JP5315719B2 - Broadcast system and display control method for broadcast system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate coping by an operator when an operation error occurs in an effect switcher. <P>SOLUTION: When an operation error occurs in an effect switcher, error information is transmitted through a notice system from the effect switcher to a display control means for controlling the screen display of a display means. By the display control means, the error information is displayed on the screen of the display means. By displaying the error information at the display means in such a manner, coping by an operator is facilitated when the operation error occurs in the effect switcher. In the display screen of the display means, the error information is displayed near the display area of image signals which have passed through a composite working part where the operation error has occurred. Thus, the operator easily recognizes in an operation to which image the error has occurred, and thus easily copes with the operation error. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcasting system and a display control method for the broadcasting system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a broadcast system and a broadcast system display that make it easy for an operator to respond to an operation error by displaying error information of the operation error when an operation error occurs in the effect switcher. This relates to the control method.

  Since the effect switcher used in the broadcasting system performs complicated processing, an error may occur due to a limitation in operation. In that case, it is desirable to inform the operator of the content of the error and the location where the error occurred. Since the output of the effect switcher is created through a complicated synthesis process, it is not uniquely determined which of the plurality of outputs is affected by the error. For example, when the output of ME1 is used by ME2 and is output, an error generated by the operation of ME1 is related to the output image of ME2. On the other hand, the output image created independently by ME3 without using the output of ME1 is not affected.

  In addition, the manual operation for the effect switcher is not limited to a single functional block, and may be applied to a plurality of functional blocks by a composite function (macro, memory, etc.) created at the preparation stage or a link operation. For this reason, it may be difficult to identify a problem location even if a problem occurs in manual operation.

  For example, Patent Document 1 captures incidental information for each input image from an image signal input circuit or a ROM of a microcomputer, displays a plurality of images on one screen, and displays each image in a frame-like region. It is described that a character string of the accompanying information is displayed.

Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, a plurality of devices are monitored, and when an error is detected, for example, an image of the device in which an error has occurred or its background color displayed on a computer display is changed or blinked. It is described.
JP 2006-235523 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-229508

  In the technique of Patent Document 1, since the association of information associated with each image is fixed, when an error occurs in the effect switcher, error information is displayed in a frame of the image related to the error, and the operator It cannot be made easy to grasp. In the technique of Patent Document 2, the display area is determined for each device, and the display area and the display method cannot be appropriately changed according to the content of the error.

  An object of the present invention is to facilitate an operator's response to an operation error when an operation error occurs in an effect switcher.

The concept of this invention is
An effect switcher that receives a plurality of image signals and selects and combines the image signals;
Operating means for operating the effect switcher;
Display means;
A plurality of image signals including at least an image output of the effect switcher, and display control means for controlling screen display in the display means based on the plurality of image signals;
A notification system for communicating from the effect switcher to the display control means,
When an operation error occurs, the effect switcher transmits error information to the display control means through the notification system ,
In the broadcasting system, the display control means displays the error information on the screen of the display means when receiving the error information from the effect switcher through the notification system.

  In the present invention, the screen display on the display means is controlled by the display control means. When an operation error occurs in the effect switcher, error information is transmitted from the effect switcher to the display control means through the notification system. Then, the error information is displayed on the screen of the display means by the display control means. Thus, by displaying the error information on the display means, when an operation error occurs in the effect switcher, the operator can easily deal with the operation error.

  In the present invention, for example, the effect switcher has two or more image signal composition processing units and a plurality of image outputs, and the effect switcher indicates the route information indicating the composition processing unit through which each image output. Is transmitted to the notification system, and the error information transmitted from the effect switcher to the display control means includes error location specifying information for specifying the composite processing unit in which the operation error has occurred. Display control including input source storage means for storing the correspondence between the output and each image signal input to itself, and via information storage means for storing the via information transmitted from the effect switcher through the notification system When the error information is received from the effect switcher through the notification system, the means includes an error included in the error information. Based on the location identification information and the contents stored in the input source storage means and the route information storage means, in the display area, in the vicinity of the display area of the image signal including the synthesis processing portion indicated by the error location identification information in the route information Error information may be displayed.

  For example, if there are multiple display areas of the image signal that include the composite processing part indicated by the error location identification information in the display information on the screen of the display means, the error location identification information is output from the signal path in the effect switcher. The error information may be displayed in the vicinity of the display area of the image signal that is closest to the composite processing portion indicated by.

  In this way, the error information is displayed in the vicinity of the display area of the image signal that has passed through the composite processing section where the operation error has occurred in the display screen of the display means, so that the operator can perform an error on which image operation. It is easy to understand whether or not an error has occurred, and therefore it is easy to handle an operation error.

  Further, in the present invention, a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined operator of the operation unit is in a valid state or an invalid state based on either or both of the state of the operation unit and the state of the effect switcher, The notification system for transmitting the determination result from the determination unit to the display control unit and the input from the predetermined operator are relayed to the effect switcher when the determination result of the determination unit is valid, and the determination result of the determination unit is A relay means for discarding when invalid, and the display control means displays invalid information on the screen of the display means when the judgment result is invalid when the judgment result is received from the judgment means through the notification system. , May be. In this case, when the predetermined operator is in an invalid state, the fact is displayed on the screen of the display means, so that it is possible to reduce erroneous operations by the operator.

  According to the present invention, when an operation error occurs in the effect switcher, error information of the operation error is displayed, and the operator can easily cope with the operation error.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a broadcasting system 100 as an embodiment. The broadcasting system 100 includes a router 101, an effect switcher 102, a control panel 103, an emergency panel 105, a display 106, a display controller 107, a display processor 108, a display configuration PC 109, A video peripheral processor (Video Peripheral Processor) 110 and an operation management computer 111 are included.

  A router (routing switcher) 101 switches input / output of a plurality of image signals by a matrix switch. The router 101 constitutes an emergency switching unit and a final output switching unit. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the router 101. The router 101 includes a distributor 101a and a matrix switch (cross point) 101b. The distributor 101a distributes a plurality of input image signals to the effect switcher 102 and the matrix switch 101b. The matrix switch 101b receives an image signal from the effect switcher 102, a plurality of image signals from the distributor 101a, and the like, and uses any one of the image signals as a broadcast output (on-air output).

  In addition to the connections shown in the figure, the matrix switch 101b sends various images (not shown) from the effect switcher 102 to the display processor 108, and sends them to other systems in the broadcasting station. Signal transmission is switched.

  In the matrix switch 101b, a vertical line entering from the top is an input line, and a horizontal line exiting to the right is an output line (bus). The lowermost output line takes the leftmost input coming from the effect switcher 102 as a broadcast output during normal operation. The uppermost output line is connected to the video peripheral processor 110, and functions as an emergency switching unit by selecting one of the inputs other than the effect switcher 102.

  Since the output of the video peripheral processor 110 enters the rightmost input line (No. 9), when the bottom output line takes this input line (No. 9), the output of the emergency switching means is selected. It will be. That is, the bottom output line functions as a final output switching means by selecting either No. 1 or No. 9.

  The output of the emergency switching means passes through the video peripheral processor 110 because the phase adjustment is particularly necessary. When the final output switching unit switches between the output of the effect switcher 102 and the output of the emergency switching unit, if there is a phase difference, the output image is disturbed. Since the effect switcher 102 performs complicated image processing, the delay is larger than that of the emergency switching means. For this reason, the video peripheral processor 110 adjusts the phase and aligns both to prevent image disturbance at the time of switching.

  If the phase difference between the output of the effect switcher 102 and the output of the emergency switching means is small, or if image disturbance is not an issue, the router 101 can be configured with a simple configuration as shown in FIG. It can also be. That is, the router 101 in FIG. 3 is an example in which the emergency switching unit of the matrix switch 101b outputs without going through the video peripheral processor 110.

  The lowermost output line takes out the leftmost input coming from the effect switcher 102 as a broadcast output during normal operation. At the same time, the lowermost output line functions as an emergency switching means by selecting one of the inputs other than the effect switcher 102. This bottom output line serves as both the final output switching means and the emergency switching means.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the effect switcher 102 inputs a plurality of image signals, and selects and combines the image signals. When a broadcast program is broadcast live, the effect switcher 102 is usually used to select an input (studio camera, external camera relay, VTR playback) and switch between them using a wipe, subtitle or picture-in. -Overlay images with pictures. A control panel (operating console) 103 constitutes operating means for operating the effect switcher 102.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the effect switcher 102 and the control panel 103. The effect switcher 102 and the controller panel 103 are connected by a communication path 18 such as a LAN (local area network).

