut 920 that was previously focused is a small display. When the ring unit 80 is rotated clockwise, for example, in this state, the items arranged around the item 922 rotate counterclockwise, and as shown in FIG. 37 (D), as shown in FIG. The focus position moves to the item “National Tennis” displayed on the left side of the item 922 and is displayed as the item 924.

  When grouping channels, broadcast types (BSD, terrestrial digital, CATV, CS110, etc.) may be used as a reference. In this case, the broadcast type can be quickly switched by operating the cross key 82 of the remote control transmitter 70. A display example at the time of channel selection in this case is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 38, in this channel selection screen 940, an up arrow 944 indicating a shortcut to CATV and a down arrow 946 indicating a shortcut to BSD are displayed above and below the currently focused item 942. The That is, when the cross key 82 of the remote control transmitter 70 is tilted up in the state shown in FIG. 38, the broadcast type is changed to CATV, and when it is lowered, the broadcast type is changed to BSD.

  For example, FIG. 39 shows a display change example when the cross key 82 is tilted downward in the state shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 39, when the cross key 82 is tilted downward in a state where “ground D10” of item 948 is focused, as shown on the right side of FIG. 151 "is displayed in place of the item 948, and a channel adjacent to the 151 channel of the BSD is displayed in an arc shape around it. An upward arrow 950 indicating a shortcut to the ground D group is displayed thereon. Under the item 954, for example, a downward arrow 952 indicating a shortcut to the group consisting of CSs 110 is displayed.

  In this way, the type of broadcast media can be easily switched. Note that the channel that is focused when the medium is switched may be the channel that was previously selected for the medium, or may be the channel at the center of the channel of the medium.

  FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for creating an operation menu when shortcuts are grouped as described above. This program can be used in place of the shortcut program shown in FIG. 34, for example.

  Referring to FIG. 40, this program determines whether or not the content of the remote control signal represents a determination operation, and branches the control flow according to the determination result, and the determination result in step 780 is NO. And a step 782 for determining whether or not the content of the remote control signal is an operation of the cross key 82 and branching the control flow according to the determination result.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 782 is NO, and in step 970, any item belonging to the group designated by the operation of the cross key 82 is newly determined as an item to be focused. The steps 972 and 972 are performed after assigning a new shortcut destination group to the shortcut position of the operation menu (the tilt position of the cross key 82) based on the designated group. In step 972, a new focus is applied. Step 974 for moving the focus on the display to the item selected as the item to be selected, Step 976 for creating a menu for operation of the ring unit 80 based on the new focus item, Step 976 is executed after Step 976. Shortcut determined in 976 It is determined whether or not the group designated as is different from the shortcut destination group determined in the previous process, and when it is different, steps 978 and 980 for re-creating the menu for the end key 92; Step 796 is executed after 980 and causes the display device 648 to display the operation menu created by Step 970 to Step 980 via the external output I / F 650 (see FIG. 28).

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 782 is YES, and it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the shortcut destination based on the amount of focus movement by the operation of the ring unit 80. Steps 982 and 984 for determining a new shortcut destination based on the item specified by the operation of the unit 80 and transferring control to Step 974, and when the determination result in Step 780 is YES, It includes step 804 for executing processing corresponding to the focused item on the operation menu screen, and step 806 executed after step 804 for erasing the displayed menu and terminating the processing.

  As the genre used as the grouping, a genre that suits the user's preference may be estimated from user information or user operation history information and used. If the ring unit 80 continues to rotate without selecting the shortcut assigned to the group, it is presumed that the shortcut destination is not a favorite genre, so the shortcut destination is changed and another genre is displayed. May be.

[Modification of function assignment to cross key 82]
The cross key 82 can be assigned not only shortcuts or groups as described above, but also other functions. FIG. 41 shows a display transition example in that case.

  Referring to FIG. 41, as shown in the center, the operation menu 1000 in this case is composed of items arranged in a ring shape in the center, and a selection menu 1002 in which any item can be selected by the ring unit 80, and a selection Displayed on the left side of the menu 1002 and displayed on the right side of the selection menu 1002 and the left arrow 1004 indicating that the cross key 82 is moved to the left by tilting the cross key 82 to the left, and the cross key 82 is tilted to the right. And a right arrow 1006 indicating that the screen changes to the sound setting processing screen 1012. Although up and down arrows are also displayed, no functions are assigned to them in this example.

