JPH03243076A - Audio/video system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To construct an intelligent audio/video system by allowing a TV to execute time control by utilizing the clock of a VTR to learn the observing/ listening state of the TV. CONSTITUTION:The VTR has a step for securing an area storing the using state of each unit time band obtained by dividing the days of a week, inquiring the current day and time of the week to a clock means through a transmission route, sampling the using state of the self-station plural times, determining the using state of the self-station from the sampled results, and then registering the determined result in a storage means. On the other hand, a TV image receiver has a step for securing a using state storing area, deciding whether the power supply of the self-station is ON or not, inquiring the day and time of the week at the time of detecting power ON to the VTR, determining the current time band, determining a channel number with the highest observing/ listening frequency at the time band based upon the past data stored in the storage means, and setting up the tuner part of the self-station to the determined channel number.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an audio video system (hereinafter abbreviated as AV system) in which an intelligent system is constructed by connecting a television and a VTR through an information transmission path and performing cooperative operations. )
It is related to.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an AV system composed of a television, a video tape recorder (hereinafter abbreviated as VTR), audio equipment, etc., the functions of each AV equipment were executed independently without being related to each other.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The above-mentioned conventional technology had the following problems.

(1) - Since a TV is not equipped with a clock when fishing on a boat, even if there is a need to manage time, it cannot be easily achieved with a TV alone.

(2) Since time management cannot be performed on a TV, even if you want to watch the same program on the same channel at a fixed time on a fixed day of the week, you will need to reset the channel each time. Furthermore, since televisions do not have a reservation function, you may miss the desired program because you forget the start time, are out of the house, or are watching a program on another channel.

(3) VTRs have a scheduled recording function, but if you want to watch the same program on the same channel at a fixed time on a fixed day of the week, and you happen to be going out and want to record it, you don't have to make a reservation. It must be made.

(4) When a VTR is programmed to record the same program on the same channel at a fixed time on a fixed day of the week every week, the program will be recorded even if the program is viewed on the TV.

There was a problem.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. a communication processing means connected to an information communication system constituted by a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission path, and for performing data communication in sequential frames via the information transmission path, and the communication processing means frame decoding means for decoding the contents of the frame received by the means; frame generation means for configuring the frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means; and system control means for controlling the operation of the entire station. , a timekeeping means for managing the current time and reservation management, and a reservation time storage means for registering the time for performing the reservation operation, and a timer that matches the current time and reservation time. a videotape recorder comprising a reserved time comparing means for determining whether or not the reserved time has been reserved; the communication processing means; the frame decoding means;
It comprises the same means as the frame generation means and the system control means, a tuner section for demodulating the high frequency signal, a dead state detection means for detecting the standby state of the station and the channel number of the tuner, and the following: a statistical processing means for taking statistics on the standby state of the station and the channel number being viewed using an algorithm consisting of steps; and a storage means for storing the statistical data outputted by the statistical processing means. , and a television receiver equipped with AV control means for executing algorithms for collecting statistical data and executing application functions.The above algorithm divides each day of the week into unit time periods,
a step of securing an area for storing the usage status of each unit time period for a plurality of weeks, and inquiring the current day of the week and current time of the clocking means via the information transmission path to obtain the corresponding data. a step of sampling the usage status of the own stage 1 multiple times at sampling time intervals obtained by subdividing the unit time period; and a step of determining the usage status of the own station in the unit time period based on the results of the multiple samplings. and the step of registering the determined usage status in the storage means as the TV usage status for the relevant time slot on the relevant day of the week.

(2) The second AV system according to the present invention is based on the first A
The television receiver in the V system includes a communication processing means,
It is equipped with a frame decoding means, a frame generation means, a system control means, a tuner section, and a state detection means, and the standby state of the station and the channel number being viewed are subjected to statistical processing according to a predetermined algorithm. and an AV control means for executing an algorithm consisting of the following steps and for executing an application function. A step of dividing each day of the week into unit time periods, securing an area for multiple weeks to store the usage status of each unit time period, and determining whether the local station's power is on or off. determining the current day of the week and time of the video tape recorder when detecting that the power of the own station is turned on from off, and determining the current day of the week and time of the video tape recorder based on the inquired day of the week and time. a step of determining a current applicable unit time slot; a step of determining a frequently viewed channel number in the applicable unit time slot from past data stored in a storage means; and a tuner section of the own station. and setting the channel number to the channel number determined in the step.

(3) The third AV system according to the present invention has a second A/V system.
The algorithm in the V system divides each day of the week into unit time periods and secures space for multiple weeks to store the usage status of each unit time period, and the video has a timer reservation function. a step of registering a time several minutes before the unit time slot in a reserved time storage means of a tape recorder; a step of determining whether the next unit time period is a time period with high viewing frequency from stored past data; and when it is determined in the step that the next unit time period is a time period with high viewing frequency, a corresponding unit; a step of determining a frequently viewed channel number in a time period from past data stored in the storage means; a step of determining whether or not the own station is currently being viewed; If the station is not currently being viewed, notifying the user that a frequently viewed time period is approaching; and determining whether the user has turned on the station after receiving the notification; and a step of setting the tuner section of the own station to the channel number determined in the step when the user turns on the station scene.

