JP6843905B2 - Schedule display controller - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a schedule display control device relating to a reproduction schedule of a reproduction target to be reproduced by digital signage.

In recent years, POP (Point of Purchase) devices, which consist of display devices that display product advertisements and services, and electronic signboards, which consist of display devices that display corporate advertisements and product advertisements, have rapidly become widespread in stores and the like. doing. These are generally called digital signage and enhance the sales promotion effect for customers. In such a situation, a conventional signage system (digital signage system) uses a playback device such as a personal computer or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player, or a storage medium such as a memory card as described in Patent Document 1 below. There are two methods, one is to repeatedly reproduce a corporate advertisement or a product advertisement (content) by using, and the other is to distribute the content from a distribution server via a network as in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 below. Exists. In the former case, the playback device or the storage medium in which the content is stored is simply connected to an existing display device such as a television or a display for a personal computer, so even a person who does not have knowledge of a special system or application can easily do so. A signage system can be realized. However, there is a drawback that the playable content is limited to the one stored in the storage medium, and there is a drawback that the content currently being played must be temporarily stopped in order to update the content. On the other hand, in the latter case, since the playback content is scheduled to be managed according to the time zone and the day of the week, the playback schedule can be changed as appropriate, which is highly convenient.

By the way, in any signage system, it is required to automatically switch and reproduce a plurality of contents in order without human intervention by scheduling the reproduction date and time of the contents in advance. The act of setting a playback schedule is to select the content that you want to play and set the time to start playing, the time to end playing, the number of repetitions, etc. for that content, but this setting is relatively It's complicated. Therefore, as in Patent Document 4, a technique has been proposed in which the content to be reproduced from the content list is easily scheduled by dragging it to the screen area indicating the reproduction time.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-100683 JP-A-2007-174611 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-08632 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-186497

However, in the digital signage system as shown in Patent Document 4, it is premised that the operation is performed on a user interface device such as a mouse or a touch panel which is generally used in a personal computer. Therefore, there is a problem that it is relatively difficult for a user who is not accustomed to operating a personal computer and setting a schedule to set a schedule for digital signage.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for facilitating schedule setting.

The schedule display control device according to the present invention is a schedule display control device that displays a playback schedule of a playback target to be played back by digital signage on the display device, and is a schedule database that stores schedule data that is the data of the playback schedule. , A weekly schedule screen showing the playback schedule on a weekly basis based on the schedule data, and a daily schedule screen for showing and editing the playback schedule for each day of the week based on the schedule data. It is provided with an interface for accepting editing of the playback schedule and a day of the week button for displaying the day schedule screen which is a button displayed in the weekly schedule screen and is edited in units of days of the week, and is accepted by the interface. By reflecting the edit in units of days of the week in the schedule data, it is reflected on both the weekly schedule screen and the day schedule screen, and is a button displayed in the day schedule screen with the interface. The day of the week copy button further includes at least one of the schedule data of the other day of the week, the weekly schedule screen, and the day of the week copy button for reflecting the edit of one received day of the week on the day schedule screen. It is a toggle-type button that either enables or disables, enables the day copy button of the one day of the week on the day schedule screen of the one day, and at least one of the other days. When one of the day of the week copy buttons is enabled, the edit of the one day of the week received by the interface is displayed on the schedule data of at least one of the other days of the week, the weekly schedule screen, and the day schedule screen. Reflect .

According to the present invention, the edits received by the interface are reflected on both the weekly schedule screen and the daily schedule screen. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the setting of the schedule.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline structure of the signage system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the signage terminal which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the display control of the schedule management screen generation part which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the week schedule screen which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the day schedule screen which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the signage terminal which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the schedule data which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the signage terminal which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the signage terminal which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the signage terminal which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows the hierarchical structure of the weekly schedule screen and the day schedule screen which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the time matching processing part which concerns on a modification.

<Embodiment 1>
Generally, in a signage system, one or a plurality of contents for digital signage are combined, and the contents are often played back in units of playlists that define the playback order of the contents. Therefore, in the following, the reproduction target, which is a unit of reproduction, will be described as being a playlist. However, the reproduction target is not limited to this, and may be, for example, content.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline configuration of the entire signage system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The signage system of FIG. 1 includes a playlist management device 1, a schedule management device 2, a distribution server 3, and signage display terminals 4 and 5, and these components are connected to each other via a network 6. ing.

The playlist management device 1 generates and manages playlists.

The signage display terminals 4 and 5, which are digital signage, are terminals for playing and displaying playlists. In FIG. 1, the number of signage display terminals 4 and 5 is two, but the number is not limited to this.

The schedule management device 2 sets and manages a playback schedule of playlists (playback targets) played on the signage display terminals 4 and 5. For example, the schedule management device 2 determines the playback start time, playback end time, playback order of the playlist played on the signage display terminals 4 and 5, and the time for turning on and off the power of each signage display terminals 4 and 5. Set and manage data-based schedules.

The distribution server 3 manages the contents, playlists, schedules and signage display terminals 4 and 5, and distributes the contents, playlists and schedules to the signage display terminals 4 and 5.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment. For the sake of simplification of the description, the signage terminal 9 of FIG. 2 includes at least a display 10 (display device), a schedule display control device for displaying a playback schedule on the display 10, and a schedule management device 2 shown in FIG. It will be described below assuming that it is incorporated. However, the signage terminal 9 is not limited to this, and may have a configuration in which any one of the schedule management device 2 and the schedule display control device is incorporated. Further, instead of incorporating hardware, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) of the signage terminal 9 executes a program stored in a storage device such as a semiconductor memory (not shown) of the signage terminal 9, thereby causing the CPU. It may be realized as a function of.

As shown in FIG. 2, the signage terminal 9 includes a display 10, a content display control unit 11, a playlist management unit 12, a schedule management unit 13, a content database 14, a playlist database 15, and a schedule database 16. A playlist control unit 17, a time matching processing unit 18, a content reproduction unit 26, and a schedule management screen generation unit 101 are provided.

The playlist management unit 12 generates and manages playlists. The playlist database 15 stores and reads playlists generated by the playlist management unit 12.

The schedule management unit 13 sets and manages a playback schedule of a playlist (playback target) that is played back on the signage terminal 9 and displayed on the display 10. Here, the reproduction schedule is a schedule in which the reproduction start time, the reproduction end time, the reproduction order, and the time for turning on and off the power of the signage terminal 9 of the playlist are converted into data. In the first embodiment, a plurality of playlists are arranged in the order of reproduction in the reproduction schedule.

The playback schedule managed by the schedule management unit 13 can be changed by editing received by the operation interface 24 (FIG. 6) described later.

The schedule database 16 stores and reads playback schedule data (hereinafter referred to as “schedule data”) set and managed by the schedule management unit 13.

