JP2773163B2 - Home / bus information display method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in the following order.

A Industrial Fields B Outline of the Invention C Prior Art D Problems to be Solved by the Invention E Means for Solving the Problems F Function G Embodiment G ₁ Overall System Configuration G ₂ Configuration of Television Receiver and Basic operation G ₃ Operation at the time of status change G ₄ Operation at the time of status display mode H Effect of the invention A Industrial application field The present invention uses a so-called home bus such as a coaxial cable connected to an antenna line. And a home bus information display system capable of monitoring control states of a plurality of devices.

B SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a home bus information display system capable of monitoring a control state of a plurality of devices by using a so-called home bus such as a coaxial cable connected to an antenna line, for example. The television receiver is connected to the television receiver via a bus line, and information indicating the control state is supplied from the plurality of electric devices to the television receiver via the bus line, and the television receiver displays the information. Means for setting the mode to be set to a desired mode, and by selectively superimposing and displaying information indicating the control states of the plurality of electric devices on the image on the screen of the television receiver, The user can selectively know the control state of other electric devices as necessary while watching the image on the screen of the device.

C. Prior Art In general homes and offices, various types of electric devices such as home appliances, lighting devices, and security systems have come to be used. Conventionally, each of these electric devices has been set to independently control its operation.Therefore, in order to control the operation of these electric devices, a commander for remote operation attached to each of these electric devices is used, Alternatively, control switches and the like provided in each of these electric devices must be directly operated.

D Problems to be Solved by the Invention Therefore, even when it is desired to know what control state these electric devices are set to, it is necessary to move each of these electric devices to a position where they can be visually recognized. there were. In order to solve such inconveniences, a central control panel individually connected to the plurality of electric devices is provided separately from the plurality of electric devices, and the central control panel centralizes the electric devices. There is also a system that controls the electrical devices and monitors the control state of the electrical devices. However, the provision of such a separate central control panel as described above disadvantageously complicates the system and reduces the space use efficiency. Further, there is an inconvenience that wiring for connecting these electric devices to a central control panel is complicated.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a home / office that can centrally monitor the control state of a plurality of electric devices without providing such a central control panel separately from these electric devices in a general home or office. E. Means for Solving the Problem An object of the present invention is to provide a home bus information display system, which comprises a plurality of electric devices (10), (13), and (16). ,(twenty three)‥
バ ス and the television receiver (6) to the bus line (4),
(21), and connect the electrical devices (10), (13),
(16), (23) The information indicating the control state is supplied to the television receiver (6) via the bus lines (4) and (21) from the television receiver (6), and the television receiver (6). ) To set this information display mode (3
2), (40), and (43) are provided, and the plurality of electric devices (10),
(13), (16), (23) The information indicating the control state of (1) is selectively superimposed and displayed.

In the third invention of the present application, the television receiver (6) is provided with a status display mode, and the superimposed display is performed when the status display mode is set.

The fourth invention of the present application is the third invention,
The plurality of control items of each of the plurality of devices are described, for example, in the ninth
As shown in the drawing, these devices are sequentially displayed on different display screens.

The fifth invention of the present application is the fourth invention,
When the television receiver (6) receives information indicating the control state of a certain device among the plurality of devices during the status display mode period, for example, as shown in FIG.
This is a display screen corresponding to a certain device from which the information indicating the control state has been issued.

The sixth invention of the present application is the fifth invention,
A display portion corresponding to the certain device in the display screen corresponding to the certain device is blinked or displayed in a display color different from the display color of the other portion.

Further, the seventh invention of the present application is the first invention,
Type of control status of these multiple devices (for example, "ON" and "O
FF ") to make the display color different.