  In this modification, when the end key 92 is tilted to the left or right, the corresponding items of the screen setting menu and the sound setting menu are both displayed in a circle. By selecting any of these items using the ring unit 80 and performing a determination operation, the desired setting can be made and the display can be returned to the operation menu 1000 again.

  In this way, menus that are not often used may be removed from the main circular menu and switched using the cross key. By doing this, it is possible to reduce the number of items displayed in the main menu and facilitate the selection of items. Further, the display of arrows 1004, 1006, etc. indicates the existence of another menu, and the contents thereof can be conveyed in an easy-to-understand manner.

[Modifications related to menu display]
In the embodiment described above, in the reproduction menu screen 500 shown in FIG. 23, each item has a different display size, shape, and luminance. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The playback menu may be changed in a predetermined manner depending on the playback situation. For example, the size, position, display color, display time, selection and arrangement of display functions, transparency of items to be displayed, etc. can be considered.

  Note that, as in the above-described embodiment, an operation method in which an operation menu is displayed on the screen and an item in the menu is selected by key operation to execute a function without using the direct key of the remote control transmitter. There are two issues to be aware of. One is that the operation menu to be displayed can interfere with the video. The other is that the operation menu must be displayed before the operation, and the operation menu must be displayed every time the operation is performed. In order to solve such a problem, the display method of the operation menu may be changed according to the operation content (playback, fast forward, etc.), viewing content, content playback position, user operation history, and the like.

  The following can be considered as examples of changing the display method. Here, the reproduction menu shown in FIG. 23 will be mainly described.

  (1) The display position of the playback menu is changed according to the content genre. The genre of content is acquired from content information such as an electronic program guide. In the case of sports such as baseball, since the position where the character information of the content such as the score of the game and the player name is displayed is predetermined, it is preferable to display the menu while avoiding such a position. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the character information from being hidden by the reproduction menu.

  (2) Change the menu display color according to the content. For example, in the case of a soccer program, the menu color may be green in accordance with the color of the pit lawn. As a result, it is possible to make the menu inconspicuous on the playback screen and not to disturb it.

  (3) The function in the display menu or its arrangement is changed depending on the content. For example, in the case of a movie, the possibility of performing operations such as fast-forwarding and cueing is low. Therefore, such a function is arranged at a position far from the default focus position. As a result, functions that are easier to use are arranged near the default focus position, and the number of focus movements can be reduced during function selection. In order to realize such processing, the display position of the display menu, display color, display function, and arrangement of the display function are set in advance for each genre, and the genre information of the playback content is acquired when the menu is displayed. Then, display according to the genre may be performed.

  When the playback menu is displayed, the display time of the playback menu can be changed depending on the function, the playback content, or the playback position after executing the target function. For example, the following can be considered.

  (1) The playback menu display time is changed depending on the executed function. For example, when playback is selected from the playback menu, the user may not perform any operation for a while. Therefore, in this case, the playback menu is deleted immediately after the function is selected. In addition, after fast-forward and fast-rewind, the menu is kept displayed because the user is highly likely to select an operation such as stop or playback within a relatively short time. In the case of 30-second advance or 10-second return, since the function is normally operated continuously, the menu is not immediately deleted even if the operation is performed. However, if there is no input after the operation, the playback menu is deleted after a certain time. If a pause is executed, the next operation is considered normal, so the menu remains displayed until the next operation.

  (2) The playback menu display time is changed depending on the playback position of the content. For example, after starting the playback of a recorded program, if the playback position is at the beginning of the program, there are often parts not related to the main part, such as CM (Commercial Message). In such a case, the user is likely to perform some operation. Therefore, in this case, the display of the reproduction menu is continued for a certain period after the reproduction is started. If there is no selection operation for a certain period, the menu is turned off. After an operation such as a 30-second feed, the receiver automatically returns to the playback state, but if the playback position at that time is near the end of the CM (near the boundary between the CM and the main part) There is a high possibility that the operation will not be performed. Therefore, in this case, the menu is immediately turned off after returning to the playback state automatically. Judgment of whether it is CM can be performed by a well-known technique.

  (3) The display time is changed depending on the combination of the content to be played back and the executed function. For example, in the case of content having a plurality of chapters, after the cueing operation, the user is likely to continue cueing or perform some operation. Therefore, in this case, the reproduction menu is displayed for a certain period. If there is no selection operation during this time, the playback menu is cleared.

