JPH07302450A - Remote controller and video recording reservation system for video cassette recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable video recording reservation to utilize an existing equipment as it is and to make operability simple and easy-to understand by providing a data register part rewritable from an outside and a program memory part for a host computer. CONSTITUTION:An input/output part 102 transfers an external equipment information from/to the host computer 107, and a data registering part 104 registers data (transmission pattern) from the computer 107. The program memory part 103 records and stores a program for the host computer a data, an information transmitting part 106 transmits data in the data registering part 104 selected by an operation button part 105 to the outside with radio. The operation button part 105 is operated by a user and the intention of the transmission is transferred to a main control part 101.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote controller, and more particularly to a remote controller for audio / video equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Microcomputers have been installed in household electric appliances and have become highly functional and multifunctional, and have become very convenient in terms of functions. However, in actual user operation, if you install a button for each function, you will be confused by the large number of buttons, and conversely, if you allocate many functions with few buttons, the hierarchy of the menu structure will be. It becomes difficult to understand.

Various input devices and methods have been devised and put to practical use in order to improve such a tendency in recent years. Taking the recording reservation operation of the videocassette recorder, which is strongly requested by users, as an example, it is difficult to understand the mode transition, it is difficult to operate buttons such as time setting, and the set result is only confirmed indirectly. There is a problem that you can not do it.

A conventional technique for solving this problem will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows a recording reservation system using the video plus recording reservation system of Gemstar Corporation. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 600 is a remote control device adopting the video plus recording reservation system, 601 is a video plus mode button portion for shifting to the video plus recording mode, 602 is a numeric button portion for inputting a code number, and 603 is the numeric button. It is a transfer button unit for transmitting a series of numbers input in step 1 to the video cassette recorder.

The operation of the video cassette recorder recording reservation system having the above components will be described below. The video plus recording reservation system is based on a technique (610) in which a code (G code) that is associated with one TV program on a one-to-one basis from date, start time, end time, and channel information is used. The user searches for a desired program in the TV program section of the newspaper or the TV program information magazine. The video plus mode button portion 601 of the remote control device 600 is pressed to shift to the video plus recording reservation mode. The G code written in both the newspaper and the magazine is input by using the numerical button section 602. When the input is completed, the transfer button 603 is pressed. The conversion from the G code to the video cassette recorder control signal may be performed within the remote control device 600 or within the video cassette recorder. In this way, it is not necessary to be aware of the broadcast start time, broadcast end time, station name, etc., and the style of searching for the target program from the existing list of paper media can be adopted. Since the conversion from the control procedure to the video cassette recorder control procedure has been largely omitted, it is easy to understand.

Next, FIG. 7 shows a recording reservation system for displaying a program list on a television screen and selecting a recording reserved program by a program name (television program reservation device (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-161818).
8 NEC Home Electronics). In FIG. 7, reference numeral 720 represents a recording reservation system. Reference numeral 711 is a standard TV broadcast wave on which television program information is superimposed, 712
A is a video detection circuit, 712B is the video detection circuit 712.
A teletext sampling circuit for extracting teletext information from the signal detected in A, 718 is a control signal generation section for converting the generated video cassette recorder control information into a video cassette recorder control signal, and 713 is a teletext sampling circuit 71.
2B, a CPU that obtains program information from the teletext program and displays it on the display unit 702 and controls recording reservation operation and the like from the program information, 714 is a memory, 715 is a signal switching unit, 716 is a display memory, and 717. Is a display control unit, 730
Is a video cassette recorder (VCR).

Regarding the recording reservation system including the above components, the relationship and operation of the multi-component elements will be described. Television program information including broadcast start time, broadcast end time, broadcast station number, and program name is standardized as one program of teletext.
Superimpose it on the V broadcast wave and send it. The radio wave is received and the television program information is obtained by the teletext sampling circuit 712B. The CPU 713 sends this information to the display memory 716 and the display control unit 7.
17 is controlled and displayed on the display unit 702, and the user does not display the start time, the end time, etc. on the input device 710.
Select the target TV program directly by program name. CPU
713 controls the recording function of the external video cassette recorder 730 from the selection information through the control signal generation unit 718.

[0008]

However, in the above-described recording reservation system 600, in order to input the G code, it is arranged in the limited space on the remote control device as in the conventional case, and other functions are also multiplexed. You have to press the number buttons in the correct mode in order and follow the steps for confirmation and transfer. Also, this G code is uniquely calculated from the broadcasting date and time and the broadcasting station.
Since it cannot be easily imagined from a meaningful station such as a broadcasting station, the possibility of an input error increases and the user is burdened.