Further, the eighth invention of the present application relates to the plurality of devices (1
0), (13), (16), etc., display means for displaying control items of the plurality of devices on a television receiver (6) freely connectable via bus lines (4), (21) for demonstration use. When the selection switch is operated, the control items for this demonstration are
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the image is superimposed on the image on the image screen (42a) of the television receiver (6).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the video on the video screen (42a) of the television receiver (6) which is usually installed in a general home or office and is most suitable as a terminal of a so-called man-machine interface is provided. , Those multiple devices (10), (1
Control states such as 3) and (16) are selectively superimposed and displayed according to the viewer's request. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a central control panel or the like, and the viewer can selectively know the control state of another electric device as necessary while watching the image on the screen of the television receiver. .

Further, according to the second aspect, since the superimposed display is not always performed, there is no obstacle to viewing.

Further, according to the third aspect, since the status display mode is provided, it is possible to know the control state of the plurality of devices whenever the viewer desires.

Further, according to the fourth aspect, since a plurality of control items of each of the plurality of devices are sequentially displayed on different display screens for each device, the control items of all devices can be changed without complicated operation by the viewer. It can be viewed sequentially in an easy-to-view display.

Further, according to the fifth aspect, the viewer can know the device whose control state has changed.

According to the sixth aspect, the display portion corresponding to the certain device blinks or has a display color different from the display color of the other portion. Existing devices can be easily identified.

Further, according to the seventh aspect, the types of control states of the plurality of devices can be easily identified.

According to the eighth aspect, the plurality of devices (10), (13), (16), etc. are connected to the television receiver (6) via the bus lines (4), (21). Even if it is not, the television receiver (6) can superimpose and display the control state as if these devices were connected. Therefore, a demonstration or the like can be performed.

G Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the home bus information display method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this example, the present invention is applied to a system that can centrally control home electric appliances and security devices in a general home, and further, can centrally monitor the control state of those home electric appliances and security devices. It was done.

System Configuration Figure 1 of the entire G ₁ represents an arrangement of such appliances in homes of this example, in the Figure 1, (1) the television broadcast receiving antenna, (2) the antenna line, (3) is a switch, (4) is a coaxial cable connected to the antenna line (2) through the switch (3), and (5) is a coaxial cable (5) through the switch (3). 4) is a branch coaxial cable having one end connected thereto, and the other end of the branch coaxial cable (5) is connected to an input terminal of a television receiver (6). Note that a so-called ribbon feeder or glasses-type feeder may be used instead of the coaxial cables (4) and (5). (7) is the television receiver (6)
Is a commander for the viewer to remotely control. In this example, as will be described later, the viewer operates the commander (7) to centrally control all devices such as home appliances and security devices via the television receiver (6). At the same time, the control state of all devices can be superimposed on the video image (42a) of the television receiver (6).

A video tape recorder (VTR) (10) is connected to the coaxial cable (4) via a branch (8) and a branch coaxial cable (9), and the branch (11) and the branch synchronous shaft cable (12) are connected. ), A so-called video disc reproducing device (13) is connected, and a splitter (14) and an audio device (16) are connected via a split coaxial cable (15), and a splitter (17) and a split coaxial cable ( Connect one input / output terminal of the signal exchange device (19) via 18). Also, (20)
Is a breaker. The input terminal of this breaker (20) is supplied with a commercial power supply E of about 100V AC and a frequency of 50Hz or 60Hz from the outside, and the output terminal of this breaker (20) is an AC power line in a general household Connect to (21). Signal exchange device (19) to this AC power line (21) via branch line (22)
Connect the other input / output terminal of This signal exchange device (1
9) transmits a control signal flowing through the coaxial cable (4) so as to be superimposed on a 50 Hz or 60 Hz sine wave power signal of the AC power line (21), and transmits a 50 Hz or 60 Hz sine wave power flowing through the AC power line (21). It has a function of extracting a control signal or a control state signal superimposed on the signal and transmitting it to the coaxial cable (4) side.

In the case of a VTR (10) as an example, the "control signal" is a signal corresponding to "VTR ON" which is an instruction for changing the VTR (10) from an off state to an on state, for example. The "control status signal" is, for example, the VTR (10)
Is a signal corresponding to "VTR ON", which is a message output to the outside in response to a request from the outside when is ON.