  The effect switcher 102 has an input line 14 for inputting image signals from a video camera, VTR, etc., two sets of mix / effect banks (hereinafter simply referred to as “ME banks”) 1, 7, ME A microcomputer 13 for controlling the banks 1 and 7 is provided.

  The ME bank 1 includes an input selection unit 4, a key processor (key processing circuit) 5, and a mixer (image composition circuit) 6. The input selection unit 4 connects each of the input lines 14 to any one of the key source bus 3a, the key fill bus 3b, the background A bus 3c, and the background B bus 3d.

  Between each of the input lines 14 and the key source bus 3a, a key source selection switch 2a for selecting a key source signal from a plurality of image signals of the input line 14 is provided. Further, a key fill selection switch 2b for selecting a key fill signal from a plurality of image signals of the input line 14 is provided between each of the input lines 14 and the key fill bus 3b.

  The key source signal selected by the key source selection switch 2 a and taken out to the key source bus 3 a is sent to the key processor 5. The key fill signal selected by the key fill selection switch 2b and taken out to the key fill bus 3b is sent to the key processor 5. The key fill signal is a signal of an image to be superimposed on the background image as a foreground, and the key source signal is a signal for designating an area where the key fill signal is superimposed, a shape to cut out the background image, the density of the key fill signal with respect to the background image, and the like.

  A background A selection switch 2c for selecting a background A signal from a plurality of image signals of the input line 14 is provided between each of the input lines 14 and the background A bus 3c. A background B selection switch 2d for selecting a background B signal from a plurality of image signals on the input line 14 is provided between each of the input lines 14 and the background B bus 3d.

  The background A signal selected by the background A selection switch 2c and taken out to the background A bus 3c is sent to the mixer 6. The background B signal selected by the background B selection switch 2d and taken out to the background B bus 3d is sent to the mixer 6. The operations of the selection switches 2 a to 2 d are controlled by the microcomputer 13 through the selection switch control line 15.

  The key processor 5 converts the key fill signal and the key source signal into key adjustment values (for example, a value for adjusting the density of the key fill signal with respect to the background image, the key source signal) as various parameters for keying. Based on the value to adjust the threshold of the signal level, the value to adjust the position of the key source signal, the value to adjust the reduction ratio of the key fill signal, the adjustment value related to the boundary line with the background image, etc.) A circuit to be processed. The key fill signal and key source signal adjusted and processed by the key processor 5 are sent to the mixer 6.

  The mixer 6 is a circuit that superimposes the foreground image on the background image by keying using the key fill signal and the key source signal from the key processor 5. The output image signal of the mixer 6 is input to the ME bank 7. The operations of the key processor 5 and the mixer 6 are controlled by the microcomputer 13 through the ME control line 16.

  The ME bank 7 includes an input selection unit 10, a key processor (key processing circuit) 11, and a mixer (image composition circuit) 12. The input selection unit 10 connects each of the input lines 14 and the output line of the mixer 6 in the bank 1 to any one of the key source bus 9a, the key fill bus 9b, the background A bus 9c, and the background B bus 9d.

  A key source selection switch 8a for selecting a key source signal from the plurality of image signals of the input line 14 and the output image signal of the mixer 6 between each of the input lines 14 and the output line of the mixer 6 and the key source bus 9a. Is provided. Also, a key fill selection switch 8b for selecting a key fill signal from the plurality of image signals of the input line 14 and the output image signal of the mixer 6 between each of the input lines 14 and the output line of the mixer 6 and the key fill bus 9b. Is provided.

  The key source signal selected by the key source selection switch 8a and taken out to the key source bus 9a is sent to the key processor 11. The key fill signal selected by the key fill selection switch 8b and taken out to the key fill bus 9b is sent to the key processor 11. The key processor 11 is a circuit that adjusts and processes a key fill signal and a key source signal so as to be suitable for keying based on key adjustment values that are various parameters for keying, as in the key processor 5 described above. is there. The key fill signal and key source signal adjusted and processed by the key processor 11 are sent to the mixer 12.

  A background A selection switch 8c for selecting a background A signal from the plurality of image signals of the input line 14 and the output image signal of the mixer 6 between each of the input lines 14 and the output line of the mixer 6 and the background A bus 9c. Is provided. A background B selection for selecting a background B signal from the plurality of image signals of the input line 14 and the output image signal of the mixer 6 between each of the input lines 14 and the output line of the mixer 6 and the background B bus 9d. A switch 8d is provided.

  The background A signal selected by the background A selection switch 8c and taken out to the background A bus 9c is sent to the mixer 12. The background B signal selected by the background B selection switch 8d and taken out to the background B bus 9d is sent to the mixer 12. Similar to the mixer 6 described above, the mixer 12 is a circuit that superimposes the foreground image on the background image by keying using the key fill signal and the key source signal from the key processor 11. A program (PGM) output is output from the mixer 12 through a program output line 17 and a preview output is output through a preview output line 19.

  The operations of the selection switches 8a to 8d are controlled by the microcomputer 13 through the selection switch control line 15 in the same manner as the selection switches 2a to 2d described above. The operations of the key processor 11 and the mixer 12 are controlled by the microcomputer 13 through the ME control line 16 in the same manner as the key processor 5 and the mixer 6 described above.

  The control panel 103 is provided with a button arrangement unit 21 and a parameter input operation unit 22 for operation by an operator on the panel surface and a microcomputer 23. The button arrangement unit 21 includes a key selection unit for controlling the key image selection switches (key source selection switches 2 a and 8 a and key fill selection switches 2 b and 8 b) in the banks 1 and 7 of the effect switcher 102, and the effect switcher 102. A background selection unit for controlling the background image selection switches (background A selection switches 2c and 8c, background B selection switches 2d and 8d) of the banks 1 and 7 is arranged.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the appearance of the control panel 103. The control panel 103 is roughly provided with a button arrangement unit 21 and a progress state operation unit 24. The button arrangement unit 21 includes a key selection unit 21a for selecting an image signal to be extracted to the key source bus and the key fill bus, a background A selection unit 21b for selecting an image signal to be extracted to the background A bus, and an image to be extracted to the background B bus. A background B selection unit 21c for selecting a signal is provided. Each selection unit is composed of an alternative button switch for selecting connection between each of the input lines 14 and each bus, and the selected button switch is lit. In addition, a name for identifying an input image to each of the input lines 14 is displayed on the character display portion 21d provided above each button switch.

  In the key selection unit 21a, the connection of both the key source bus and the key fill bus is switched by pressing one button switch. At this time, the same input line is selected for each bus. Alternatively, whether a different line is selected is set in advance. For example, when the button switch “1” is selected, the input line “1” is connected to the key source bus, and the adjacent input line “2” is connected to the key fill bus. Is set.

  The progress state operation unit 24 is provided with a fader lever 24a. By sliding the fader lever 24a from one end to the other end of the slide range, it is possible to change the progress of processing in the mixer. Further, on the upper part of the progress state operation unit 24, a transition target selection unit 24b for selecting by a button switch whether a target to be transitioned by operating the fader lever 24a is a key signal or a background image signal, and a transition A direction setting unit 24c for setting the direction with a button switch is further provided.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the parameter input operation unit 22 is used for inputting image processing adjustment values such as key adjustment values, which are various parameters for keying, using a GUI (graphical user interface), a rotary dial, or the like. It is an operation unit.

  In response to the operation of the button placement unit 21 or the parameter input operation unit 22, the microcomputer 23 controls the button placement unit 21 or the parameter input operation unit 22 (for example, turns on the LED built in the operated push button). And a signal indicating the operation content is sent from the control panel 103 to the microcomputer 13 of the effect switcher 102 via the communication path 18.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the emergency panel (emergency panel) 105 is for operating the emergency switching means and the final output switching means of the router 101 described above (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The emergency panel 105 is installed, for example, on the front side of the installation base of the control panel 103 and is half embedded in the installation base. Normally, the emergency panel 105 is covered with a cover plate to prevent an erroneous operation. Placed in a state where it cannot.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the appearance of the emergency panel 105. The emergency panel 105 is provided with a router crosspoint button 105a for switching the matrix switch (crosspoint) 101b of the router 101, one of which is an effect switcher selection button 105b for selecting the final output of the effect switcher 102. is there.

  During normal operation, the final output of the effect switcher 102 is selected. When the effect switcher 102 is out of order, that is, in an emergency, the operator presses other buttons to select an image. The input label 105c indicates the selection target of the router cross point button 105a, and is handwritten on a paper label, for example.

