JP2013117979A - Video display device and menu screen display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a user interface function that allows a user to easily select any function by a simple operation.SOLUTION: A video display device comprises menu screen displaying means and operation history storage means. The menu screen displaying means comprises at least two or more hierarchies: a classification selection element group that is formed by disposing selection elements representing classification of various kinds of functions corresponding to a video display side by side and becomes an upper hierarchy; and a function selection element group that is formed by disposing the selection elements representing a function corresponding to the classification side by side and becomes a lower hierarchy. The menu screen displaying means also displays a menu screen on which the selection element representing any function can be selected by operating an operating device. The operation history storage means stores information depending on the number of times of an operation obtained from an operation history with respect to the selection elements disposed on the menu screen. The menu screen displaying means disposes the selection elements disposed in at least one hierarchy in accordance with the information corresponding to the number of times of an operation.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a video display device and a menu screen display method.

  In recent years, video display devices (for example, digital televisions) have a tendency to be multifunctional and highly functional, and accordingly, various types of various A / V (audio / visual) functions can be mounted. For example, in addition to viewing and recording / playback functions for television broadcast programs, functions for storing and reading content such as video and music on an internal or external large-capacity recording medium, and playback of video and music programs provided via a network Various A / V functions such as a reproduction function can be realized.

  In such a video display apparatus that handles various functions, as a type of user interface function, a menu screen that displays a list of various functions is displayed, and a user can select a desired function from the menu screen. is there.

  In addition, as a technique for improving the usability of the user interface function, for example, a technique for changing the shape and display color of an icon, a technique for assigning a function to one direct key or a plurality of keys, and an icon depending on the frequency of use. There is a technology to arrange.

JP 2009-015440 A JP 2009-181501 A

  In video display devices that can be equipped with a wide variety of functions such as the various A / V functions described above, the user can easily select any desired function from a wide variety of functions with a simple operation. User interface functions that can be used are required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to realize a user interface function that allows a user to easily select a desired function from a wide variety of functions with a simple operation.

  The video display device of the embodiment includes a first selection element group formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the first classification, and a second selection element group formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the second classification. A menu screen display means for displaying a menu screen capable of selecting an arbitrary selection element by an operation of an operating device, wherein the menu screen display means has a size of the selected selection element; , Larger than the size of any other selected element of the first selected element group and the second selected element group.

  The menu screen display method according to the embodiment includes a first selection element group formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the first classification, and a second selection element formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the second classification. A step of displaying a menu screen on which an arbitrary selection element can be selected by an operation of an operating device, and the step of displaying the menu screen includes the step of displaying the selected selection element The size is displayed larger than the size of any other selected element in the first selected element group and the second selected element group.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a digital television according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a signal processing system of a digital television. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions performed by the control unit. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the external appearance of the remote controller. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of person identification processing in the person identification unit. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the main process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of ID conversion processing. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of ID comparison processing. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of menu screen display processing. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in step S4. FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of a menu screen. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the menu classification icon group and the menu icon group. FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example of the menu screen. FIG. 14 is a front view showing an example of the menu screen. FIG. 15 is a front view showing an example of a menu screen. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of transition. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of transition.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a digital television 1 that is a video display device according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the digital television 1 has a rectangular appearance when viewed from the front (when viewed from the front). The digital television 1 includes a housing 2 and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel 3. The LCD panel 3 receives a video signal from a video processing unit 20 (see FIG. 2) described later, and displays a video such as a still image or a moving image. The housing 2 is supported by the support portion 4.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a signal processing system of the digital television 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the digital television 1 supplies a digital television broadcast signal received by an antenna 12 to a tuner unit 14 as a receiving means via an input terminal 13, thereby transmitting a broadcast signal of a desired channel. It is possible to tune in. The digital television 1 supplies the broadcast signal selected by the tuner unit 14 to the demodulation / decoding unit 15 and restores it to a digital video signal, audio signal, etc., and then outputs it to the input signal processing unit 16. Note that the digital television 1 of the present embodiment has three tuners as receiving means for receiving digital television broadcast signals (two are tuners A141 and B142 for receiving terrestrial digital broadcasts). The other unit will be described by taking BS / CS digital broadcast receiving tuner C143) as an example.

  The input signal processing unit 16 performs predetermined digital signal processing on the digital video signal and audio signal supplied from the demodulation / decoding unit 15.

  The input signal processing unit 16 separates an EIT (Event Information Table), which is a table describing event information such as a program name, performers, and start time, from the broadcast signal selected by the tuner unit 14. The EIT separated by the input signal processing unit 16 is input to the control unit 23 as program guide data. The EIT includes information related to the program such as broadcast information such as program title information, genre information, performer information, and broadcast date and time, which are event information related to the program.