(4) The fourth AV system according to the present invention has a second A/V system.
The video tape recorder in the V system is equipped with a tuner section for demodulating high-frequency signals and a deck section for recording and reproducing video and audio signals, and the algorithm divides each day of the week into a unit time period. A step of securing space for multiple weeks to store the usage status of each unit time period, and storing the number of unit time periods in the reserved time storage means of the video tape recorder with a timer reservation function. a step of registering a time a minute ago, and when receiving a notification from the video tape recorder that the registered time has arrived, the next unit time period is determined from past data stored in the storage means; a step of determining whether or not it is a time period with high viewing frequency; and when it is determined in the step that the viewing frequency is high in a time period, storing a channel number with high viewing frequency in the corresponding unit time period, and storing the channel number with high viewing frequency in the storage means; a step of determining from past data stored in the station, a step of determining whether or not you are currently watching the station, and a step of determining whether you are currently watching your own station, and determining the time of day when your station is most frequently viewed. a step of notifying the user that the station is approaching; a step of determining whether the user has turned on the station scene in response to the notification; The method comprises the steps of setting the chainer section of the video tape recorder to the frequently viewed channel number determined in the step, and controlling the deck section of the video tape recorder to a recording state.

(5) The fifth AV system according to the present invention includes a fourth A
The algorithm in the V system is divided into unit time periods for each day of the week, and a video with a timer reservation function and a step of securing multiple weeks' worth of space to store the usage status of each unit time period. a step of registering a time several minutes before the unit time slot in a reserved time storage means of a tape recorder; a step of determining whether the next unit time period is a time period with high viewing frequency from stored past data; and when it is determined in the step that it is a time period with high viewing frequency; a step of determining a channel number that is frequently viewed in a unit time period based on past data stored in the storage means; a step of determining whether or not the own station is currently being viewed; a step of notifying the user that a frequently viewed time slot is approaching when the user is currently viewing Stage 8; and notifying the user of the number of the frequently viewed channel determined from past data; a step of determining whether the user has switched the channel of the tuner section of the station to the frequently viewed channel number in response to the notification; and a step of determining whether the user has switched the channel of the tuner section of the station to the frequently viewed channel number; The method includes the steps of setting the tuner section of the video tape recorder to the frequently viewed channel number determined in the step, and controlling the deck section of the video tape recorder to a recording state.

Effect (1) In the first AV system according to the present invention, the television uses the clock of the VTR to manage time and learn the television viewing situation.

(2) In the second intelligent AV system according to the present invention, when the TV is turned on, the TV viewing status data that has already been learned is used as a reference to select the most frequently viewed channels (users automatically set to the expected channel).

(3) In the third intelligent AV system according to the present invention, even if the user is not watching TV, the system uses learned data of the TV viewing situation as a reference to monitor the TV several minutes before the most frequently viewed time slot. When the user is notified of this with a sound, etc., and when the TV is turned on in response to the notification, the TV viewing status data that has already been learned is used as a reference to select the most frequently viewed channels (the user automatically set to the channel you expect to watch.

(4) In the fourth intelligent AV system according to the present invention, if the user does not turn on the television in response to the above-mentioned notification while not watching television, the already learned television viewing situation Referring to this data, frequently viewed channels (channels that the user expects to view) are automatically recorded on the VTR.

(5) In the fifth intelligent AV system according to the present invention, if the viewer does not change the TV channel in response to the above notification while watching TV, the TV viewing situation that has already been learned is changed. With reference to data, channels that are frequently viewed (channels that users expect to view) are automatically recorded on a VTR.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are divided into six sections as follows.

Section 1 General explanation of the system (a) Definition (b) Basic structure of the system (C) Frame format and basic communication procedure Section 2 Detailed explanation of claim 1 (a) Structure of the embodiment (b) Operation 3 Section Detailed explanation of Claim 2 of the present application (a) Structure of the embodiment (b) Operation Section 4 Detailed explanation of Claim 3 of the present application (a) Structure of the embodiment (b) Operation Section 5 Detailed explanation of Claim 4 of the present application (a) Structure of the embodiment (b) Operation Section 6 Detailed explanation of claim 5 of the present application (a) Structure of the embodiment (b) Operation Section 1 General explanation of the system (a) Definition The system described here is as follows: This is an audio/video system mainly configured with audio/video equipment as stations. The audio-video system consists of a group of audio-video equipment interconnected by a transparent and code-independent communication system. Information is transmitted in variable length units called frames. The physical mechanism that sends and receives information is called a communication controller (or a communication controller when built into audio/video equipment). A communication line that carries information from one communication control device to another is called an information transmission path. Basic terms to help understand the present invention will be briefly explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

・Stations 1002 to 1005: Information transmission path 100
A device that is connected to 1 and has a data communication function with other stations.

- Master: A station that takes control of this communication system.

- Slave: A station designated by the master and obligated to respond to the master.

- Transmitter: A station that transmits data in the message field in a frame.

-Regiser: A station that receives data in a message feed in a frame.

・Write sequence: A sequence in which the master acts as a transmitter and transmits commands and data to the slave, and there are two types: write command sequence and write data sequence.

・Read sequence: A sequence in which the master becomes a receiver and collects data from the slave.

-Frame 1110: A unit of information transmitted from one station to another, including a header field, master field, slave field, and control field.

Consists of message fields.

・Command frame: A frame composed of message field contents and commands.

- Data frame: A frame consisting of the content categorization of the message field.

・Command: A data code string transferred by a command frame, and the processing content to be executed by the station that receives it is uniformly defined for the entire system. On the other hand, the processing to be performed by the station that receives the data depends on the station that receives the data.