  As described above, by adjusting the display time of the playback menu after the user selects an item or performs some function, the operation menu is displayed overlaid on the video. This prevents the user from viewing the content. When it is predicted that the user will operate continuously, the operation menu is kept displayed for a certain period of time, thereby eliminating the operation for displaying the operation menu.

  In order to realize such processing, for each function, a display time after selection of a function or a display time after execution of a function is set in advance, and each function is selected or executed In addition, the display time may be adjusted based on this setting. When setting the display time, a combination of conditions such as the content playback position and content genre, and the playback menu display time under the conditions is set.

  Further, the display timing of the menu may be adjusted depending on the reproduction history of the user's content or the habit of the user's operation. A history relating to which content has been played and how many times, how to operate which position of the content, and the like may be stored, and the display time of the menu may be optimized based on such information.

  For example, there is a user who fast-forwards the opening song when watching a drama. In the case of a series drama, the program progress is often constant. In this case, the drama title and the fast-forward position (playback position) are stored, and when a drama with the same title is played back, the playback menu at an appropriate playback position such as immediately before the point where frequent fast-forward operations are performed is performed. Is automatically displayed. When the playback menu is displayed in this way, the user can immediately perform a fast-forward operation without performing a menu display operation.

  Similarly, in the case of a user who operates for 30 seconds during a CM, the menu is automatically displayed near the CM, and in the case of a user who frequently operates, a display menu is displayed. Or leave it alone.

  In this way, during the playback of content, a history relating to what operation the user performed at what playback position is stored, and the playback position where the operation is performed is estimated from the history, and the playback menu is displayed. Can be adjusted. As a result, when the user tries to perform some operation during the reproduction of the content, the operation of calling the menu can be omitted.

  In order to execute such processing, each time a user operation is performed for each genre or title of content, a combination of the playback position at that time and the operation at that time is stored. Then, it is determined whether or not the reproducibility of the stored operation is high. If it is high, the menu is automatically displayed near the stored reproduction position.

  A control structure of a program for adjusting the display time of the playback menu as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing the control structure of the program for controlling the display of the playback menu after function selection or execution as described above, and FIG. 43 is a part of the program shown in FIG. The control structure of the routine which changes the display method of a reproduction menu with the genre information of is shown. Note that the program shown in FIG. 43 can be used alone to display a playback menu in a display method that differs depending on the genre information of the content.

  Referring to FIG. 42, this program determines whether or not there is a menu being displayed, and executes step 1030 for branching the control flow according to the determination result, and when the determination result in step 1030 is NO. Step 1032 for determining whether or not there is a reproduction menu display request and branching the flow of control according to the determination result. Whether or not there is a menu display request is the screen that is assumed to be operated by a playback menu such as content playback after the screen status is acquired when some remote control signal is received, and the playback menu is not displayed Judgment by whether or not. When this condition is met, it is determined that there is a menu display request, and otherwise, it is determined that there is no menu display request.

  By making such a determination, for example, when the user operates the ring unit 80 during content playback, the playback menu is automatically displayed, and when another menu is displayed, the user moves the ring unit 80. A process of not displaying the playback menu even when operated can be realized.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 1032 is NO, and is executed subsequent to step 1034 and step 1034 for acquiring the reproduction position and content information of the currently reproduced content, and stored in advance. Based on the user's operation history, the content information, and the playback position of the content, it is determined in step 1036 whether or not it is time to display the playback menu, and in step 1036 it is determined that it is time to display the playback menu. In response to this, the method includes a step 1038 for terminating the processing after displaying the reproduction menu. If it is determined in step 1036 that it is not time to display the playback menu, the process ends without doing anything.

  Details of the menu display process executed in step 1038 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The program further includes a step 1040 for displaying a reproduction menu, which is executed when the determination result in step 1032 is YES. The processing content at step 1040 is the same as the processing content at step 1038. Therefore, the details will be described later with reference to FIG.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 1030 is YES, determines whether or not any remote control signal is input from the remote control transmitter 70, and branches the control flow according to the determination result; This is executed when the determination result in step 1042 is NO, calculates the elapsed time from the start of display of the playback menu to the present (this is called “display time”), and continues to display the playback menu. Step 1044 for acquiring a preset time as time (referred to as “set display time”), and whether or not the set display time acquired in step 1044 is equal to or greater than the display time calculated in step 1044. Step 1046 for determining and branching the flow of control according to the determination result, and Step 10 The determination result in 6 is executed when it is YES, after clearing the reproduction menu displayed, and a step 1048 to end the process. If the decision result in the step 1046 is NO, this process is ended without doing anything.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 1042 is YES, and it is determined whether or not the remote control signal indicates a determination operation, and the control flow is branched depending on the determination result, step 1050 and step 1050. And step 1052 which is executed when the determination result in is NO, and moves the focus position in the displayed reproduction menu according to the operation indicated by the remote control signal, and then ends the process.