  The input signal processing unit 16 outputs a digital video signal to the synthesis processing unit 17 and outputs a digital audio signal to the audio processing unit 18. Among them, the composition processing unit 17 converts the digital video signal supplied from the input signal processing unit 16 into subtitles, GUI (Graphical User Interface), OSD, and the like generated by the OSD (On Screen Display) signal generation unit 19. An OSD signal that is a superimposing video signal is superimposed and output. In this case, the composition processing unit 17 superimposes and outputs the OSD signal supplied from the OSD signal generation unit 19 on the video signal supplied from the input signal processing unit 16.

  The digital television 1 supplies the digital video signal output from the synthesis processing unit 17 to the video processing unit 20. The video processing unit 20 converts the input digital video signal into an analog video signal in a format that can be displayed on the LCD panel 3 functioning as an output unit. The digital television 1 supplies the analog video signal output from the video processing unit 20 to the LCD panel 3 for video output.

  The audio processing unit 18 converts the input digital audio signal into an analog audio signal in a format that can be reproduced by the speaker 22 at the subsequent stage. The analog audio signal output from the audio processing unit 18 is supplied to the speaker 22 for audio reproduction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the above-described synthesis processing unit 17, audio processing unit 18, OSD signal generation unit 19, and video processing unit 20 constitute an output signal processing unit 21.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the digital television 1 includes a camera device 37 in the vicinity of the LCD panel 3 that functions as a video output unit. The camera device 37 is provided at a position where the face of the viewer facing the digital television 1 can be imaged.

  Here, the digital television 1 comprehensively controls all the operations including the above-described various reception operations by the control unit 23. The control unit 23 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 23 a and receives operation information from the operation unit 24 that is an operation device installed in the main body of the digital television 1 or is an operation device. Receiving the operation information transmitted from the remote controller 25 and received by the receiving unit 26, each unit is controlled so that the contents of the operation are reflected.

  The control unit 23 has a built-in memory unit 23b. The memory unit 23b mainly includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing a control program executed by the CPU 23a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for providing a work area to the CPU 23a, various setting information, control information, And a non-volatile memory in which operation information from the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 is stored.

  Further, a disk drive unit 27 is connected to the control unit 23. The disk drive unit 27 is a unit that allows an optical disk 28 such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) to be detachable, and has a function of recording / reproducing digital data on the mounted optical disk 28.

  The control unit 23 encrypts the digital video signal and audio signal obtained from the demodulation / decoding unit 15 by the recording / playback processing unit 29 based on the operation of the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by the viewer, and puts it into a predetermined recording format. After the conversion, it can be controlled to be supplied to the disk drive unit 27 and recorded on the optical disk 28.

  Further, the control unit 23 causes the disc drive unit 27 to read out digital video signals and audio signals from the optical disc 28 based on the operation of the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by the viewer, and the recording / playback processing unit 29 After decoding, the signal is supplied to the input signal processing unit 16 so that it can be controlled to be used for the video display and audio reproduction described above.

  An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 30 is connected to the control unit 23. The control unit 23 encrypts the digital video signal and audio signal obtained from the demodulation / decoding unit 15 by the recording / playback processing unit 29 based on the operation of the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by the viewer, and puts it into a predetermined recording format. After the conversion, it can be controlled to be supplied to the HDD 30 and recorded on the hard disk 30a.

  Further, the control unit 23 causes the HDD 30 to read out digital video signals and audio signals from the hard disk 30 a based on the operation of the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by the viewer, and decodes them by the recording / reproduction processing unit 29. By supplying the input signal to the input signal processing unit 16, it can be controlled to be used for the video display and the audio reproduction described above.

  The HDD 30 also functions as a program guide database (program guide DB) 301, a menu information database (menu information DB) 302, and a person database (person DB) 304 by storing various data in the hard disk 30a. The program guide database 301 stores program guide data that is an EIT separated by the input signal processing unit 16 under the control of the control unit 23. The menu information database 302 stores menu configuration information for configuring a menu screen M1 (see FIG. 11) on which icons associated with various functions of the digital television 1 described later are arranged. The person database (person DB) 304 stores the person data (face data) extracted from the video by the person identification process by the face recognition process and the ID (person ID) of the person data in association with each other.

  Also, the HDD 30 ranks the number of activations (number of operations) corresponding to the person derived from the selection operation history for the icons arranged on the menu screen M1 in descending order of the number of activations (number of operations), and performs operations corresponding to the person It functions as an activation history information database 303 which is a history storage means for storing information according to the number of times.

  Furthermore, an input terminal 31 is connected to the digital television 1. The input terminal 31 is used to directly input a digital video signal and audio signal from the outside of the digital television 1, and is a LAN terminal, a USB terminal, an HDMI terminal, or the like. The digital video signal and audio signal input through the input terminal 31 are supplied to the input signal processing unit 16 through the recording / playback processing unit 29 based on the control of the control unit 23, and thereafter. It is used for the video display and audio reproduction described above.

  Further, the digital video signal and audio signal input through the input terminal 31 pass through the recording / playback processing unit 29 based on the control of the control unit 23, and then are applied to the optical disk 28 by the disk drive unit 27. It is used for recording / reproduction and recording / reproduction for the hard disk 30 a by the HDD 30.

