JP5239114B2 - Display device and method, program, recording medium, and composite display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device and method, a program, a recording medium, and a composite display device. In particular, when a display device such as a large number of television receivers is connected and used, convenience and entertainment can be improved. The present invention relates to a display device and method, a program, a recording medium, and a composite display device.

  In a television receiver, a television broadcast signal is received, an image as a television broadcast program is displayed, and sound accompanying the image is output. However, a conventional television receiver is a single unit. Therefore, when a user purchases a new television receiver, the television receiver owned by the user becomes unnecessary and can still be used. However, it is often discarded.

  Therefore, when a large number of television receivers are connected and higher functions can be realized than when a single television receiver is connected, the disposal of usable television receivers can be prevented, thereby contributing to effective use of resources. it can.

  In view of this, a technique has been proposed in which, when a large number of display devices such as television receivers are connected and used, higher functions can be realized than when used alone (for example, Patent Documents). (See 1)

  According to the technique of Patent Literature 1, for example, an image can be displayed as a single unit on each of nine display devices, and one image is displayed by an aggregate of display devices including nine display devices. Can be done.

JP 2003-195843 A

  However, many more application examples are conceivable as a method for displaying an image when a large number of display devices such as television receivers are connected and used. For example, if processing such as channel switching for switching the channel of an image displayed on a display device is performed on a large number of display devices, it is possible to obtain a visual effect that has not been obtained in the past. Each of the display devices must be instructed to execute channel switching, which increases the burden on the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and is intended to improve convenience and entertainment when a large number of display devices such as television receivers are connected and used. is there.

A display device according to the present invention is a display device that constitutes a composite image display device that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are attached to and attached to a plurality of attachment positions, and is included in the composite display device. Storage means for storing each of the attachment positions of the plurality of display devices and a table for associating the plurality of image signals, position information acquisition means for acquiring information representing the attachment position of the display device in the composite image display device, and storage Based on the table stored in the means and the information indicating the attachment position acquired by the position information acquisition means, the signal of the image displayed on the display unit is selected from the plurality of image signals. A combination of a selection unit and a plurality of image data generated based on a plurality of image signals selected by the plurality of selection units at a predetermined ratio. And a receiving means for receiving a command instructed to the composite image display device, and the table stored in the storage means includes a first image signal and an attachment position of one display device. The second image signals are associated with each other, and the synthesis unit increases the synthesis ratio of the second image to the first image by a preset value at a preset time interval, The second image is synthesized with the image of the image, and the table stored in the storage means is updated based on the command received by the receiving means. As a result of the update of the table, before the command is received, The first image signal associated with the attachment position in the table after the command is received is the signal that was the second image signal associated with the attachment position in FIG. Before receiving the command, the signal that was the first image signal associated with the mounting position adjacent to the mounting position in the table is received in the table after receiving the command. The second image signal is associated with the attachment position .

The display method of the present invention is a display method of a display device that constitutes a composite image display device that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are attached to and attached to a plurality of attachment positions. A storage step of storing a table for associating each of the plurality of display devices with each other, and a table for associating the plurality of image signals with each other, and a position information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the own mounting position in the composite image display device Based on the table stored by the processing of the storage step and the information indicating the mounting position acquired by the processing of the position information acquisition step, and displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of image signals. A selection step for selecting a signal of the image to be selected, and a plurality of image signals selected by processing of the plurality of selection steps A table that is stored in the process of the storing step, including a combining step for combining the data of the plurality of generated images at a predetermined ratio and a receiving step for receiving a command instructed to the composite image display device. The first image signal and the second image signal are respectively associated with the mounting position of one display device. In the process of the compositing step, the first image signal with respect to the first image is set at a preset time interval. 2 is increased by a preset value, the second image is combined with the first image, and the table is updated based on the command received by the processing of the reception step, As a result of updating the table, a signal that was the second image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table before receiving the command is the command received. Later, the first image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table was used as the first image signal, and the first image signal was associated with the mounting position adjacent to its own mounting position in the table before receiving the command. The signal that is the first image signal is a second image signal that is associated with its own mounting position in the table after receiving the command .

The program of the present invention is a program that causes a display device that constitutes a composite image display device that displays an image on a plurality of display devices that are attached to a plurality of attachment positions and configured to be detachable to execute display processing, Each of the mounting positions of the plurality of display devices in the composite display device, a storage control step for controlling storage of a table for associating the plurality of image signals, and information indicating its own mounting position in the composite image display device A plurality of images based on a position information acquisition control step for controlling acquisition, a table stored by the process of the storage control step, and information representing the attachment position acquired by the process of the position information acquisition control step A selection control step for controlling selection of an image signal to be displayed on the display unit from among the signals; And a composite image display device that controls the composition of a plurality of image data generated based on the plurality of image signals selected by the processing of the plurality of selection steps at a predetermined ratio. And a reception control step for controlling reception of a command commanded to the table, and the table stored in the processing of the storage control step includes the first image signal and the first image for the attachment position of one display device. 2 image signals are associated with each other, and in the process of the composition control step, the composition ratio of the second image to the first image is increased by a preset value at a preset time interval, second image is synthesized in the first image, based on the received command by the processing of the reception control step, a table is updated, the update of the table results, before Before receiving the command, the signal that was the second image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table was associated with its own mounting position in the table after receiving the command. The first image signal, which is the first image signal associated with an attachment position adjacent to its own attachment position in the table before the command is received, is received after the command is received. The second image signal is associated with its own mounting position in the table .