In addition, the AC power line (21) has door lock devices (23), entrance lights (24A), living room lights (24B),
Dishwasher (25), microwave (26), bedroom air conditioner (27
A) and the living room air conditioner (27B) are connected in parallel. The door lock device (23) to the living room air conditioner (27B) and the like respectively extract the control signal flowing by superimposing the AC power line (21) on the sine wave power signal and superimposing the control signal on the sine wave power signal. A bus interface (48) capable of outputting a control signal or the like by a built-in controller (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the door lock device (23) to the living room air conditioner (27B) are connected to the television receiver (6) via the AC power line (21), the signal exchange device (19), and the coaxial cable (4), respectively. It is connected. The television receiver (6), the VTR (10), and the like are also connected to the AC power line (21). However, since they are not used for transmitting control signals in this example, their wiring is not shown. Omitted.

In this example, as described above, the so-called home bus of the coaxial cable (4) and the AC power supply line (21) which is maintained by the antenna line (2) is used as the bus line. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately perform new wiring. Further, as a home bus, there is a telephone line which is indispensable to ordinary households, and it is a matter of course that this telephone line can be used as a bus line. In this case, it is convenient to have a signal exchange device for connecting the coaxial cable (4) to the telephone line or a signal exchange device for connecting the AC power supply line (21) to the telephone line.

Configuration and basic operation Figure 2 of G ₂ television receiver mainly shows a configuration of a television receiver of the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, (28) is a bus interface, the bus interface ( 28) comprises a frequency separation modulation / demodulation circuit (29) in which a branch coaxial cable (5) is connected to an input / output terminal, and a home bus interface circuit (30). In this example, as shown in FIG. 3, a frequency band (50) of 90 MHz or more is used for television broadcasting, so that a frequency band (49) of about 0 to 50 kHz is used for home and home.
Used for transmitting control signals for buses. However, it is better not to use in the vicinity of the power supply frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz and in the vicinity of its harmonics. Therefore, the frequency separation / modulation / demodulation circuit (29) filters a signal (RF signal) in the frequency band (50) and supplies it to the tuner (31), a band-pass filter for filtering the signal in the frequency band (49), It comprises a demodulation circuit for demodulating a signal in the frequency band (49) to obtain a digital signal, a modulation circuit for modulating the digital signal into a signal in the frequency band (49), and the like. The home bus interface circuit (30) is connected to the frequency separation modulation / demodulation circuit (2
9) and send and receive digital signals corresponding to the control signals.

Further, (32) is a tuning microcomputer (a tuning controller) as a central control device of the television receiver (6).
CPU) and (33) are chassis buses such as a two-wire bus line composed of a clock bus and a data bus,
(34) is a sound detection circuit, (35) is a sound amplification circuit, (36)
Denotes a speaker, (37) a color demodulation / synchronization separation circuit, (38) a vertical and horizontal deflection circuit, and (39) a deflection coil. Reference numeral (40) denotes an RGB switching circuit.
0) switches between the three primary color signals input from the color demodulation / tuning / separation circuit (37) and the three primary color signals input from the tube display circuit (43), and outputs to the video output circuit (41).
In 2), images corresponding to the two sets of three primary color signals are displayed in a superimposed manner or independently of each other.

Further, (44) is a non-volatile memory, (45) is a photodiode for converting infrared rays from the commander (7) to an electric signal, and (46) is an amplifier for amplifying the electric signal to select a channel (3).
The amplifier circuit for transmitting to 2), (47) is a bus status display LED, and this bus status display LED (47) is illuminated while a control signal is flowing through the bus lines (4) and (21). Done. In this example, the commander (7) is provided with keys for controlling all the devices (6), (10), (13), etc., and the remote control signal of the commander (7) is the fourth signal.
As shown in the figure, it is composed of a 1-byte device address (51) and a 4-byte function code (52). If the device address (51) of the remote control signal input from the commander (7) is not in the television category, the tuning CPU (32) transmits the device address (51).
And the function code (52) is transmitted to the branch coaxial cable (5) via the bus interface (28).
In addition, the bus interface (28)
When the device address (51) and the function code (52) are supplied to the CPU (32), the channel selection CPU
(32) decodes those codes and performs the corresponding operation.

