JP4543252B2 - AV equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an AV apparatus for processing an audio signal or a video signal, and relates to a technique useful for developing an operation method of the apparatus adapted to user needs.

  In general, various electronic devices such as AV devices and home appliances are configured to perform a certain operation with respect to a certain operation. Also, for example, in a video recording / playback device such as a DVD recorder, the setup screen is not displayed even if the setup key is pressed during playback, and the operation is not affected even if the playback button or pause button is pressed during recording. Depending on the situation, the operation may or may not be accepted.

In addition, as a conventional technique, a user's frequently accessed page among the pages of the website showing the operation guide of the mobile phone and the setting contents assigned by the user to the function keys of the mobile phone are collected by an external computer, Supporting the operation of telephones by recording technology (for example, Patent Document 1) to be used for the next development of mobile phones, and by recording the operation history of the telephone on the terminal side and transferring the information of the operation history to the service center when trouble occurs A technique (for example, Patent Document 2) to be useful has been proposed.
JP 2002-237780 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-276271

  In a state where a certain operation is not accepted in the electronic device, when this operation is repeated many times by the user, it can be assumed that the user's request to execute this operation in this state appears. For example, if the setup key is pressed many times during playback of a DVD, it can be estimated that there is a request to execute device setup during playback.

  However, in the conventional electronic device, no attempt has been made to make use of the user's request that appears in the invalid operation.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an AV apparatus that can make use of a user's request that appears in an invalid operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is an AV apparatus for processing an audio signal or a video signal, an operation input unit having a plurality of operation keys for receiving a command operation to the apparatus, and an operation from the operation input unit Control means for receiving operation input to control the operation of the apparatus, invalid operation counting means for counting the number of invalid operation inputs not related to operation control of the apparatus among the operation inputs from the operation input section, and the operation input section Setting means capable of selectively setting the content of the operation control based on the operation input from when the number of invalid operation inputs counted by the invalid operation counting means exceeds a certain value. Further, the invalid operation is set to be valid .

According to such means, it is possible to confirm what invalid operations are being performed by the invalid operation counting means. Therefore, it is possible to make use of the user's request that appears in invalid operation, such as referring to the next product or upgrading the firmware etc. by pursuing the operation method and function requested by the user.
In addition, since the operation method of the device is automatically changed according to the feature of the device operation performed by each user by the setting means, the user's request that appears in the invalid operation is promptly reflected in the device operation method. I can do it.

  Preferably, the invalid operation counting means has an invalid operation list indicating the type of invalid operation, and counts the number of invalid operation inputs when there is an invalid operation of the type registered in the invalid operation list. It is good to constitute so that.

  If the number of inputs is counted for all invalid operations performed by the user, there is a concern that the storage area is wasted for invalid operations that are not very helpful. Thus, by providing a list of invalid operations for counting in advance as in the above-described means, it is possible to efficiently count invalid operations with high necessity in a small storage area.

  More preferably, communication means capable of data communication by connecting to a computer network, and invalid operation number transmission means for transmitting the number of invalid operation inputs counted by the invalid operation counting means to the outside via the communication means; It is good to have.

  According to such a configuration, for example, data relating to invalid operations can be collectively collected from a plurality of user devices via a computer network such as the Internet.

  More preferably, the rewritable storage means for storing the control program, and a control program update means for downloading the control program from an external device and updating the control program of the storage means, the invalid operation number transmission means. Is preferably configured to transmit the number of invalid operation inputs when the control program is updated by the control program updating means.

  According to such a configuration, opportunities for information to be transmitted to the outside are limited, and the user can easily recognize when the information is transmitted, so that a sense of security can be given to the user.

  As described above, according to the present invention, information on the number of invalid operations performed by the user is recorded. Based on this information, a hidden request regarding the operation of the user's device is found, and this request is updated to the firmware version. This has the effect that it can be reflected in the development of the next product and the operation method of the current equipment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an AV apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of connection between the AV apparatus and a server computer that collects invalid operation information.