In the display device and method, and the program of the present invention, a table that associates each mounting position of a plurality of display devices and a plurality of image signals in the composite display device is stored. The information indicating the mounting position of the image is acquired, and based on the table and the information indicating the mounting position of the user, the signal of the image displayed on the display unit is selected from the plurality of image signals and selected. Data of a plurality of images generated based on a plurality of image signals are combined at a predetermined ratio, and a command instructed to the composite image display device is received. In addition, in the table, the first image signal and the second image signal are respectively associated with the attachment position of one display device, and the second image with respect to the first image is set at a preset time interval. The image synthesis ratio is increased by a preset value, the second image is synthesized with the first image, the table is updated based on the command received by the processing of the reception step, and the table As a result of the update, the signal that was the second image signal associated with the mounting position of the table in the table before receiving the command is mounted in the table after receiving the command. The first image signal associated with a position is the first image signal associated with an attachment position adjacent to its own attachment position in the table before receiving the command. Signal was image signal, after receiving the command, is a second image signal associated with their mounting position in the table.

  According to the present invention, when a number of display devices such as television receivers are connected and used, convenience and entertainment can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The correspondence relationship between the invention described in this specification and the embodiments of the invention is exemplified as follows. This description is intended to confirm that the embodiments supporting the invention described in this specification are described in the specification. Therefore, even if there is an embodiment which is described in the specification but is not described here, this means that the embodiment does not correspond to the invention. It is not a thing. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described herein as corresponding to an invention, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to an invention other than the invention. Absent.

  Further, this description does not mean that all the inventions described in the specification are claimed. In other words, this description is for the invention described in the specification and not claimed in this application, i.e., for the invention that will be filed in division or applied or added in the future. It does not deny existence.

The display device according to claim 1 is a composite image display device (for example, the scalable television system 100 in FIG. 1) that displays images on a plurality of display devices that are attached to a plurality of attachment positions and configured to be detachable. A storage device (for example, a table holding unit 203 in FIG. 5) that stores a table that correlates each mounting position of a plurality of display devices and a plurality of image signals in the composite display device. Position information acquisition means (for example, the central processing unit 202 of FIG. 13 that executes the processing of step S101 of FIG. 11) that acquires information representing the attachment position of itself in the composite image display device, and the storage means And the information stored in the table and the information indicating the attachment position acquired by the position information acquisition means. Accordingly, a selection means (for example, the tuner 205 in FIG. 5) for selecting an image signal to be displayed on the display unit from the plurality of image signals, and a plurality of image signals selected by the plurality of selection means. And a receiving means for receiving a command commanded to the composite image display device, and stored in the storage means. In the table, the first image signal and the second image signal are respectively associated with one mounting position of the display device, and the synthesizing unit performs the first image signal at a predetermined time interval. The second image with respect to the second image is increased by a preset value, the second image is synthesized with the first image, and based on the command received by the receiving means The table stored in the storage means is updated, the result of the update of the table, before receiving the command, signal said a second image signal associated with their mounting position in the table After the command is received, the first image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table is used as the first image signal, and before the command is received, the table is positioned adjacent to its own mounting position. The signal that is the associated first image signal is set as the second image signal that is associated with its own mounting position in the table after receiving the command .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite image display device (for example, the scalable television system 100 in FIG. 1) that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are attached to a plurality of attachment positions and configured to be detachable. A display method of a constituent display device, wherein a storage step (for example, step S102 in FIG. 11) stores a table associating each mounting position of each of the plurality of display devices in the composite display device with each of a plurality of image signals. ), A position information acquisition step (for example, the process of step S101 in FIG. 11) for acquiring information indicating the own attachment position in the composite image display device, and the storage step described above. The table and its own attachment position acquired by the processing of the position information acquisition step are displayed. A selection step (for example, step S103 in FIG. 11) for selecting an image signal to be displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of image signals, based on the information on the image, and a plurality of the selection steps. A combination step of combining a plurality of image data generated based on the plurality of image signals performed at a predetermined ratio, and a reception step of receiving a command instructed to the composite image display device, In the table stored in the storage step process, the first image signal and the second image signal are associated with one mounting position of the display device, respectively. The composition ratio of the second image to the first image is increased by a preset value at a set time interval, and the second image is added to the first image. And the table is updated based on the command received by the processing of the reception step, and as a result of the table update, before the command is received, the table is associated with the mounting position of the table. The signal that was the second image signal is the first image signal associated with its mounting position in the table after receiving the command, and before the command is received, A signal that is the first image signal associated with the attachment position adjacent to its own attachment position is a second signal associated with the attachment position within the table after receiving the command. It is an image signal.

The program according to claim 3 constitutes a composite image display device (for example, the scalable television system 100 in FIG. 1) that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are attached to and attached to a plurality of attachment positions. A storage control step for controlling storage of a table for associating each of the plurality of display devices in the composite display device with each of the attachment positions and the plurality of image signals, respectively. , Processing in step S102 in FIG. 11), position information acquisition control step (for example, processing in step S101 in FIG. 11) for controlling acquisition of information indicating its own mounting position in the composite image display device, The table stored by the process of the storage control step and the position information acquisition control step A selection control step for controlling selection of an image signal displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of image signals based on the information representing the attachment position acquired by the processing of the image (for example, Step S103) of FIG. 11 is executed by the computer, and the synthesis of the data of the plurality of images generated based on the plurality of image signals selected by the processing of the plurality of selection steps is controlled at a predetermined ratio. A combination control step; and a reception control step for controlling reception of a command instructed to the composite image display device. The table stored in the processing of the storage control step is attached to one display device. The first image signal and the second image signal are associated with the position, respectively, and in the process of the synthesis control step, at a preset time interval The composition ratio of the second image to the first image is increased by a preset value, and the second image is synthesized with the first image. Based on the received command, the table is updated, and as a result of updating the table, the second image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table is received before the command is received. The signal is the first image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table after receiving the command, and the mounting is adjacent to the mounting position in the table before receiving the command. The second image signal that is the first image signal associated with the position is associated with its own attachment position in the table after the command is received. It is.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example according to an embodiment of a scalable television system 100 to which the present invention is applied. In the example of FIG. 1, a scalable television system 100 to which 9 (3 × 3) display devices can be attached is shown. The scalable television system 100 is configured, for example, by connecting a plurality of units to which a plurality of display devices can be mounted at a predetermined mounting position, and increasing or decreasing the number of connected units. Thus, the number of display devices can be freely increased or decreased.