  This program is further executed when the determination result in step 1050 is YES, and is executed in steps 1054 and 1054 for executing the function corresponding to the item focused at this time in the playback menu. Step 1056 for obtaining information related to the function that has been played back, information on the content being played back, and information indicating the playback position of the content, a set of the content being played back, the playback position of the content, and the executed function Step 1058 for determining whether or not the display time of the playback menu for the setting is preset, and the time set in advance for the playback menu setting display time, which is executed when the determination result in Step 1058 is YES In step 1060 and step 1058 This is executed when the determination result is NO, and is executed subsequent to Step 1062 and Steps 1060 and 1062 in which the default display time is substituted for the setting display time of the playback menu, and when a remote control signal is input. Information for identifying the content that was being reproduced, its reproduction position, and information for identifying the function executed in step 1054 are stored in the hard disk 638 shown in FIG. 28 as an operation history by the user, and the process is terminated. 1064.

  FIG. 43 is a flowchart showing the control structure of the program for displaying the playback menu executed in steps 1038 and 1040 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 43, in this program, step 1082 for acquiring genre information from content information relating to the content being played back, and whether or not a playback menu display method for the genre information acquired in step 1082 is preset. Step 1084 for determining whether or not, and when the determination result in Step 1084 is YES, Step 1086 for displaying the reproduction menu by the set display method and ending the processing, and the determination result in Step 1084 being NO And a step 1088 for displaying a playback menu according to a default display method.

  The program having the control structure shown in FIGS. 42 and 43 is executed by, for example, a DVD recorder, and has already been described based on the content genre, the content reproduction position, the user operation history, and preset information. As described above, it is possible to reduce the time for the user to call the operation menu one by one, and it is possible to display the reproduction menu for a necessary time without disturbing the viewing of the content to be reproduced.

[Modified example of selecting two-dimensionally arranged items]
In the above embodiment, in a menu in which items are arranged two-dimensionally, such as scheduled recording by a program guide, as described with reference to FIGS. When the ring unit 80 is operated, a page by date is displayed when the rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value, and when the rotation speed is lower than the threshold value, the next page in the direction indicated by the cross key 82 is displayed. Displaying. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, when the ring unit 80 is operated after moving one frame at a time using the cross key 82, the focus movement direction and the number of movements are calculated from the direction and rotation direction indicated by the cross key 82, and the calculated value is calculated. A new focus position may be determined according to

  FIG. 44 is a flowchart of a program for realizing such processing. Referring to FIG. 44, this program is executed after steps 820, 822, 824, 826, 838 and 840 similar to those shown in FIG. The direction is executed when the indication direction information previously stored in the RAM 634 in the previous process is updated and the process is terminated, and when the determination result in the step 822 is YES, and is stored in the RAM 634. Step 1102 for reading the previous instruction direction information, and Step 1104 for acquiring the rotation angle in the operation of the ring unit 80 from the remote control signal.

  This program is further obtained from step 1106 for calculating the number of frames to be moved based on the rotation angle acquired in step 1104 and the ratio between the rotation angle designated in advance and the focus movement amount, and the remote control signal. Based on the information indicating the rotation direction of the ring unit 80 and the previous indication direction information acquired in step 1102, step 1108 for determining the moving direction of the focus, the moving direction determined in step 1108, and step 1106 Based on the number of moving frames calculated in step 1 and the information on the item displayed in two dimensions, it is determined whether or not an item is present at a position to be newly moved, and the flow of control according to the determination result Is executed when step 1110 for branching and the determination result in step 1110 is YES. Step 1112 for moving the focus to that position and ending the process; Step 1114 executed when the determination result in Step 1110 is NO, and moving the focus to the position closest to that position; including.

  By executing such a program in response to the operation of the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 on the menu screen for selecting one item from among the two-dimensionally arranged many items, the cross key 82 is It is possible to realize an operation menu that can move one frame at a time and use the ring unit 80 to move a plurality of frames at a time.

