JP4392690B2 - Remote controller type controller for TV receiver - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller type operating device for a television receiver in a CATV system terminal device capable of viewing general broadcasting including high-definition broadcasting such as terrestrial digital broadcasting and independent broadcasting including pay programs.

  CATV systems that are widely used in facilities such as hotels and inns use a terminal device that is a combination of a television receiver and a terminal unit, in addition to general broadcasts distributed over a network. The self-broadcast program distributed can be viewed.

The terminal unit has a built-in tuner that can select all channels of general broadcast and independent broadcast, and the AV signal of the selected channel (the video signal and the audio signal are generically referred to below, the same shall apply hereinafter) of the specific channel. It converts into a television broadcast signal and outputs to a television receiver (for example, patent document 1). Therefore, the viewer can view the programs of all channels via the television receiver by selecting and operating the tuner of the terminal unit. Note that independent broadcast programs include both free broadcasts and pay broadcasts.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-223511

  According to such a conventional technique, the tuner built in the terminal unit must be able to cope with high-definition broadcasting such as terrestrial digital broadcasting, which has a problem that the cost of the terminal unit tends to be excessive. .

  Accordingly, in view of the problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to allow a general broadcast including a high-definition broadcast to be viewed using a tuner built in the television receiver, and to limit the terminal unit to the independent broadcast viewing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a remote controller type operating device for a television receiver in a terminal device of a CATV system capable of reducing the cost of the terminal unit.

  In order to achieve such an object, a configuration of the present invention includes a television receiver that is distributed over a network and capable of viewing general broadcasts including high-definition broadcasts, and a tuner that selects independent broadcasts distributed over the network. A CATV system that transmits an operation code as an optical signal to both a built-in terminal unit that converts a TV broadcast signal of a designated channel into an AV signal and inputs the AV signal to the first external input terminal of the television receiver The remote controller type controller for the television receiver in the terminal device of FIG. 5 is a remote controller type operating device, and when each key belonging to the group of keys for channel selection of the independent broadcast is operated, any channel of the general broadcast is transmitted to the television receiver. And a code for selecting the TV receiver in the external input mode in this order as an optical signal. To, to the terminal unit, and its gist that sends the code for selecting a channel of independent broadcasting as an optical signal. However, the first external input terminal referred to here is an external input terminal that is first selected when the external input mode is selected from among a plurality of external input terminals prepared in a commercially available television receiver. .

  Each code for the television receiver can be repeatedly sent for 0.2 to 1 second.

  According to the configuration of the invention, the television receiver can view all channels of general broadcasts including high-definition broadcasts such as terrestrial digital broadcasts by selecting and operating a tuner built in the television receiver. On the other hand, the terminal unit targets only the independent broadcast except the general broadcast. When the independent broadcast is selected, the terminal unit outputs the AV signal of the selected channel to the first external input terminal of the television receiver. Therefore, when the independent broadcast is selected, the codes for general broadcast channel selection for the television receiver and the external input selection codes are sent in this order from the remote controller type controller, and are selected by the terminal unit via the television receiver. You can watch the program of the independent broadcast channel. In the television receiver, the external input mode is selected and the first external input terminal is automatically selected according to the general broadcast channel selection and external input selection codes from the operation unit. This is because it operates to reproduce the AV signal from the terminal unit input to the terminal.

  By adding the manufacturer code to the code for the television receiver, the controller can be used in common with any manufacturer's television receiver, and the manufacturer of the television receiver combined with the terminal unit can be made unquestioned. However, the manufacturer code is set in advance in the operation unit so as to match the manufacturer of the television receiver, for example, in accordance with the standard of the Home Appliances Association.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The CATV system terminal device includes a television receiver TV, a terminal unit 10, and a remote controller type operation device 20 (FIG. 1), and is connected to a network N of the CATV system.

  The television receiver TV has a built-in tuner (not shown), and can view all channels of general broadcasts distributed via the network N. The network N distributes a general broadcast including a high-definition broadcast such as a terrestrial digital broadcast from a center device (not shown), as well as an independent broadcast specific to the network N. Broadcast shall be included. The RF input terminal of the television receiver TV is connected to the network N via a distributor N1. Further, the television receiver TV includes a light receiving unit TVa that receives the optical signal Lt from the operation device 20, and can perform any necessary operation by the operation device 20. That is, the operation device 20 is configured for the television receiver TV.

  The terminal unit 10 is connected to the network N via a distributor N1. The output of the terminal unit 10 is input as an AV signal S to a first external input terminal among a plurality of external input terminals of the television receiver TV. The terminal unit 10 includes a light receiving unit 11 that receives the optical signal L from the operation device 20, and can perform any necessary operation using the operation device 20.

  The terminal unit 10 includes a tuner 13 (FIG. 2). The input side of the tuner 13 is connected to the distributor N1, and the output side is output to the outside as an AV signal S via the video output unit 14. The output of the light receiving unit 11 is connected to the tuner 13 via the control unit 12.

  A power key K1 is provided on the surface of the operation unit 20 (FIG. 3), a key group K2 for data broadcasting, a key group K3 for selecting a general broadcast channel of terrestrial analog broadcasting, digital terrestrial broadcasting, BS broadcasting. A key group K4 for channel selection for high-definition broadcasting and a key group K5 for channel selection for independent broadcasting including pay broadcasting are arranged. The key group K3 includes volume keys. When each key on the operation device 20 is operated, the corresponding optical signals L and Lt are sent out from the light emitting unit 21, and the television receiver TV and the terminal unit 10 can be made to perform necessary operations, respectively.