  The control unit 23 receives digital video signals and audio signals recorded on the optical disk 28 between the disk drive unit 27 and the HDD 30 based on the operation of the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by the viewer. It also controls recording on the optical disc 28 and recording of digital video signals and audio signals recorded on the hard disk 30a.

  A network interface 32 is connected to the control unit 23. The network interface 32 is connected to an external network 34 via an input / output terminal 33. The network 34 is connected to network servers 35 and 36 for providing various services using a communication function via the network 34. For this reason, the control unit 23 accesses the desired network servers 35 and 36 via the network interface 32, the input / output terminal 33 and the network 34 to perform information communication, thereby using the service provided there. Be able to. The network interface 32 may be connected to an SD memory card or a USB device via the input / output terminal 33.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 23 operates as a menu screen display unit 231, a remote control processing unit 232, a network processing unit 233, and functions as a menu screen display unit. A program guide processing unit 234, an imaging processing unit 235, and a person identification unit 236 that functions as a person identification unit are realized.

  The network processing unit 233 controls communication through the network interface 32 connected to the external network 34 via the input / output terminal 33. A plurality (two in the illustrated example) of network servers 35 and 36 for providing various services using a communication function via the network 34 are connected to the network 34. For this reason, the network processing unit 233 accesses the desired network servers 35 and 36 via the network interface 32, the input / output terminal 33 and the network 34 to perform information communication, thereby using the service provided there. Can be done.

  The imaging processing unit 235 processes video captured by the camera device 37. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the digital television 1 sends a viewer image captured by the camera device 37 to the person identification unit 236 under the control of the imaging processing unit 235.

  The person identification unit 236 performs extraction of person data (face data) from a video image by face recognition processing and person identification processing by face identification processing. The person identification unit 236 compares the extracted person data (face data) with the person database 304, and if there is matching person data (face data), the person data ID (person ID) is sent to the menu screen display processing unit 231. send. If there is no matching person data (face data), the person identification unit 236 registers the extracted person data (face data) in the person database 304 and sends the person ID to the menu screen display processing unit 231.

  The program guide processing unit 234 acquires the EIT (program guide data) separated by the input signal processing unit 16 and stores it in the program guide database 301. Note that EIT (program guide data) may be acquired via the network 34. The acquisition destination of EIT (program guide data) follows the user setting of the digital television 1. The program guide processing unit 234 has a keyword search function of EIT (program guide data), searches for EIT (program guide data) with a specified keyword and a specified matching rate, narrows down to a matching program, and displays a program guide. Data can be supplied to the program guide database 301.

  The remote control processing unit 232 is based on a remote control code transmitted from the remote controller 25 and received by the receiving unit 26, so that power on / off, menu selection, tuner switching, channel switching (so-called zapping such as switching channels repeatedly) is performed. Including the operation) to the input signal processing unit 16. In addition, even if the control part 23 receives the operation information from the operation part 24 installed in the main body of the digital television 1, it controls each part so that the operation content may be reflected.

  For example, the control unit 23 encrypts the digital video signal and audio signal obtained from the demodulation / decoding unit 15 by the recording / playback processing unit 29 based on the operation of the operation unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by the viewer, and performs predetermined recording. After being converted into the format, it can be controlled to be supplied to the HDD 30 and recorded on the hard disk 30a.

  The menu screen display processing unit 231 receives the menu configuration information from the menu information database 302 and the person identification unit 236 from the person based on the remote control code (movement signal corresponding to menu selection) transmitted from the remote controller 25 and received by the reception unit 26. The ranking of the number of times of activation (number of operations) that is activation history information based on the person ID is acquired from the ID and activation history information database 303, menu screen data that is a GUI is created, and sent to the OSD signal generator 19.

  Note that the value (ranking) of the activation history information stored in the activation history information database 303 can be edited to an arbitrary value. By making the value (ranking) of the boot history information editable in this way, if the boot history becomes ambiguous, the boot history information can be deleted once or customized for each user (by person ID) It becomes possible to do.

  That is, the output signal processing unit 21 combines the video / audio data sent from the input signal processing unit 16 with the menu screen data and audio data created by the menu screen display processing unit 231, and then performs video output and audio output. Send each data.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the external appearance of the remote controller 25. As shown in FIG. 4, the remote controller 25 mainly includes a power key 25a, number keys 25c, channel up / down key 25d, volume adjustment key 25e, cursor up key 25f, cursor down key 25g, cursor left key 25h, cursor. There are provided a right key 25i, an enter key 25j, a return key 25l, an end key 25m, four color keys (blue, red, green, yellow) 25n. The cursor up key 25f, cursor down key 25g, cursor left key 25h, and cursor right key 25i are formed as a so-called cross key 25z.