[Modification of display of explanation image]
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, for the item being focused on the start menu, the explanation image 166 relating to the item is displayed. However, after the item is selected here, the description image is not displayed on the reservation screen as shown in FIG. 13 for the option 360 being focused.

  However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. On the screen as shown in FIG. 13, an explanation image for the focused item may be displayed. An example will be described with reference to FIG.

  45 is the same start menu screen 150 as in FIG. The lower part of FIG. 45 is a recording reservation screen 1130 that is displayed when “Reservation” is selected and determined in this modification. The recording reservation screen 1130 is different from the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. 13 in that an explanatory image 1140 of the option 360 being focused is displayed in the area 382. When the focus moves to the other options 362 and 364, the respective explanation screens are displayed in the area 382.

  By displaying the explanation image 1140 related to the focused item in this way, it becomes easy to understand what is to be done on the screen displayed when the determination operation is performed. For example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 45, the program selection screen displayed when the determination operation is performed while the “program guide” is focused is the same as the program selection screen 400 shown in FIG. It is. As described above, since an explanation image relating to an item is displayed before the item is selected, an effect of facilitating understanding of the subsequent operation flow can be obtained.

[Modification of explanation using remote control image]
In the above-described embodiment, the remote control image is displayed on the operation menu screen to indicate the keys that can be operated and the operation method. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In response to the user pressing the key, the display of the pressed key may be temporarily changed and then the screen may be switched. For example, in the recording reservation screen shown in FIG. 13, in addition to pressing the cross key 82 downward, “program guide” is selected by default. Therefore, if the enter key is pressed, the process can proceed to the next STEP2. If the enter key is pressed at this time, the screen transition may be performed after the display color of the enter key portion of the remote control image 358 is changed by blinking in red or the like. This makes it easy to understand which key the user has pressed and how the operation has changed.

  In displaying the remote control image, by displaying the effective keys among the keys of the remote control transmitter 70 according to their functions, it becomes easy to understand what operation can be performed with which key. For example, it is possible to make the display easier to understand by making the colors of the operation advance key and the return key different from each other. In the embodiment described above, the keys for advancing the operation are the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 (pressing left and right and up and down and a pressing operation for pressing), and the key for returning the operation is a return key, It is an end key. By making the colors of these keys different from each other, an operation such as cancellation is facilitated.

  In the above-described embodiment, a remote control image is displayed at the lower left of the menu, and which key is operable and how it is operated. However, for example, information about how the screen changes by operating each key is not displayed. In the case of the remote control transmitter 70, when a “return” key, an “end” key, or the like is operated, it is not intuitively understood by the user as to what screen is returned to. Therefore, these keys may be associated with the explanation image of the screen to which transition is made when these keys are operated, and displayed next to the remote control image. FIG. 46 shows an example of such a display for the “return” key.

  Referring to FIG. 46, this program reservation screen 1230 is the same as the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. 13, except that the “return” key is operated right next to the “return” key of the remote control image 358. It differs from the recording reservation screen 350 in that an explanation image 1240 showing a transition destination screen at that time is displayed.

  By displaying the explanation image 1240 for the “return” key or the like in this way, the user also makes a transition even for keys that are difficult to intuitively understand, such as “return” or “end”. It becomes easy to understand the point, which is preferable.

[Other variations]
In the above-described embodiment, the playback menu is displayed when the ring unit 80 is operated on the playback screen. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, a playback menu may be displayed by pressing an enter key. In this case, a default function when the ring unit 80 is operated during content reproduction can be determined. For example, if the default function of the ring unit 80 at the time of content playback is set to volume adjustment, the ring unit 80 need only be rotated without displaying the playback menu when adjusting the volume at the time of content playback.

  In the remote control transmitter 70 used in the above embodiment, the cross key 82 can be tilted only in the cross direction (four directions). However, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and can also be applied to a case where the cross key can be tilted in eight directions.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the role of the up / down / left / right movement key is realized by tilting the cross key 82 in the rotary operation body 72 of the remote control transmitter 70. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. Any ring-shaped operation body that can specify the cross direction may be used. For example, a ring-shaped operating body may be provided, and a sensor for detecting a pressing operation at a position in the cross direction may be provided.

  In the above embodiment, the menu of the DVD recorder has been mainly described as an example, but the same applies to the case of a television. In order to easily understand which of the DVD recorder and the television is selected as the input, the display method of the operation menu may be different between the two. For example, the two can be distinguished by changing the color of the operation menu, the background color, or the display position thereof. This makes it easy to understand which of the TV and the DVD recorder is the input.