In addition, as shown in FIG.
(10), video disc playback device (1
3) and the like have a bus interface (28) like the television receiver (6). And AC power line (21)
Has a bus interface (48) having substantially the same structure as the bus interface (28). Therefore, the VTR (10) and the door lock device (23) can be controlled by the television receiver (6).

The basic functions of the television receiver (6) of this example are summarized below.

Operation when status changes (1) This is when a control signal or a control state signal is transmitted from a device other than the television receiver (6) to the television receiver (6) via the bus lines (21) and (4). If
And a television receiver (6) having a commander (7)
This is an operation when a control signal for operating each device is supplied to the bus lines (4) and (21) via the interface. Specifically, when the VTR (10) is turned on from the commander (7) via the television receiver (6) and its bus line (4), the television receiver ( In 6), there may be a case where a command "change the receiving channel to the second channel for VTR" is sent. in this case,
After receiving the command code, the television receiver (6) changes the receiving channel to the second channel and, at the same time, displays, for example, the display screen of "2CH".

 Operation when status changes (2) This is an operation when the control state of each device changes.

Specifically, when the VTR (10) is accidentally turned on / off by an infant, etc., when the entrance door is opened → closed or closed → open, or when the light (24A) is turned on / off, etc. Can be considered. In this case, the device whose control state has changed transmits its own device address and the function code corresponding to the control state after the change on the bus lines (21) and (4), so that the television receiver ( 6) can recognize that the control state has changed by the bus interface (28). Therefore, if necessary, the television receiver (6) performs a display on the screen (for example, "VTR ON") corresponding to the changed state.

Operation in status display mode This operation is performed when the viewer wants to know the current state of each device. In this case, the viewer sends a status display command to the television receiver (6) using the commander (7). In response, the television receiver (6) inquires of all devices via the bus lines (4) and (21) about the current control state. Information indicating the current control state is sent from each device to the television receiver (6) via the bus lines (4) and (21) in a format responding to this, so that the television receiver (6) The information is displayed on the display.
In this case, when the bus interface (28) or (48) outputs a signal to the bus line (4) or (21) from one of the bus interfaces (28) or (48), the other bus interface (28) or (48) Since the interfaces (28) and (48) do not output signals, the signals do not interfere.

Operation in Control Mode This is an operation when the viewer controls the state of each device via the television receiver (6) and the bus lines (4) and (21) using the commander (7). Specifically, there is a case where the VTR (10) is turned on using the commander (7), and a case where the light (24A) or the like is turned off. VTR of which (10)
When the viewer turns on the VTR on button of the commander (7), the television receiver (6) sends a control signal corresponding to "VTR ON" to the bus line (4), “VTR ON” is displayed superimposed on the video screen (42a).
However, it is also possible to adopt a handshake-like operation of superimposing the control state signal when the control state signal corresponding to "VTR ON" is returned from the VTR (10). Similarly, when turning off the light (24A) or the like, the viewer can use the commander (7).
When the button for turning off the light is pressed, the light (24A) is turned off and superimposed and displayed, for example, "LIGHT OFF".

The following description focuses on the operation when monitoring the control state of each device using the television receiver (6).

The operation of the VTR (10) status change during this example of the television receiver (6) with reference to FIG. 5-FIG. 7 will be described in detail as an operation example when G ₃ change in status. In this case, a remote control signal (hereinafter, referred to as remote control input) is input to the television receiver (6) from the commander (7), or the control state of each device is input from the bus lines (4) and (21). (Hereinafter, referred to as bus input). In this example, it is assumed that a remote control input for turning on the VTR (10) is issued from the commander (7).