  For example, a unit capable of attaching three display devices 121A to 121C in a line in the vertical direction in the figure, a unit capable of attaching three display devices 122A to 122C in a line in the vertical direction in the figure, and a display The scalable television system 100 of FIG. 1 is obtained by connecting three units 123A to 123C in a row in the vertical direction in the drawing and connecting them in a row in the horizontal direction in the drawing. Is configured.

  In the example of FIG. 1, the scalable television system 100 is provided with nine display devices 121A to 123C. The display devices 121A to 123C are provided with a display unit for displaying an image on the front surface (the front side of the paper surface), and a part or all of the rear surface is attached so as to be in contact with the unit constituting the scalable television system 100 described above. ing. Each of the display devices 121A to 123C has a communication function for communicating with other display devices. For example, the display devices 121A to 123C are connected to the unit via a connector provided on the back of each display device. They are connected with cables so that they can communicate with each other. Accordingly, the display devices 121A to 123C are connected to other display devices via connectors, units, and the like, respectively, and can transmit and receive various types of information as necessary.

  Each of the nine display devices 121A to 123C has the same shape and function, and includes, for example, a display unit configured to receive a television broadcast signal, a video signal, and the like and is configured by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like. An image is displayed on the screen, or a sound is output from a sound output unit composed of a speaker or the like. In the scalable television system 100, each display device can function independently, and a group of nine display devices can function as a single display device.

  In the scalable television system 100, when individual display devices function independently, separate images are displayed on the display devices 121A to 123C as shown in FIG. In this way, a state in which each display device functions independently is referred to as an independent mode in the present invention.

  Further, in the scalable television system 100, when an aggregate of nine display devices functions as one display device, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, one image is displayed by the display devices 121A to 123C. The In this way, a state in which an assembly of nine display devices functions as one display device is referred to as a collective mode in the present invention. In the collective mode, one image is not necessarily displayed on the display devices 121A to 123C. For example, different images may be displayed on the display devices 121A to 123C in synchronization.

  In addition, each of the display devices 121A to 123C of the scalable television system 100 performs channel switching processing for switching the channel of the displayed image based on, for example, an instruction from a user by a remote commander (remote controller) (not shown). To do. Here, the channel switching process is a process of switching a signal received by the tuner in order and switching a displayed image to an image of the next channel every time a user command is received.

  When the scalable television system 100 is operating in the single mode, channel switching in each display device is performed as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C.

  FIG. 3A shows an example in which channel switching is instructed by a remote controller or the like while display device 121A has displayed the first channel (hereinafter described as 1ch). Note that the channel number indicated above the arrow in the figure represents the channel number of the image immediately before being displayed as a result of switching. That is, in the figure, together with the channel switching command, it represents that the 1ch image has been switched to the 3ch image. When the scalable television system 100 is operating in the independent mode, the remote control command is received by each of the individual display devices.

  After that, when channel switching is instructed again, the 3ch image is switched to the 4ch image together with the channel switching command, as shown in FIG. 3B. Further, when channel switching is commanded, as shown in FIG. 3C, the 4ch image is switched to the 6ch image together with the channel switching command.

  Here, the channel of the broadcast signal is switched in the order of 1ch, 3ch, 4ch, 6ch,. In other words, 2ch and 5ch images are skipped and switched.

  Although the channel switching of the display device 121A has been described here, the same processing is performed in each of the display devices 121B to 123C if there is a channel switching command.

  On the other hand, when the scalable television system 100 is operating in the collective mode, channel switching in each display device is performed as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C. 4A to 4C are simplified views of the scalable television system 100, and the display units of the display devices 121A to 123C in FIG. 1 are represented as nine rectangular frames in the drawing.

  4A shows an initial state. In this example, a 1ch image is displayed on the display device 121A, a 3ch image is displayed on the display device 121B,... 1 image (which represents the channel number) is displayed.

  In the initial state shown in FIG. 4A, when channel switching is commanded by a remote controller or the like, as shown in FIG. 4B, the image of each display device is switched together with the channel switching command. That is, on the display device 121A, the 1ch image that has been displayed so far is displayed by switching to the 3ch image, and on the display device 121B, the 3ch image that has been displayed so far is converted into a 4ch image. In the display device 123C, the image of BS1 that has been displayed is switched to the image of BS2 and displayed.

  When the scalable television system 100 is operating in the collective mode, the remote control command is received by any one of the display devices 121A to 123C, and the display device that has received the command transmits the command to another Transmit (broadcast) to the display device. That is, at that time (once), processing corresponding to the command instructed by the user is executed in all the display devices.

  Thereafter, when channel switching is instructed again, as shown in FIG. 4C, the image of each display device is switched together with the channel switching instruction. That is, on the display device 121A, the 3ch image that has been displayed so far is switched to the 4ch image and displayed, and on the display device 121B, the 4ch image that has been displayed so far becomes a 6ch image. In the display device 123C, the image of BS2 that has been displayed so far is switched to the image of Video (representing the channel number of the video signal) 1 and displayed.