In the time matching processing unit 18, among the playback schedules (each schedule data) managed by the schedule management unit 13, the time information of one playlist is the time information of the playlists before and after the one playlist, and It is determined whether or not it matches the schedule for turning off and turning on the power of the signage terminal 9. Then, when it is determined that the time matching processing unit 18 is not consistent, the time information of the playback schedule, and by extension, the time information of the one playlist in the schedule data is corrected to the matching time information. The correction process of the time matching processing unit 18 will be described in detail later.

The content database 14 stores and reads content.

The playback control unit 17 determines the playback time and the content corresponding to the playlist based on the playlist acquired from the playlist management unit 12 and the schedule acquired from the schedule management unit 13 via the playlist management unit 12 and the like. The content reproduction unit 26 is instructed to reproduce. The content reproduction unit 26 acquires the content instructed to be reproduced from the reproduction control unit 17 from the content database 14, reproduces the acquired content, and outputs the acquired content to the content display control unit 11. The content display control unit 11 scales the images and still images output from the content reproduction unit 26 according to the size and resolution of the display 10, and the audio output from the content reproduction unit 26 is a speaker (not shown) shown on the display 10. Adjust according to the audio output of.

The schedule management screen generation unit 101 integrally displays the schedule, playlists, contents, the state of the signage terminal 9, and the like on the display 10. Although not shown here, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 has a function of a schedule display control device, creates a screen showing an operation status in response to an operation request received from a user, and presents it on the display 10. Or, a screen showing the playback schedule of the content and the playlist is created and displayed on the display 10.

Next, the display control of the schedule management screen generation unit 101 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 generates a weekly schedule screen 103 showing a weekly playback schedule and a daily schedule screen 105 showing a daily playback schedule, and selects these screens. Is displayed on the display 10. The display of the weekly schedule screen 103 and the display of the day schedule screen 105 can be changed in both directions according to the button operation of the remote controller 102.

By displaying the playback schedule separately for weeks and days in this way, the number of user operations can be reduced, so that a device with easy-to-understand operations can be realized. Further, by suppressing the information displayed on the display 10 at one time, the user's hesitation can be reduced or the user can easily understand the information. Further, on the device side, the specifications required for drawing and calculation can be suppressed, and the calculation load can be suppressed. Therefore, a signage terminal 9, a monitor display, a public display, or the like realized by an embedded CPU can be applied to the signage terminal 9. If the schedule data is configured to be sequentially read / written to / from the schedule database 16 as the screen changes, it is possible to suppress data loss due to an unexpected device stop.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the weekly schedule screen 103.

A weekly schedule display area 123, which is a screen area that allows a bird's-eye view of the weekly playback schedule of the playlist, is allocated to the lower half of the weekly schedule screen 103. In the weekly schedule display area 123, a table in which the days of the week from Monday to Sunday are assigned on the horizontal axis and the time of the day is assigned on the vertical axis is displayed. In stores that display playlists, etc., Saturday and Sunday are both holidays, and in many cases the same schedule is set up. Therefore, in the order of the days of the week here, Saturday and Sunday are adjacent to each other. ..

In the two-dimensional area of the day of the week and the time, the playlists to be played on the day of the week and the time are arranged in a display format that can be identified for each playlist. Here, as the display format, playlists are displayed with different numbers, colors, and the like assigned to each playlist.

By the way, while the display is performed by the digital signage (that is, while the playlist is played), the power of the signage terminal 9 needs to be on. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the power on / off control can be set as a part of the schedule setting. In the weekly schedule display area 123 of FIG. 4, the power-on time is indicated by the power-on time display 121 indicated by the lower triangle (▽), and the power-off time is indicated by the upper triangle (Δ). It is indicated by the off time display 122. The effective range of schedule setting is shown in the direction indicated by the two triangles (lower triangle and upper triangle).

The user can operate the screen by using the remote controller 102 (FIG. 3). A part of the screen to be operated is highlighted. As the highlight display, for example, the selected screen component is displayed so as to shine brighter than other screen components, or the screen component is displayed in a color different from the original color. This allows the user to perceive which part of the screen he / she is operating on. In the example of FIG. 4, the playlist (5) scheduled to be played between 12:00 and 16:00 on Wednesday is provided with a rectangular frame 131 corresponding to the highlight display, and the playlist ( It is shown that 5) is selected as the operation target.

At the top of the weekly schedule screen 103, there is a preview area 114, which is a screen area for playing and checking the playlist selected as described above (playlist (5) in the example of FIG. 4), and the playlist and the playlist. A detailed information display area 127, which is a screen area for displaying various information of the contents, is allocated. In the preview area 114, the reproduced video (not shown in the example of FIG. 4) of the content included in the playlist selected in the weekly schedule display area 123 is appropriately displayed. In the detailed information display area 127, information that helps the user to edit the schedule, such as the file format and the moving image format of the content being played in the preview area 114, is displayed.

A playlist pre-selection button 125 and a playlist next-select button 126 are displayed on the left and right sides of the preview area 114, and when one of these buttons is pressed, the playlist is in front of or is currently displayed in the preview area 114. The next playlist is displayed in the preview area 114. For example, when the playlist pre-selection button 125 is pressed in FIG. 4, the playback image of the playlist (3) before the playlist (5) on Wednesday is displayed in the preview area 114, and the playlist next selection button is displayed. When 126 is pressed, the playback image of the playlist (1) next to the playlist (5) on Wednesday is displayed in the preview area 114.

Further, the enable / disable button 129 is displayed on the lower side of the weekly schedule screen 103. By this enable / disable button 129, the schedule information edited and set on the weekly schedule screen 103 and the day schedule screen 105 is stored in the schedule database 16 as schedule data, and is played back according to the stored schedule (press enable). ), Whether or not (press invalid) can be selected. A back button 124 for ending schedule editing is also displayed.

At the upper part of the weekly schedule display area 123 described above, a day of the week button 104 composed of a total of seven buttons from Monday to Sunday is displayed. By selectively pressing the day of the week button 104, the day schedule screen 105, which is a screen for setting a detailed playback schedule for each day of the week, can be displayed.

As a processing flow when the user sets the playback schedule, first, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 generates the weekly schedule screen 103 and displays it on the display 10. When the weekly schedule screen 103 is generated, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 reads the schedule data including the playlist information and the information on the day and time when the playlist is played from the schedule database 16. Then, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 arranges the playlists set to be played on the day of the week and the time among the playlists included in the read schedule on the day of the week and the time on the weekly schedule screen 103. To display.

Further, when the user performs an operation of moving the highlight display to the day of the week button of the day of the week to be edited and pressing the enter button among the day of the week buttons 104a to 104g from "Monday" to "Sunday", the schedule is set. The management screen generation unit 101 generates a day schedule screen 105 for the designated day of the week and displays it on the display 10.

Hereinafter, the day schedule screen 105 will be described in detail assuming that the day of the week button 104a of "Monday" is pressed. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the day schedule screen 105, specifically, is a diagram showing an example of the day schedule screen 105 corresponding to Monday.