First, the channel selection CPU (3) in the television receiver (6)
In step 2), as shown in FIG. 5, the presence or absence of a remote control signal input or a bus input is detected in step (102), and if there is any input, the process proceeds to step (103) and the input is performed. It is checked whether the first one byte of the device address is a television category. If the device address is in the TV category, go to step (10
In step 4), the processing corresponding to the function code of the lower 4 bytes is performed. If the device address is not the television category, the process proceeds to step (105), and it is checked whether the device address is in the VTR category. .

If the device address is not in the VTR category, the channel selection CPU (32) shifts to step (106) to determine whether or not the device address exists in the device address table in the internal ROM of the channel selection CPU (32). After it is checked, if it exists, display processing of the other existing equipment is performed (step (107)). If the device address does not exist in the device address table, the channel selection CPU (3.
2) 10-bit control signal (1-byte device address and 4-byte function code)
The converted hexadecimal number is displayed in a superimposed manner on the video screen (42a) of the picture tube (42) as shown in FIG. 7B by using the display panel display circuit (43).

The display as shown in FIG. 7B may be caused by noise mixed in the bus line or by an erroneous operation of the commander (7). Therefore, there is an advantage that the viewer can recognize the occurrence of noise or malfunction due to the display, and a service person can decode the displayed code and use it for maintenance or the like. Further, instead of the superimposed display as shown in FIG. 7B,
A message such as “No corresponding function” may be superimposed.

If the device address is in the VTR category in step (105), the channel selection CPU (32) shifts to step (109) to determine whether the remaining 4-byte function code corresponds to "power on". Is checked, and if so, it is checked whether or not the function code exists in the function table in the internal ROM (step (110)). If the function code exists, a process corresponding to the function code is performed (step (111)). If the function code does not exist, the "VTR" message and the function code are converted to an 8-digit hexadecimal number. The converted numerical value is displayed on the tube surface as shown in FIG. 7A (tape (112)).

If the function code corresponds to "power on", the channel selection CPU (32) shifts from step (109) to step (113) to transfer the device address and the function code to the bus line (5). After transferring the message to the VTR (10) via the VTR (10) and inputting the "VTR ON" message to the screen display circuit (43), the display color is selected according to the content of the message and the display color is selected. An instruction is given (step (114)). The display color selection criteria are, for example, "red" when the dishwasher is running, when the VTR is turned on, and when the door lock device is open.
When the dishwasher is stopped, when the power of the VTR is off, and when the door lock device is closed, the color is set to “green”.

Therefore, according to the present example, the safe state is displayed in "green" and the dangerous state is displayed in "red", so that the viewer can see at a glance whether it is safe or dangerous. is there.

Next, the channel selection CPU (32) proceeds to step (115) and checks whether or not the display mode is set. Specifically, the state of a selection switch provided on the back of the television receiver (6) or the like is checked, or the command is previously written to a flag in the nonvolatile memory (44) by the commander (7). By reading the information, it is possible to identify whether or not the display mode is set. If the display mode is not set, the process goes to step (118) and the display on the screen is not performed. Therefore, if the display on the display becomes an obstacle due to the program being viewed, the display on the display is optional. There are benefits that can be stopped.

When in the display mode, the process proceeds to step (116),
The tuning CPU (32) operates the display screen display circuit (43) and the RGB switching circuit (40) to turn on the superimposed display screen as shown in FIG. After this display on the screen is performed for 3 seconds (step (117)), the display on the screen is turned off. According to this example, since the message indicating the control state of the device such as the VTR (10) is superimposed on the video screen (42a) of the television receiver (6), the viewer can watch the television program. The advantage is that you can easily check the status of those devices whenever you are.