  In this way, channel switching in the collective mode is performed. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to command channel switching for each of the display devices 121A to 123C, and only the channel switching command is given to the entire scalable television system 100. In this case, synchronized channel switching is performed.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the display devices 121A to 123C.

  In this example, a control information communication unit 201 is provided inside the display devices 121A to 123C. The control information communication unit 201 controls communication performed with other display devices via, for example, a connector provided on the back surface of the display device, and is provided, for example, on the front surface of the display device. Sensor information corresponding to a command transmitted from the remote controller is acquired via an infrared sensor or the like.

  The central processing unit 202 generates a channel table or a display switching table necessary for associating displayable channel numbers with the display devices 121A to 123C, and stores them in the table holding unit 203. The channel table and the display switching table will be described later. The central processing unit 202 controls the tuner 205 based on the information acquired by the control information communication unit 201.

  The signal acquisition unit 204 receives and acquires an image or audio signal such as a broadcast signal via an antenna (not shown), performs processing such as amplifying the signal as necessary, and supplies the signal to the tuner 205. To do. The signal acquisition unit 204 is not limited to a broadcast signal, and may acquire an image or audio signal (video signal) output from a video or DVD playback device, for example.

  The tuner 205 selects a channel of an image or audio signal to be received (for example, a predetermined frequency), receives an image or audio signal of that channel from the signal acquisition unit 204, and receives the received signal as necessary. The image signal or the audio signal to be displayed or output is generated by demodulating the signal, and the image signal or the audio signal is output to the image output unit 206 or the audio output unit 207, respectively.

  The image output unit 206 displays an image on a display unit such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) provided on the front surface of the display device based on the image signal output from the tuner 205. In addition, the audio output unit 207 outputs audio from, for example, a speaker provided on the front surface of the display device based on the audio signal output from the tuner 205.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the above-described channel table. As shown in the figure, in the channel table, a channel number and a table number are described in association with each other.

  In the figure, the channel number is described as a signal channel that can be acquired from the signal acquisition unit 204. In this example, “1 (ch)”, “2 (ch)”,... “V (represents Video) 2” are described. The channel numbers “1” to “14” represent the first to fourteenth channels of terrestrial broadcasting, “BS1” and “BS2” represent the first and second channels of satellite broadcasting, and “ “v1” and “v2” represent the first channel and the second channel of the video signal.

  Each of these channel numbers is associated with a table number that is a continuous number of 1 to 12. The number of table numbers is determined according to the number of signal channels that can be acquired by the signal acquisition unit 204. In this example, since the number of signal channels that can be acquired by the signal acquisition unit 204 is 12, the table numbers are 1 to 12.

  Then, the channel table of FIG. 6 and the ID for specifying the display devices 121A to 123C are mapped as shown in FIG. 7 to generate the above-described display switching table. In FIG. 7, display devices 121A to 123C are indicated by IDs “A1” to “C3”, respectively. These IDs are determined according to the position where the display device is attached in the scalable television system 100, and each of the display devices 121A to 123C stores its own ID in advance. Alternatively, as the scalable television system 100 is activated, each display device is notified of its own ID, for example, by an electrical signal, via a connector or the like provided at a position where each display device is attached. It is also possible to do so.

  In the example of FIG. 7, as indicated by an arrow in the figure, ID “A1” is mapped to table number “1”, ID “B1” is mapped to table number “2”,... ID “C3” Is mapped to the table number “9”. In this example, IDs are mapped to table numbers in order from top to bottom and from left to right, but may be mapped in any order. When the scalable television system 100 is operating in the collective mode, when performing channel switching processing, an image is displayed on each display device based on the display switching table.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display switching table including IDs and table numbers mapped in this way. In the figure, IDs and table numbers mapped as shown in FIG. 7 are described.

  When images are displayed on the display devices 121A to 123C based on the display switching table of FIG. 8, the 1ch image corresponding to the table number “1” is displayed on the display device 121A corresponding to the ID “A1”. The 3ch image corresponding to the table number “2” is displayed on the display device 121B corresponding to the ID “B1”, and the table number “9” is displayed on the display device 123C corresponding to the ID “C3”. An image of BS1 corresponding to is displayed.

  When channel switching is performed from this state (for example, when channel switching is instructed by the remote controller), the mapping between the ID of the display switching table and the table number is changed, and an image is displayed on each display device. For example, by changing the display switching table of FIG. 8 as shown in FIG. 9, the display device 121A corresponding to the ID “A1” for which the image of 1ch has been displayed corresponds to the table number “2”. 3ch image is displayed, and the 4ch image corresponding to the table number “3” is displayed on the display device 121B corresponding to the ID “B1” where the 3ch image has been displayed until then. The image of BS2 corresponding to the table number “10” is displayed on the display device 123C corresponding to the ID “C3” where the image of BS1 has been displayed.

  Furthermore, when channel switching is performed, the display switching table of FIG. 9 is changed as shown in FIG. As described above, each display device included in the scalable television system 100 changes the mapping between the ID of the display switching table and the table number based on the channel switching command, so that each of the display devices in the collective mode of the scalable television system 100 Channel switching processing in synchronization with the display device is possible.

  Next, channel switching processing in the collective mode of the scalable television system 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed, for example, when the user issues a channel switching command via the remote controller.

  In step S101, the central processing unit 202 confirms its own ID. At this time, for example, if the user is the display device 121A, the ID “A1” is acquired. If the user is the display device 121B, the ID “B1” is acquired.

  In step S102, the central processing unit 202 performs initial setting. At this time, for example, the channel table as shown in FIG. 6 is mapped as shown in FIG. 7, and the display switching table as shown in FIG. 8 is generated and stored in the table holding unit 203.