The item of "power control" is an item for setting the time (schedule) from the power on to the off of the signage terminal 9. The user can select one of "on time setting", "no power control", and "power off" by operating with the highlight display moved to the power control selection box 161. It is possible.

When "ON time setting" is selected in the power control selection box 161, the input of the start time 166, 167 and the end time 168, 169 next to it becomes valid, and the power of the signage terminal 9 is automatically turned on and off. It becomes possible to control. The start times 166 and 167 are set to the times when the power of the signage terminal 9 starts to be turned on, and the end times 168 and 169 are set to the times when the power of the signage terminal 9 is finished to be turned on.

When "No power control" is selected in the power control selection box 161, the power is always turned on for that day (here, Monday) without performing automatic power off control. When "power off" is selected in the power control selection box 161, the power is not turned on for that day (here, Monday), and the power is always turned off. When "No power control" and "Power off" are selected, the inputs of the start time 166, 167 and the end times 168, 169 are invalid. As a method of disabling the input, for example, the start time and end time items may be deleted from the screen or grayed out.

On the day schedule screen 105 of FIG. 5, four schedules from schedule 1 to schedule 4 can be set. The user operates with the highlight display moved to the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d of the schedule to be set, so that the number of the playlist to be played is displayed in the playlist selection box where the highlight display is located. It is possible to select. For example, when playlists (1) to (5) exist as shown in FIG. 3, "playlists (1)" to "playlists (5)" are selected in each of the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d. It is possible to do.

Further, in the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d, it is possible to select either "no setting" or "no display". If there is no playlist to be played, select "No setting" or "No display" in the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d.

When a valid playlist is selected in each of the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d, the start time for setting the playback start time of the playlist and the end time for setting the playback end time of the playlist are set. The time is displayed. In the example of FIG. 5, since a valid playlist is selected in the playlist selection boxes 171a and 171b, the start time is 176 (176a, 176b), 177 (177a, 177b), and the end time is 178 (178a, 178a, 178b) and 179 (179a, 179b) are displayed. On the other hand, since "no setting" is selected in the playlist selection boxes 171c and 171d, the start time and the end time are not displayed.

Here, in the playlist selection boxes 171a and 171b in which a valid playlist is selected in the example of FIG. 5, the start times 176 and 177 are displayed and editable, but the end times 178 and 179 are displayed. Even if it is done, it cannot be selected (moving the highlight display) with the remote controller 102 or the like. That is, when a valid playlist is selected for the schedule, the start time 176,177 and the end time 178,179 are displayed on the screen, but only the start time 176,177 can be changed by editing. Therefore, the end times 178 and 179 cannot be changed directly.

Instead, the time matching processing unit 18 described above is configured to match the playback end time of the preceding playlist with the playback start time of the succeeding playlist. The reason for this is that in digital signage operation, when there are multiple playlists to be played, there is almost no time gap between the preceding playlist and the succeeding playlist (no playlist is played). That is normal. In other words, it is set so that continuous content playback, such as the playback of the next playlist being started immediately after the playback of one playlist is completed, continues until the predetermined power-off time is reached. This is because it is normal.

In view of this, as described above, the time matching processing unit 18 according to the first embodiment is configured so that the playback end time of the preceding playlist matches the playback start time of the succeeding playlist. ing. As a result, for example, in the example of Wednesday on the weekly schedule screen 103 of FIG. 4, between playlists (3) and playlists (5), and between playlists (5) and playlists (1). There is no time gap in.

According to such a configuration, the operation range of the user can be limited, so that a screen that is easy for the user to use can be provided. If you do not want to display anything between playlists, select "No display" in the schedule for that section (playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d) and the time zone you do not want to display. Can be dealt with by setting the start time 176,177 and the end time 178,179.

"Copy this schedule setting to another day of the week" displayed at the bottom of the screen of the day schedule screen 105 is an operation screen for copying the schedule data of the day schedule screen 105 displayed on the display 10 to a desired day of the week. is there. On this operation screen, the day of the week copy button 112 is displayed in units of days of the week so that the corresponding day of the week can be selected with the remote controller 102.

By selecting the day of the week copy button 112 corresponding to the day of the week and pressing the "OK" button or the like on the remote controller 102, it is possible to change the presence or absence of a check mark in the check box of the selected day of the week copy button 112. There is. The signage terminal 9 copies the schedule data of the day schedule screen 105 displayed on the display 10 to the schedule data of the day of the week with the check mark. As a result, not only the day of the week corresponding to the day schedule screen 105 (Monday in the example of FIG. 5) can be edited, but also other days of the week can be edited. A check mark is added from the beginning in the check box of the day of the week (Monday in the example of FIG. 5) corresponding to the day schedule screen 105. If the check mark of the day of the week copy button 112 is removed, copying will not be performed after that.

Next, a process in which the schedule management screen generation unit 101 generates the day schedule screen 105 will be described. When generating the day schedule screen 105, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 reads the schedule data of the corresponding day from the schedule database 16, generates the day schedule screen 105 based on the read schedule data, and displays it on the display 10. To do.

When the read schedule data includes the time from turning on the power of the signage terminal 9 to turning it off, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 sets the item of "power control" based on the information. The "on time setting" is displayed on the display 10, and the start times 166, 167 and the end times 168, 169 are displayed on the display 10.

In the example of FIG. 5, the start times 166 and 167 indicate “10:05” and the end times 168 and 169 indicate “20:30”. In this case, the power of the signage terminal 9 is automatically turned on at 10:05 and turned off automatically at 20:30.

When the schedule data to be read includes information indicating the playlist playback time (playback start time and playback end time), the schedule management screen generation unit 101 sets the corresponding schedule based on the information. The playlist corresponding to the item and the start times 176,177 and the end times 178,179 are displayed on the display 10 in the order of reproduction.

In the example of FIG. 5, "playlist (1)" is displayed in the item of "schedule 1", the start times 176a and 177a indicate "10:05", and the end times 178a and 179a indicate "15:15". Shown. In this case, the playlist (1) is played from 10:05 to 15:15. Further, in the example of FIG. 5, "playlist (5)" is displayed in the item of "schedule 2", the start times 176b and 177b indicate "15:15", and the end times 178b and 179b are "20:30". Is shown. In this case, the playlist (5) will be played from 15:15 to 20:30. Since there are no playlists to be played back for the third and fourth schedules, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 displays "no setting" on the display 10.

Next, a method of setting a power control schedule will be described.

When the user wants to change the "hour" of the start time "hour" and "minute" for power control, the remote control is to move the highlight display to the start time 166 and then press the "Enter" key. By performing the procedure at 102, the number at the start time 166 can be changed. In that state, when the user presses the up / down keys on the remote controller 102, the displayed "10" is changed to "11", "09", or the like.