Further, according to the present example, the television receiver (6) which is usually installed in a general home or office and includes a commander (7) and a picture tube (42) and is most suitable as a terminal of a so-called man-machine interface. ) Can be used to monitor the status of each device or bus line (4), (21), so there is no need to provide a separate central control panel, which has advantages in space use efficiency and cost. is there.

Further, in this example, since step (117) in FIG. 5 is provided and the display time of the TV screen is limited to a predetermined time or less, it is difficult for the viewer to watch the television program, and the TV receiver is not affected. There is an advantage that it does not hinder the superimposed display of channel information and the like on the tube surface (42a) of (42). Also, the viewer is free from the frequent switching of the display mode on / off.

In this example, as shown in FIG.
Since (47) is provided, the television receiver (6) blinks its bus state display LED (47) when control information is flowing through the bus line (4). Therefore, there is an advantage that the viewer can easily visually recognize whether or not the information is distributed to the bus lines (4) and (21).

G ₄ status display key is operated television receiver operation commander, such as when the status display mode (7) (6) of the picture tube (42) to control the state of each device (hereinafter, referred to as status.) Shows the The operation when displaying messages sequentially will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In this case, in this example, the "manual display mode" and the "auto display mode" are set to the commander (7).
In the "manual display mode", only the status information of the device of the category consisting of one key operation is superimposed and displayed. In the "automatic display mode", the device of all categories can be displayed by one key operation. Status information is automatically superimposed and displayed sequentially.

In FIG. 8, when there is a remote control input from the commander (7) (step (119)), the channel selection CPU (32) proceeds to step (120) and checks whether or not the input command is a status display command. If it is not a status display command, a process corresponding to the input command is performed in step (121). When a status display command is input, the process proceeds to steps (122) to (125),
First, the tuning CPU (32) increments the variable n in the built-in RAM by one. This variable n is normally set to 0 when the power is turned on. Next, status request commands are sequentially output from the television receiver (6) to the devices of the nth category via the bus lines (4) and (21), and then the nth category devices are output.
Status information is sequentially returned from the category device to the television receiver (6). Tuning CPU (3
2) The built-in RA is organized by dividing the returned status information into the amount that can be displayed on one screen (hereinafter referred to as pages).
Remember in M. Thereafter, the tuning CPU (32) transmits the recorded status information to, for example, as shown in FIG.
The page is divided into pages (55A) and pages (56A) and sequentially superimposed and displayed on the video screen.

The channel selection CPU (32) proceeds to step (126) and checks whether or not the variable n is smaller than the maximum value N. If n is smaller than N, whether or not the current display mode is the "auto display mode" Is checked (step (127)). If the mode is the "auto display mode", the flow shifts to step (128), and after 5 seconds have passed since the last page of the n-th category is displayed, the operation of the tuning CPU (32) shifts to step (122). And ninth
As shown in FIG. B, the status display of the devices of the (n + 1) th category is made for each of pages (55B) to (58B). Also,
In step (127), if the mode is not the "auto display mode", that is, if the mode is the "manual display mode", the channel selection CPU (32) waits for remote control input (step (129)). In this state, when the viewer issues a status display command in the "manual display mode" from the command (7), the television receiver (6) displays the (n +
1) The status information of the category is displayed.

When the variable n reaches the maximum value N in step (126), that is, when the display of the status information of all the category devices is completed, the operation of the tuning CPU (32) proceeds to step (130), and the variable n is changed to Initially set to 0. Then, in step (131), a check is made to determine whether or not the camera is in the "auto display mode".
If, the final category display process is performed (step (132)). Specifically, after displaying the last page for 5 seconds, the superimposed display of the status information is turned off.
It would be possible to keep the last page displayed. When the mode is the "manual display mode" in step (131), the operation of the tuning CPU (32) shifts to step (129).

According to this example, the viewer may optionally choose the bus line (4),
There is an advantage that the control state of the device connected to (21) can be known. Further, when the viewer merely operates the status display key of the commander (7), the status information of each device is displayed on the video screen (42a) of the television receiver (6) as shown in FIGS. The pages are displayed sequentially by category and by page. Therefore, there is an advantage that the display is easy for the viewer to see.