  The emergency panel 105 is provided with a reset button 105d. The reset button 105d is a mechanism for instructing the effect switcher 102 to reset (restart) from the emergency panel 105. The reset button 105d is covered with a safety cover 105e so as not to be inadvertently pressed. The reset button 102 constitutes a restart operation means.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the display 106 is configured by a large display such as a liquid crystal panel, for example. The display 106 constitutes display means. The display processor 108 receives and synthesizes a plurality of image signals, and supplies the image signals to the display 106. The display controller 107 incorporates a microcomputer and controls the display processor 108 to synthesize image signals so that the designated arrangement in the screen is obtained. Here, the display processor 108 and the display controller 107 constitute display control means.

  The display configuration PC 109 is a personal computer (PC) equipped with dedicated software, and gives the display controller 107 an instruction for image arrangement on the screen. The video peripheral processor 110 is a device that performs various processing on an image signal. The video peripheral processor 110 performs processing such as phase adjustment (adding a delay to synchronize the timing of the frame with the related device), conversion of the signal format, and the like on the input image signal, and outputs the output image signal. Is generated.

  In the broadcasting system 100 of FIG. 1, a control line that connects each device may be a LAN (Local Area Network) using Ethernet, for example, or may be connected by a signal line such as RS-422 between devices. . The notification system / communication path 112 is a communication path for communicating from the control panel 103 to the display controller 107. Since the control panel 103 obtains information on the operating state of the effect switcher 102, information selected therein can be sent to the display controller 107. “Ethernet” is a registered trademark.

  The operation management computer 111 acquires various information from each device in the broadcasting system 100 and sends the information to the remote management computer 201 of the remote management center 200. The operation management computer 111 is connected to each device in the broadcasting system 100 through a control line, but the illustration of the control line is omitted in FIG. The remote management center including the remote management computer 201 is a facility (group of devices) that provides services such as inspection and repair of the broadcasting system in a remote place.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, the broadcasting system 100A of FIG. 7 may be used instead of the broadcasting system 100 of FIG. In FIG. 7, parts corresponding to those in FIG.

  In the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, a notification system / communication path 112 is provided from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107. In this case, the effect switcher 102 can directly send information on its operation state to the display controller 107. Note that when the devices are connected via a LAN, the illustrated connection lines may be interpreted as abstractly indicating communication connections on the network.

  The operation history recording unit 113 is means for recording information collected by the operation management computer 111, and is configured by, for example, a hard disk drive. In the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the information collected by the operation management computer 111 is not transmitted to a remote place, but is stored in the operation history recording unit 113 on the spot, and when a problem such as a failure occurs, a service is provided. After the man arrives, the information remaining in the operation history recording unit 113 is analyzed to solve the problem.

  FIG. 8 shows signal paths during normal operation and emergency operation of the above-described broadcasting systems 100 and 100A. A plurality of input image signals are supplied to the effect switcher 102 and the emergency switching means by the distributor 101b. During normal operation, the output of the effect switcher 102 becomes a broadcast output (on-air output) via the final output switching means. On the other hand, during an emergency operation, the effect switcher 102 has lost its function, so the output of the emergency switching means passes through the video peripheral processor 110 and the final output switching means (in the case of FIG. 3, only the final output switching means). Output for broadcasting.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the screen display of the display 106 during normal operation. This example shows a case where the effect switcher 102 has a 4ME configuration (configured with ME1, ME2, ME3 and PP). The PGM image (program image) in the upper left area is a final output (broadcast output) image of the router 101, and this image is a program output image of the effect switcher 102. The PST image (preset image) in the upper right region is a preview output image of the PP row of the effect switcher 102, and is an image that becomes a PGM image in the next operation. The three images in the lower right region are output images of the ME1, ME2, and ME3 columns of the effect switcher 102, respectively.

  In the screen display example of FIG. 9, since the output of the ME2 column is taken as the PP column preview output, the PST image is the same as the output image of the ME2 column. The PGM image is an image in which two character strings of “Special Feature” and “5/5 Monday” are superimposed on the PP column on the output image of the ME3 column.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the image names (image names of the effect switcher 102) such as PGM, PST, and ME1 are displayed as character strings below each image. This image name is stored in an “input source storage unit” described later.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the screen display of the display 106 at the time of emergency operation. The output of the emergency switching means (current final output) is displayed in the upper left area, the output image of the effect switcher 102 is displayed in the upper right area, and the preset input image is displayed in the middle lower area. Is displayed, and the operating state of the effect switcher 102 is displayed in characters in the lower right area. As described above, the operating state of the effect switcher 102 is displayed on the screen of the display 106 during an emergency operation, but is deleted from the screen of the display 106 as shown in FIG. 9 during normal operation.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the image names (output signal names of the router 101) such as EMG_PGM (Emergency Program), CAM1 (Camera 1), and Eff_Sw (Effect Switcher) are displayed as character strings below each image. ing. This image name is stored in an “input source storage unit” described later. Eff_Sw is a program output (main output) of the effect switcher 102. In the screen display example of FIG. 10, the output image of the effect switcher 102 is in a state where noise is placed.

  The emergency operation is a situation in which, when a problem occurs in the operation of the effect switcher 102, a broadcast image is selected only by the router 101, bypassing the effect switcher 102. The malfunction of the effect switcher 102 is that the control function of the effect switcher 102 is stopped (inoperable), noise appears on the image of the effect switcher 102, or the effect switcher 102 cannot be operated due to a power problem.

  In this way, when trouble occurs in the operation of the effect switcher 102, the emergency switching means of the matrix switch 101b of the router 101 is operated using the emergency panel 105 in order to continue broadcasting (see FIGS. 2 and 3). , Switch the image to be broadcast. The emergency switching means cannot perform complicated image processing, but the possibility of an abnormality is low because the apparatus is simple. Therefore, the operation by the emergency switching means is performed as a backup.

  The operation of the emergency panel 105 when a problem occurs in the operation of the effect switcher 102 and the operation of the router 101 by the operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The operator presses the router cross point button 105a on the emergency panel 105 (see FIG. 6) excluding the effect switcher selection button 105b. Then, in the matrix switch 101b of the router 101 (see FIG. 2), the broadcast output bus (the output bus at the bottom of the figure: functioning as the final output switching means) has been input 1 (the output of the effect switcher 102) until then. ) Is taken, and input 9 (output of the video peripheral processor 110) is taken. At the same time, the bus sent to the video peripheral processor 110 (the top output bus in the figure) selects the input corresponding to the pressed router crosspoint button.

  As a result of the above operation, the flow of the image signal is as follows. That is, an input from the outside is selected on the top bus, sent to the video peripheral processor 110, returns to the input 9, and is output as a broadcast output (on-air output) from the bottom output bus. Thereafter, when the router crosspoint button 105a of the emergency panel 105 is pressed, only the crosspoint selection of the bus at the top of the matrix switch 101b of the router 101 is switched accordingly and output via the video peripheral processor 110.

  Next, when returning to the operation via the effect switcher 102, the operator presses the effect switcher selection button 105b of the emergency panel 105 (see FIG. 6). Then, in the matrix switch 101b of the router 101 (see FIG. 2), the cross point of the bottom output bus is switched to take the input 1 (Effect Switcher output), and the output of the effect switcher 102 is output as it is for broadcasting. (On-air output) is output.

  When a problem occurs in the operation of the effect switcher 102, the emergency panel 105 is operated and operated as described above. However, the effect switcher 102 in which the problem has occurred is temporarily turned off when the repair is performed. Is normal. When repair is necessary, it is usually difficult to finish the repair during the broadcast, but the problem may be solved by simply turning off the power and turning it on again. This can occur when the cause of the malfunction is a problem in the control software.

  Therefore, for example, the following operation procedures (1) to (7) are used as operation procedures (handling procedures) when trouble occurs.

(1) Continue broadcasting using emergency switching means.
(2) Turn off the effect switcher 102.
(3) If the cause is known according to the symptom, the components of the effect switcher 102 are replaced.
(4) Turn on the effect switcher 102.

(5) While the operation is continued by the emergency switching means, the effect switcher 102 is operated to check the output image to confirm the operation.
(6) If it does not complete, check which part functions and specify the function that cannot be used.
(7) Return to the operation by the effect switcher 102. That is, the effect switcher selection button 105b of the emergency panel 105 is pressed. And if there is a function that cannot be used, avoid it.