Similarly, if the user wants to change the "minute" of the "hour" and "minute" of the power-on time, the highlight display is moved to the end time 167, and then the "Enter" key is pressed. The "minute" can be changed by performing the operation and the operation of pressing the up and down keys on the remote controller 102. Similarly, when the user wants to change the "hour" or "minute" of the end time for the power control, the operation of moving the highlight display to the end time 168,169 and then pressing the "Enter" key. And, if the operation of pressing the up and down keys is performed by the remote controller 102, the end time of the power supply control can be changed.

Here, the end time of the last schedule of the same day is changed in conjunction with the change of the end time 168 indicating "hour" or the end time 169 indicating "minute". In the example of FIG. 5, the last schedule of Monday, schedule 2, that is, the end times 178b and 179b of the playlist (5) are changed to match the end times 168 and 169 of "20:30" of the power control. Will be done. As a result, the user can change the end time of the last schedule of the same day simply by changing the end time of the power control, so that the trouble of performing the operation only for that purpose is eliminated.

Next, a method of setting a playlist playback schedule will be described. Here, a case where the user changes the start time of the schedule 2 from 15:15 to 16:30 will be described.

When the user moves the highlight display to the start time 176b indicating "hour" and presses the "OK" key on the remote controller 102, and then presses the up and down keys on the remote controller 102, the display is displayed. The "15" is changed to "16" or "14" or the like. Similarly, the user moves the highlight display to the start time 177b indicating "minutes" and presses the "OK" key on the remote controller 102, and then presses the up and down keys on the remote controller 102. Then, the displayed "15" is changed to "30", "00", or the like.

In conjunction with the change by the user's operation, the time matching processing unit 18 changes the "15" of the end time 178a indicating the "hour" of the schedule 1 to "16" or "14", and 179a indicating the "minute". "15" is automatically changed to "30" or "00". In this way, the time matching processing unit 18 makes the playback end time (end time 178a, 179a) of the preceding playlist match the playback start time (start time 176b, 177b) of the succeeding playlist. As a result, the user can change the end time of the immediately preceding schedule 1 simply by changing the start time of the schedule 2, so that the operation of changing the end time of the playlist is eliminated.

In the example of FIG. 5, an example in which "hour" and "minute" are set separately is shown, but even if "hour" and "minute" are displayed as one, such as "HH: MM". Good. Further, although an example of using the up and down keys of the remote controller 102 to change the "hour" and "minute" is shown, the number keys of the remote controller 102 may be used, and the key assignment is not particularly specified. Further, as a device that accepts user operations, a device using, for example, gesture, voice recognition, LAN (Local Area Network), serial control, or the like, a communication device, and a control device may be applied in addition to the remote controller 102. Further, although the time display is shown by using numbers in the example of FIG. 5, the time display may be shown by using a hand type.

Further, in the example of FIG. 5, a plurality of schedules included in a day are displayed on one screen and can be changed directly on the same screen. However, for example, a plurality of schedules are displayed separately for each schedule. May be displayed on multiple screens. Further, a dedicated screen may be displayed for the schedule and time to be edited. Furthermore, the end time of the schedule is not intentionally displayed on the screen, and the display format is adopted so that the user implicitly recognizes that the end times 178a and 179a of the preceding schedule are the start times 176b and 177b of the succeeding schedule. You may. Similarly, instead of displaying the end times 178b and 179b of the last schedule on the screen, a display format may be adopted in which the user implicitly recognizes that the end times 168 and 169 of the power are turned off. Further, in the example of FIG. 5, the number of playlist schedule settings is four, but the number is not limited to this.

In "Copy this schedule setting to another day" at the bottom of the screen of the day schedule screen 105, if the day copy button 112 of the day of the week different from the day corresponding to the day schedule screen 105 is checked, the same screen. The schedule data of the contents displayed in is written to the schedule database 16 as the schedule data of the day of the week with the check mark. The timing of writing may be the timing of adding a check mark (the timing of selecting the screen component of the day of the week) or the timing of pressing the back button 113, and is not limited thereto. Since it is possible to set a plurality of days of the week at once by such a writing process, it is possible to reduce the time required for schedule editing.

In "Copy this schedule setting to another day of the week", the days of the week on which the schedule data is once shared will be linked to each other. Therefore, when the day of the week button 104 corresponding to the linked copied day of the week is pressed on the weekly schedule screen 103 to open the day of the week schedule screen 105, the signage terminal 9 uses the linked day of the week (the copy source). A check mark is added to the check box of the day of the week copy button 112 of the day of the week and the day of the week to which the copy is made. This allows the user to recognize that the scheduling settings are linked. When it is desired to cancel the link of the day of the week to which the schedule setting is linked, the operation of selecting the check box of the day of the week to which the schedule setting is not desired to be linked and pressing the enter button is performed on the remote controller 102. In this case, the signage terminal 9 removes the check mark of the day of the week and stops the copy link until the next check mark is added.

Further, on the day schedule screen 105 of FIG. 5, "Schedule setting for every" Monday "" is displayed at the top. That is, as a result of selecting the Monday day of the week button 104 on the weekly schedule screen 103, it is displayed that the Monday schedule is being edited. Here, in "Copy this schedule setting to another day of the week" at the bottom of the screen of the day schedule screen 105, the check mark was removed on Monday and the check mark was added on Thursday, and then edited on the day schedule screen 105. In this case, the signage terminal 9 reflects the editing result only on Thursday. According to such a configuration, when you want to switch the day of the week you want to edit, you can edit the day of the week you want to change the schedule while displaying the day schedule screen 105 without returning to the weekly schedule screen 103 of FIG. Can be done.

When the schedule setting and change are completed on the day schedule screen 105, the back button 113 is pressed. In this case, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 stores the schedule information displayed on the daily schedule screen in the schedule database 16 as schedule data, and discards the daily schedule screen 105. Next, the schedule management screen generation unit 101 reads the schedule data for each day of the week from the schedule database 16, generates the weekly schedule screen 103, and displays it on the display 10. Similar to the above, in the two-dimensional area of the day of the week and the time, the playlist to be played on the day of the week and the time is arranged in a display format that can be identified for each playlist. However, the weekly schedule screen 103 generated and displayed here reflects the content edited on the daily schedule screen 105.

As described above, the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment is configured to reflect the received edits in both the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105 by reflecting the received edits in the schedule data. There is. That is, the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105 exchange schedule data via the schedule database 16. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the display of only one of the screens being edited is updated and the display of only the other screen is not updated on the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105.

Further, the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment is configured so that the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105 are not displayed at the same time. By exclusively displaying the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105 in this way, access to the schedule database 16 is limited to either the weekly schedule screen 103 or the daily schedule screen 105. Therefore, it is possible to avoid data inconsistencies and conflicts. Further, since it is possible to suppress the simultaneous writing of the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105, as a result, it is possible to avoid failures such as collisions and deadlocks in the software program, and to prevent failures in these software programs. There is no need to provide a mechanism to avoid it, such as a critical section.