- Mode pit 1112: Distinguishes the frame transfer speed and the number of message transferable bytes.

- Header field 1125: An area for instructing the start of a frame and distinguishing the frame mode.

- Master field 1126: An area for presenting the master address.

- Slave field 1127: This is an area that presents the address of the slave, and is specified by the master.

- Control field 1128: This is an area where the transmission direction of the message field in the frame, the meaning of the contents written in the message field, and lock control are performed.

- Message field 1129: This is a data area for transmitting messages. In this area, there are 8 data bits 1121 and 1 end of data bit 1.
122, a 1-bit parity bit 1123, and a 1-bit ACK bit 1124 can be treated as one block, and a plurality of blocks can be transferred successively.

- Arbitration: Collision control to determine priority when multiple stations attempt to start frame transmission at the same time. It is executed during the header field 1125 and master field 1126.

・Lock control: This is a function specified by the master to the slave, and once the -H lock is applied, the slave will not accept frames with contents that change the sloop status from other masters until the lock is released. I won't be able to do it.

φ Remote control data code string: A data code string that indicates which key on the remote control transmitter was pressed.

(b) Basic structure of the system FIG. 9 shows the basic structure of an audio video system to which the present invention is applied. One system of information transmission path 10
01 is a plurality of stations 100 equipped with a communication control unit
2. 1003. ..., 1005 are interconnected. Each station has a VTR.

Mainly audio/video equipment such as TVs and CD players. There is no problem even if a station other than the audio/video equipment itself is connected, such as a telecontrol device for controlling the audio/video system.

Furthermore, there is no central control unit in the system that centrally controls the overall operation.

(c) Frame format and basic communication procedure In the embodiment of the present invention, [Internal
electrotechnlcal Comm1sslon
1 publication document) [84 (Secretarla
t)8Ei 1. II Draft-Domestl
c dlgltal Busco (hereinafter referred to as [84(S
ecretariat) 8G 1. II Draft
- Domestlc DLGLTAL Bus]. ) is applied as an example. This section describes the frame format and basic communication procedures defined by the international standard. The structure of the frame is shown in FIG. The frame includes a header 1125, a master field 1126. slave field 11
27. The control field consists of a message field 1129. The header 1125 is
Start bit indicating the start of the frame 1 1 1 1,
It consists of mode bits 1112 for mode transfer. The master field 1126 consists of 12 master address bits 1113, 1 parity bit 1114. slave field 112
7 is the 12-bit slave address bits 1 1 1
5.

1 bit parity bit 1116 and 1 bit AC
Consists of K bits 1117. If a station designated as a slave exists, it is obliged to send an acknowledgment back to the master using the ACK bit 1117 of the slave field.

The configuration method for the master address bits 1113 and slave address bits 1115 is the same: the upper 4 bits are the service type, the middle 5 bits are the device type, and the lower 3 bits are the service type.
The bits are the device number. [84 (Secret
ariat) 8G +, II Draft −
In the ooIIrest+cd1gltal Bus service, only <AVC service> is defined as a service type, and its value is "0001". Various AV equipment types are assigned to the device type, and some of the assignments are shown in Table 1. Device numbers are used to distinguish between multiple devices of the same type when they exist in the same communication system, and are generally assigned in order starting from "oOo".

The field 1128 in Table 1 consists of 4 control bits 1118, 1 parity bit 1119, and 1 parity bit 1119.
The ACK bit consists of 1120 bits. The transmission direction of the message field 1129 in the control bit 1118it frame, the meaning of the contents written in the message field, and the area for performing lock control. The contents of the control field are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 When the master receives an acknowledgment at ACK beep 1117, it continues to transmit the control field 1128 and the following. If a negative response is received, the master stops forwarding the frame. If the control slave can accept the control specified by the control bit 1118, it returns an acknowledgment to the master in the ACK bit 1120, and if it cannot accept it, it returns a negative response. When the master receives an acknowledgment (ACK beep) 1120, it proceeds to the area of the message field 1129.

If a negative response is received, the master stops forwarding the frame. The message field 1129 consists of 8 data bits 1121 . 1-bit end-of-data bit 1122; 1-bit parity bit 11 indicating the last data bit of the message field;
23 and 1 pit of ACK bit 1124 are assembled into a plurality of blocks. A station designated as a receiver by control bit 1118 sends an acknowledgment or negative acknowledgment back to the transmitter with an ACK signal 1124 upon receiving one byte of data bits 1122.

A transmitter that receives a negative response then stops transmitting the message field.

In this system, all stations 1002-1
005 has the right to become a master and can designate a slave to start transmitting the frame 1110 and control the transmission timing. All stations 1002~
1005 becomes a master and has the right to start transmission of frame 1110, but only one master can occupy information transmission path 1001 at the same time. Therefore, when a plurality of masters attempt to transmit frames at the same time, it is necessary to perform arbitrage transfer to determine priority. The slave receives the slave bit 1115 in the slave field 1127 of the frame 1110 transmitted by the master.
One station addressed by is responsible for returning a response 1117 to the master. The distinction between transmitter and receiver is defined in control field 1128 in frame 1110. From the standpoint of one station, in the transmission of a certain frame 1110, (a) master transmitter, (b) master receiver, (C) slave transmitter 9-, (d
) There are four possible types of slave receivers.