  When the entire configuration of the scalable television system 100 (for example, how many display devices are installed vertically and horizontally) is known, a display switching table is generated in advance and stored in the table holding unit 203. It is also possible to make it. That is, the process of step S102 may be performed first and the process of step S101 may be performed later.

  In step S103, the central processing unit 202 controls the tuner 205 to receive a signal of a predetermined channel corresponding to the initial setting (display switching table) by the process of step S102. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, if you are the display device 121A (A1), the 1ch signal corresponding to the table number “1” is received, and if you are the display device 121B (B1), The 3ch signal corresponding to the table number “2” is received. Then, a signal received by the tuner 205 is output to the image output unit 206 or the audio output unit 207 of each display device, and an image display or audio output is performed on each display device.

  In step S104, the control information communication unit 201 determines whether a command has been received, and waits until it is determined that a command has been received. For example, if sensor information corresponding to a command output from the remote controller is detected, it is determined in step S104 that the command has been received, and the process proceeds to step S105.

  When scalable television system 100 is operating in the collective mode (in this case), as described above, the remote control command is received by any one of display devices 121A to 123C and the command is received. The display device that has transmitted the command transmits (broadcasts) the command to another display device. For this reason, commands are received almost simultaneously by all the display devices.

  In step S105, the central processing unit 202 determines whether or not the command determined to be received in the process of step S104 is a command for instructing channel switching (changing the channel of the image to be displayed), and the channel If it is determined that the command is a command for switching, the process proceeds to step S106, and the central processing unit 202 changes the correspondence between the ID of the display switching table and the table number. At this time, for example, the display switching table as shown in FIG. 8 is read from the table holding unit 203, changed as shown in FIG. 9, and stored again in the table holding unit 203 (the display switching table is updated). ).

  In step S107, the tuner 205 is controlled to receive a signal of a predetermined channel corresponding to the display switching table updated by the process of step S106. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, if the user is the display device 121A (A1), a 3ch signal corresponding to the table number “2” is received, and if the user is the display device 121B (B1). The 4ch signal corresponding to the table number “3” is received. Then, a signal received by the tuner 205 is output to the image output unit 206 or the audio output unit 207 of each display device, and an image display or audio output is performed on each display device.

  After the process of step S107, the process returns to step S104, and the subsequent processes are repeatedly executed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that the command determined to be received in step S104 is not a command for commanding channel switching, the process proceeds to step S108, and is received in step S104. It is determined whether or not the determined command is an end command. If it is determined that the command is not an end command, processing corresponding to the command is performed in step S109, and the processing returns to step S104. If it is determined in step S108 that the command is an end command, the process ends.

  By executing such processing in each of the display devices 121A to 123C, channel switching processing in the collective mode of the scalable television system 100 is performed. By doing in this way, the user does not need to command individual display devices to switch channels, and it is possible to perform synchronized channel switching by each display device only by giving commands to the entire scalable television system 100. . Therefore, user convenience is improved.

  By the way, the channel switching performed by a conventional television receiver or the like is performed, for example, with the channel switching command, the tuner receiving channel is changed from the channel of the image displayed so far (hereinafter referred to as the old channel) to the next. By switching to the channel of the image to be displayed (hereinafter referred to as the new channel), the image of the old channel is instantaneously switched to the image of the new channel.

  However, if the image of the old channel can be switched to the image of the new channel gradually (and gradually) instead of instantaneously, an unprecedented visual effect can be obtained.

  12A to 12E are diagrams illustrating display examples of images when an image of an old channel is gradually switched to an image of a new channel.

  FIG. 12A shows an initial state of an image displayed on the display unit of the display device, for example. In this example, a 3ch image is displayed. When channel switching is instructed, the image displayed on the display unit of the display device gradually changes from the state shown in FIG. 12A as shown in FIGS. 12B to 12E.

  That is, in FIG. 12B, an image of 3ch (old channel) is displayed on the upper side in the figure, and an image of only 4ch (new channel) is displayed on the lower side in the figure. In this state, the proportion of the image of the old channel is about 90% in the entire display unit, and the proportion of the image of the new channel is about 10%.

  As time passes, the image displayed on the display unit changes from the state shown in FIG. 12B to the state shown in FIG. 12C. In FIG. 12C, the ratio of the image of the old channel is about 50% and the ratio of the image of the new channel is about 50% in the entire display unit.

  Thereafter, the image displayed on the display unit changes from the state shown in FIG. 12C to the state shown in FIG. 12D. In FIG. 12D, the ratio of the image of the old channel is about 10% and the ratio of the image of the new channel is about 90% in the entire display unit.

  Then, the image displayed on the display unit changes from the state shown in FIG. 12D to the state shown in FIG. 12E, and the channel switching is completed. In FIG. 12E, only 4ch (new channel) images are displayed on the display unit.

  In this way, the composition ratio of the new channel image synthesized with the old channel image is increased at a predetermined time interval so that the old channel (3ch) image gradually becomes the new channel (4ch) image. By switching to, it is possible to obtain a visual effect as if the image of the new channel swelled in the image of the old channel, and to improve entertainment.

  In the scalable television system 100 of the present invention, it is possible to perform channel switching as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12E, and such channel switching is referred to as source channel switching.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the display devices 121A to 123C when the source channel is switched. This figure corresponds to FIG. 5, and the same reference numerals are given to the respective parts corresponding to FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 13, unlike the case of FIG. 5, two tuners 205-1 and 205-2 are provided. In addition, an image synthesis unit 221 to an audio switching unit 223 are newly provided.