Of the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105, only one screen for which screen operation is enabled is given a write right to allow writing to the schedule database 16, and the other screen is given a write right to allow writing to the schedule database. It may be configured to read only from 16. In this configuration, even if the signage terminal 9 is configured to simultaneously display the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105, it is possible to avoid data inconsistencies and conflicts.

Further, the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment matches the playback end time of the preceding playlist with the playback start time of the succeeding playlist. As a result, the plurality of playlists displayed on the weekly schedule screen 103 are continuously played (displayed) in the order in which they are arranged without any gaps. Explaining with the example of Wednesday of the weekly schedule screen 103 of FIG. 4, the playlist (3), the playlist (5), and the three rectangular areas showing the playlist (1) are displayed adjacent to each other without any gap. Will be done. As a result, there are no gaps between playlists, so that the content played on the digital signage can be played back without interruption.

In the above, an example of changing the schedule of the designated day of the week collectively on the day schedule screen 105 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a playlist displayed in the weekly schedule display area 123 is selected by the remote controller 102, a separate screen is generated from that state, and the start time of the corresponding playlist or the start time of the playlist is displayed on that screen. The display format may be such that the end time can be edited. Then, by changing the playlist, the start time, end time, or power control on / off time of the previous and next playlists may be changed in conjunction with each other, and then reflected in the schedule database 16.

Further, for the playlist displayed in the weekly schedule display area 123, the boundary between the playlists can be selected, and the user moves the focus (highlighting) to select and determine the boundary. May be configured so that the remote control 102 can be used. Then, if the screen configuration is such that when the boundary is selected and determined, the determined boundary is moved in the vertical direction on the screen, the time for switching the playlist can be easily changed with only the up and down buttons of the remote controller 102. It becomes possible to move it back and forth.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, a configuration that could not be shown in FIG. 2 is shown. The weekly schedule screen generation unit 21, the day schedule screen generation unit 22, and the time screen generation unit 23 are included in the schedule management screen generation unit 101 of FIG. Further, the signage terminal 9 includes not only the components shown in FIG. 2 but also an operation interface 24 and a playlist reproduction control unit 25. The playlist reproduction control unit 25 may be a separate body from the reproduction control unit 17 of FIG. 2, or may be the same as the reproduction control unit 17.

The operation interface 24, which is an interface, has a function of receiving a control signal from the remote controller 102 of FIG. 2 or another system or device (not shown), and a command that can be used in the signage terminal 9 according to the received control signal. To generate. The control signal received by the operation interface 24 includes information indicating editing of the reproduction schedule and the like. The operation interface 24 outputs the generated command to the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21, the day schedule screen generation unit 22, and the time screen generation unit 23.

The week schedule screen generation unit 21 generates the week schedule screen 103 as shown in FIG. 4 based on the schedule data. The day schedule screen generation unit 22 generates the day schedule screen 105 as shown in FIG. 5 based on the schedule data. The time screen generation unit 23, in cooperation with the day schedule screen generation unit 22, generates the start time 166, 167, 176, 177 and the end time 168, 169, 178, 179 of FIG. 5 based on the schedule data. Although the time screen generation unit 23 will be described here as a separate body from the day schedule screen generation unit 22, it may be a part of the function of the day schedule screen generation unit 22.

When the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 receives the start command from the operation interface 24, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 requests the schedule data from the schedule management unit 13. Upon receiving this request, the schedule management unit 13 reads the held schedule data from the schedule database 16 and returns it to the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21. The weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 makes an inquiry to the playlist management unit 12 regarding the playlist included in the schedule data received from the schedule management unit 13. The playlist management unit 12 needs the playlist data (file names of contents such as videos, still images, music, etc. included in the playlist, playback time length, playback order, etc.) inquired from the playlist database 15. Information) is acquired and returned to the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21. The weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 generates a weekly schedule screen 103 as shown in FIG. 4 based on the received schedule data and playlist data, and displays it on the display 10.

When the user performs an operation for reproducing the content with the remote controller 102, the operation interface 24 outputs a command for instructing the reproduction and the instructed playlist to the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21. Upon receiving the command and the playlist, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 instructs the playlist playback control unit 25 to play the corresponding playlist.

When the playlist playback control unit 25 receives a playback instruction from the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21, it inquires of the playlist management unit 12 about the content included in the instructed playlist, the playback time, and the like. Then, when the playlist reproduction control unit 25 receives the result of the inquiry from the playlist management unit 12, the playlist reproduction control unit 25 instructs the content reproduction unit 26 to reproduce the corresponding section of the relevant content.

The content reproduction unit 26 reads the corresponding content from the content database 14, performs initialization processing such as a decoder (not shown), and then sends the read content to the decoder for reproduction. By repeating this content reading process and sending to the decoder, playback continues. The output video, image, and sound of the decoder are sent to the content display control unit 11, and then output from the display 10 and a speaker (not shown).

When the user performs an operation for stopping the playback of the content on the remote controller 102, the operation interface 24 outputs a playback stop command to the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21. When the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 receives the playback stop command, the playlist playback control unit 25 instructs the playlist playback control unit 25 to stop playback, and when the playlist playback control unit 25 receives this instruction, the content playback unit 26 is instructed to stop playback. To instruct to stop playback. When the content reproduction unit 26 receives the reproduction stop, it stops reading the content from the content database 14, stops the decoder and the like, and stops the output of the content display control unit 11.

Next, the process of changing the schedule will be described. When the user presses any of the day of the week buttons 104a to 104g corresponding to each day of the week shown in FIG. 3, the operation interface 24 activates the day schedule screen generation unit 22 and activates the day schedule screen generation unit 22. The specified day of the week is output to the day schedule screen generation unit 22. When the day schedule screen generation unit 22 receives the designated day of the week, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 requests the schedule management unit 13 for the schedule data of the designated day of the week. The schedule management unit 13 reads the held schedule data from the schedule database 16 and returns it to the day schedule screen generation unit 22.

As a result, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 can read information such as the playlist of the day, the start time and end time of the playlist, and the power on / off time from the schedule data of the specified day. It has become. The day schedule screen generation unit 22 generates the day schedule screen 105 as shown in FIG. 5 based on the schedule data received from the schedule management unit 13, and displays it on the display 10. As described below, the daily schedule screen generation unit 22 can change the schedule data according to the editing received by the operation interface 24.

Next, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 describes a process of changing the start time of the schedule. When the remote controller 102 receives the playlist to be edited and the time to be edited, that is, the start time or the end time from the user, the information is input to the operation interface 24. When the operation interface 24 receives these information, it activates the time screen generation unit 23 and outputs the information to the time screen generation unit 23. The time screen generation unit 23 has a schedule start time 166, 167, 176, 177 and an end time 168, corresponding to the received information (playlist to be edited, time to be edited, that is, start time or end time). 169,178,179 are determined.

The time screen generation unit 23 generates new time information (hereinafter, “new time information”) indicating a new time. For example, if the start time 176a indicating "10" as the "hour" of the schedule 1 in FIG. 5 is selected as the operation target, and the command corresponding to "advance" is received from the operation interface 24, " 11 ”is generated as new time information. The time screen generation unit 23 outputs the generated new time information to the time matching processing unit 18 via the schedule management unit 13.