Section 2 Detailed explanation of claim 1 Next, the AV system according to claim 1 of the present application will be explained.

(a) Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a block configuration diagram of an AV system to which the present invention is applied. Reference numeral 100 denotes an information transmission path for connecting each station constituting the AV system and transmitting information. 110 is a television receiver; 111 and 121 are communication control units for communicating via the information transmission path 100; 112;
and 122 is a tuner unit for receiving and demodulating broadcast waves, and 114 is an audio video controller unit (hereinafter referred to as AV) for performing intellectual work related to the present invention such as a learning function.
Abbreviated as C. ), 123 is a deck unit which has the original video function, and 124 is a timer unit which manages time and recording reservations.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a television receiver to which the present invention is applied. 200 is a communication processing means for performing electrical and physical control to perform data communication with other stations via the information transmission path 100; 201 is a communication processing means 20;
202 is a frame generating means for generating a frame in the format necessary for sending data to the information transmission path 100 via the information transmission path 100;
This is a frame decoding means for decoding frames received via 00. 210 is an AV control means for performing intellectual processing such as collecting information from other peripheral devices and controlling peripheral devices. 211 is a system control means for turning the power on/off and controlling the tuner; 212 is a state detection means for detecting the power state of its own device and the state of the channel being viewed;
13 is a statistical processing means for taking statistics on the information input from the state detection means 212 in correspondence with each time period. Reference numeral 113 denotes a storage means for storing the results of statistical processing performed by the statistical processing means 213.

FIG. 3 shows the block configuration of a VTR to which the present invention is applied. 220 is a timer for managing the current time and reserved time; 221 is a reserved time storage means for storing recording reservations and timer setting times reserved from other stations; and 222 is a timer for which the current time is a reservation setting. This is a reservation time comparison means for determining whether the time has arrived.

(b) Operation Next, the operation of the AV system according to claim 1 of the present application will be explained in detail with reference to the processing flowchart of FIG.

In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the processing contents described below are centered on the AV control means 210, the state detection means 212. Statistical processing means 213. Storage means 113.
This is executed by the system control means 211 and the tuner section 112.

(Step 300) Although the processing routine "TV usage situation learning" shown in FIG. 4 is always executed, step 300 is executed only once when the operation of this station is activated. Here, in order to execute the process that follows, each day of the week is divided into unit time periods ΔT. The process performed here is to divide each day of the week into unit time periods ΔT, and to secure an area in the storage means 113 for several weeks to store data on the television usage status in each unit time period. FIG. 5 shows an example of the area secured in the storage means 113.

In this example, ΔT is set to 15 minutes, and 96 areas are secured for each day of the week from Sunday to Saturday, so 9E3X7=872 areas, and 5 weeks are secured for each unit time period, so 872X5=336
Secure 0 area. Each area stores whether or not the TV is being used, and if so, the channel number being viewed. Generally, TV channel numbers range from 1 to 62, so one byte is sufficient for each area. Therefore, in the example shown here, an area of 3360 bytes is secured in the storage means 113.

Furthermore, a data storage area for performing statistical processing of data is secured within the statistical processing means. This is to store the frequency of TV usage within a unit time period Δτ, which is the "power off state".

"Power on and watching channel 1"..."
One byte area is secured for each state of power on state and channel 62 viewing state. Therefore, a total of 63 bytes is secured as a data storage area.

(Step 301) The television usage situation learning process described here is performed by the AV control means 210 in the television receiver 110, but there is a time management means in the television receiver. (There may be a way to manage elapsed time, etc.)

In this step, the current day of the week and time is determined, but this process is performed on the premise that no time management means exists within the television receiver. First, a request for inquiring about the time is sent from the AV control means 210 to the frame generation means 201.
Transfer to. The frame generation means 201 constructs a frame for sending the request to the information transmission path 100, and sends the request to the information transmission path 100 via the communication processing means 200.
Send to. The destination of this frame is the timer 220 within the VTR 120. The AV control means 210 determines the current day of the week and time by receiving the response from the timer means 220 in response to this request frame.

(Step 302) In this step, the current usage status of the television receiver 110 is input from the status detection means 212, and the statistical processing means 213 inputs the current usage status of the television receiver 110.
The data is stored in the data storage area that is secured within the data storage area. FIG. 6 shows an example of the data management state of the data storage area. As a data storage method, one point is added to the data storage area corresponding to the state data inputted from the state detection means 212 at a certain point in time. for example,
When data indicating that channel 2 is being viewed at a certain sampling time is received from the state detection means 212, one point is added to the area of "power on and channel 2 is being viewed".

(Step 303) In this step, time management is performed until the next state is read from the state detection means 212. In this embodiment, assuming that state detection is performed at intervals of 8t, this step waits for the time Δt to elapse.

(Step 304) In this step, as a result of waiting for Δ in step 303, it is determined whether the unit time period ΔT has ended. As a result of the determination, if T has been completed, the process proceeds to step 305, and if ΔT has not been completed, the process returns to step 302.

(Step 305) In this step, the usage status of the television in the unit time period is determined from the data sampled every Δ and stored in the data storage area according to a predetermined algorithm. Although the algorithm for determining the usage status of the television is not defined in the present invention, an example is shown below for reference.

(1) Algorithm example In a certain unit time period ΔT, if a specific usage situation situation and decide.