In this example, status information is displayed for each category as shown in FIG. 9. However, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, only basic status information such as ON / OFF or open / close of each device is displayed. You may make it display collectively for every page.

Further, the commander (7) could be provided with a status display key for each category. In this case, there is an advantage that the status information of the category desired by the viewer can be quickly superimposed on the video image (42a) of the television receiver (6).

Next, the operation when the television receiver (6) receives a remote control input or a bus input during status display will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. in this case,
The operation of the tuning CPU (32) shifts to step (134) according to step (133) in FIG. 11. Since it is assumed that the status is currently being displayed, the flow directly shifts to step (136). Then, the tuning CPU (32) determines the head 1-byte device address and the 4-byte function code of the input control signal, and then displays the current status display, for example, from FIG. 12A to FIG. 12B. , The display is switched to the display of the category and page corresponding to the determined device and function (step (137)). further,
In step (138), the display portion (for example, the portion surrounded by the broken line (59) in FIG. 12B) of the determined device and function blinks (blinks) or
The display color of the display portion is made different from the display colors of the other portions. For example, if the display color of the superimposed display in FIG. 12A is green, the display color of the portion surrounded by the broken line (159) in FIG. 12B is yellow.

According to the example of FIG. 11, there is an advantage that the viewer can easily and surely confirm the occurrence of the bus input or the change of the control state of each device even during the status display.

Referring to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the operation when a demonstration of home bus information display is performed using the television receiver (6) of this example will be described.
In this case, the television receiver (6) can receive only the television broadcast signal, and the bus lines (4),
Other devices (10), (13), etc., need not be connected to (21).

To set the television receiver (6) of the present example to the demonstration mode, the power key is pressed while the volume adjustment key on the main body side of the receiver (6) is being pressed when the power is turned on. At this time, the operation of the channel selection CPU (32) is the first
3 Step (139) → Step (140) → Step (1
Perform the demonstration operation after shifting to 42). Then, the channel selection CPU (32) initializes the contents of the area for storing the status information of each device in the internal RAM according to the program of the internal ROM, and then stores the status information of each device in, for example, FIGS. As shown in (1), the images are sequentially superimposed and displayed on the video screen (steps (143) and (144)). Next, Fig. 14 Z
As shown in (1), status information of all categories is displayed for each category and each page (steps (145), (14)).
6). Thereafter, the operation of the channel selection CPU (32) proceeds to step (14).
Returning to 0), if the volume adjustment key is still being pressed, the demonstration operation is performed again.

According to the example shown in FIG. 13, the television receiver (6) operates as if a plurality of devices are connected to the bus lines (4) and (21).
There is an advantage that is effective when explaining a bus system.

Further, the television receiver (6) of this example is provided with a home / bus mode switch (60) as shown in FIG. 15A. When the home bus mode switch (60) is operated to set the television receiver (6) to the home bus mode, the picture tube (42) of the television receiver (6) is shown in FIG. As shown in A, only the status information of each device connected to the bus lines (4) and (21) is displayed alone on the entire surface. Specifically, for example, white status information is displayed in the blue greeting (blue back) (61). And, for example, at the entrance light (24
When A) is turned off, as shown in FIG. 15B, the display of "Genkan Light OFF" surrounded by a broken line (63) is switched to a blinking display (blinking) or a display of a different display color, and at the same time, A warning sound is emitted from the speaker (36) of the television receiver (6).

According to the example shown in FIG. 15, the television receiver (6) can be used exclusively as a monitor for a plurality of devices connected to the bus lines (4) and (21).

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be modified without changing the gist. For example, in FIG. 11, a warning sound is emitted from the speaker (36) of the television receiver (6) so as to warn the viewer when there is a remote control input or a bus input during the status display. Is also good.