The time matching processing unit 18 acquires the time information of the schedule before and after the one schedule for which the new time information is generated and the schedule of the power supply control from the schedule database 16 via the schedule management unit 13. Then, the time matching processing unit 18 determines whether the new time information is consistent with the acquired time information and the schedule.

When the time matching processing unit 18 determines that the time is not consistent, the time matching processing unit 18 returns an error to the time screen generation unit 23, corrects the new time information to the matching time information, and corrects the corrected time information. It is returned to the time screen generation unit 23. When the time matching processing unit 18 determines that the matching is performed, the time matching processing unit 18 returns a response to the effect that it is normal to the time screen generation unit 23.

As described above, the time matching processing unit 18 aligns the time information set and displayed in the time screen generation unit 23, so that the time information is matched between the times of each schedule, and further between the times of each schedule and the time of power supply control. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconsistency.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of schedule data corresponding to the contents of the schedule of FIG.

Data is generated for each day of the week as shown as Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, and Sun. For Thursday, there is no schedule data, so there is no data in Tu brackets. Of the Monday data indicated by Mon, the power-on time of 6:00 is set as "pon" and "6:00", and the power-off time of 18:00 is "p-off" and "18:00". Is set as. For the playlist to be played between the power-on time and the power-off time, the playlist number and the playback start time are set. For example, on Monday, it is set as "playlist1" and "6:00". For example, when there are multiple playlists such as Tuesday, playlists such as "playlist2" "6:00", "playlist3" "12:00", and "playlist4" "16:00". Numbers and playback start times are set in order of playback.

Here, according to the data structure of FIG. 7, the reproduction end time is not set. The reason for not setting the playback end time is that, as described above, the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment is configured so that the playback end time of the preceding playlist matches the playback start time of the succeeding playlist. Because it has been done. According to such a configuration, as in the data structure of FIG. 7, by setting only the start times of the succeeding playlist and the first playlist, it is possible to set the switching time of a plurality of playlists.

The merit of not setting the end time of the playlist is that there is no setting work, or there is a time interval between the end time of the preceding playlist and the start time of the succeeding playlist, that is, playback. It is conceivable that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a time zone that does not occur. In addition, when the start time of the subsequent playlist is set before the end time of the preceding playlist due to a user operation error or the like, it is not necessary to make a logical judgment such as which one should be prioritized. Is also possible. Furthermore, if you want to edit the playback start time and playback end time of each playlist of the schedule once created, you only need to edit the start time, so it is expected that the setting change time will be shortened and errors in the change will be suppressed. it can.

8, 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the processing of the signage terminal 9 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing of the signage terminal 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

First, in step S1, when the operation interface 24 accepts the operation to start editing the schedule, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 is activated. In step S2, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 reads the schedule data from the schedule database 16.

In step S3, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 generates the weekly schedule screen 103 based on the read schedule data. At this time, if the playlist is set for the day of the week and the time on the generated weekly schedule screen 103, the color of the partial area of the screen is changed, hatching is performed, and the playlist number is assigned. Etc. are performed.

In step S4, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the input operation from the user (here, the control signal from the remote controller 102) has been accepted. If it is determined that the acceptance has been received, the process proceeds to step S5, and if not, step S4 is performed again.

In step S5, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the operation received in step S4 is a pressing operation for the day of the week button 104. If it is determined that the operation is to press the day of the week button 104, the process proceeds to A in FIG. 9, and if not, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the operation received in step S4 is an operation for the playlist area. If it is determined that the operation is for the playlist area, the process proceeds to step S7, and if not, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S7, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 instructs the content reproduction unit 26 to play and display the playlist to be operated. As a result, the playlist is played and displayed in the preview area 114. Then, the process returns to step S4.

In step S8, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the operation received in step S4 is a pressing operation on the back button 124. If it is determined that the operation is to press the back button 124, the process proceeds to step S9, and if not, the process returns to step S4.

In step S9, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 determines whether or not the schedule data has been changed. If it is determined that there is a change, the process proceeds to step S10, and if not, the process proceeds to step S11 to end the process.

In step S10, the weekly schedule screen generation unit 21 writes the changed schedule data to the schedule database 16. After that, the process proceeds to step S11 to end the process.

Next, A will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S21, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 is activated. Then, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 reads the schedule data of the day corresponding to the day of the week button 104 received in step S4 from the schedule database 16. In step S22, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 generates the day schedule screen 105 based on the read schedule data.

In step S23, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the input operation from the user (here, the control signal from the remote controller 102) has been accepted. If it is determined that the acceptance has been received, the process proceeds to step S24, and if not, step S23 is performed again.

In step S24, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the operation received in step S23 is an operation for the area indicating the schedule (here, the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d in FIG. 5). If it is determined that the operation is for the area indicating the schedule, the process proceeds to step S25, and if not, the process proceeds to step S26.

In step S25, the daily schedule screen generation unit 22 displays the changeable playlist candidate in one of the playlist selection boxes 171a to 171d to be operated. This allows the user to select and change the playlist he / she wants to play. Then, the process returns to step S23.

In step S26, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the operation received in step S23 is an operation for the editing area of the playback start time (here, the start time 176, 177 in FIG. 5). If it is determined that the operation is for the edit area of the playback start time, the process proceeds to C in FIG. 10, and if not, the process proceeds to step S27.

In step S27, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the operation received in step S23 is a pressing operation on the back button 113. If it is determined that the operation is to press the back button 113, the process proceeds to step S28, and if not, the process returns to step S23.

In step S28, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 writes the schedule data of the displayed day schedule screen 105 into the schedule database 16. Then, in step S29, the day schedule screen generation unit 22 discards the displayed day schedule screen 105. After that, the process proceeds to step S2 in FIG. 8 via B.

Next, C will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S41, the operation interface 24 determines whether or not the editing target by the operation received in step S23 is the first schedule (here, schedule 1 in FIG. 5). If it is determined that the schedule is the first, the process proceeds to step S42, and if not, the process proceeds to step S43.