Further, in the above-described recording reservation system 720, the character broadcasting for broadcasting the TV program information requires a large capital investment of the broadcasting station itself, and is currently broadcast only in the suburbs of Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. The viewing side also requires a dedicated TV receiver equipped with an input / output device, a display device, and the like.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides
It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device and a video cassette recorder recording reservation system that can use existing facilities as they are and that are simple and easy to understand.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a remote control device of the present invention comprises a rewritable memory device for recording transmission contents, a storage format of data written to the memory device by a host computer, and a host. It is characterized in that a program memory device containing a program for a computer is incorporated at the same time.

Further, the video cassette recorder recording reservation system of the present invention is characterized by having information relating to recording reservation in a memory device rewritable from outside the remote control device.

Further, the video cassette recorder recording reservation system of the present invention is characterized by comprising title label printing means for printing a video cassette label by using television program information.

[0014]

As described above, the remote control device according to the present invention has a memory device that can be rewritten from the outside, a storage format of data to be written to the rewritable memory device, and a program and data for a host computer. By incorporating the memory device at the same time, it is possible to connect an existing personal computer or word processor that can be a host computer, realize a recording reservation operation on the host computer, and change the transmission contents as necessary.

Further, the recording reservation operation procedure generated by the host computer regarding the recording reservation is registered in a rewritable memory device, and the recording reservation information is transferred to the video cassette recorder with a small number of operations, so that the recording reservation operation can be easily performed. And it is easy to understand.

Further, by providing a means for printing information such as a TV program name on the title label regarding the recording reservation, the title label of the recorded program can be created without inputting the program information, and the management of the video cassette. Can be done easily and easily.

[0017]

Embodiments of the remote control device of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Hereinafter, FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG.
Will be explained.

In FIG. 1, which is a basic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, 100 is the entire remote controller, 101 is the main controller, 102 is an input / output unit for connecting an external host computer 107 to the remote controller 100, 103 is a program memory unit that stores programs and data for the host computer 107, and 104 is the host computer 107.
A data registration unit for registering data (transmission pattern) from the user, 105 is an operation button unit which is operated by the user and transmits the intention of the transmission to the main control unit 101, and 106 is a transmission pattern selected by the operation button unit 105 It is an information transmission unit that transmits at.

An example of the structure is shown in FIG.
00 is a cabinet, 201 is a main control unit corresponding to the main control unit 101, 202 is an input / output unit corresponding to the input / output unit 102, 203 is a program memory unit corresponding to the program memory unit 103, and 204 is a data registration unit 104. A corresponding data registration unit, 205 is a push button switch unit corresponding to the operation button unit 105, and 206 corresponding to the information transmitting unit 106 is an information transmitting unit.

The relationship and operation of each constituent element in the remote control device composed of the above constituent elements will be described. Now, when a recording reservation is made in a very general video cassette recorder having at least a timer recording function, and the input / output unit 102 is a semiconductor memory card interface (hereinafter referred to as IC).
(Abbreviated as card IF) and IC as a host computer
The case where a word processor (hereinafter abbreviated as "word processor") having a card IF and capable of providing an expanded function as a read-only memory of an IC card is used as an example. The extension function using the IC card is used for extending the personal computer communication function, and is an interface that is standardly installed in notebook type word processors and personal computers released in recent years.

The host computer need not be a word processor as long as it has a corresponding interface, and the remote control device need not be an IC card. For example, a home game machine as a host computer and a ROM software cartridge as a form of a remote control device can achieve the same effect.

First, the user sets the remote control device 300 (100) to the host computer 10 as shown in FIG.
7 to the word processor 301 via the input / output unit 102. The program memory unit 103 in the remote control device 300 (100) is recognized as an extended function of the word processor 301 and becomes an environment in which it can be executed as one function of the word processor 301. Reference numeral 3011-a shown in FIG. 3B is a normal screen image, and reference numeral 3011-b is an image of a screen in which the extended function is recognized. When the user selects and executes a program stored in the program memory unit 103 in the remote control device 300 (100) recognized as an extended function on the word processor 301, this program is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The procedure for the user to make a recording reservation will be described below with reference to FIG. First, using a standard telephone line from a personal computer communication database, a list of TV programs (a list of each program name, start time, end time for each channel. TV program list is still available through existing PC communication services). It is available.), And the program to be reserved for recording is selected from the program names displayed on the screen of the word processor 301 (401). Word processor 3 for operations such as connecting to the host and acquiring data via PC communication
01 software allows fully automatic operation. As a method for selecting a recording reservation program, any method such as a method using a cursor key or a mouse, a character-based interface, a graphic-based interface, or the like may be used as long as it can be realized by the word processor 301. . Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the number of selection items, the number of buttons, and the size of the display surface.