  The above-described screen display example of the display 106 in FIG. 9 is a display example before a problem occurs in the operation of the effect switcher 102. When a problem occurs in the operation of the effect switcher 102 and the operator presses the router cross point button 105 other than the effect switcher selection button 105b on the emergency panel 105, the display controller 107 is provided in, for example, an internal memory. The screen configuration of the display 106 is changed as shown in FIG. 10 according to the contents stored in the emergency arrangement storage means.

  The contents of the emergency arrangement storage means are arranged so that two images, that is, an image output from the effect switcher 102 and an image output from the final output switching means are arranged on the screen of the display 106 by default. The operator continues to operate while viewing the output image of the final output switching means, while checking whether the effect switcher 102 to be restarted can output a normal image by looking at the output image of the effect switcher 102.

  The operator can use the display configuration PC 109 to change the contents stored in the emergency arrangement storage means (setting of the emergency screen configuration). The table shown in FIG. 11 shows an example of the contents stored in the emergency arrangement storage means. Here, the input number 101 is a special value and indicates a display image (window) by a function for displaying the operation state of the effect switcher 102, not an image input from the outside.

  The storage editing of the emergency arrangement storage means by the display configuration PC 109 is an operation for editing the stored contents of the emergency arrangement storage means in the table shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide an operation method for editing the table itself. As an easy-to-use operation method, for example, by using a known GUI technique (window operation method), an image (window) is displayed while viewing the same screen layout as the actual screen displayed on the screen of the display configuration PC 109 itself. It is conceivable that an instruction “store the current screen layout” is given and information on the current screen layout is written in the emergency layout storage means.

  When returning to normal operation by the effect switcher 102, the operator presses the effect switcher selection button 105b of the emergency panel 105 (see FIG. 6). Then, in the router 101 (see FIG. 2), the output of the effect switcher 102 becomes the final output, and the display controller 107 changes the screen configuration of the display 106 according to the storage contents of the normal arrangement storage means provided in the internal memory, for example. Changes are made as shown in FIG.

  By default, the contents of the normal arrangement storage means arrange only the output of each ME of the effect switcher 102 and the PGM image that is the final output (broadcast output) image of the router 101. The storage contents of the normal arrangement storage means have the same format as the storage contents of the emergency arrangement storage means described above (see FIG. 11). Further, the memory editing of the normal arrangement storage means can be performed in the same manner as the memory editing of the emergency arrangement storage means described above.

  However, in the case of the normal arrangement storage means, the error display area on the screen is also targeted, so the setting of the error display area is included. In the case of the screen display example of FIG. 9, since the error display area is determined at the upper right of the area of each image, the error display area is automatically determined if only the arrangement of each image is determined.

  As a different example, when the error display area is not fixed with respect to each image, for example, when the error display area is determined as shown in FIG. 12, the arrangement is also determined for each error display area as with each input image. There is a need. When an error for each input number is expressed by a number obtained by adding 1000 to the number, the arrangement information of the error display area has contents as shown in FIG. 13, for example.

  Here, the transition operation from the normal display state to the emergency display state in the display controller 107 will be described.

  First, the transition operation when the stored contents of the emergency arrangement storage means are not used will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step ST1, when the display controller 107 receives information from the emergency panel 105 that the final output switching unit has selected the output of the emergency switching unit, the display controller 107 outputs the output image of the effect switcher 102 and the final output switching unit in step ST2. Both of the output images are arranged on the screen of the display 106 and transition to the emergency display state.

  Next, the transition operation in the case of using the stored contents of the emergency arrangement storage means will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step ST11, when the display controller 107 receives information from the emergency panel 105 that the final output switching means has selected the output of the emergency switching means, in step ST12, the display controller 107 follows the stored contents of the emergency arrangement storage means. Change the screen configuration to transition to the emergency display state.

  Here, the transition operation from the emergency display state to the normal display state in the display controller 107 will be described.

  First, the transition operation when the stored contents of the normal arrangement storage means are not used will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step ST21, when the display controller 107 receives information from the emergency panel 105 that the final output switching means has selected the output of the effect switcher 102, in step ST22, the display controller 107 outputs the output image of the effect switcher 102 and the output of the final output switching means. Either one of the images is removed from the screen of the display 106 and transitions to the normal display state.

  Next, a transition operation when the stored contents of the normal arrangement storage means are used will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step ST31, the display controller 107 receives information from the emergency panel 105 that the final output switching means has selected the output of the effect switcher 102. In step ST32, the display controller 107 displays the screen of the display 106 according to the stored contents of the normal arrangement storage means. Change the configuration and transition to the normal display state.

  As stored in FIG. 11 as the input number 101 in the stored contents of FIG. 11 described above, the display controller 107 displays the operation state of the effect switcher 102 in a part of the screen of the display 106, for example, in the lower right area of FIG. Can be displayed in characters.

  In the case of the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1, information on the operating state of the effect switcher 102 is sent from the effect switcher 102 to the control panel 103 and from there to the display controller 107. In the case of the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, information on the operating state of the effect switcher 102 is sent directly from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107.

  For example, it is conceivable that text data similar to the display is created by the effect switcher 102 and this text data is sent to the display controller 107. In this case, the display controller 107 displays characters on the display 106 based on the sent text data.

  Further, for example, it is conceivable that a protocol expressing various states / errors is determined and data expressing various states / errors based on the protocol is sent from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107. In this case, the display controller 107 converts the sent data into corresponding text data, and displays characters on the display 106. For example, in the protocol expressing the state of the exhaust heat fan, “1” expresses normal, “0” expresses stop, and “−1” expresses that check is impossible.

  The display controller 107 is connected to the emergency panel 105 and receives the operation state (how it is operated). The display controller 107 displays the operation state of the effect switcher 102 under the following conditions.

  That is, the display controller 107 displays the operation state of the effect switcher 102 on the screen of the display 106 when the final output switching unit of the router 101 selects the output of the emergency switching unit. In this case, it is not normal operation but emergency operation is being performed by the emergency panel 105, and there is a high possibility that the effect switcher 102 is malfunctioning, so that the operator can display the operating state of the effect switcher 102 by Helps to understand the situation.

  As described above, during the emergency operation, the display controller 107 displaying the operation state of the effect switcher 102 on the screen of the display 106 includes displaying the operation state by default in the emergency arrangement storage unit. Can also be realized.

  Thereafter, when the effect switcher 102 returns to a normal operation, the display of the operation state is unnecessary, and the display of the operation state occupies an extra space on the screen of the display 106. Since the operator returns to normal operation, the display of the operation state is removed from the screen at that time.

  That is, when the display controller 107 transitions from the state in which the final output switching unit of the router 101 selects the output of the emergency switching unit to the state in which the output of the effect switcher 102 is selected, the screen of the display 106 is displayed. The display of the operation state of the effect switcher 102 is deleted from the inside. As described above, when the display controller 107 returns to the normal operation, deleting the operation state of the effect switcher 102 from the screen of the display 106 includes displaying the operation state by default in the normal arrangement storage unit. Even without it, it can be realized.

  As described above, a protocol that expresses various states / errors is determined, and data that expresses various states / errors based on the protocol is sent from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107. The controller 107 can recognize from the data that the effect switcher 102 has lost all errors and is in a normal operating state.

  The display controller 107 transitions from the state in which the effect switcher 102 is in an abnormal operation state, that is, an error and displaying the operation state of the effect switcher 102 to the state in which there is no error, that is, a normal operation state. At this time, the display of the operation state of the effect switcher 102 may be deleted from the screen of the display 106. As a result, the unnecessary display can be erased and the operator can be prevented from being distracted. In addition, since there is a vacant space on the screen, it is easy to place a new image (signal) on the screen.

  In addition, when the operator temporarily turns off and restarts in response to the occurrence of a malfunction of the effect switcher 102, the problem disappears when the restart is completed normally. For such an operation, the display controller 107 preferably deletes the display of the operation state of the effect switcher 102 from the screen of the display 106 when the completion of the restart is received. Note that the display controller 107 may display only the simple symbol display of the operation state instead of deleting the display of the operation state of the effect switcher 102. Further, it is preferable that the display controller 107 displays a state during the activation of the effect switcher 102 on the screen of the display 106 during the activation of the effect switcher 102.

  When the operator feels that the effect switcher 102 does not operate as operated, it is often a human practice to repeatedly press the pressed button to try to move. In this embodiment, using this habit, the display controller 107 displays the operating state of the effect switcher 102 on the screen of the display 106 when the button is repeatedly hit beyond a predetermined standard. As a result, it is possible to show the operator direct information or a clue as to whether the effect switcher 102 has an abnormality or an operation error. If it is found that the effect switcher 102 has a serious abnormality, the emergency operation by the operation of the emergency panel 105 is started.