In step S42, the time matching processing unit 18 determines whether or not the playback start time to be edited matches the schedule for turning off and turning on the power of the signage terminal 9. Specifically, the time matching processing unit 18 determines that the playback start time to be edited is consistent when it is between the start time 166, 167 and the end time 168, 169 of the power supply control. If not, it is determined that they are not consistent. If it is determined in step S42 that they are consistent, the process proceeds to step S45, and if not, the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S43, the time matching processing unit 18 determines that the playback start time to be edited, that is, the playback start time of one playlist is the time information of the playlists before and after the one playlist, and the signage terminal 9. Determine if it is consistent with the schedule for powering off and on. For example, the time matching processing unit 18 matches when the playback start time to be edited is between the start time 176,177 of the immediately preceding playlist and the start time 176,177 of the immediately preceding playlist. If not, it is determined that they are inconsistent. If there is no playlist immediately after, the power control end times 168 and 169 are applied instead of the start times 176 and 177. If it is determined in step S43 that they are consistent, the process proceeds to step S45, and if not, the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, the time matching processing unit 18 corrects the reproduction start time to be edited to the matching reproduction start time. For example, when the process proceeds from step S42 to step S44, the time matching processing unit 18 sets the playback start time to be edited to the power control start time 166,167 and the immediately preceding playlist start time 176,6. The time is corrected to a time between 177 and the earlier time of the end times 168 and 169 (for example, an intermediate value thereof). For example, when the process proceeds from step S43 to step S44, the time matching processing unit 18 sets the playback start time to be edited to the start time of the immediately preceding playlist 176,177 and the start time of the immediately preceding playlist. Correct the time between 176 and 177 (for example, an intermediate value between them). Then, the process proceeds to step S45.

In step S45, the time matching processing unit 18 makes the playback end time paired with the playback start time to be edited match the start time 176, 177 of the playlist immediately after. If there is no playlist immediately after, the power control end times 168 and 169 are applied instead. Then, the time screen generation unit 23 switches and displays the start time 176, 177 and the end time 178, 179 of the edit target displayed on the display 10 by switching to the playback start time and the playback end time edited or corrected as described above. To do. After that, the process proceeds to step S23 in FIG. 9 via D.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105. As shown in FIG. 11, the transition from the weekly schedule screen 103 to the day schedule screen 105 of each day of the week is performed by specifying the day of the week on the weekly schedule screen 103 or a user interface such as the remote controller 102. By displaying the weekly schedule screen 103, the user can roughly confirm the trend of the weekly schedule, the relationship between the days of the week, and the fact that the screen cannot be edited. When the user determines the day of the week button 104 of the day of the week to be edited after grasping them, the day schedule screen 105 corresponding to the day of the week is generated. Therefore, it is possible to edit the schedule of the day of the week to be edited.

By displaying the day schedule screen 105, the user confirms and edits the playlist of the specified day of the week, the start time and end time of the playlist, and the details such as the power-on time and power-off time of the digital signage. Can be done. As described above, since the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105 are not displayed on the display 10 at the same time, the user wants to edit without paying attention to the relationship between the days of the week during the editing work on the daily schedule screen. You can concentrate on editing the day. When the editing of the day is completed, the week schedule screen 103 can be returned by pressing the back button or the like, and the relationship between the days of the week as a whole can be grasped. Further, on the day schedule screen 105, it is possible to copy the schedule to the schedule of another day of the week after editing, and it is also possible to set the schedule of a plurality of days at once. In this way, by limiting the user's thinking target by switching between week and day, it is possible to facilitate the work and suppress mistakes.

<Summary of Embodiment 1>
By limiting the schedule editing screen to one week or one day, schedule editing becomes possible even in a CPU embedded device or the like where the screen area is narrow or the screen resolution is low. Then, by dividing the schedule editing screen into a weekly schedule and a daily schedule, it can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner even if the screen area is limited. Here, when the schedule screen is divided into the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105, the data updated on one screen is the data on the other screen or the data held by the one that is not displayed. It seems to be inconsistent with. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, all the data is centrally managed by the schedule database 16 and the latest data is read from the schedule database 16, so that there is no contradiction between the screens. ..

In the first embodiment, the schedule editing screen is divided into a weekly schedule and a daily schedule, and these form a hierarchical structure. According to such a configuration, as in the day schedule screen 105, the order of playback, the contents and playlists to be played, and their start time and end time are limited to the schedule within the day. , Users are less likely to get lost in operation.

Further, a day of the week button 104 is provided on the weekly schedule screen 103. As a result, since the editing target is limited to the schedule only for the relevant day, the user can clearly distinguish between the act of thinking about the entire weekly schedule and the act of thinking about the daily schedule. Therefore, it is possible to easily understand the editing target. In addition, since the range of thinking on each screen is limited, the user's hesitation can be suppressed and understanding can be promoted. In particular, by exclusively displaying the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105, the usability is improved for the user who edits. Further, since the schedule data is confirmed and stored each time the weekly schedule screen 103 and the daily schedule screen 105 are switched, a large amount of newly edited data can be left even in the unlikely event of a system outage. ..

Furthermore, the amount of data expanded on the memory can be reduced. For example, for one schedule, it is assumed that 4 bytes are required for each of playlist specification, start time specification, and playback order specification, and 8 bytes are required for the power on / off time of a day, and 4 bytes a day. If the schedule is set, 56 (= 3 × 4 × 4 + 8) bytes are required per day. In this case, 336 bytes can be reduced compared to 392 bytes when deployed for one week. In addition, even if a power outage occurs and the developed data disappears unexpectedly, the range of influence is very small.

In addition, since the screen configuration is such that the schedule is edited in units of daily schedules, the schedule of the day being edited can be easily copied to the schedule of another day. In particular, in general retail stores and the like, it is often operated with the same schedule almost every day, or with a schedule different from other days only on Saturday and Sunday, so that the schedule of the created day can be easily copied. In addition, the schedule created for one day can be copied to the schedule for a plurality of days, so that the productivity is high.

By displaying the weekly schedule screen 103, the user can get a bird's-eye view of the weekly schedule. For this reason, it is convenient when grasping a general operation style in a retail store or the like, that is, an operation style that only distinguishes between weekdays and Saturdays and Sundays.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the time information of one playlist is consistent with the time information of the playlists before and after the one playlist and the schedule for turning on and off the power of the digital signage. If not, the time information of the one playlist in the playback schedule is corrected to the consistent time information. As a result, the user does not have to check the time consistency, and human failure can be suppressed. As a result, the schedule of digital signage can be easily set and edited, so that even a user who is unfamiliar with the schedule setting can set the schedule accurately and easily.

Further, it is not an interface device such as a mouse or a touch panel that is generally used as an interface for a personal computer or the like, but an interface such as a remote controller 102 that uses buttons that are generally used for operating home appliances. However, it will be possible to easily set the schedule.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the playback end time of the preceding playlist is matched with the playback start time of the succeeding playlist, there is no playlist to be played between the schedules, and what is displayed on the screen. Can be suppressed, such as not being displayed. Further, since the end time of the immediately preceding schedule is automatically changed only by editing the start time of the schedule to be edited on each day, it is possible to reduce the time and effort of the user's operation and suppress mistakes.

In the above description, a configuration has been described in which the playback end time of the preceding playlist is matched with the playback start time of the succeeding playlist. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the playback start time of the succeeding playlist may be matched with the playback end time of the preceding playlist.

Further, the target to be matched may be not only the playlist but also the start time and end time between the contents constituting the playlist, or the playlist and the chapters between the contents. In the case of a chapter, in addition to the matching process for confirming that it exists between the playback start time and the end time of the corresponding playlist or content, the matching process with the preceding and following chapters is required.