  Further, the remote controller 25 is provided with a reproduction stop key 25o, a reproduction key 25p, a reverse skip key 25q, a forward skip key 25r, a fast reverse key 25s, a fast forward key 25t, a pause key 25u, and the like.

  That is, the digital television 1 operates the playback stop key 25o, the playback key 25p, and the pause key 25u of the remote controller 25 for information such as video and audio acquired from the disk drive unit 27 and the HDD 30. It is possible to perform playback, stop, and pause. Also, the digital television 1 operates the reverse skip key 25q and the forward skip key 25r of the remote controller 25 to reproduce information such as video and audio reproduced on the disk drive unit 27 and the HDD 30. It is possible to perform so-called reverse skip or forward skip, in which a predetermined amount is skipped by a certain amount in the reverse or forward direction. Further, the digital television 1 operates the fast reverse key 25s, the fast forward key 25t, etc. of the remote controller 25 to thereby display information such as video and audio reproduced on the disk drive unit 27 and the HDD 30 in the reproduction direction. On the other hand, it is possible to perform so-called fast-rewind playback and fast-forward playback, in which playback is performed continuously at a high speed in the reverse or forward direction.

  The remote controller 25 is provided with a menu key 25b, a broadband key 25k, a news key 25v now, a recording list key 25w, a program guide key 25x, and a mini program guide key 25y.

  The menu key 25b is a key for displaying menu screens of various functions that the digital television 1 has, as will be described in detail later.

  The broadband key 25k is a key for starting various browsers for broadband functions such as information search and video service. The news key 25v now is a key for viewing the latest news automatically recorded on the HDD 30. The recording list key 25 w is a key for displaying a recording list for viewing and erasing programs recorded on the HDD 30. It is also possible to reproduce a moving image stored in the network servers 35 and 36 from the recording list.

  The program guide key 25x is a key for displaying the program guide X for viewing / recording / reserving a program. The mini program guide key 25y is a key for displaying a mini program guide for viewing / recording / reserving a program on the lower side of the screen on which the program is displayed.

  Next, processing in the person identifying unit 236 that exhibits the characteristic functions of the digital television 1 that is a video output device and the menu screen display processing unit 231 will be described in detail. Note that the processing in the person identification unit 236 and the processing in the menu screen display processing unit 231 are executed in separate processes.

  First, a person identification process in the person identification unit 236 that exhibits a characteristic function of the digital television 1 that is a video output device will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the power is turned on, the person identification unit 236 initializes the new ID array and the old ID array and prepares for shooting of the camera device 37 (step S1). Here, the new ID array is an array listing person IDs of persons who are currently viewing the digital television 1. The old ID array is an array listing person IDs of persons who have watched the digital television 1 in the past (for example, one minute ago). These new ID array and old ID array are stored in the RAM of the memory unit 23b.

  Next, the person identifying unit 236 waits for a certain period of time until the camera device 37 is ready (Yes in step S2) (step S3).

  When the camera device 37 is ready (Yes in step S2), the person identification unit 236 executes the main process (step S4) until there is a stop instruction due to power-off or the like (Yes in step S5).

  As shown in the flowchart of the main process in FIG. 6, when the camera device 37 is ready (Yes in step S2), the person identifying unit 236 copies the new ID array to the old ID array (step S11), and the new ID The array is initialized (step S12).

  Next, the person identification unit 236 acquires a viewer image (video) captured by the camera device 37 (step S13), and extracts person data (face data) from the viewer image (video) by face recognition processing. After that (step S14), ID conversion processing is executed (step S15).

  As shown in the flowchart of the ID conversion process in FIG. 7, the person identification unit 236 acquires person data (face data) as a result of the face recognition process (step S <b> 21), and the acquired person data (face data) Person data (face data) is acquired from the database 304 (step S22), and face identification processing is executed one by one (step S23).

  If the acquired person data (face data) does not exist in the person database 304 as a result of the face identification process in step S23 (No in step S24), the person identification unit 236 does not have person data (face data) in the person database 304. Is registered in the person database 304 (step S25), and the person ID of the person who registered the person data (face data) is acquired from the person database 304 (step S26).

  On the other hand, when the acquired person data (face data) is in the person database 304 (Yes in step S24), the person identification unit 236 acquires a person ID that matches the person data (face data) from the person database 304. (Step S27).

  Next, the person identifying unit 236 obtains a person ID from the old ID array (step S28), and if it does not match the person ID obtained in step S26 or step S27, that is, the person ID obtained in step S26 or step S27 is the previous time. If the person ID is not recognized in the person recognition process (No in step S29), it is assumed that this person has started viewing, and a start request with the person ID is sent to the menu screen display processing unit 231 (step S30). ), The person ID is substituted into the new ID array (step S31). When the person recognized by the person identification unit 236 is not registered in the person database 304 as described above, the person identification unit 236 registers the person data in the person database 304 to thereby register the registered person data ( The person ID to be a key of (face data) is acquired from the person database 304, and the person ID to be the key is sent to the menu screen display processing unit 231 to execute the menu screen display process corresponding to the person. Yes.