  When switching the source channel, it is necessary to display the images of the old channel and the new channel on one screen at the same time, so two tuners (tuners 205-1 and 205-2) are provided. One of the two tuners receives an old channel signal from the signal acquisition unit 204, and the other receives a new channel signal from the signal acquisition unit 204.

  The image composition unit 221 generates new channel image data and old channel image data based on the image signals output from the tuners 205-1 and 205-2, and temporarily stores the image data in a VRAM (Video RAM) 222. . Then, the image data of the new channel and the image data of the old channel are generated and mixed at a predetermined ratio (for example, a ratio specified by the central processing unit 202), and the new channel image data and The image signal corresponding to the image data synthesized by mixing the old channel image data at a predetermined ratio is output to the image output unit 206.

  The VRAM 222 is a buffer that holds image data to be displayed, stores data output from the image composition unit 221, and supplies the stored data to the image composition unit 221.

  The audio switching unit 223 selects one of the audio signals output from the tuners 205-1 and 205-2 (for example, a new channel audio signal) and outputs the selected audio signal to the audio output unit 207. Note that the image signal output to the image output unit 206 is an image signal corresponding to the image data generated by the synthesis performed by the image synthesis unit 221 and the VRAM 222 described above. For this reason, if the audio signal output from the tuner 205-1 or 205-2 is output to the audio output unit 207 as it is, the display of the image is delayed with respect to the output of the audio. For this reason, actually, a function block for delaying the output of the sound and synchronizing the image and the sound is further provided.

  In each display device of the scalable television system 100, when the source channel is switched, the display switching table is generated as shown in FIG. 14, for example. In FIG. 14, unlike the display switching table of FIG. 8, table numbers of “old (old channel)” and “new (new channel)” are mapped to each ID.

  In the example of FIG. 14, the table number mapped as the old channel to the ID on the left side in the figure is mapped as the table number of the new channel in the ID on the right side in the figure. For example, the table number of the old channel with ID “B1” Is the same as the table number of the new channel with ID “A1”, and the table number of the old channel with ID “C1” is “3”, which is the same as the table number of the new channel with ID “B1”.

  When channel switching is further commanded from the state of FIG. 14, the mapping between the ID of the display switching table and the table number is changed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, the table numbers that have been mapped as new channels so far are mapped to the respective IDs as old channels.

  Based on such a display switching table, the source channel switching as described above with reference to FIGS. 12A to 12E is performed in the display devices 121A to 123C. In the example described above with reference to FIGS. 12A to 12E, the example in which the image of the new channel is projected from the bottom to the top of the screen has been described. However, the image of the new channel is from the top to the bottom of the screen. The image of the new channel may spring up from the left (right) to the right (left) of the screen.

  Next, the source channel switching process in the collective mode of the scalable television system 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed, for example, when the user issues a channel switching command via the remote controller.

  In step S301, the central processing unit 202 confirms its own ID. At this time, for example, if the user is the display device 121A, the ID “A1” is acquired. If the user is the display device 121B, the ID “B1” is acquired.

  When the entire configuration of the scalable television system 100 (for example, how many display devices are installed vertically and horizontally) is known, a display switching table is generated in advance and stored in the table holding unit 203. It is also possible to make it. That is, the process of step S302 may be performed first and the process of step S301 may be performed later.

  In step S302, the central processing unit 202 performs initial setting. At this time, for example, a display switching table as shown in FIG. 14 is generated based on the channel table and stored in the table holding unit 203.

  In step S303, the central processing unit 202 controls the tuners 205-1 and 205-2 to receive the signals of the old channel and the new channel corresponding to the initial setting (display switching table) by the process of step S302. . At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, for example, if the display device 121A (A1) is itself, the v2 signal corresponding to the table number “12” is used as the old channel signal and the table number “1”. If the corresponding 1ch signal is received as a new channel signal and the display device 121B (B1) is the display device 121B (B1), the 1ch signal corresponding to the table number “1” is the old channel signal and the table number. A 3ch signal corresponding to “2” is received as a new channel signal. The signals received by the tuners 205-1 and 205-2 are output to the image composition unit 221.

  In step S304, the image composition unit 221 executes image composition processing described later with reference to FIG. Thereby, for example, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12E, the display is switched from the old channel to the new channel.

  In step S305, the control information communication unit 201 determines whether a command has been received, and waits until it is determined that a command has been received. For example, if sensor information corresponding to a command output from the remote controller is detected, it is determined in step S305 that the command has been received, and the process proceeds to step S306.

  When scalable television system 100 is operating in the collective mode (in this case), as described above, the remote control command is received by any one of display devices 121A to 123C and the command is received. The display device that has transmitted the command transmits (broadcasts) the command to another display device. For this reason, commands are received almost simultaneously by all the display devices.

  In step S306, the central processing unit 202 determines whether or not the command determined to be received in the process of step S305 is a command for instructing channel switching (changing the channel of the image to be displayed), and the channel If it is determined that the command is a command for switching, the process proceeds to step S307, and the central processing unit 202 changes the correspondence between the ID of the display switching table and the table number. At this time, for example, the display switching table as shown in FIG. 14 is read from the table holding unit 203, changed as shown in FIG. 15, and stored again in the table holding unit 203 (the display switching table is updated). ).

  After the process of step S307, the process returns to step S303, and the subsequent processes are repeatedly executed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S306 that the command determined to be received in step S305 is not a command for commanding channel switching, the process proceeds to step S308, and is received in step S305. It is determined whether the determined command is an end command. If it is determined that the command is not an end command, in step S309, processing corresponding to the command is performed, and the processing returns to step S305. If it is determined in step S308 that the command is an end command, the process ends.