  The criterion for repeated hits is that the same button is pressed more than a specified number of times within a specified time (for example, 3 times within 2 seconds). This continuous hit detection is performed by the microcomputer 23 (see FIG. 4) built in the control panel 103. When the continuous hit is detected, the control panel 103 displays the operation state of the effect switcher 102 on the display controller 107. Send an instruction (operation status display request). The microcomputer 103 constitutes monitoring means.

  The button to be detected is determined in advance according to the type of button. Alternatively, a button to be detected may be set. The specified time and the specified number of times for each button may also be determined according to the type of button and further settable.

  The reset button 105d provided on the emergency panel 105 (see FIG. 6) is a button for instructing the effect switcher 102 to restart. When the operator presses the reset button 105d, the effect switcher 102 performs the same operation as when the power is turned off and then turned on again. If the effect switcher 102 is restarted during normal operation, the output image temporarily disappears, which hinders broadcasting. When an abnormality occurs in the effect switcher 102, the operation shifts to the operation by the emergency switching means of the router 101, and during that time, the effect switcher 102 is restarted to recover.

  As an example of a specific operation mechanism using the reset button, a mechanism for controlling the power supply system of the effect switcher 102 to be turned off and on again by a relay can be considered. Alternatively, the same result can be obtained by a method of instructing the microcomputer 13 of the effect switcher 102 to reset.

  In this embodiment, the emergency panel 105 can accept the pressing of the reset button 105d and send a restart instruction only when a router other than the effect switcher 102 is selected by the router cross point button 105a. That is, the function of the reset button 105d of the emergency panel 105 is enabled only when the effect switcher 102 is not selected, and is disabled when the effect switcher 102 is selected.

  The display controller 107 irreversibly compresses the image of the entire display surface displayed on the display 106 to create compressed image data with a small amount of data. This is because an image on the entire display surface has too much data as it is and is difficult to handle for recording and transmission. Further, the display controller 107 prepares non-image information such as information on the operation state of the effect switcher 102 and an identifier character string added to each display image. Then, the display controller 107 provides the compressed image data and the non-image information to the operation management computer 111. In this case, the display controller 107 functions as monitoring data creation means.

  In the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the operation management computer 111 sends compressed image data and non-image information to the remote management computer 201. For example, the following two triggers are sent. In either case, data is used by a support person who operates the remote management computer 201 to analyze a problem occurring in the system.

(1) When an error (operation error or device error) occurs in any device in the system (2) When requested by the remote management computer

  In addition to the compressed image data and non-image information of the image on the entire display surface of the display 106, the display controller 107 uses one of the input images set in advance as the designated image data as compressed image data and non-image information. Append to This is not only the data that is coarsened by compressing the image on the entire display surface for the most important image (for example, PGM: program image: image to be broadcast output) among the plurality of images input to the display 106. This is because fine image data is obtained and used for analysis of the operation (operation) state.

  Further, the operator of the remote management computer 201 views the compressed image data of the entire display surface, selects one image determined to be necessary, acquires the image by the display controller 107, and acquires the image from the operation management computer 111 to the remote management computer. You may make it send to 201. Thereby, when a problem occurs in one of the image signals, it can be examined in detail.

  In the case of the broadcast system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the operation history recording unit 113 records information collected by the operation management computer 111. That is, the operation history recording unit 113 records compressed image data and non-image information when an error (operation error / device abnormality) occurs in any device in the system. In this case, after the support person arrives at the installation location of the system, the problem is analyzed using the recorded data.

  The compressed image data is irreversibly compressed in order to increase the compression rate, and the original display image cannot be completely reproduced. However, the operation state and the identifier character string are recorded as non-image information. Can read the contents. The non-image information is at least the coordinates of each text character string and the display position, but is preferably expressed in a format such as a metafile such as each text character string, font, display position, and the like. In addition, a corresponding input number may be attached to the display image information so as to help the investigation. The corresponding input numbers are obtained from “input source storage means” and emergency arrangement storage means / normal arrangement storage means described later.

  FIG. 18 shows an example of non-image information corresponding to the display example of FIG. FIG. 19 shows an example of non-image information corresponding to the display example of FIG. The storage method of the last character string data may be any one of connecting a character string of each line with a line feed code, or a data structure for storing a plurality of character strings, as shown.

FIG. 9 is a screen display example of the display 106 during normal operation as described above.
A triangle “Δ” is displayed on the upper right of the PGM image and on the upper right of the ME3 image. This indicates that an operation error has occurred in the effect switcher 102 in relation to each image.

  The display controller 107 displays the error information when it is received. In the case of a normal operation error, the display controller 107 turns off after a certain time, for example, 30 seconds. In addition, when another operation error is received, the display controller 107 erases the old display and displays a new error display when the same display location is obtained. As another method of erasing the operation error, the display controller 107 may be erased when the next operation is performed on the same functional block in which the operation error has occurred.

  The display controller 107 receives an operation error or operation information from the effect switcher 102 or the control panel 103. As an operation error, for example, there is a case where an operator (button / lever) which is invalid depending on the state of the effect switcher 102 is operated. In addition, as an operation error, there is a case where a special effect device is used and it does not exist (when an optional device is not installed).

  When a more serious error occurs, the display controller 107 continues to display the error until the cause disappears on the screen of the display 106, unlike a normal operation error. In some cases, the display controller 107 continues the display until the effect switcher 102 is turned off and then turned on again. Even if it is restarted, if an error still occurs, the error occurrence display is continued thereafter.

  In the broadcasting system 100 of FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A of FIG. 7, information is transmitted from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107. In the case of the broadcasting system 100 in FIG. 1, information is transmitted from the effect switcher 102 to the control panel 103, and the control panel 103 transmits the information to the display controller 107. In the case of the broadcasting system 100A of FIG. 7, information is transmitted from the effect switcher 102 to both the controller panel 103 and the display controller 107.

  Information transmitted from the effect switcher 102 includes route information described later and error information when an operation error occurs in the effect switcher 102. The display processor 108 receives a plurality of image signals from the effect switcher 102. The display controller 107 can know which part in the effect switcher 102 has passed through the plurality of image signals received by the display processor 108 from the route information and the input source information.

  Here, the route information will be described. This route information is, for example, bit data provided corresponding to each function block of the effect switcher 102 and an optional device for each output of the effect switcher 102. If it is 1 that does not pass through the functional block, the bit string data indicates that it passes through the functional block. Such route information is created by the effect switcher 102.

The following shows an example of functional blocks (not shown in FIG. 4) in the effect switcher 102. It is an example of the format which can respond to the effect switcher which has four ME.
--------------------
Primary 1 (effect switcher input (number))
Primary 2
Primary 3
...
Primary 80
Black
White
Color Bkgd1 (Built-in signal generation circuit)
Color Bkgd2
FrameMemory 1 (Built-in image memory)
FrameMemory 2
FrameMemory 3
FrameMemory 4
FrameMemory 5
FrameMemory 6
FrameMemory 7
FrameMemory 8
ColorCorrection 1 (Color correction circuit)
ColorCorrection 2
DME MonitorVideo (Digital special effect monitor output)
DMEMonitor Key
M / E-1 Out1
M / E-1 Out2
M / E-1 Out3
M / E-1 Out4
M / E-1 Out5
M / E-1 Out6
M / E-1 ProcVideo (Key processed signal for keyer)
M / E-1 ProcKey
M / E-2 Out1
M / E-2 Out2
M / E-2 Out3
M / E-2 Out4
M / E-2 Out 5
M / E-2 Out6
M / E-2 ProcVideo
M / E-2 ProcKey
M / E-3 Out1
M / E-3 Out2
M / E-3 Out3
M / E-3 Out4
M / E-3 Out5
M / E-3 Out6
M / E-3 ProcVideo
M / E-3 ProcKey
P / P Out 1
P / P Out 2
P / P Out 3
P / P Out 4
P / P Out 5
P / P Out 6
P / P ProcVideo
P / P ProcKey
DME1 (Digital special effects)
DME2
DME3
DME4
DME5
DME6
DME7
DME8
--------------------

  Also, error information sent from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107 is represented by a code code, for example. The following shows an example of error information related to M / E-1, which is composed of a code code of {M / E, operation command, error code}. In all the following examples, it can be seen that an error occurs in M / E-1, and the error is related to the operation of the output image of M / E-1.