  On the other hand, if it matches with the person ID acquired in step S26 or step S27, that is, if the person ID recognized in the previous person recognition process is not recognized this time (Yes in step S29), it goes to the new ID array as it is. A person ID is substituted (step S31).

  Returning to FIG. 6, when the ID conversion process in step S15 is completed, the person identification unit 236 executes an ID comparison process (step S16). Specifically, as shown in the flowchart of the ID comparison process in FIG. 8, the person identification unit 236 acquires the person ID from the old ID array (step S41) and acquires the person ID from the new ID array (step S41). S42) If the person ID recognized in the previous person recognition process is not recognized this time (No in step S43), it is determined that the person has finished viewing, and a request to end the person ID is displayed on the menu screen. Each is sent to the processing unit 231 (step S44). As described above, when the recognized person can no longer recognize the recognized person, the person identifying unit 236 considers that the person has stopped viewing and displays the person ID serving as a key of the person data of the person on the menu screen display processing unit. By sending to 231, the menu screen display process corresponding to the person is terminated.

  The person identifying unit 236 performs the main process in this way (step S4), and when there is a stop instruction (Yes in step S5), executes the end process (step S6).

  As described above, in the person recognition process by the person identification unit 236, the video captured by the camera device 37 is obtained and the face recognition process is performed to obtain person data (face data). The acquired person data (face data) is transferred to the face identification process one by one, and the person data (face data) not in the person database 304 is registered in the person database 304. If a person ID that matches the person data (face data) is acquired and this is a person ID that has not been recognized in the previous person recognition process, a menu screen display processing unit 231 issues a start request with that person ID. Send to. On the other hand, when the person ID recognized in the previous person recognition process is not recognized this time, a request to end the person ID is sent to the menu screen display processing unit 231. As a result, the person identification unit 236 starts the menu screen display process corresponding to the newly recognized person, and ends the menu screen display process for the person who has no longer recognized.

  Next, the menu screen display processing in the menu screen display processing unit 231 that exhibits the characteristic functions of the digital television 1 that is a video display device will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) determines that the user has performed an operation of selecting the menu key 25b of the remote controller 25 (Yes in step S101), the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) executes menu screen display. (Step S104).

  Here, the menu screen display in step S104 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) acquires the menu configuration information from the menu information database 302 (step S1041), and acquires the activation history information from the activation history information database 303 ( In step S1042), menu screen display information for displaying the menu screen is generated based on the menu configuration information and the activation history information (step S1043), and the generated menu screen display information is output to the output signal processing unit 21 (step S1042). S1044).

  In response to this, the output signal processing unit 21 outputs menu screen display information to the LCD panel 3, and as a result, the LCD panel 3 displays a menu screen M1 as shown in FIG.

  The menu screen M1 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the content (for example, moving image) reproduction screen C. The content may be content received via the tuner unit 14, content stored in the HDD 30, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the menu screen M1 is formed in the lower part of the content reproduction screen C with icons (selection elements) representing the menu classification, which are upper layers (first layer) displayed in various sizes. Menu classification icon group (classification selection element group) IA and a plurality of menu icon groups (function selection elements) which are lower layers (second hierarchy) formed by icons (selection elements) representing functions corresponding to each menu classification Group) IB. The menu screen M1 has a background BG of the menu classification icon group IA and the menu icon group IB formed in a dark color so that the icons can be easily distinguished from the content reproduction screen C. Note that the selection element is not limited to an icon, and may be another image or character as long as it represents a menu classification or a function corresponding to each menu classification.

  Here, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the menu classification icon group IA that is the upper hierarchy (first hierarchy) and the menu icon group IB that is the lower hierarchy (second hierarchy).

  The menu classification icon group IA includes, for example, a “broadband” icon 50, a “record” icon 60, a “view” icon 70, a “media player” icon 80, and an “input switch” icon 90.

  The “broadband” icon 50 is a shortcut icon representing a menu classification for starting a plurality of network applications (browser) corresponding to a plurality of network services, for example.

  The “record” icon 60 is a shortcut icon representing a menu classification for recording / reserving content.

  The “view” icon 70 is a shortcut icon representing a menu category for viewing content.

  The “media player” icon 80 is a shortcut representing a menu classification for starting a plurality of playback applications corresponding to playback of moving images / photos / music stored in, for example, an SD memory card, USB device, network server 35, 36, etc. Icon.

  The “input switching” icon 90 is a shortcut icon representing a menu classification for switching the input terminal 31.