(2) Specific example of algorithm example Assuming that the unit time period ΔT and the usage status sampling interval Δt are ΔT = 15 minutes Δt = 15 seconds, the number of samplings within the unit time is 15 (
minutes) x 60 (seconds) ÷ 15 (seconds) = 80 (times).

Comparing this value and the algorithm in (1) with the data collection results in Figure 6, we find that the 2 channel points satisfy the conditions, so the TV usage status for this unit time period is ``power on and , Channel 2 is currently being viewed.”

(Step 306) The results determined up to step 305 are registered in the storage area of the storage means 113 as the television usage status for the relevant time slot on the relevant day of the week this week. When the process of this step is completed, the process returns to step 301 and the same process is repeated.

By continuously repeating the above steps 301 to 30B, the TV viewing situation for each time period on each day of the week is learned.

Section 3 Detailed Explanation of Claim 2 Next, the AV system of Claim 2 will be explained. Since the configuration is the same as that of the example, the explanation will be omitted (see Section 2 Detailed explanation of claim 1 of the present application (a) Configuration of the embodiment).

(b) Operation Next, the operation of the AV system described in claim 2 of the present application will be explained in detail with reference to the processing flowchart of FIG. In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the processing contents described below are centered on the AV control means 210, the state detection means 212, the statistical processing means 213, and so on. Storage means 113. System control means 211 and tuner section 112
Executed by

(Step 400) In this step, in accordance with the operation of the AV system according to claim 1 of the present application, each day of the week is divided into unit time periods ΔT, and the television receiver 11 in each time unit is
Learn the usage of 0.

(Step 401) In this step, the usage status of the television receiver 110 is read from the status detection means 212, and it is determined whether the television power has changed from "off" to "on". As a result of the judgment,
If it does not change from OFF to ON, repeat step 401.
Execute. If the result of the determination changes from "off" to "on", proceed to the next step.

(Step 402) In this step, the current day of the week and time are inquired of the clock means 220 in the VTR 120, which has a time management function. The method of making the inquiry is the same as the method described in step 301, so the explanation will be omitted.

(Step 403) The corresponding unit time period ΔT is determined from the current day of the week and current time that are found as a result of the inquiry to the timekeeping means 220 in the VTR 120. - As an example, ΔT is 15 minutes,
If the current time/time is Thursday 13:20, the current unit time zone is "Thursday 13:15-13:
It is determined to be 30J.

(Step 404) In this step, a frequently used channel number in the corresponding unit time period is determined from data learned in the past. Although a specific algorithm for determining the channel number is not defined in the present invention, an example of the algorithm is briefly shown below.

(1) Algorithm example If the same channel has been viewed continuously for the past two weeks or more from the records of the past five weeks in the corresponding unit time period, that channel number is determined.

If you have not watched the same channel for two or more consecutive weeks, the channel number that has appeared most frequently from the past five weeks is determined.

If it cannot be determined using the above method, leave the current channel unchanged.

(2) Specific example of algorithm “Thursday 3:15-13:30” illustrated in Figure 5
Taking the time period as an example, the records for the past five weeks are 4 channels, 4 channels turned off (no viewing was done during this time period), 8 channels, and 2 channels, starting from the most recent. In this case, I have been watching "4 channels" for the past two weeks, so I followed the algorithm example above and said "
4 channels".

(Step 405) In this step, the AV control means 210 sends a control signal to the system control means 211 to change the tuner to the channel number determined in the above step, thereby controlling the tuner.

After completing the series of steps above, the process returns to step 401 to prepare for the next operation.

Section 4 Detailed explanation of claim 3 Next, the AV system according to claim 3 of the present application will be explained.

(a) Structure of the embodiment The structure of the embodiment of Claim 3 of the present application is the same as that of the embodiment of Claim 1 of the present application, so the explanation will be omitted (Section 2 Detailed explanation of Claim 1 of the present application (a) (See Example Configuration).

(b) Operation Next, the operation of the AV system according to claim 3 of the present application will be explained in detail with reference to the processing flowchart of FIG.

In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the processing contents described below are centered on the AV control means 210, the state detection means 212. Statistical processing means 213. Storage means 113. This is executed by the system control means 211 and the tuner section 112.

In this processing procedure, in accordance with the operation of the AV system according to claim 1 of the present application, each day of the week is divided into unit time periods ΔT, and the television receiver 11 in each time unit is
The processing from step 500 is executed on the premise that the usage status of 0 has been learned.

(Step 500) In this step, first, a VTR having a time management function is
120 is inquired about the current day of the week and time. The method of making the inquiry is the same as the method described in step 301, so the explanation will be omitted.

Next, data several minutes before the start time of the next unit time period is calculated from the current day of the week and time inquired of the VTR 120 and is registered in the reserved time storage means 221 in the VTR 120. Inside the VTR 120, the time registered in the reserved time storage means 221 and the current time are compared by the reserved time comparison means 222, and when a match is detected, the station that made the registration is notified of this fact. .

(Step 501) In this step, it is determined whether a notification to the effect that the time registered in step 500 has arrived has been sent from the VTR 120. If the relevant notification has been sent, proceed to the next step; if not, execute this step again and wait for the notification to arrive. As a processing method for the step of waiting for this notification, other methods such as interrupt processing may be used.

(Step 502) Since it is determined in step 501 that it is several minutes before the next unit time period ΔT, in this step it is stored whether the next unit time period ΔT is a time period with high viewing frequency. The determination is made with reference to data indicating past viewing conditions stored in the means 113. Although the present invention does not define an algorithm for determining whether the viewing frequency is high, an example of the algorithm is briefly shown below.