Further, in the above description, the time information to be edited is the playback start time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be the playback end time. In this case, the time matching processing unit 18 sets the playback end time to be edited, that is, the playback end time of one playlist to the immediately preceding playlist end times 178,179 and the immediately following playlist end time 178, If it is between 179 and 179, it is determined that it is consistent, and if it is not, it is determined that it is not consistent. If there is no playlist immediately before, the power control start time 166,167 is applied instead of the end time 178,179, and if there is no playlist immediately after that, the end time 178,179 Instead, the power control end times 168,169 are applied.

Then, when it is determined that the time matching processing unit 18 does not match, the time matching processing unit 18 corrects the reproduction end time to be edited to the matching reproduction end time. Even with the configuration in which the playback end times are matched in this way, the same effect as the above-described configuration in which the playback start times are matched can be obtained.

In the above description, in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the unit of editing is the day of the week, but the editing may be done on a daily basis, and the editing can be performed across days of the week. May be good. For example, in FIG. 5, the schedule may be from 9:00 on Monday to 9:00 on Tuesday the next day on a daily basis. When the above editing is performed in the weekly schedule display area 123 of the weekly schedule screen 103, the color displayed in the area from the upper side to 9 o'clock on Tuesday, which is the next day, is displayed in the area after 9 o'clock. It may be different from the color. As a result, the user can easily know that the schedule can be edited (set) across days on the day schedule screen 105.

<Modification example>
In the first embodiment, in step S44 (FIG. 10), the time matching processing unit 18 sets the playback start time to be edited to the power control start time 166,167 or the immediately preceding playlist start time 176,177. And the time between the start time 176 and 177 of the playlist immediately after that (for example, an intermediate value between them). However, it is not limited to this.

For example, suppose that the time "21:00" is erroneously set at the start times 176b and 177b of the playlist (5) of the schedule 2 as shown in FIG. This set time is not between "10:05" set at the start time 166 and 167 of the power supply control and "20:30" set at the end times 168 and 169. Further, the above-mentioned set time is between "10:05" set at the start times 176a and 177a of the immediately preceding schedule 1 and "18:00" set at the start times 176c and 177c of the immediately preceding schedule 3. Nor. In such a case, the time matching processing unit 18 determines that the “21:00” set at the start times 176b and 177b of the schedule 2 does not match, and corrects the playback start time.

In this modification, if the playback time of the playlist (5) of the schedule 2 is 1 hour, the time matching processing unit 18 starts from "18:00" set at the start times 176c and 177c of the immediately following schedule. The start times 176b and 177b of the schedule 2 are corrected to "17:00" before the time. Even with such a configuration, the time matching processing unit 18 sets the playback start time of the schedule 2 to be edited between the playback start time of the immediately preceding schedule 1 and the playback start time of the immediately preceding schedule 3. Since it is modified, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the present invention, the embodiments can be appropriately modified or omitted within the scope of the invention.

9 Signage terminal, 10 displays, 13 schedule management unit, 16 schedule database, 18-hour matching processing unit, 21-week schedule screen generation unit, 22-day schedule screen generation unit, 24-operation interface, 103-week schedule screen, 105-day schedule screen ..

Claims (8)

It is a schedule display control device that displays the playback schedule of the playback target to be played back by digital signage on the display device.
A schedule database that stores schedule data that is the playback schedule data, and
A weekly schedule screen showing the playback schedule on a weekly basis based on the schedule data, and
A day schedule screen for showing and editing the playback schedule for each day of the week based on the schedule data, and
An interface that accepts editing of the playback schedule,
It is a button displayed in the weekly schedule screen, and includes a day of the week button for displaying the day schedule screen in which editing is performed in units of days of the week.
By reflecting the edit in units of days of the week received by the interface in the schedule data, it is reflected in both the weekly schedule screen and the day schedule screen.
A button displayed in the day schedule screen, in which the edit of one day of the week received by the interface is displayed on at least one schedule data of another day, the week schedule screen, and the day schedule screen. It also has a day of the week copy button to reflect,
The day of the week copy button is a toggle-type button in which either valid or invalid is selected.
When the day copy button of the one day of the week is enabled and the at least one copy button of the day of the week of the other day of the week is enabled on the day schedule screen of the one day of the week, the above is accepted by the interface. A schedule display control device that reflects the edit of one day of the week on the at least one schedule data, the weekly schedule screen, and the day schedule screen of the other day of the week. The schedule display control device according to claim 1.
A schedule display control device that does not display the weekly schedule screen and the day schedule screen on the display device at the same time. The schedule display control device according to claim 1.
In the reproduction schedule, a plurality of the reproduction targets are ordered in the order of reproduction.
A schedule management unit that manages the playback order, playback start time, and playback end time of one or more playback targets,
The time information of one of the reproduction targets of the reproduction schedule on the edited day of the week of the reproduction schedule managed by the schedule management unit is the time information of the reproduction target before and after the reproduction target, and the reproduction target. A schedule display further including a time matching processing unit that corrects the time information of the one playback target in the playback schedule to the matching time information when the schedule for turning on and off the power of the digital signage is not matched. Control device. It is a schedule display control device that displays the playback schedule of the playback target to be played back by digital signage on the display device.
A schedule database that stores schedule data that is the playback schedule data, and
A weekly schedule screen showing the playback schedule on a weekly basis based on the schedule data, and
A day schedule screen for showing and editing the playback schedule for each day of the week based on the schedule data, and
An interface that accepts editing of the playback schedule,
It is a button displayed in the weekly schedule screen, and includes a day of the week button for displaying the day schedule screen in which editing is performed in units of days of the week.
By reflecting the edit in units of days of the week received by the interface in the schedule data, it is reflected in both the weekly schedule screen and the day schedule screen.
In the reproduction schedule, a plurality of the reproduction targets are ordered in the order of reproduction.
A schedule management unit that manages the playback order, playback start time, and playback end time of one or more playback targets,
The time information of one of the reproduction targets of the reproduction schedule on the edited day of the week of the reproduction schedule managed by the schedule management unit is the time information of the reproduction target before and after the reproduction target, and the reproduction target. With a time matching processing unit that corrects the time information of the one playback target in the playback schedule to the matching time information when the schedule for turning on and off the power of the digital signage is not matched.
Further Ru comprising a schedule display controller. The schedule display control device according to claim 4.
It is a button displayed in the day schedule screen, and the edit of one day of the week received by the interface is displayed on at least one of the schedule data of the other day of the week, the weekly schedule screen, and the day schedule screen. A schedule display control device with an additional day of the week copy button for reflection. The schedule display control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5.
The schedule display control device in which the time information is the playback start time. The schedule display control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5.
The schedule display control device in which the time information is the playback end time. The schedule display control device according to any one of claims 3 to 7.
The time matching processing unit
A schedule display control device that matches either one of the preceding reproduction end time of the reproduction target and the subsequent reproduction start time of the reproduction target with the other.

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