  For example, in the menu classification icon group IA shown in FIG. 11, the activation history corresponding to the person stored in the activation history information database 303 for the icons included in the menu configuration information (the icons representing the functions displayed on the menu screen M1). The number of activations that is information is referred to, and the one with the highest ranking of activation history information (the one with the largest number of activations) is arranged at the center. For example, in the menu classification icon group IA shown in FIG. 11, the “view” icon 70 having the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the person is being selected, and the currently selected “view” icon 70 is the first one. The activation history information corresponding to the second person that is displayed with the size further enlarged and highlighted with a bright background and located next to the currently selected icon having the highest ranking of the activation history information according to the person The “record” icon 60 of the selection candidate with high ranking (not selected) is displayed in the second size smaller than the first size, and the left of the selected icon with the highest ranking of the activation history information according to the person The “broadband” icon 50 of the selection candidate (not selected) with the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the third person located next to the person is also smaller than the first size. The “media player” icon 80 of the selection candidate (non-selected) having the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the fourth person displayed in the second size and located to the right of the second selection candidate icon “Input” of a selection candidate (not selected) which is displayed in a third size smaller than the size of 2 and whose ranking of activation history information according to the fifth person is located on the left side of the third selection candidate icon is high The “switch” icon 90 is also displayed in a third size that is smaller than the second size. The reason why the other icons are arranged in the descending order of the number of selections near the icon with the highest ranking of the activation history information according to the person (the icon with the largest number of activations) is that the probability of the user performing the same operation This is because the user can easily select a desired function from a wide variety of functions by a simple operation.

  A menu icon group IB shown in FIG. 11 shows an example in which the “view” icon 70 is selected in the menu classification icon group IA. While the “view” icon 70 is selected, the menu icon group IB includes a “recording list” icon 71, a “program guide” icon 72, a “mini program guide” icon 73, and a “now news” icon 74. .

  The “recording list” icon 71 is an icon for displaying a recording list for viewing or erasing a recorded program on the HDD 30, and has the same function as the recording list key 25 w.

  The “program guide” icon 72 is an icon for displaying the program guide X in order to allow viewing, recording, and reservation of the program, and has the same function as the program guide key 25x.

  The “mini program guide” icon 73 is an icon for displaying a mini program guide on the lower side of the content playback screen C in order to view, record and reserve a program. Has the same function.

  The “Now News” icon 74 is an icon for viewing the latest news automatically recorded on the HDD 30 and has the same function as the Now News key 25v.

  For example, in the menu icon group IB shown in FIG. 11, the activation history information corresponding to the person stored in the activation history information database 303 for the icons included in the menu configuration information (the icons representing the functions displayed on the menu screen M1). Referring to FIG. 5, the activation history information according to the person with the highest ranking (the one with the largest number of activations) is arranged. For example, in the menu icon group IB shown in FIG. 11, the “program guide” icon 72 having the highest ranking of the activation history information according to the person is displayed in the first size, and the ranking of the activation history information according to the person is the highest. The “mini program guide” icon 73 of the selection candidate (not selected) having the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the second person located to the right of the high icon is displayed in a second size smaller than the first size. Also, a “recording list” icon 71 of a selection candidate (not selected) having the third highest ranking of activation history information corresponding to a person is located on the left side of the icon having the highest ranking of activation history information corresponding to the person. 4th that is displayed in a second size that is smaller than the first size and that is second to the right of the selection candidate icon that has the second highest ranking of activation history information according to the person "Now immediately news" icon 74 of ranking highly selective candidate of the start-up history information in accordance with the person (non-selective in) is displayed in the third size smaller than the second size. It should be noted that it is possible to arrange only the menu hierarchy icon group IA and menu icon group IB at least one of the hierarchies having the highest number of operations according to the person.

  Further, the digital television 1 includes a “frequently used navigation” icon 100 as the menu classification icon group IA. The “Frequently Used Navi” icon 100 is a shortcut icon representing a menu classification for displaying functions that have been frequently selected for activation in a single hierarchy. The “frequently used navigation” icon 100 is different from the “broadband” icon 50, the “record” icon 60, the “view” icon 70, the “media player” icon 80, and the “input switch” icon 90 described above. It is as follows. As shown in FIG. 12, the “broadband” icon 50 described above has a menu icon group IB that is a lower layer (second layer) as opposed to a menu classification icon group IA that is a higher layer (first layer). Predefined. On the other hand, the “frequently used navigation” icon 100 differs in that the menu icon group IB that is a lower hierarchy (second hierarchy) is determined based on the activation history information stored in the activation history information database 303 of the HDD 30. It has become.

  Here, FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example of the menu screen. A menu icon group IB shown in FIG. 13 shows an example in which the “frequently used navigation” icon 100 is selected in the menu classification icon group IA. While the “Frequently Used Navi” icon 100 is being selected, the menu icon group IB includes a “function setting” icon 101, a “speaker switching” icon 102, a “photo” icon 103, a “reservation list” icon 104, and a “program guide”. An icon 105 is included.