  The AV apparatus 1 according to this embodiment records, for example, a video content such as a broadcast program on a recordable DVD (digital versatile disc) or reproduces it. The AV apparatus 1 includes a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 20 that has a plurality of input keys and allows a user to perform a command operation on the apparatus, a plurality of key switches 10a, and a light receiving unit 10b of the remote controller 20. A key input unit (operation input unit) 10 that receives a command operation from the user to the device, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that controls the device centrally, and a LAN (Local Area Network) port 12 are connected to the computer network. A network processing unit 13 as communication means for connecting and transmitting / receiving data, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 14 for providing a work space to the CPU 11, and a nonvolatile rewritable storage means for storing control programs and various data The flash ROM 15 and the video signal and audio signal are extracted from the broadcast signal, and the analog video signal and sound are extracted. An AV module 17 or the like is provided for compressing voice signals into digital data and vice versa, and for reading and writing data on a DVD.

  Among these configurations, a control program update unit, an invalid operation count unit, and an invalid operation count transmission unit are configured by software processing of the CPU 11 based on the control program stored in the flash ROM 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the AV apparatus 1 configured as described above can perform data communication with an external server computer 7 via the Internet 5 by being connected to a home LAN, for example. ing. That is, communication with the Internet 5 side is performed via the router 3 connected to the home LAN. Although not particularly limited, the home LAN is connected to other AV devices (for example, digital tuner 4) and a local host 2 that manages and mediates communication between the AV apparatus 1 and the server computer 7. May be. For example, a set top box or the like can be applied as the local host 2. When the local host 2 performs mediation / management of communication, the data is once transmitted from the AV apparatus 1 to the local host 2, and then the data is transferred from the local host 2 to the server computer 7. I can do it. By using the local host 2 in this way, the communication setting of the AV apparatus 1 can be simplified.

  The AV device 1 is integrated with the functions of the local host 2 and the router 3 to form a single AV device 1A, which is directly connected to the Internet to transmit / receive data to / from the server computer 7. You can also

  The server computer 7 is managed and operated, for example, by the manufacturer of the AV apparatus 1, and the firmware of the AV apparatus 1 is uploaded and distributed to each user, or the invalid operation count information is collected from each user's AV apparatus 1. It is something to do.

  In the AV apparatus 1, the CPU 11 executes a control program stored in the flash ROM 15, and when the user operates the remote controller 20 or the key switch 10a based on the control program, the state of the apparatus at that time and its state The AV module 17 or the like is made to perform a predetermined operation according to the type of input operation.

  For example, if a power-on operation is performed in the standby mode, the CPU 11 transmits a command to each unit to activate each unit, and if the playback button or the record button is operated when the DVD drive is stopped, the CPU 11 causes the AV module to operate. A command is transmitted to 17 to start playback of the DVD and recording of the currently broadcast video content on the DVD. If the channel up or channel down key is operated when the DVD drive is stopped, the CPU 11 transmits a command to the tuner of the AV module 17 to change the selected channel. If the setup key is operated when the DVD drive is stopped, the CPU 11 transmits a character code or the like to the OSD (On Screen Display) processing circuit in the AV module 17 to display a setting screen, and sets the device according to the setting menu. Start processing.

  Here, for example, when a setup key is operated during a DVD playback operation, depending on the state of the device at that time and the type of the input key that is operated, there are some that are not reflected in the operation control of the device. Such an operation is referred to as an invalid operation in this specification.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the invalid operation list stored in the flash ROM 15 of the AV apparatus 1.

  In the AV apparatus 1 of this embodiment, among the invalid operations as described above, the number of operations is counted, and the count value is recorded in the flash ROM 15. In addition, the flash ROM 15 stores an invalid operation list (FIG. 3) showing types of invalid operations for counting the number of operations, and data on the number of operations is stored in one item in the list. It has become.

  The invalid operation list includes a model code item indicating the device type, an identification code item identifying the invalid operation type, a device status item indicating the operation state of the device at the time of operation, a key type item indicating the operation key, And the number of operations is recorded, and values are set for the above-described model code, identification code, device status, and key type items. The CPU 11 is input when there is an invalid operation. Whether the invalid operation is registered in the invalid operation list is searched, and if it is registered, the number of times is counted and the value is updated.

  At a predetermined timing, the number of invalid operations is transmitted from the AV apparatus 1 to the server computer 7 and collected. At that time, the model code, the identification code, and the number of times data are transmitted as a set. Since the transmission data is such a data set, the server computer 7 side can collect the number of times data in a state where the types of invalid operations can be identified from a plurality of models.