(1) 1, 17, 64: M / E-1 Bkgd Transition DME Error, Not enough DME ch
(2) 1, 0, 82: M / E-1 Xpt A-Bus, Reentry error

The following is a list of error codes.
-------------------------------------------------- -----------------
InvalidRegisterId = 4, / * Error of specified number such as memory function * /
NoEffect = 17, / * No effect on the image * /
Inhibited = 18, / * Inoperable * /
VFormat = 19, / * Incompatibility with video format * /
SysModel = 20, / * Error due to different model * /
Internal = 21, / * Unable to handle due to internal error such as failure * /
Busy = 22, / * Not accepted because processing is in progress * /
XptWrongReentry = 81, / * Ignore invalid reentry instructions (non-loop) * /
XptLoop = 82, / * Ignoring the Xpt directive that becomes a loop * /
XptLimitedMe = 83, / * Ignored the Xpt instruction because the delay exceeds 1H * /

NotEnoughFreeDmeCh = 64, DME CH insufficient
InvalidDmeChCombination = 65, Invalid DME CH combination
NotEnoughFreeSendBus = 66, there is no space in the feed circuit to DME
InvalidDmeCh = 67, DME CH specification is invalid
DmeTransNextTransItems = 68, inconsistency with Next Transition Item
DmeTransInvalidPattern = 69, invalid pattern number
DmeKeyTransLocalCommon = 70, / * Same key with Common and Local DmeWipe * /
DmeKeyTransProcK = 71, / * Specify the same key as DmeWipe and ProcK * /
NotEnoughFreeDmeUtilBus = 72, DME bus shortage
-------------------------------------------------- -----------------

The display controller 107 includes input source storage means for storing input source information in an internal memory. Here, the input source information is information indicating a correspondence relationship between the input of the display processor 108 and the output of the effect switcher 102. The following shows an example of input source information. In this example, the input number is the input number of the display processor 108, and the output number is the output number of the effect switcher 102.
-------- + ------------- + -------------------- + ------ ------
Input number Output number Description Image name
-------- + ------------- + -------------------- + ------ ------
1 97 "M / E-1 Out1""ME1"
2 98 "M / E-1 Out2""ME1PVW"
3 105 "M / E-2 Out 1""ME2"
4 121 "P / P Out1""PGM"
5 (None) "Emergency Program""EMG_PGM"
6 (None) "Camera1""CAM1"
7 (None) "Camera2""CAM2"
8 113 "M / E-3 Out1""ME3"
9 122 "P / P Out2""PST"
...
-------- + ------------- + -------------------- + ------ ------

  Note that the output number of the effect switcher 102 may be a logically assigned number instead of the physical output terminal number. Further, the assignment of the output of the effect switcher 102 to the output terminal may be set not according to the number.

  “Description” is the meaning / name of the image signal, but in the case of the effect switcher 102, it is determined with respect to its output number. The display controller 107 inputs the correspondence between the output number and the description from the display configuration PC 109. Alternatively, the display controller 107 may receive the correspondence between the output number and the description from the effect switcher 102.

  An image name can be further added to the output name of the effect switcher 102. This image name is conscious of the operation of the effect switcher 102, but the display controller 107 is input from the display configuration PC 109. Alternatively, the display controller 107 may receive the image name from the effect switcher 102 by communication.

The display controller 107 writes the received route information in the route information storage means set in the internal memory. That is, the route information storage means. The route information is stored for each input of the display processor 108. The following shows the configuration of the route information stored in the route information storage means.
-------- + ------------- +-
Input | Route information
------ + ---------------
1 | (bit string)
2 | (bit string)
3 | (bit string)
4 | (bit string)
5 | (bit string)
6 | (bit string)
7 | (bit string)
8 | (bit string)
...
------ + ---------------

  The flowchart of FIG. 20 shows processing of the display controller 107 that has received the route information. When the display controller 107 receives the route information Z of the output Y of the effect switcher 102 in step ST41, the display controller 107 refers to the input source storage unit in step ST42 to obtain the input X corresponding to the output Y. In step ST43, the display controller 107 stores the route information Z in the area of the input X of the route information storage means.

  In the display example of FIG. 9 described above, the area for displaying error information is an area at the upper right of each image, and the area is always displayed on the screen even when no error has occurred. When error information is displayed on the screen according to this rule, an area for displaying error information is inevitably determined when the arrangement of images on the screen is determined. In the display example of FIG. 9, only an error has occurred, but more detailed information can also be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the content of the error may be displayed as a symbol (icon) and a character string.

  Here, when the display controller 107 receives error information, when there are a plurality of related input images, one method for selecting which image in the vicinity of the display screen should be displayed will be described. In addition to the area in contact with the neighboring area, it may be an associated area even if it is not in contact. Incidentally, in the display example of FIG. 9, the neighboring region is a touching region, and in the display example of FIG. 12, the neighboring region is not touching but is a region associated with a line.

In the effect switcher 102, an error occurs at any M / E or another bank (unit of function blocks), and the function blocks in the effect switcher 102 are as in the above example, and any of the following: Become.
M / E-1
M / E-2
M / E-3
P / P
FMn (n = 1,2, ..., 8)
CCRn (n = 1,2)

Some of the image names input to the display processor 108 directly correspond to the above-mentioned error occurrence location. The following shows the correspondence between error locations and image names. These corresponding images are associated with the first priority for each error occurrence location.
------ + ----------

Location of error Image name
------ + ----------
M / E-1 "ME1"
M / E-2 "ME2"
M / E-3 "ME3"
P / P "PGM"
FMn (none)
CCRn (none)
------ + ----------

Next, referring to the route information of each input, when an input passes through the error location (the data bit corresponding to the location of the error is “1” in the route information of the input) The input is associated with the location where the error occurred. When a plurality of inputs are associated with a certain error occurrence location, the priority is higher for those inputs that have fewer via locations in the route information (those with a smaller number of “1”).

  For example, in the route information, the input (PGM) whose data bit corresponding to each functional block shown in FIG. 21A is “1” and the data bit corresponding to each functional block shown in FIG. If there is an input (ME2) that is “1” and the error information includes M / E-2, the input (ME2) has a higher priority associated with the location where the error occurred because there are fewer transit points. It is said.

  21A and 21B, even if Color Correction 1 (CCR1) is included in the error information, the input (ME2) has fewer via points, so the error occurs. It is said that the priority to associate is high.

  The display controller 107 determines the association and the priority order as described above, selects an image having a high priority order from the images displayed on the screen of the display 106, and displays an error associated with the selected image.

  The flowchart of FIG. 22 shows a processing example of the display controller 107 that has received the error information. Note that this processing example is an example in which error information is displayed in the vicinity region of all input images including the location where the error occurred in the route information without considering the above-described priority.

  In step ST51, the display controller 107 sets the error information to E, sets the error occurrence location to L, sets i = 1 in step ST52, and then proceeds to the processing of step ST53.

  In step ST53, the display controller 107 determines whether i is equal to or less than the number of inputs of the display processor 108. When the number is less than or equal to the number of inputs, the display controller 107 proceeds to the process of step ST54. In step ST54, the display controller 107 determines whether or not the route information of the input i includes an error occurrence location L.

  When the route information of the input i includes the error occurrence location L, the display controller 107 additionally displays the error information E in the vicinity area of the image of the input i in step ST55. In this case, of course, when the image of the input i is not displayed on the display 106, the error information E is not additionally displayed. Then, after the process of step ST55, the display controller 107 increments i in step ST56 and returns to the process of step ST53.

  When the route information of the input i does not include the error occurrence location L in step ST54 described above, the display controller 107 immediately increments i in step ST56 and returns to the processing in step ST53. In this case, the error information E is not additionally displayed in the vicinity region of the input i image.

  Further, when i becomes larger than the number of inputs in the above-described step ST53, the display controller 107 determines that the processing for all the inputs of the display processor 108 is finished, and the processing is finished.

  The route information described above indicates a location (function block) that has been routed, but does not have information on the order in which the signals have passed. If the route information is made more complex and includes an order, the order can also be used for prioritization. In the route information described above, 0/1 indicates non-route / route. However, in order to include the order, it is only necessary to use a data format that can have a numerical value for each functional block, and indicate the order of the numerical route.