  Next, the details of the image composition processing in step S304 in FIG. 16 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

  In step S321, the audio switching unit 223 switches the signal output to the audio output unit 207 from the audio signals output from the tuners 205-1 and 205-2 to the new channel audio signal. That is, even when two images are combined and the display of images is gradually switched, if the sound is combined, it becomes difficult to hear, so the sound output from the speaker of the display device is instantaneously new. Switch to channel audio. For example, when the tuner 205-1 receives an old channel signal and the tuner 205-2 receives a new channel signal, the audio signal output from the tuner 205-2 is output to the audio output unit 207 in step S321. Is selected as a signal to be output to.

  In step S322, the image composition unit 221 acquires the image data of the old channel. In this case, image data generated based on the image signal output from the tuner 205-1 is acquired and stored in the VRAM 222.

  In step S323, the image composition unit 221 acquires image data of the new channel. In this case, the image data generated based on the image signal output from the tuner 205-2 is acquired and stored in the VRAM 222.

  In step S324, the image composition unit 221 initializes the composition ratio of the new channel image. Here, as an initial value, the composition ratio of the image of the new channel is set to a relatively small value (for example, 10%).

  In step S325, the image composition unit 221 synthesizes the new channel image with a part of the old channel image (for example, the lower side of the screen) based on the composition ratio set in step S324. An image signal based on the image data is output to the image output unit 206.

  In step S326, the image composition unit 221 determines whether the composition ratio of the current new channel image is 100%. At this time, it is determined that the composition ratio of the image of the renewal channel is 10% and not 100%, and the process proceeds to step S327.

  In step S327, the image composition unit 221 sets the composition ratio of the new channel image to a larger value. At this time, a preset value may be added to the current composition ratio to set the composition ratio of the new channel image. Alternatively, for example, the image composition processing may be started. The composition ratio designated by the central processing unit 202 may be set on the basis of the time elapsed since.

  After the process of step S327, the process returns to step S325. In step S326, the subsequent processing is repeatedly executed until it is determined that the composition ratio of the new channel image is 100%.

  Note that the synthesis of images here is performed in synchronism with each display device. That is, since each display device simultaneously receives a command for channel switching, each display device 121A to 123C has the same composite ratio of the images of the new channel at each subsequent time point. Images are synthesized by the device.

  Therefore, for example, when the composition ratio of 3ch, which is a new channel image of the display device 121A, is 10%, the composition ratio of 4ch image, which is a new channel image, is 10% in the display device 121B. When the composite ratio of 3ch which is the image of the new channel 121A is 100% and the image of the old channel is completely switched to the image of the new channel, the composite ratio of the image of 4ch which is the new channel image also in the display device 121B. Becomes 100%, and the image of the old channel is completely switched to the image of the new channel.

  In this way, by performing the image composition processing, for example, the image of the old channel as shown in FIG. 12A gradually changes as shown in FIGS. 12B to 12D, and the new channel as shown in FIG. 12E. Switch to image.

  By executing such processing in each of the display devices 121A to 123C, the source channel switching processing in the collective mode of the scalable television system 100 is performed. In this way, the user does not need to instruct the individual display devices to switch channels, and by simply giving an instruction to the entire scalable television system 100, it is possible to perform synchronized source channel switching by each display device. It becomes. Therefore, user convenience is improved.

  Further, in the scalable television system 100 to which a plurality of display devices are attached, the conventional visual effects can be obtained by switching the source channels synchronized with each other. For example, when the display switching table is updated as shown in FIGS. 14, 15,... With the channel switching command, the display devices 121 A to 121 C, the display devices 122 A to 122 C, and the display devices 123 A to 123 C. In each of the three display devices arranged in a single vertical line, a visual effect can be obtained as if the image is continuously moving from bottom to top (or from top to bottom).

  Furthermore, if you change the composition method of the image at the time of switching the source channel and the update method of the display switching table, it will be as if the image moves continuously to the left and right or rotate among multiple display devices. It is also possible to obtain a visual effect.

  In the above, an example in which the scalable television system is configured by nine display devices has been described. However, the number of display devices is not limited to nine, and may be four, sixteen, for example. .

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware, or can be executed by software. When the above-described series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software executes various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, a general-purpose personal computer 500 as shown in FIG. 18 is installed from a network or a recording medium.

In FIG. 18, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501 is a ROM (Read Only Memory).
) Various processes are executed in accordance with a program stored in 502 or a program loaded from a storage unit 508 into a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503. The RAM 503 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 501 to execute various processes.

  The CPU 501, ROM 502, and RAM 503 are connected to each other via a bus 504. An input / output interface 505 is also connected to the bus 504.

  The input / output interface 505 includes an input unit 506 including a keyboard and a mouse, a display including a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal display), an output unit 507 including a speaker, and a hard disk. A communication unit 509 including a storage unit 508, a network interface card such as a modem and a LAN card, and the like is connected. A communication unit 509 performs communication processing via a network including the Internet.

  A drive 510 is connected to the input / output interface 505 as necessary, and a removable medium 511 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory is appropriately attached, and a computer program read from them is loaded. It is installed in the storage unit 508 as necessary.

  When the above-described series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the Internet or a recording medium such as the removable medium 511.

  The recording medium shown in FIG. 18 is a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk (registered trademark)) on which a program is recorded, which is distributed to distribute the program to the user, separately from the apparatus main body. Removable media consisting of optical disks (including CD-ROM (compact disk-read only memory), DVD (digital versatile disk)), magneto-optical disks (including MD (mini-disk) (registered trademark)), or semiconductor memory It includes not only those configured by 511 but also those configured by a ROM 502 on which a program is recorded, a hard disk included in the storage unit 508, and the like distributed to the user in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus main body in advance.