  The television receiver TV can select and view arbitrary channels of general broadcasts including high-definition broadcasts via the built-in tuner by operating the keys belonging to the key groups K3 and K4 of the operation unit 20. it can. At this time, the power key K1, the volume key belonging to the key group K3, and the keys belonging to the key group K2 are valid, and it is possible to enjoy bidirectional data broadcasting by operating the keys belonging to the key group K2. it can. This is because the operating device 20 can send a predetermined code to the television receiver TV via the optical signal Lt by operating these keys. However, a manufacturer code indicating the manufacturer of the television receiver TV is added to the code for the television receiver TV, and the manufacturer of the television receiver TV is set in the operation device 20 in advance. The manufacturer code is stored in advance as a data table in the controller 20 and the designated manufacturer code is read from the data table and used by designating the manufacturer.

  On the other hand, when each key belonging to the key group K5 is operated, the operating device 20 sends a channel selection code for independent broadcasting to the terminal unit 10 via the optical signal L. Therefore, since the control unit 12 of the terminal unit 10 decodes the code of the optical signal L and selects the designated channel via the tuner 13, the video output unit 14 converts the television broadcast signal of the designated channel into the AV signal S. Convert to and output. Therefore, the television receiver TV at this time can select the external input mode and reproduce the AV signal S input to the first external input terminal, so that the independent broadcast selected by the terminal unit 10 can be viewed. Become. The terminal unit 10 incorporates a bidirectional modem (not shown) in order to send a predetermined charging control signal to the center device via the network N when pay broadcasting is selected. Further, for example, the prepaid card may be used to settle the billing amount only on the terminal unit 10 side.

  When one of the channels for independent broadcasting is selected, the operating device 20 sets the television receiver TV to the external input mode and reproduces the AV signal S from the first external input terminal, for example, the program shown in FIG. According to the flowchart, the optical signals Lt and L are sent to the television receiver TV and the terminal unit 10, respectively.

  That is, the program starts when one of the channels for independent broadcasting is selected. First, a code for channel selection for general broadcasting is transmitted to the television receiver TV via the optical signal Lt (FIG. 4). Program step (1), hereinafter simply referred to as (1)). However, the code superimposed on the optical signal Lt at this time is any one of a reader part indicating the head of the code, a manufacturer code part indicating the manufacturer of the television receiver TV, and general broadcasting as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the data portion indicating the channel is serially continuous. Subsequently, the program sends, for example, a channel selection code of the independent broadcast shown in FIG. 5B to the terminal unit 10 via the optical signal L (2). The code shown in FIG. 5B is composed only of a data portion indicating the channel of the independent broadcast selected by the operation device 20.

  Thereafter, the program sends an external input selection code to the television receiver TV via the optical signal Lt (3). The code at this time is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, a reader unit indicating the head of the code, a manufacturer code unit indicating the manufacturer of the television receiver TV, and data for selecting the television receiver TV in the external input mode. The parts are serially continuous. Therefore, the television receiver TV receives the general broadcast channel selection code and the external input selection code in this order by the program steps (1) and (3) in FIG. While the terminal unit 10 operates to reproduce the AV signal S input to the first external input terminal, the terminal unit 10 receives the TV broadcast signal of the self-broadcast channel selected by the operation device 20 in the program step (2). The AV signal S is input to the first external input terminal of the television receiver TV. That is, the television receiver TV at this time can view the program of the selected independent broadcast channel.

  In the above description, this may be omitted for each reader unit in FIGS. 5A and 5C, and each manufacturer code unit may include a system code for designating an operation target device. Further, the data portion of FIG. 5B may include a system code in a part thereof.

  Note that in the program steps (1) and (3) in FIG. 4, the optical signal Lt is transmitted for a long time regardless of the operation time of the key on the operation unit 20, respectively. It is preferable to repeatedly send (for example, 0.2 to 1 second, preferably about 0.5 second). This is to further ensure the switching of the operation mode of the television receiver TV. Further, the program step (2) in FIG. 4 may be executed prior to the program step (1) or may be executed after the program step (3).

  Further, when executing the program steps (1) to (3) in FIG. 4, the optical signals Lt and L from the operating device 20 are reliably transmitted to both the television receiver TV and the light receiving portions TVa and 11 of the terminal unit 10, respectively. Shall be received. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the television receiver TV and the terminal unit 10, the light receiving directivities of the light receiving portions TVa and 11, the light emission intensity of the light emitting portion 21 of the operation unit 20, the light emission directivity, and the like are appropriately set. .

Overall configuration block diagram Main block diagram Surface diagram of the controller Program flow chart Code structure illustration

Explanation of symbols

TV ... TV receiver L, Lt ... Optical signal S ... AV signal 10 ... Terminal unit 20 ... Operator

Patent applicant Kitahishi Electric Co., Ltd.
Attorney Tadaaki Matsuda, Attorney

Claims (2)

Is delivered via a network, generally broadcast and capable television receiver viewing an internal tuner for selecting the independent broadcasting distributed via a network, AV signal TV broadcast signal of the specified channel including a high-definition broadcast converted into a remote controller for a television receiver in the terminal apparatus of the CATV system for transmitting the code for operation as an optical signal to both the terminal units to be input to the first external input terminal of the television receiver When a key belonging to a group of keys for channel selection of independent broadcasting is operated, a code for selecting any channel of general broadcasting and the television receiver are operated with respect to the television receiver. and code for selecting the machine to the external input mode sends out as this order optical signal, to the terminal unit, Remote controller type operating device for a television receiver, characterized in that sending the code for selecting a channel of the main broadcast as an optical signal. 2. The remote controller type operating device for a television receiver according to claim 1, wherein each code for the television receiver is repeatedly sent for 0.2 to 1 second.

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