For example, consider the following example of the signal path in the effect switcher 102. In this example, two streams of signals are synthesized at P / P.
Primary 2 → ColorCorrection 1 → M / E-2 Out 1 → P / P OUT 1
Primary 7 → FrameMemory 4 → DME5 → P / P Out 1

In this case, the ordered route information of the output signal (P / P Out 1) can be expressed as follows. Note that the order value is set to 0 for functional blocks that have not been routed.
---------------------- + ----------
Function block order
---------------------- + ----------
Primary2 1
Primary7 1
Frame Memory 4 2
Color Correction 1 2
M / E-2 Out1 3
P / P Out1 4
DME5 3

(P / POut 1 combines two streams)
---------------------- + ----------

  Here, let us consider the priority order in the case of handling the error information generated in M / E-1 when there is the transit information of the two displayed image signals shown in FIGS. The number of function blocks passed through is the same, but M / E-1 is close to the output in the route information shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that the input having the route information shown in FIG. 23B has a higher priority, and the display controller 107 displays the error generated in M / E-1 in the error display area of the input image. Display information of.

  Here, the image switching function of the effect switcher 102 will be described. In a typical apparatus used in live broadcasting or the like, as shown in FIG. 4, two input buses are connected to a mixer (image synthesizing means), and image signals taken by each input bus are derived from a plurality of input image signals. Select with the push button (see FIG. 5). Then, the mixer gradually switches the output image by mixing, wiping, or the like according to the progress ratio from the fader lever (see FIG. 5).

  If the two input buses are A and B, the image signal of the A bus is output as it is at the beginning, and the image signal of the A bus and the B bus is changed according to the progress ratio (position of the fader lever) during the switching transition. When the signals are combined and output, and the fader lever is fully moved, the switching is completed and the B bus image signal is output as it is.

  On the control panel 103, the push button for selecting input and the fader lever 24a are arranged as shown in FIG. The row of push buttons of the background A selection unit 21b selects the A bus signal, and the row of push buttons of the background B selection unit 21c selects the B bus signal. The push button of each bus is turned on so that the operator can recognize the current selection. To make it easier for the operator to grasp the relationship between the position of the fader lever 24a and the image composition switching, if the fader lever 24a is at the upper end of the drawing, the A bus signal is output as it is, and if the fader lever 24b is at the lower end of the drawing. The B bus signal is output as it is (no bus toggle mode).

  In some cases, depending on the preference of the operator, there is a case where it is desired to always arrange a bus of signals output without synthesis at the upper part of the drawing. In this case, when the switching is finished by the fader lever 24a, the A bus side becomes the current signal selection. When the fader lever 24a is at the end, the A bus signal is output as it is at either end. When the fader lever 24a is moved, the signal gradually changes to the B bus signal, and when the signal reaches the opposite end, the signal selection of the A bus and the B bus is switched. As a result, even if switching is performed, the A bus side is always an output signal (with bus toggle mode).

  In the case of no bus toggle mode, as long as manual operation is performed from the control panel 103, the position of the fader lever 24a and the bus outputting the signal always match. However, the following cases will not match.

(1) When operating from multiple control panels and operating from another control panel (2) When restoring (calling) the state of the mixer (image compositing means) to memory contents using the memory function ( 3) When manual operation by the fader lever is performed, but automatic operation by pressing a button (fader value is automatically changed by trigger input) is executed

  After these operations, the position of the fader lever 24a does not match the bus outputting the signal. This inconsistency is eliminated by shaking the fader lever 24a once to the opposite side. For this reason, the operator swings once.

  If this inconsistency occurs during broadcast operation, the operator needs to recognize whether the next fader lever operation will be idle or whether the image can be controlled (can be switched and switched). If not, the user will perform an idling operation at the timing when the image is to be switched, resulting in a broadcast operation different from that desired.

  In the conventional apparatus, the light emitting diodes on the control panel are turned on to indicate that they are in a mismatched state (non-sink). However, since the operator usually operates the control panel while gazing at the monitor screen, there is a high possibility that the display will be missed only on the control panel.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the error information is transmitted from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107, and the error information is displayed on the display 106, so that the control panel 103 is in a mismatched state. The information is transmitted to the display controller 107, and the inconsistency state is displayed on the screen of the display 106. As a result, the operability of the operator is improved and erroneous operations can be reduced.

  As described above, the control panel 103 determines whether or not the position of the fader lever 24a and the bus outputting the signal do not match, that is, whether or not the fader lever 24a as an operator is in an invalid state. The determination is made based on either or both of the state of 106 and the state of the effect switcher 102. In this sense, the control panel 103 constitutes a determination unit.

  When the control panel 103 determines that the fader lever 24a is in an effective state, the control panel 103 relays the input from the fader lever 24a to the effect switcher 102, but determines that the fader lever 24a is in an invalid state. At that time, the input from the fader lever 24 a is discarded and not relayed to the effect switcher 102. In this sense, the control panel 103 constitutes a relay unit.

  The determination unit and the relay unit described above are not necessarily provided in the control panel 103, and the effect switcher 102 may have the function.

  Further, when the control panel 103 determines that the fader lever 24a is in an invalid state, the control panel 103 transmits invalid information (inconsistent state information) to the display controller 107. When receiving this invalid information, the display controller 107 displays a mismatch state (non-sync) on the screen of the display 106 as described above.

  As described above, when the effect switcher 102 is provided with the function of the determination unit, the effect switcher 102 transmits invalid information (inconsistent state information) to the display controller 107 through the notification system / communication path. May be.

  FIG. 24 shows a display example of a mismatch state (non-sync). In this display example, for example, a combination of two triangles is displayed in a part of the upper right area of the corresponding image. The fader levers do not match. The display graphic may be blinked to make it easier for the operator to notice. In addition, the display of the mismatch state (non-sync) is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 24, and may be displayed by characters as in the case of displaying error information, or may be indicated by a change in the color of the image frame. .

  Although the above is a mismatch state in the no-toggle mode, the operation by the fader lever may be invalid in the other mode. For example, move the fader lever to the middle (near 50%) and leave it as it is, then restore (call) it with the memory function, and the fader value is 0% (the content stored in the memory at the end of the fader lever). In this case, the position and state of the fader lever do not match. Until the fader lever is fully shaken, even if it is operated, the state becomes invalid, so that the fact is displayed on the screen of the display 106 as in the above-described no-toggle mode.

  In addition to the above-mentioned error display or mismatch display (non-sync) display, if invalid operation is displayed when manual operation (control panel operation) should not be performed, the effect of preventing erroneous operation by the operator There is. For example, there is automatic control called timeline operation. This is because the effect switcher status (signal flow, effects, etc.) changes over a predetermined time by setting (programming) the action of the effect switcher along the time axis and executing (running) it in advance. I will do it.

  During this time, it is preferable not to perform manual operation. Therefore, a display during automatic execution corresponding to the corresponding image on the screen of the display 106, for example, a “RUN” display in characters, or a VTR playback (Play) display display A certain horizontal triangle may be displayed so that the operator can easily recognize it.

  Note that the control panel 103 or the effect switcher 102 determines that the respective controls of the control panel 103 are in an invalid state during the automatic execution described above. During this automatic execution, the relay means of the control panel 103 or the effect switcher 102 does not relay the input from each operator of the control panel 103 to the effect switcher 102. The above-described display during automatic execution (display of invalid information) on the display 106 is performed by transmitting information indicating that automatic execution is being performed (invalid information) from the control panel 103 or the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107. Done.

  The flowchart of FIG. 25 shows an operation example of the effect switcher 102 that determines whether or not the operation element A is invalid when the operation element A of the control panel 103 is operated.

  When the operator A is operated in step ST60, the effect switcher 102 proceeds to the process of step ST61. In step ST61, the effect switcher 102 determines whether or not the operation element A is valid. When the operation element A is valid, the effect switcher 102 performs an operation instruction process in step ST62.

  Next, in step ST63, the effect switcher 102 determines whether or not the operation element A is valid using the processed internal parameters. When the operation element A is valid, the effect switcher 102 activates the operation element A in step ST64, and then proceeds to the processing of step ST65. On the other hand, when the operation element A is not valid, the effect switcher 102 disables the operation element A in step ST66, and then proceeds to the processing of step ST65.

  In step ST65, the effect switcher 102 notifies the control panel 103 and the like of the state and valid / invalid. After the process of step ST65, the effect switcher 102 waits to receive an operation signal in step ST67. When the operation element A is not valid in step ST61 described above, the effect switcher 102 immediately proceeds to step ST67 and waits for reception of an operation signal.

  The flowchart of FIG. 26 shows an operation example of the effect switcher 102 that determines whether or not the operation element A is invalid when an operation other than the operation element A on the control panel 103 is performed.

  In step ST70, when there is an operation other than the operation element A in step ST70, the effect switcher 102 performs an operation instruction process in step ST71. After the process of step ST71, the effect switcher 102 proceeds to the process of step ST72.