  The type of invalid operation registered in the invalid operation list is not particularly limited. For example, operation of a setup key during DVD playback (data with identification code “1” in FIG. 3), DVD recording, and the like. Operation of the reproduction key in the middle (data of identification code “2” in FIG. 3), operation of the channel up key during switching of the selected channel of the tuner (data of identification code “3” in FIG. 3), and the like. With these invalid operations, for example, it is assumed that there is a user's request to set the device during DVD playback, to perform chasing playback during DVD recording, or to perform channel switching at a higher speed. I can do it.

  Next, processing for collecting invalid operation logs and transmitting data to the server by the AV apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of main processing related to invalid operation log collection and data transmission executed by the CPU 11 of the AV apparatus 1.

  The main process of FIG. 4 is a process executed by the CPU 11 in parallel with other processes from when the power is turned on. When this process is started, first, in step S1, an invalid operation log collection subroutine process described later is performed, and the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, it is determined whether or not the user has performed a firmware upgrade start operation. If the start operation has not been performed, the process returns to step S1, but if the start operation has been performed, the process proceeds to the next step S3.

  In step S 3, the model code, the identification code, and the frequency data are collected from the invalid operation list stored in the flash ROM 15, and this data is transmitted to the server computer 7. Next, in step S4, the count data in the invalid operation list of the flash ROM 15 is cleared.

  Subsequently, in step S5, new firmware is downloaded from the server computer 7 and version upgrade is executed. And it returns to step S1 and repeats such a process again from the said step.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the log collection subroutine processing in step S1 of FIG.

  When the process proceeds to the log collection subroutine process (step S1) in FIG. 4, first, in step S11, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 seconds) has elapsed since the start of the log collection process. For example, the log collection process is terminated and the process returns to the main process of FIG.

  In step S12, it is determined whether there is a key input from the remote controller 20 or the key switch 10a of the key input unit 10. If there is a key input, the process proceeds to step S13, but if not, the process returns to step S11.

  As a result, when there is a key input and the process proceeds to step S13, the current state of the apparatus and the type of the input key are compared with the registration data of the invalid operation list (see FIG. 3), Determine if there is a match. If there is no match, the process returns to step S11. If there is a match, “1” is added to the invalid operation list count data in step S14, and it is stored in the invalid operation list of the flash ROM 15 in step S15. Is performed, and the process returns to step S11.

  By such main processing and log collection processing, when the user performs an operation registered in the invalid operation list of FIG. 3, the number of times is counted and the number of times data is accumulated in the invalid operation list. When the user updates the firmware of the apparatus, invalid operation count data is transmitted to the server computer 7, and this count data is aggregated on the server computer 7 side.

  As described above, according to the AV apparatus of this embodiment, on the server computer 7 side, it is possible to check what invalid operations are performed by the user, and the operations requested by the user are thereby performed. By guessing the method and function, it can be used as a reference when developing the next product, or as a reference when developing the next firmware, and the user's request expressed by the invalid operation can be utilized.

  In addition, since the types of invalid operations to be counted are registered in the list in advance, useful data can be efficiently collected with a small storage capacity compared to counting invalid operations randomly.

  Since the invalid operation count data is transmitted when the firmware is upgraded, the user can easily recognize when the information is transmitted, and can give the user a sense of security.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, although a DVD recorder is exemplified as the AV apparatus, the present invention can be applied to various AV apparatuses such as an HDD (hard disk) recorder, a digital tuner, and a digital television.

  Further, although the types of invalid operations for counting the number of times are registered in the list in advance, it is also possible to count all invalid operations without registration. In addition, the types of invalid operations registered in the list in the above embodiment are merely examples.

Further, the invalid operation count is transmitted to the server computer 7 via the Internet 5, but it may be stored in the apparatus without being transmitted. In this case, for example, when the apparatus is repaired, It is also possible to use invalid operation information by collecting the data at the time of recycling collection. Further, the transmission timing to the server computer 7 can be performed not only at the time of firmware version upgrade but also at various timings.
[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of key input processing executed by the CPU of the AV apparatus in the second embodiment.

  The AV apparatus 1 of this embodiment is obtained by adding one software configuration to the first embodiment, and the other configurations are the same. The added software configuration is to count the number of specific invalid operations and automatically change the operation settings of the apparatus when the number of invalid operations exceeds a certain value.