  In the above embodiment, only the channel number is displayed in the operation menu when the channel is selected. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In addition to the channel number, program information such as a program name or information such as a broadcast type may be displayed near the number. This makes it easier to select a channel. In order to display the program information, an electronic program guide may be obtained from a television broadcast. When connection to the Internet is possible, the program guide is connected to a server that provides the program guide from the server. You may make it acquire. From the electronic program guide and the current time, the program information of the corresponding channel number can be acquired and displayed.

  Thus, when displaying the program information, the display of the program information may be switched depending on whether or not the channel is focused. For example, only the channel number and program name may be displayed for a channel out of focus, and the channel number, program name, and program contents (detailed information, performer information, etc.) may be displayed for the channel being focused.

  Note that, for example, in the channel selection screen, if the key operation is too fast, such as the rotational speed of the ring unit 80 being too high, and the channel cannot be switched, the channel remains as it is, and only the channel number in the channel selection menu is displayed. May be switched. In this case, the channel is switched to the corresponding channel number when the key operation is completed and the focus time is sometime. In terrestrial digital broadcasting and the like, it takes time to switch channels. Therefore, when selecting a channel from the selection menu, it takes time to select if the menu is switched to the channel switching time. When the key operation is earlier than the time required for channel switching, it is possible to perform channel selection at a higher speed by switching only the menu display in this way.

  The operation menu display method as described above is not limited to that using the remote control transmitter 70 described above. Operation that does not depend on the direct keys of the remote control transmitter, displays the operation menu on the screen, selects items in the menu by key operations such as cursor operations, and executes functions by performing decision processing Any method can be applied.

  In the above embodiment, when the page is moved by the rotation key, the number of pages to be moved or the number of frames to which the focus moves is determined according to the rotation angle. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, when a specific item exists in the page, the number of pages that move with respect to the rotation angle or the number of frames that the focus moves may be changed. The specific item means, for example, an item for selecting “recommended program”, “program recorded in the past” or the like determined by learning the operation history.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim in the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are intended. Including.

It is a front view of the remote control transmitter 70 which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the top menu displayed on a television screen, when operating a DVD recorder using the remote control transmitter. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a start menu screen 150. It is a figure which shows the channel switching screen 180 displayed when switching the channel of a television. It is a schematic diagram showing in what sequence a channel is selected when the ring unit 80 is rotated on the channel switching screen 180. It is a schematic diagram which shows the channel sequence 250 which uses a shortcut, and the display state of a channel. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the screen transition when the ring part 80 is rotated clockwise in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining screen transition when the ring unit 80 is rotated many times in the clockwise direction in the state shown in the lower part of FIG. 7. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating screen transition when the ring part 80 is further rotated clockwise in the state shown in the lower stage of FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining screen transition when the cross key 82 is pressed downward in the state shown in the lower part of FIG. 9. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the screen transition when the ring part 80 is rotated counterclockwise in the state shown in the lower stage of FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining screen transition when the cross key 82 is pressed leftward in the state shown in the upper part of FIG. 10. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a recording reservation screen 350. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the selection screen 370 of the item in a prior art. It is a schematic diagram which shows the recording reservation screen 380 from the program guide displayed when the recording reservation option 360 from a program guide is selected in the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the program designation | designated screen 390 by G code displayed when the choice 362 is selected in the recording reservation screen 350 shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the program selection screen 400 displayed when the option 360 for reservation by a program guide is selected in the recording reservation screen 380 from the program guide shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the program selection screen 400 when a user tilts the cross key 82 to the right from the state shown by FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a program selection screen 400 when the user tilts the cross key 82 downward from the state shown in FIG. 17. It is a schematic diagram which shows the reservation confirmation screen 420 equivalent to STEP3 of recording reservation. It is a schematic diagram which shows the recorded program processing screen 440 displayed when the item "Recorded program" is selected in the start menu. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing a program selection screen 480 for selecting a program to be reproduced, which is displayed when a determination operation is executed in a state where the option 460 is focused on the recorded program processing screen 440 shown in FIG. 21. It is a schematic diagram which shows the reproduction | regeneration menu screen 500 displayed in the reproduction | regeneration processing of a program. It is a schematic diagram which shows the transition of a reproduction menu screen. It is a schematic diagram which shows the transition of the reproduction | regeneration operation | movement when a fast forward is selected on a reproduction | regeneration menu screen, and the display of a reproduction | regeneration menu. 3 is a block diagram of a remote control transmitter 70. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a receiver 580. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a receiver 580. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of operation menu transition DB610. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of function description information DB612. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of remote control description image DB614 which stored the remote control image. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of the program which the receiver 580 performs. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a program for realizing a process of performing the same focus movement by the ring unit 80 and the cross key 82 in an operation menu in which items are arranged in a circle or an arc. In the operation menu in which a large number of items are arranged in a circle, when the ring unit 80 is operated, the focus is moved according to the rotation direction. When the cross key 82 is operated, the focus is set at the shortcut position according to the operation direction. It is a flowchart of the program for implement | achieving the process to move. In an operation menu composed of a plurality of pages in which a large number of items are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, when the ring unit 80 is operated, the page is moved according to the rotation direction, and when the cross key 82 is operated, the operation direction 4 is a flowchart of a program for moving the focus within a page in response to It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of a menu display when the cross key 82 is pressed down. It is a schematic diagram which shows the transition of a display when a broadcast is divided into groups and a shortcut is assigned to each group. It is a schematic diagram of a display when switching of the broadcast type is assigned to the up and down direction of the cross key. It is a schematic diagram explaining switching of a screen when the cross key 82 is pressed down. It is a flowchart of a program for realizing a menu screen when a shortcut is assigned to a group. It is a schematic diagram explaining the screen transition when the setting is changed by pressing the cross key 82 in the left-right direction. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program for controlling the display of the reproduction | regeneration menu after selection of a function or after execution. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the routine which changes the display method of a reproduction | regeneration menu with the genre information of a content. 10 is a flowchart of a program that realizes a process of moving an item by an amount corresponding to a rotation amount of a ring unit 80 in accordance with a direction indicated by a cross key 82; It is a figure which shows the modification of a display of the reservation screen when it changes to a reservation screen from a start menu. It is a schematic diagram which shows the screen which displayed the explanatory image of the screen of the return destination in the vicinity of the “return” key of the remote control image.