H Effects of the Invention According to the home / bus information display system of the first invention, the image of the television receiver which is usually installed in a general home or office as described above and which is optimal as a terminal of a so-called man-machine interface. The control states of a plurality of devices are selectively superimposed and displayed on the screen in response to a request from the viewer. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a central control panel or the like, and the viewer can selectively know the control state of another electric device as necessary while watching the image on the screen of the television receiver. There is a benefit.

Further, according to the second invention, since the superimposed display is not always performed, there is an advantage that the display is not obstructed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the status display motor is provided, there is an advantage that the control state of the plurality of devices can be known whenever the viewer desires.

Further, according to the fourth aspect, since a plurality of control items of each of the plurality of devices are sequentially displayed on different display screens for each device, the control items of all devices can be changed without complicated operation by the viewer. There is an advantage that the display can be sequentially viewed in an easy-to-view display.

Further, according to the fifth aspect, there is an advantage that the viewer can quickly know the device whose control state has changed.

According to the sixth aspect, the display portion corresponding to the certain device blinks or has a display color different from the display color of the other portion. There is an advantage that a device that has been located can be easily identified.

Further, according to the seventh aspect, there is an advantage that the types of control states of the plurality of devices can be easily identified.

According to the eighth aspect, even when the plurality of devices are not connected to the television receiver via the bus line, the television is controlled as if the devices were connected. The state can be superimposed and displayed. Therefore, there is an advantage that a demonstration or the like can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a system according to an embodiment of a home / bus information display system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a television receiver according to the embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a remote control signal of the commander according to the embodiment; FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams each illustrating an operation at the time of status change in the embodiment; 8 ~
10 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the status display mode of the embodiment, respectively, FIGS. 11 and 12 are diagrams for explaining the operation when there is a bus input or the like during the status display, respectively. FIG. 13 to FIG. 15 are diagrams for explaining the operation in the demonstration mode and the like, respectively. (2) is an antenna line, (4) is a coaxial cable, (6) is a television receiver, (7) is a commander, (19) is a signal exchange device, (21) is an AC power line, (28) and ( 48) is a bus interface, and (42) is a picture tube.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshio Kube 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (56) References JP-A-62-30363 (JP, A) JP-A Sho JP-A-62-108680 (JP, A) JP-A-61-63132 (JP, A) JP-A-60-3712 (JP, A) JP-A-62-53082 (JP, A) A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H04Q 9/00-9/16

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of electric devices and a television receiver are connected by a bus line, and information indicating a control state is supplied from the plurality of electric devices to the television receiver via the bus line. Means for setting the television receiver to a mode for displaying the information is provided, and information indicating a control state of the plurality of electric devices is selectively superimposed on an image on a screen of the television receiver. A home bus information display system characterized by: 2. The home / bus information display system according to claim 1, wherein the superimposed display time is a predetermined time. 3. A home bus information display system according to claim 1, wherein a status display mode is provided in said television receiver, and said superimposed display is performed when said status display mode is set. 4. A home bus information display system according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of control items of each of said plurality of electric devices are sequentially displayed on different display screens for each of said electric devices. 5. When the television receiver receives information indicating a control state of a certain electric device among the plurality of electric devices during the status display mode period, the information indicating the control state is issued. 5. A home bus information display system according to claim 4, wherein the display screen is adapted to a display screen corresponding to a certain electric device. 6. A display portion corresponding to the certain electric device in a display screen corresponding to the certain electric device is blinked or displayed differently from a display color of another portion. The home bus information display method according to claim 5, wherein 7. The home bus information display system according to claim 1, wherein display colors are made different depending on types of control states of said plurality of electric devices. 8. A display means for displaying control items for demonstration of the plurality of electric devices on a television receiver which can be connected via a bus line of the plurality of electric devices, and a selection means for selecting the control items. A home bus information display system, wherein the demonstration control items are superimposed on an image on an image screen of the television receiver when the selecting means is operated.