  The steps of executing the series of processes described above in this specification are performed in parallel or individually even if they are not necessarily processed in time series, as well as processes performed in time series in the order described. It also includes processing.

It is a figure which shows the structural example which concerns on one Embodiment of the scalable television system to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the example in which another image was displayed on the scalable television system of FIG. It is a figure explaining the example of channel switching. It is a figure explaining the example of the channel switching by a scalable television system. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structural example of the display apparatus contained in the scalable television system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a channel table. It is a figure explaining mapping of a channel table and ID. It is a figure which shows the example of a display switching table. It is a figure which shows the example by which the display switching table of FIG. 8 was changed. It is a figure which shows the example by which the display switching table of FIG. 9 was changed. It is a flowchart explaining the example of a channel switching process. It is a figure explaining spring channel switching. It is a block diagram which shows the example of an internal structure of the display apparatus corresponding to spring channel switching. It is a figure which shows another example of a display switching table. It is a figure which shows the example by which the display switching table of FIG. 14 was changed. It is a flowchart explaining the example of a spring channel switching process. It is a flowchart explaining the example of an image composition process. And FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

  100 scalable television system, 121A to 123C display device, 201 control information communication unit 201, 202 central processing unit, 203 table storage unit, 204 input unit, 205, 205-1, 205-2 tuner, 206 image output unit, 207 audio Output unit, 221 Image composition unit, 222 VRAM, 223 Audio switching unit

Claims (5)

A display device that constitutes a composite image display device that displays images on a plurality of display devices that are attached to a plurality of attachment positions and configured to be detachable,
Storage means for storing respective mounting positions of a plurality of display devices in the composite display device and tables for respectively correlating a plurality of image signals;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the attachment position of the user in the composite image display device;
Based on the table stored in the storage unit and the information indicating the attachment position acquired by the position information acquisition unit, an image displayed on the display unit from a plurality of image signals Selection means for selecting a signal of
Combining means for combining data of a plurality of images generated based on the plurality of image signals selected by the plurality of selecting means at a predetermined ratio;
Receiving means for receiving a command instructed to the composite image display device,
In the table stored in the storage means, the first image signal and the second image signal are associated with one mounting position of the display device, respectively.
The synthesizing unit increases a synthesis ratio of the second image to the first image by a preset value at a preset time interval, and adds the second image to the first image. Combine the images,
Based on the command received by the receiving means, the table stored in the storage means is updated,
As a result of the update of the table, the signal that was the second image signal associated with the mounting position of the table in the table before receiving the command is updated in the table after receiving the command. The first image signal associated with the attachment position adjacent to its own attachment position in the table before receiving the command. The display device is characterized in that after receiving the command, the signal is a second image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table . A display method of a display device that constitutes a composite image display device that displays images by a plurality of display devices that are attached to and attached to a plurality of attachment positions.
A storage step of storing a table for associating each of a plurality of display devices in the composite display device with a plurality of image signals, respectively.
A position information acquisition step of acquiring information representing the attachment position of the user in the composite image display device;
Based on the table stored by the processing of the storage step and the information indicating the mounting position of the user acquired by the processing of the position information acquisition step, the display unit displays a plurality of image signals. A selection step for selecting a signal of an image to be displayed;
A synthesis step of synthesizing data of a plurality of images generated based on a plurality of image signals selected by the processing of the plurality of selection steps at a predetermined ratio;
Receiving a command instructed to the composite image display device,
In the table stored in the processing of the storing step, the first image signal and the second image signal are associated with one mounting position of the display device, respectively.
In the process of the synthesis step, the synthesis ratio of the second image to the first image is increased by a preset value at a preset time interval, and the first image is added to the first image. Two images are combined,
Based on the command received by the processing of the receiving step, the table is updated,
As a result of the update of the table, the signal that was the second image signal associated with the mounting position of the table in the table before receiving the command is updated in the table after receiving the command. The first image signal associated with the attachment position adjacent to its own attachment position in the table before receiving the command. The display method is characterized in that the received signal is a second image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table after receiving the command . A program that causes a display device that constitutes a composite image display device to display an image on a plurality of display devices that are attached to and attachable to a plurality of attachment positions, and that performs display processing,
A storage control step for controlling storage of each of a plurality of display devices in the composite display device and storage of a table for associating a plurality of image signals, respectively.
A position information acquisition control step for controlling acquisition of information representing the attachment position of the user in the composite image display device;
Based on the table stored by the process of the storage control step and the information indicating the attachment position acquired by the process of the position information acquisition control step, the user's display from a plurality of image signals A selection control step for controlling the selection of the signal of the image displayed on the computer,
A synthesis control step for controlling the synthesis of a plurality of image data generated based on the plurality of image signals selected by the plurality of selection step processes at a predetermined ratio;
A reception control step for controlling reception of a command commanded to the composite image display device,
In the table stored in the process of the storage control step, the first image signal and the second image signal are associated with one mounting position of the display device, respectively.
In the process of the synthesis control step, the synthesis ratio of the second image to the first image is increased by a preset value at a preset time interval, and the first image is added to the first image. A second image is synthesized,
Based on the command received by the process of the reception control step, the table is updated,
As a result of the update of the table, the signal that was the second image signal associated with the mounting position of the table in the table before receiving the command is updated in the table after receiving the command. The first image signal associated with the attachment position adjacent to its own attachment position in the table before receiving the command. The program is a second image signal associated with its own mounting position in the table after receiving the command .   A recording medium on which the program according to claim 3 is recorded. The composite image display device, wherein the display device according to claim 1 is attached to a plurality of attachment positions and an image is displayed by the plurality of display devices.

Images