Explanation of symbols

  70 Remote controller transmitter, 80 ring unit, 82 cross key, 84 start menu button, 86 recorder / TV switch key, 88 recorder power key, 90 TV power key, 92 end key, 94 “return” key, 96 transmission Part, 98 case, 120 top menu screen, 130 rotation menu, 132, 190, 358 remote control image, 134 submenu, 150 start menu screen, 162 menu, 164 items, 166 description image, 168 description, 180 channel switching screen, 192 Channel menu, 204 Description, 220, 250, 254, 256, 258, 290, 310, 320 Channel sequence, 240 Current channel display, 350, 1230 Scheduled recording screen, 380 Scheduled recording from program guide Screen, program designation screen by 390 G code, 400 program selection screen, 420 reservation confirmation screen, 440 recorded program processing screen, 480 program selection screen, 500 playback menu screen, 560 multiple keys, 564 control unit, 580 receiver, 592 Reception unit, 594 Signal content determination unit, 596 Screen status acquisition unit, 598 Screen status storage unit, 600 Operation menu creation unit, 602 Display information creation unit, 604 DB for menu creation, 610 Operation menu transition DB, 612 Information DB, 614 Remote control explanation image DB

Claims (19)

An item selection device for selecting one of a plurality of items in response to a control signal from an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting a control signal corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions. Because
There are a plurality of types of operation menus, and for each operation menu, a process to be performed in response to the control signal by the rotation operation and a process to be performed in response to the control signal by the tilting operation in the plurality of directions are determined. An item selection device. In at least one of the plurality of types of operation menus, the items to be selected are arranged in a circular or arc shape, and either the rotation operation or the tilting operation in two selected directions among the plurality of directions is selected. The item selection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein any one of the items to be selected can be selected by bidirectionally moving the circular shape or the circular arc shape. In response to the tilting operation in the two directions, the position of the item to be selected next based on the elapsed time from the previous operation and the position of the item selected in the circular or arcuate arrangement The item selection device according to claim 2, wherein the item selection device is determined. At least one of the plurality of types of operation menus is provided with a plurality of pages in which items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix,
In the at least one operation menu, in response to the control signal by the tilt operation, the position of the selected item is moved one frame at a time according to the tilt direction of the tilt operation in the two-dimensional matrix arrangement. 2. The item selection device according to claim 1, wherein a page of the operation menu is moved to another page in response to a control signal by the rotation operation. The operation device outputs a control signal indicating the rotation angle in response to the rotation operation,
The item selection device determines a movement amount when moving a page of the operation menu to another page according to a rotation speed of the rotation operation calculated based on a control signal indicating a rotation angle of the rotation operation. The item selection device according to claim 4, wherein: In at least one of the plurality of types of operation menus, items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix,
In the at least one operation menu, in response to the control signal by the tilt operation, the position of the selected item is moved one frame at a time according to the tilt direction of the tilt operation in the two-dimensional matrix arrangement. 2. The item selection device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the item selected in the operation menu is moved to another position in response to a control signal generated by the rotation operation. The operation device outputs a control signal indicating the rotation angle in response to the rotation operation,
The item selection device determines a movement amount when moving the position of the item selected in the operation menu according to a rotation speed of the rotation operation calculated based on a control signal indicating a rotation angle of the rotation operation. The item selection device according to claim 6, wherein: In at least one of the plurality of types of operation menus, items to be selected are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix,