(1) Algorithm Example Check the viewing status for the past five weeks in the relevant time period ΔT, and determine that the viewing frequency is high if the viewing has been done three or more times out of five times.

(2) Specific example of algorithm example “Thursday 13:15-13:30” illustrated in Figure 5
Taking the time slot as an example, since it has been viewed 4 out of 5 times in the past 5 weeks, it is determined that the viewing frequency is high.

As a result of the judgment, if it is determined that the viewing frequency is high, proceed to the next step, and if it is determined that the viewing frequency is low, return to the beginning.
Step 500 is executed.

(Step 503) In this step, a frequently used channel number in the corresponding unit time period is determined from data learned in the past. The processing method is the same as step 404 described in the detailed explanation of claim 2 of the present application, so the explanation will be omitted.

(Step 504) In this step, the current state of the television is sampled via the state detection means 212, and it is determined whether or not the television is being watched. As a result of the determination, if the user is not watching television, the process advances to the next step 505. If the result of the determination is that the user is watching television, steps 520 and subsequent steps are executed, but in claim 3 of the present application, the contents of steps 520 and subsequent steps are not defined. The contents after step 520 are defined in claim 5 of the present application.

(Step 505) In this step, the user is notified via the notification means 214 that the time period with high viewing frequency is approaching. Although a specific method of notification is not defined, for example, an alarm using a beep or a voice message using synthesized speech can be considered.

(Step 506) In this step, in response to the notification to the user made in step 505, the current state of the television is detected via the state detection means 212 as to whether or not the user has turned on the television within a certain period of time. Sample and judge. As a result of the judgment,
If the television is turned on within a certain period of time, the process advances to the next step 507. If the power is not turned on within a certain period of time, the process proceeds to step 510, but the processing contents after step 510 are not defined in claim 3 of the present application. The processing contents after step 510 are defined in claim 4 of the present application.

(Step 507) In this step, the frequently used channel number determined in step 503 is sent to the tuner unit in the television 110.
Set channel 12 to the corresponding channel number. Since the method for this purpose is the same as the content of step 405 described in the explanation of claim 2 of the present application, the explanation will be omitted here.

By performing the above processing, when the user simply turns on the television in response to an alarm, the frequently viewed channel is automatically set.

Section 5 Detailed explanation of claim 4 Next, the AV system according to claim 4 of the present application will be explained.

(a) Structure of the embodiment The structure of the embodiment of claim 4 is the same as the structure of the embodiment of claim 1, so the explanation is omitted (Section 2 Detailed explanation of claim 1 (a) (See Example Configuration).

(b) Operation Next, the operation of the AV system according to claim 4 of the present application will be explained in detail with reference to the processing flowchart of FIG.

In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the processing contents described below are centered on the AV control means 210, the state detection means 212. Statistical processing means 213. Storage means 113. This is executed by the system control means 211 and the tuner section 112.

In this processing procedure, in accordance with the operation of the AV system according to claim 1 of the present application, each day of the week is divided into unit time periods ΔT, and the television receiver 11 in each time unit is
The processing from step 500 is executed on the premise that the usage status of 0 has been learned.

(Step 500) to (Step 505) The contents of these steps are the same as step 50 of claim 3 of the present application.
Since the contents are exactly the same as steps 0 to 505, the explanation will be omitted.

(Step 506) In this step, the status detection means 212 determines whether or not the user has turned on the television within a certain period of time in response to the notification to the user made in step 505. Sample and judge the state. As a result of the judgment,
The case where the television is turned on within a certain fixed time is as explained in claim 3 of the present application, so the explanation will be omitted.

If the power is not turned on within a certain period of time, the process advances to the next step 510.

(Step 510) In this step, since the user does not turn on the television even though the time period when the viewing frequency is high is approaching, processing is performed to record the corresponding frequently viewed channel on the VTR 120. TV AV control means 2
10 is a frame generation means 201 and a communication processing means 200
A command frame for turning on the power of the VTR 120 is sent to the information transmission path 100 via the VTR 120 . The destination of the frame at this time is the VTR 120. VTR120 is VTR1
Communication processing means 200 in 20. Frame decoding means 202
The system control means 210 receives a command to turn on the power of the VTR and turns on the power of the VTR 120. Next, the AV control means 210 of the television
The frame generating means 201 and the communication processing means 2 generate a command frame for setting the tuner unit 122 of the R120 to the frequently viewed channel determined in step 503.
It is sent to the information transmission path 100 via 00. The destination of the frame at this time is the VTR 120.

VTR1204tVTR120 (7) Communication processing means 2
00, the system control means 210 receives a command for setting a tuner channel via the frame decoding means 202, and sets the channel of the tuner section 122 of the VTR 120 to the specified channel.

Furthermore, the AV control means 210 of the television is connected to the VTR via the frame generation means 201 and the communication processing means 200.
A command frame for setting the deck unit 123 of 120 in a recording state is sent to the information transmission path 100. The destination of the frame at this time is the VTR 120t'. VTR120
Communication processing means 200 within GtVTR 120. The system control means 230 receives a command to put the deck section 123 into a recording state via the frame decoding means 202, and the VT
The deck section 123 of the R120 is set to the recording state.