  For example, in the menu icon group IB shown in FIG. 13, activation history information corresponding to a person stored in the activation history information database 303 for icons included in the menu configuration information (icons representing functions displayed on the menu screen M1). Referring to FIG. 5, the activation history information according to the person with the highest ranking (the one with the largest number of activations) is arranged. For example, in the menu icon group IB shown in FIG. 13, the “function setting” icon 101 having the highest ranking of activation history information corresponding to the person is displayed in the first size, and the right of the icon having the highest ranking of activation history information is displayed. The “speaker switching” icon 102 of the selection candidate (not selected) having the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the second person located next is displayed in a second size smaller than the first size, and the activation history information The “photo” icon 103 of the selection candidate (not selected) having the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the third person located on the left side of the icon having the highest ranking is also the second size smaller than the first size. Is displayed, and the activation history information run corresponding to the fourth person is located next to the selection candidate icon with the second highest activation history information ranking. The “reservation list” icon 104 of a selection candidate with high selection (not selected) is displayed in a third size that is smaller than the second size, and is next to the left of the selection candidate icon with the third highest ranking in the activation history information The “program guide” icon 105 of the selection candidate (not selected) having the highest ranking of the activation history information corresponding to the fifth person who is located is also displayed in a third size smaller than the second size.

  In the menu screen M1 shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the menu classification icon group IA is displayed by operating the cursor left key 25h or the cursor right key 25i on the cross key 25z of the remote controller 25 (No in step S105, Yes in step S106). The focus destination of the icon can be moved (step S107). Specifically, the remote controller 25 outputs a movement signal (remote control code) corresponding to the operation (menu selection) of the cross key 25z. The remote control processing unit 232 receives the movement signal, and the menu screen display processing unit 231 controls the movement of the icon focus destination based on the movement signal.

  FIG. 14 shows the focus destination moved from the “view” icon 70 shown in FIG. 11 to the “broadband” icon 50 by operating the cursor left key 25 h of the cross key 25 z of the remote controller 25. As shown in FIG. 14, the newly selected “broadband” icon 50 is displayed with the first size further enlarged and highlighted with a bright background.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the “broadband” icon 50 is selected in the menu classification icon group IA, as the menu icon group IB, the “Yahoo Japan” icon 51, the “Tobira” icon 52, and the “Hikari TV” icon are displayed. 53, a “tube” icon 54, and an “Internet” icon 55, and other icons are arranged in the order of the number of selections in the vicinity of the “door” icon 52 having the highest ranking of the activation history information according to the person. Yes. Note that a total of seven menus are associated with the “broadband” icon 50, but the menu screen display processing unit 231 counts the number within the number of display of the menu icon group IB (here, “5”). Seven menus are cyclically displayed. Note that the display number (number of functions) of the menu icon group IB displayed on the menu screen M1 can be arbitrarily set.

  Further, on the menu screen M1 shown in FIG. 11, the menu classification icon group IA to the menu icon group IB are changed by operating the cursor up key 25f on the cross key 25z of the remote controller 25 (No in step S105, Yes in step S106). The focus destination can be moved to the icon (step S107).

  FIG. 15 shows the focus destination moved from the “view” icon 70 shown in FIG. 11 to the “program guide” icon 72 of the menu icon group IB by the operation of the cursor up key 25 f of the cross key 25 z of the remote controller 25. It is. As shown in FIG. 15, the newly selected “program guide” icon 72 is displayed with the first size further enlarged and highlighted with a bright background. Further, the “view” icon 70 is displayed with a reduced size to the first size and a slightly brighter background.

  In addition, the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) responds to the selection operation of the first layer direct key which is the broadband key 25k of the remote controller 25 by the user (Yes in step S102), and displays the menu screen. Menu screen display information to be displayed is generated based on the menu configuration information and output to the output signal processing unit 21 (step S109). In this case, the broadband key 25k is a key for starting various browsers for broadband functions such as information search and video service, and represents the specific function of the first layer shown in FIG. That is, by the selection operation of the broadband key 25k of the remote controller 25, the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) generates menu screen display information for displaying the menu screen M1 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the menu screen M1 displayed by the selection operation of the broadband key 25k is displayed with the “broadband” icon 50 further enlarged to the first size and highlighted with a bright background. .

  FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a transition to a specific function in the first layer by the menu key 25b and the cross key 25z and a transition to a specific function in the first layer by a direct key.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the determination key 25j of the remote controller 25 is operated on the menu screen M1 in the state where the second-level menu icon is selected (Yes in step S105), the icon of the focused icon is displayed. A function activation is instructed (step S108). In FIG. 15, since the “program guide” icon 72 is focused, the output signal processing unit 21 displays the program guide X based on the program guide data stored in the program guide database 301 on the LCD panel 3. .

  As shown in FIG. 15, when it is desired to return to the menu classification selection of the menu classification icon group IA of the first hierarchy on the menu screen M1 in the state where the menu icon of the second hierarchy is selected, the remote controller 25 The cursor down key 25g in the cross key 25z may be operated (Yes in step S106).