In the operation menu having the selection target arranged in the two-dimensional matrix, in response to receiving the control signal by the rotation operation following the control signal by the previous tilt operation, the operation by the previous tilt operation is performed. The item selection device according to claim 1, wherein a moving direction of the item by the rotation operation is determined by a control signal and a rotation direction of the rotation operation indicated by the control signal by the rotation operation. Based on the control signal by the rotation operation, it is determined whether or not the rotation operation is clockwise. If the rotation operation is clockwise, the rotation operation is performed in the same direction as the moving direction of the selection item by the control signal by the previous tilting operation. The moving direction of the selection item is determined, and otherwise, the moving direction of the selection item by the rotation operation is determined in a direction different from the movement direction of the selection item by the control signal by the previous tilting operation. The item selection device according to claim 8. The item selection device according to claim 9, wherein the different direction is a direction opposite to a moving direction of the selection item by a control signal by the immediately preceding tilting operation. At least one of the operation menus is a numerical value selection menu for selecting a numerical value associated with a function to be selected,
The numerical value selection menu is characterized in that, in response to a control signal corresponding to the rotation operation, the numerical value associated with the function to be selected is changed according to a rotation direction of the rotation operation. Item selection apparatus of 1. In response to a control signal generated by either the rotation operation or the tilt operation in a plurality of directions, a new operation menu is created according to the operation menu being used and the received control signal. The item selection device according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the plurality of operation menus is a circular menu in which a plurality of selection target items are arranged in a circular or arc shape, and the position of the selection item in the circular menu by the rotation operation is set in a predetermined direction. 2. The item selection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the selection item is moved to a position having a predetermined relationship with respect to the position of the selection item in the circular menu by the tilting operation. At least one of the plurality of operation menus is a circular menu in which selection target items included in a selected group among a plurality of selection target items divided into a plurality of groups are arranged in a circular or arc shape. Yes,
In response to the rotation operation, the item selection device moves the position of the selection item in the circular menu in a predetermined direction, and responds to the tilting operation to the group displayed in the circular menu. 2. The item selection device according to claim 1, wherein the circular menu is reconfigured by a group having a predetermined relationship. The item selection device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display a created operation menu. The item selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein a display mode of the operation menu is changed according to an operation history by a user. Item selection for selecting one of a plurality of items in response to a control signal from an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting a control signal corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions. An item selection method in a device,
A plurality of types of operation menus and a first process performed in response to the control signal by the rotation operation and a second process performed in response to the control signal by the tilting operation in the plurality of directions are prepared for each operation menu. And steps to
Executing the first process prepared for the operation menu to be operated in response to a control signal by the rotation operation from the operation device;
Executing the second process prepared for the operation menu to be operated in response to a control signal by the tilting operation from the operation device. In response to a control signal from an operating device having an operating body capable of outputting a control signal corresponding to a rotation operation and a tilting operation in a plurality of directions, one from a plurality of items is selected. In the item selection device, when executed by the computer, the computer
A plurality of types of operation menus and a first process performed in response to the control signal by the rotation operation and a second process performed in response to the control signal by the tilting operation in the plurality of directions are prepared for each operation menu. Means for
Means for executing the first process prepared for the operation menu to be operated in response to a control signal by the rotation operation from the operation device;
A computer program that functions as means for executing the second process prepared for an operation menu to be operated in response to a control signal by the tilting operation from the operating device. A computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program according to claim 18 is recorded.

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