  In step ST72, the effect switcher 102 determines whether or not the operation element A is valid with the processed internal parameters. When the operation element A is valid, the effect switcher 102 activates the operation element A in step ST73, and then proceeds to the processing of step ST74. On the other hand, when the operation element A is not valid, the effect switcher 102 disables the operation element A in step ST75, and then proceeds to the processing of step ST74.

  In step ST74, the effect switcher 102 notifies the status, valid / invalid to the control panel 103, the display controller 107, and the like. After the process of step ST74, the effect switcher 102 waits to receive an operation signal in step ST76.

  27A to 27G show display examples such as image name display, error information display, inconsistency state (non-sync) display, display during automatic execution, and the like. These display areas do not necessarily have to be adjacent to the image, and may be displayed overlapping each other on the image, or may be an area away from the image. However, these display areas need to be areas related to the corresponding images.

  As described above, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, depending on whether the effect switcher 102 is operating or the router 101 is operating by the emergency switching means. The display contents are changed (see FIGS. 9 and 10), so that a complicated operation is not required, and an image desired by the operator is displayed by effectively utilizing a display screen of a limited size. it can.

  Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the display controller 107 is located near the display area of the image by the output of the effect switcher 102 in the screen of the display 106, and the router 101. The identifier by characters or figures is displayed in the vicinity of the image display area by the output of the emergency switching means, so that the operator can easily identify the image and manage the image easily.

  Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the display controller 107 displays information on the operation state from the effect switcher 102 on the screen of the display 106. The operator can easily grasp the operation status of the effect switcher and improve the operability.

  Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the reset button 105d for instructing the effect switcher 102 of the emergency panel 105 to restart is the effect that the final output switching means of the router 101 is the effect switcher. This is effective when the output 102 is not selected, and the effect switcher 102 in which a problem has occurred can be restarted without causing an erroneous influence on the broadcast output. .

  In the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the output of the effect switcher 102 is selected from the state in which the final output switching means of the router 101 selects the output of the emergency switching means. The display controller 107 controls the screen configuration of the display 106 on the basis of the screen configuration stored in the normal arrangement storage means when the state is changed to the normal state, and the problem of the effect switcher 102 is solved, and the emergency controller When returning from the operation by the switching means to the operation by the effect switcher 102, the screen configuration of the display 106 can be immediately shifted to a state suitable for the operation by the effect switcher 102.

  Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the output of the emergency switching means is selected from the state in which the final output switching means of the router 101 selects the output of the effect switcher 102. The display controller 107 changes the screen configuration of the display 106 based on the screen configuration stored in the emergency arrangement storage unit and controls the screen display of the display unit. Yes, when a problem occurs in the effect switcher 102 and the operation by the effect switcher 102 returns to the operation by the emergency switching unit, the screen configuration of the display 106 can be immediately shifted to the operation state by the emergency switching unit.

Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the screen display on the display means is controlled by the display control means. When an operation error occurs in the effect switcher 102, error information is transmitted from the effect switcher 102 to the display controller 107 through the notification system / communication path 112, and the error information is displayed on the screen of the display 106. When an operation error occurs in the switcher 102, the operator can easily cope with the operation error of the effect switcher 102.

  Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, the display of the image signal that has passed through the synthesis processing unit in which an operation error has occurred in the effect switcher 102 is displayed on the display screen of the display 106. Error information is displayed in the vicinity of the area, so that the operator can easily understand which image the error has occurred in, and thus can easily cope with the operation error.

  Further, in the broadcasting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the broadcasting system 100A shown in FIG. 7, when an operator such as the fader lever 24a of the control panel 103 is in an invalid state, that effect is displayed on the screen of the display 106. In addition, since the operation input is not relayed to the effect switcher 102, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations by the operator.

  The present invention makes it easy to cope with an operation error of an operator by displaying error information of the operation error when an operation error occurs in the effect switcher. It can be applied to a broadcasting system set in a vehicle.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the system for broadcasting as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the router (routing switcher) in the system for broadcasting. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the router in a broadcasting system. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the effect switcher in a broadcasting system, and a control panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the control panel in the system for broadcasting. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the emergency panel in the system for broadcasting. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the system for broadcasting as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the signal path | route at the time of normal operation of a broadcasting system, and emergency operation. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen display of the display at the time of normal operation. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen display of a display at the time of emergency operation. It is a figure which shows an example of the memory content of the emergency arrangement | positioning memory | storage means which shows the screen structure in emergency. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen display of the display at the time of normal operation. It is a figure which shows an example of the arrangement | positioning information of the error display area on the screen of a display. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the transition operation | movement when not using the memory content of an emergency arrangement | positioning memory | storage means. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the transition operation | movement when using the memory content of the emergency arrangement | positioning memory | storage means. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the transition operation | movement when not using the memory content of a normal arrangement | positioning memory | storage means. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the transition operation | movement when using the memory content of a normal arrangement | positioning memory | storage means. It is a figure which shows an example of non-image information, such as an operation state and an identifier character string. It is a figure which shows the other example of non-image information, such as an operation state and an identifier character string. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the display controller which received via information. It is a figure which shows the example of the via information for demonstrating the judgment of the priority linked | related with an error occurrence location. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of the display controller which received error information. It is a figure for demonstrating the priority in the case of handling the error information which generate | occur | produced in M / E-1. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen display of the display at the time of normal operation. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the effect switcher which judges whether the said operation element A is invalid when the operation element A of a control panel is operated. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the effect switcher which judges whether the operation element A is invalid when operation other than the operation element A of a control panel, etc. is performed. It is a figure which shows display examples, such as a display of an image name, a display of error information, a display of a mismatch state (non-sync), and a display during automatic execution.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,100A ... Broadcasting system, 101 ... Router, 101a ... Distributor, 101b ... Matrix switch, 102 ... Effect switcher, 103 ... Control panel, 105 ... Emergency panel , 106 ... display, 107 ... display controller, 108 ... display processor, 109 ... display configuration PC, 110 ... video peripheral processor, 111 ... operation management computer, 112 ... Notification system / communication path, 113 ... operation history recording unit, 200 ... remote management center, 201 ... remote management computer

Claims (5)

An effect switcher that receives a plurality of image signals and selects and combines the image signals;
Operating means for operating the effect switcher;
Display means;
A plurality of image signals including at least an image output of the effect switcher, and display control means for controlling screen display in the display means based on the plurality of image signals;
A notification system for communicating from the effect switcher to the display control means,
When an operation error occurs, the effect switcher transmits error information to the display control means through the notification system ,
When the error information is received from the effect switcher through the notification system, the display control means displays the error information on the screen of the display means. The effect switcher has two or more image signal composition processing units and a plurality of image outputs.
The effect switcher transmits, to the notification system, route information indicating the composition processing unit that has been routed for each image output,
The error information transmitted from the effect switcher to the display control means includes error location specifying information for specifying the composite processing unit in which the operation error has occurred,
The display control means includes an input source storage means for storing a correspondence relationship between each image output of the effect switcher and each image signal input to the effect switcher, and the route transmitted from the effect switcher through the notification system. Having route information storage means for storing information,
When the display control means receives the error information from the effect switcher through the notification system, the display control means is based on the error location specifying information included in the error information and the contents stored in the input source storage means and the route information storage means. The error information is displayed in a region near a display region of an image signal including the synthesis processing unit indicated by the error location identification information in the screen information on the display means. The broadcasting system described. The display control means includes
In the screen of the display means, when there are a plurality of display areas of the image signal including the synthesis processing portion indicated by the error location specifying information in the route information,
The error information is displayed in the vicinity of a display area of an image signal that is closest to the composite processing portion indicated by the error location specifying information on the signal path in the effect switcher. Broadcasting system. A determination unit that determines whether a predetermined operator of the operation unit is in an effective state or an invalid state based on either or both of the state of the operation unit and the state of the effect switcher;
A notification system for transmitting a determination result from the determination unit to the display control unit;
A relay unit that relays the input from the predetermined operator to the effect switcher when the determination result of the determination unit is valid, and to discard when the determination result of the determination unit is invalid;
The display control means, when receiving the determination result from the determination means through the notification system, displays invalid information on the screen of the display means when the determination result is invalid. The broadcasting system described in 1. An effect switcher that receives a plurality of image signals and selects and combines the image signals;
Operating means for operating the effect switcher;
A display control method for a broadcasting system, comprising display means for performing screen display based on a plurality of image signals including at least an image output of the effect switcher,
A display control method for a broadcasting system, wherein when an operation error occurs in the effect switcher, control is performed so that error information of the operation error is displayed on a screen of the display means.