  In addition, the control unit 23 responds to the selection operation of the direct key of the second layer such as the immediate news key 25v, the recording list key 25w, the program guide key 25x, the mini program guide key 25y of the remote controller 25 by the user ( In step S103, the activation of the function corresponding to each key is instructed (step S110). In this case, the news key 25v, the recording list key 25w, the program guide key 25x, the mini program guide key 25y, etc. are keys for instructing the activation of the function corresponding to each key, and are shown in FIG. It represents a specific function in two layers. For example, when the program guide key 25 x of the remote controller 25 is selected, the output signal processing unit 21 displays the program guide X based on the program guide data stored in the program guide database 301 on the LCD panel 3.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a transition to a specific function in the second layer by the menu key 25b and the cross key 25z and a transition to a specific function in the second layer by the direct key.

  Finally, the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) performs the activation history information corresponding to the person stored in the activation history information database 303 of the HDD 30 for the function instructed to activate in step S108 or step S110. Then, the number of activations (number of operations) is added only once (step S111), and the process is terminated. In addition, the control unit 23 (menu screen display processing unit 231) calculates the number of times of activation (number of times of operation) according to the person derived from the selection operation history for the icons arranged on the menu screen M1 at the time of addition. Ranking in descending order of (number of operations).

  As described above, according to the digital television 1 which is the video display device of the embodiment, icons representing classification of various functions related to video display are arranged hierarchically, and an icon representing an arbitrary function is selected by operating the operation device. A menu screen display unit 231 that functions as a menu screen display unit that displays a possible menu screen M1, and an activation history information database 303 that stores information according to the number of operations derived from the operation history for icons arranged on the menu screen M1. The menu screen display unit 231 arranges a desired function from a wide variety of functions in a hierarchical manner by arranging selected elements arranged in at least one hierarchy according to information according to the number of operations. User interface which can be easily selected by a simple operation from the menu screen M1 It is possible to realize a scan function.

  In addition, according to the digital television 1 which is the video display device of the embodiment, frequently used functions can be displayed together in a menu by recording the frequency of use of the functions.

  Furthermore, according to the digital television 1 that is the video display device of the embodiment, the function that is used most frequently is always focused, and the function is provided in the order of frequency of use from the focus to the place with few selection steps. Thus, user convenience can be improved.

  Furthermore, according to the digital television 1 that is the video display device of the embodiment, the user is identified using the camera device 37 to grasp the usage frequency for each user, and the usage history priority display is changed for each user. It is possible to prevent the use history information from becoming ambiguous even when used by a family. In the present embodiment, user identification is performed based on extraction of person data (face data) from video by face recognition processing and person identification processing by face identification processing. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, user identification may be performed by reading an ID card with an ID uniquely assigned to each user, or an ID uniquely assigned to each user may be manually input. .

  Further, according to the digital television 1 which is the video display device of the embodiment, when a signal is received from the direct key in the operation device assigned to any of the functions displayed by the lower-level icon, the direct key is By instructing the activation of the assigned function, it is possible to realize a user interface function that allows a user who is accustomed to an operation using a direct key to select a function easily.

  The control program executed by the digital television 1 which is the video display device of the present embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, DVD. (Digital Versatile Disk) or the like may be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  Furthermore, the control program executed by the digital television 1 that is the video display device of the present embodiment is stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. May be. In addition, the control program executed by the digital television 1 that is the video display device of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The program executed by the digital television 1 which is the video display device of the present embodiment includes the above-described units (menu screen display processing unit 231, remote control processing unit 232, network processing unit 233, program guide processing unit 234, imaging processing). Module 235 and person identification unit 236). As actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads the control program from the ROM and executes it to load the respective units onto the main storage device. A menu screen display processing unit 231, a remote control processing unit 232, a network processing unit 233, a program guide processing unit 234, an imaging processing unit 235, and a person identification unit 236 are generated on the RAM.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the digital television 1 as a video display device has been described. However, for example, a video output device can also be applied to an HDD recorder, a tuner, a set top box, or the like.

  The above embodiment is presented as an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1 Video display device 24, 25 Operation device 231 Menu screen display means 236 Person identification means 303 History storage means M1 Menu screen

Claims (3)

The first selection element group formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the first classification and the second selection element group formed by arrangement of a plurality of selection elements of the second classification are at least two layers or higher A menu screen display means for displaying a menu screen capable of selecting an arbitrary selection element by operating the operation device;
The menu screen display means displays the size of the selected selection element larger than the size of any other selection element of the first selection element group and the second selection element group.
Video display device. The first selection element group is an upper layer formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the first classification representing various functions related to video display,
The second selection element group is a lower hierarchy formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the second classification representing functions corresponding to the classification of the first selection element group.
The video display device according to claim 1. The first selection element group formed by arranging a plurality of selection elements of the first classification and the second selection element group formed by arrangement of a plurality of selection elements of the second classification are at least two layers or higher Including a step of displaying a menu screen on which an arbitrary selection element can be selected by operating the operation device,
The step of displaying the menu screen displays the size of the selected selection element larger than the size of any other selection element of the first selection element group and the second selection element group.
Menu screen display method.