Here, the word processor 301 generates video cassette recorder control information relating to this recording reservation. First, a series of procedures to be performed when making a reservation for a general video cassette recorder, that is, (1): the power switch of the video cassette recorder is turned on. (2): Change to the recording reservation mode. (3): Input the recording start date and time. Enter the recording end date and time. (4): Input the recording channel.
(5): Input the recording mode. (6): Go to (2): If there are still reserved programs, go to (7) :. (7): Turn off the power switch of the video cassette recorder. In this way, taking into consideration the model-specific and manufacturer-specific procedures such as mode transitions by each video cassette recorder manufacturer (402), the processing is decomposed into each process (402), and transmission pattern information according to each manufacturer according to the series of procedures is generated (403). ), The series of pattern information is input / output unit 1 in the remote control device 300.
Register in the data registration unit 104 through 02 (40
4).

When the transmission pattern of the program recording reservation information is registered in the data registration section 104, the user can remove the remote control device 300 from the word processor 301 as the host computer and carry it. When the user pushes the operation button section 105 toward the video cassette recorder 302 intended for the information transmission section 106 of the remote control device 300 that has been removed, the transmission pattern registered in the data registration section 104 is transmitted, The video cassette recorder 302 sequentially receives and operates the information, and the recording reservation is completed. That is, the user actually presses the operation button unit 105 once on the remote control device 300 detached from the word processor 301.

On the other hand, the list of television programs previously obtained and the program pointers of the programs the user intends to reserve for recording are respectively registered in the data registration unit 104 in the remote control device 300, and the operation button unit 105 is pressed. At this time, the start time, the end time, and the channel are calculated from the program list, and a series of information of the recording reservation process such as the power switch control of the video cassette recorder is transmitted from the information transmitting unit 106, and this information is received by the video cassette recorder 302. The recording reservation operation may be completed.

The remote control device 300 may be appropriately provided with a power switch of the television and buttons for transmitting a transmission pattern such as volume up / down and channel up / down. Also, although an example in which the information of the television program list is obtained from the database of personal computer communication is shown, a means such as distribution of a package by a floppy disk may be adopted.

In addition to registering the program of the video cassette recorder recording reservation system of the present invention in the program memory unit 103 in the remote control device 300,
Information such as program information at the time of program recording reservation by the recording reservation system of the present invention is stored in the video cassette as a personal computer communication extension function program for obtaining the television program list through personal computer communication and an extension function that cooperates with the television program information. It is possible to improve the usability of the user by printing a program on the back label of the device and managing this information collectively in the word processor to easily and efficiently manage the video cassette. it can.

Furthermore, by equipping the host computer with a program for improving and updating the program memory section and obtaining data for improvement and updating from personal computer communication, it is possible to flexibly adapt to newly released video cassette recorder equipment and new functions. Can respond.

Further, in FIG. 5, instead of using the wired input / output unit 102 for exchanging data with the host computer, the host computer 5 provided with a wireless transmitting / receiving unit.
07 and the remote control device 500 configured by using the information receiving unit 502-a for receiving the radio transmitted from the host computer 507, the same effect as described above can be obtained by wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. You can In addition, 501 in FIG. 5 is a main control unit, 502-b is an information transmission unit, 503 is a program memory unit, 504 is a data registration unit, and 505 is an operation push button unit. These are basically shown in FIG. The action is the same as that in.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the program name of the program desired to be recorded is selected from the TV program list by using the existing equipment and the existing social infrastructure for the recording reservation operation without newly providing a dedicated device. It becomes possible to do it in a way that is intuitive to understand.

Further, if the selected program name is directly printed on the label using a word processor printer, it becomes possible to easily and intensively manage a complicated video tape.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic block diagram of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a structural example of a remote control device.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a usage pattern of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a screen image thereof.

FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart when the present invention is applied to a word processor.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a usage pattern of a remote control device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a conventional video-plus recording reservation system. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing its G code.

FIG. 7: Superimposing a conventional TV program list on standard broadcasting,
A block diagram showing a TV program recording reservation device which displays the program list on a TV screen and makes a recording reservation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 remote control device 101 main control unit 102 input / output unit 103 program memory unit 104 data registration unit 105 operation button unit 106 information transmission unit 107 host computer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An input / output unit for exchanging external device control information with a host computer, a readable / writable data registration unit for storing the external device control information, and a program memory unit for recording a host computer program. And an information transmission unit for transmitting the external device control information of the data registration unit to the external device, and an operation button unit for transmitting the external device control information from the information transmission unit, according to the program of the program memory unit. A remote control device characterized in that a host computer writes external device control information to a data registration section, and the information is transmitted by an operation button operated by a user. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the host computer generates control information for recording reservation of the video cassette recorder, and the control information for performing a predetermined recording reservation operation is stored in the data registration section. Videocassette recorder recording reservation system using. 3. A title label in which a host computer generates control information for at least recording reservation of a video cassette recorder by using a TV program name, and the TV program name reserved for recording is printed as a video cassette label. 3. The video cassette recorder recording reservation system according to claim 2, further comprising a printing unit.