  The details are as follows. For example, if a mechanical key (that is, PLAY key, STOP key, SKIP key, FF key, etc.) is pressed when the setting screen is called up during DVD playback and the setting mode is set, these operations are invalidated under normal circumstances. As a result, the operation of the apparatus is not affected. However, when the number of invalid operations exceeds a certain value, the setting of the control program is changed so that the operation by the mechanical key is performed even when the setting mode is set during DVD playback.

  In order to realize such a function, in the AV apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the first processing flow that treats the mechanical key in the setting mode as invalid and the mechanical key in the setting mode are enabled in the control program of the flash ROM 15. The second processing flow to be handled by the CPU 11 is prepared in advance, and the processing flow executed by the CPU 11 is changed from the first processing flow to the second processing flow by rewriting a part of certain setting data. Has been.

  Further, when any of the operation keys is pressed, the key input process shown in FIG. 6 is executed. When this key input process is started, first, in step S21, it is determined whether or not the state of the apparatus is during DVD playback and the setting screen is being displayed (that is, in the setting mode). If it is in this state, the process proceeds to the next step S22.

  In step S22, it is determined whether or not the input operation key is a mechanical key. If it is not a mechanical key, the key input process is terminated. If it is a mechanical key, the process proceeds to the next step S23.

  In step S23, referring to the invalid operation list of FIG. 3, the number of invalid operation list data whose device status is “playing and in setting mode” and whose key type is “mechanical key” is acquired and set value (for example, 100 times). ) Is exceeded. Note that the invalid operation list frequency data is updated by the log collection processing of FIG. 5 being executed in parallel.

  If the set value does not exceed the set value as a result of the discrimination process in step S23, the key input process is terminated as it is. If the set value is exceeded, the setting of the control program is changed to effectively handle the mechanical key in the set mode. The second processing flow is executed. And this key input process is complete | finished.

  As described above, according to the AV apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the user performs many specific invalid operations, and the operation method of the apparatus is automatically changed according to the invalid operations. There is an effect that the user's preference can be promptly reflected in the operation method of the apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, an example of changing the setting of the control program when a large number of mechanical keys are pressed during the reproduction operation and in the setting mode has been described, but the type of invalid operation for changing the setting of the control program, Various contents of the control program setting change can be applied. Further, the method of changing the setting of the control program is not limited to the case of performing the flow process of FIG. 6 and can be executed by various methods.

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the AV apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a system block diagram which shows the example of a connection of the AV apparatus of this Embodiment, and the server computer which collects invalid operation information. It is a data chart which shows an example of the invalid operation list | wrist stored in the flash ROM of AV apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the main process which concerns on the log collection and data transmission of invalid operation performed by CPU of AV apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the log collection subroutine process of step S1 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the key input process performed by CPU of AV apparatus in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 AV apparatus 5 Internet 7 Server computer 10 Key input part 10a Key switch 10b Infrared light receiving part 11 CPU
13 Network processing unit 15 Flash ROM
17 AV module 20 Remote control

Claims (4)

An AV device for processing an audio signal or a video signal,
An operation input unit having a plurality of operation keys for receiving a command operation to the device;
Control means for receiving an operation input from the operation input unit to control the operation of the apparatus;
Invalid operation counting means for counting the number of invalid operation inputs not related to the operation control of the apparatus among the operation inputs from the operation input unit;
Setting means capable of selectively setting the content of operation control based on an operation input from the operation input unit;
With
The AV apparatus , wherein the setting unit is configured to set the invalid operation to be valid when the number of invalid operation inputs counted by the invalid operation counting unit exceeds a certain value . The invalid operation counting means has an invalid operation list indicating the type of invalid operation, and counts the number of invalid operation inputs when there is an invalid operation of the type registered in the invalid operation list. The AV apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the AV apparatus is configured. A communication means capable of data communication by connecting to a computer network;
Invalid operation number transmission means for transmitting the number of invalid operation inputs counted by the invalid operation counting means to the outside via the communication means;
That it comprises a AV device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in. Rewritable storage means for storing the control program;
Control program update means for downloading a control program from an external device and updating the control program in the storage means,
4. The AV apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the invalid operation count transmission means transmits the invalid operation input count when the control program is updated by the control program update means.

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