By executing the above process, even if the user does not respond to the alarm indicating that the time period when viewing frequency is high is reached, programs on channels that are frequently viewed can be automatically recorded on the VTR. becomes possible.

Section 6 Detailed explanation of claim 5 Next, the AV system according to claim 5 of the present application will be explained.

(a) Structure of the embodiment The structure of the embodiment of claim 5 is the same as the structure of the embodiment of claim 1, so the explanation is omitted (Section 2 Detailed explanation of claim 1 (a) (See Example Configuration).

(b) Operation Next, the operation of the AV system according to claim 5 of the present application will be explained in detail with reference to the processing flowchart of FIG.

In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the processing contents described below are centered on the AV control means 210, the state detection means 212. Statistical processing means 213. Storage means 113.
This is executed by the system control means 211 and the tuner section 112.

In this processing procedure, in accordance with the operation of the AV system according to claim 1 of the present application, each day of the week is divided into unit time periods ΔT, and during TV viewing in each time unit 11
The processing from step 500 is executed on the premise that the usage status of 0 has been learned.

(Step 500) to (Step 503) The contents of these steps are the same as step 50 of claim 3 of the present application.
0 to Step 503(7), so the explanation will be omitted.

(Step 504) In this step, the current state of the television is sampled via the state detection means 212, and it is determined whether or not the television is being watched. The processing when the result of the determination is that the TV is not being viewed is as described in claims 3 and 4 of the present application, so the following explanation will be omitted. As a result of the determination, if the user is watching television, the next step 520 is executed.

(Step 520) In this step, the user who is currently watching television is notified via the notification means 214 that the time period with high viewing frequency is approaching. The specific method of notification is not defined, but examples include an alarm with a beep or a voice message with synthesized voice.Furthermore, since you are currently watching TV, displaying a text message on the screen. Another method of notification is possible.

(Step 521) In this step, after the user is notified in step 520 that the time slot with high viewing frequency is approaching, the user is notified of the channel number with high viewing frequency and is prompted to switch channels. Although the present invention does not particularly define a method for notifying the channel number that is frequently viewed, a method similar to the method exemplified in step 520 can be considered.

(Step 522) In this step, it is determined whether the user has changed the channel he or she is viewing in response to the notification to the user in steps 520 and 521. The method of judgment is
From the state detection means 212 of the television 110 to the tuner section 11
This is accomplished by reading the channel number 2 and checking whether the channel number notified in step 521 has been switched to the frequently viewed channel. As a result of the determination, if the channel has been switched to the more frequently viewed channel, the process returns to the beginning and step 500 is executed.

As a result of the determination, if the channel cannot be switched to the frequently viewed channel within a certain period of time, the process proceeds to step 523.

(Step 523) In this step, since the user does not turn on the television even though the time period when the viewing frequency is high is approaching, processing is performed to record the corresponding frequently viewed channel on the VTR 120. The content of the process is the same as the content of step 510 described in claim 4 of the present application, so a description thereof will be omitted.

By executing the above processing, even if the user does not switch to a frequently viewed channel during a frequently viewed time period, the corresponding channel will be automatically switched to the VTR1.
It is possible to record up to 20 days.

Effects of the Invention (1) By applying Claim 1 of the present application, it becomes possible to collect statistical data on the TV viewing situation and learn the user's TV usage situation.

Furthermore, by applying the data resulting from the learning to various applications, it is possible to construct an intelligent audio/video system.

(2) By applying claim 2 of the present application, when the user turns on the television, it is possible to automatically set the channel to a channel that has been viewed frequently in the past. This has the effect that TV users do not have to manually set the channels for the programs they watch every week or the programs they watch at a fixed time every day.

(3) By applying Claim 3 of the present application, when a time period with high viewing frequency approaches based on past statistical data, the user is notified of this with an alarm, etc., and the TV is turned on at that time. This has the effect of automatically setting the channel to the most frequently viewed channel.

(4) By applying Claim 4 of the present application, when a time period with high viewing frequency approaches based on past statistical data, the user is notified of this with an alarm, etc., and the TV is turned on at that time. This has the effect of automatically recording frequently viewed channels on the VTR when there are no available channels.

(5) By applying Claim 5 of the present application, even if the user is watching TV, when a time period with high viewing frequency approaches based on past statistical data, the user is notified of this with an alarm or the like; Even if you do not switch to a frequently viewed channel at that time, the frequently viewed channel is automatically recorded on the VTR.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an AV system to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a television receiver to which the invention is applied, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a VTR to which the invention is applied, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a storage area secured in the storage means 113, and FIG. 6 is an example of a data management state of the data storage area. FIG. 7 is a process flowchart for implementing the invention of claim 2 of the present application, FIG. 8 is a process flowchart for implementing claims 3 to 6 of the present application, and FIG. 9 is a process flowchart for implementing the invention of claim 2 of the present application. FIG. 10 is a block configuration diagram showing the basic structure of the AV system, and FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a frame used in the communication system to which the present invention is applied. 100... Information transmission path, 110... Television receiver, 111... Communication control section, 112... Tuner section, 113... Storage section, 114... AV control section, 120... video tape recorder,
211... System control means, 212... State detection means, 213... Statistical processing means, 214...
・Notification means, 220...Timekeeping means, 221・
. . . Reservation time storage means, 222 . . . Reservation time comparison means, 230 . . . System control means.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) One system of information transmission path for data communication,
a communication processing means connected to an information communication system constituted by a plurality of stations connected to the information transmission path, and for performing data communication in sequential frames via the information transmission path; a frame decoding means for decoding the contents of a received frame; a frame generating means for configuring a frame to be sent to the information transmission path by the communication processing means; a system control means for controlling the operation of the entire station; A clock means for managing the current time and reservations, and a reserved time storage means for registering the time to perform the reserved operation, check whether the current time and the reserved time match. a video tape recorder equipped with means identical to the communication processing means, the frame decoding means, the frame generation means, and the system control means; A tuner section for demodulating the signal, a state detection means for detecting the standby state of the station and the channel number of the tuner, and an algorithm consisting of the following steps to detect the standby state of the station and the channel number being viewed. a statistical processing means for taking statistics; a storage means for storing statistical data outputted by the statistical processing means;
It consists of a television receiver equipped with AV control means for executing algorithms for collecting statistical data and for executing application functions.The above algorithm divides each day of the week into unit time periods, a step of securing an area for storing the usage status of each unit time period for a plurality of weeks; and inquiring the current day of the week and current time of the current day of the week and current time of the clocking means via the information transmission path to obtain the corresponding data. sampling the usage status of the own station multiple times at sampling time intervals obtained by subdividing the unit time period; and determining the usage status of the own station in the unit time period based on the results of the multiple samplings. and registering the determined usage status in the storage means as the TV usage status for the relevant time slot on the relevant day of the week. (2) The television receiver in the audio video system according to claim 1 is provided with a communication processing means, a frame decoding means, a frame generation means, a system control means, a tuner section, and a state detection means, and further comprises: A storage means for storing data indicating the standby state of the station and the usage status of the channel number being viewed, which have been statistically processed according to a prescribed algorithm, and an algorithm consisting of the following steps, The above algorithm divides each day of the week into unit time periods, and creates multiple areas for storing the usage status of each unit time period. a step of securing a week's worth; a step of determining whether the power of the own station is on or off; and a step of determining whether the power of the own station is turned on from off, and setting the current day of the week and time as described above when detecting that the power of the own station is turned on from off. a step of making an inquiry to the timekeeping means of the video tape recorder, a step of determining the current corresponding unit time period from the inquired day of the week and time, and a step of storing the channel number with high viewing frequency in the corresponding unit time period in the storage means. An audio video system comprising the steps of: determining the channel number from past data stored in the audio video system; and setting the tuner section of the own station to the channel number determined in the step. (3) The algorithm in the audio video system according to claim 2 divides each day of the week into unit time periods, and secures an area for storing the usage status of each unit time period for multiple weeks. registering a time several minutes before the unit time slot in a reserved time storage means of a video tape recorder having a timer reservation function; and receiving a notification from the video tape recorder that the registered time has arrived. and determining from past data stored in the storage means whether the next unit time period is a frequently viewed time period; When it is determined that the station is currently being viewed, the step of determining a channel number with high viewing frequency in the corresponding unit time period from past data stored in the storage means; and determining whether the own station is currently being viewed. a step of determining, a step of notifying the user that a time period with high viewing frequency is approaching if the user is not currently viewing the station; and a step of causing the user to turn on the power of the station in response to the notification. an audio video system comprising the steps of: determining whether the user has turned on the station; and, when the user turns on the station, setting the tuner section of the station to the channel number determined in the step. (4) The video tape recorder in the video audio system according to claim 2 is provided with a tuner section for demodulating high frequency signals and a deck section for recording and reproducing video and audio signals, and the algorithm is: A step of dividing each day of the week into unit time periods and securing an area for multiple weeks to store the usage status of each unit time period, and a reservation time storage of a video tape recorder with a timer reservation function. a step of registering a time several minutes before the unit time slot in the means; and when receiving a notification from the video tape recorder that the registered time has arrived, the past time stored in the storage means is registered. a step of determining from the data whether the next unit time period is a time period with high viewing frequency; and, when it is determined in the step that it is a time period with high viewing frequency, determining the viewing frequency in the corresponding unit time period; determining a high channel number from past data stored in the storage means; determining whether the own station is currently being viewed; and if the own station is not currently being viewed; a step of notifying the user that a high viewing frequency time period is approaching; a step of determining whether the user has turned on the station in response to the notification; If the audio video tape recorder is not turned on, the tuner section of the video tape recorder is set to the frequently viewed channel number determined in the step; and the step of controlling the deck section of the video tape recorder to a recording state. system. (5) The algorithm in the audio video system according to claim 4 divides each day of the week into unit time periods, and secures an area for storing the usage status of each unit time period for multiple weeks. registering a time several minutes before the unit time slot in a reserved time storage means of a video tape recorder having a timer reservation function; and receiving a notification from the video tape recorder that the registered time has arrived. and determining from past data stored in the storage means whether the next unit time period is a frequently viewed time period; When it is determined that the station is currently being viewed, the step of determining a channel number with high viewing frequency in the corresponding unit time period from past data stored in the storage means; and determining whether the own station is currently being viewed. a step of determining, a step of notifying the user that a frequently viewed time period is approaching when the user is currently viewing the own station, and a number of a frequently viewed channel determined from past data. a step of determining whether or not the user has switched the channel of the tuner section of the station to the frequently viewed channel number in response to the notification; An audio video comprising the steps of setting the tuner section of the video tape recorder to the frequently viewed channel number determined in the step if the switching is not made, and controlling the deck section of the video tape recorder to a recording state. system.