JPH10191187A - Television broadcast signal channel selector and channel selection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely set a channel position in a short time by storing and displaying a signal presence channel number and storing (station entry) signal presence channel data to a position with a preferred program number while viewing the displayed signal presence channel number. SOLUTION: A left/right key 51c, a menu key 51d and a store key 51e are provided to a channel selection entry means 51, and a channel selection control means 52 and a memory means 53 have functions of the channel search mode and the channel position setting mode. At start, the channel selection entry means 51 is used to provide an output of a channel search mode signal. The channel selection control means 52 that receives the channel search mode signal searches automatically the signal presence channel according to a channel search program. Then the signal presence channel number is stored and displayed, and while the displayed signal presence channel number, the signal presence channel number is stored (channel entry) to a position of a preferred program number.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a television receiver having a tuner for receiving and selecting a plurality of broadcast channels, and a video device such as a video tape recorder. The present invention relates to a television broadcast signal tuning device and a tuning system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent TV broadcasts, wired and wireless broadcasts as terrestrial broadcasts and broadcasts from satellites and broadcast signals have been diversified, and the number of broadcast channels has also exceeded 100 channels. In order to receive this large number of broadcast channels, the tuner is provided with channel selection input means for controlling channel selection switching, and the viewer stores in advance a plurality of channels that he / she wants to view, and selects a broadcast channel to be viewed. There is provided a channel selection device that can quickly and easily select a channel.

The specific contents of such a channel selection device will be described with reference to the circuit diagram of the television receiver shown in FIG. The broadcast signal received by the antenna 41 is selected by the tuner / intermediate frequency amplifying means 42 and is converted and amplified to an intermediate frequency. This tuner / intermediate frequency amplification means 4
The output of 2 is separated into a video signal and an audio signal by the video detection means 43, and the audio signal is amplified by the audio amplification means 44 and input to the speaker 45. On the other hand, the video signal is separated into a luminance signal and a chrominance signal by a video / color demodulation means 46 and input to a cathode ray tube 47. Further, the video signal is separated into vertical and horizontal synchronization signals in the video signal by a synchronization separation means 48. Then, it is input to the deflection coil means 50 of the cathode ray tube 47 via the deflection means 49.

The tuning of the tuner / intermediate frequency amplifying means 42 is performed based on a tuning signal output from a tuning input means 51, and the tuning signal is a tuning control means 52 for generating a channel control signal. Is input to The tuning control means 52 generates a receiving means 52a for receiving a signal from the tuning input means 51, and a signal decoding instruction constituted by a myroku computer and various signal generation instruction signals to be described later.
In the example of FIG. 1, the channel selection input means 51 is constituted by a remote-controlled handset, and the reception means 52a has a function of receiving a far-infrared signal from the handset.

The tuning control means 52 includes a receiving means 52a
Decoding the signal received from the tuning input means 51,
Various data stored in the memory means 53 is read out, and among the data, channel selection data is read.
4 The control voltage generating means 54 generates a control voltage for tuning the tuner to a desired broadcast channel frequency based on the channel selection data. In addition, the tuning control means 52 supplies character / graphic data to the character signal generating means 55 in order to generate a character signal such as a selected channel number. Further, an AFT signal is supplied from the tuner / intermediate frequency amplifying unit 42 to the tuning control unit 52, a synchronizing signal is input from the synchronizing separating unit 48, and an output of the character signal generating unit 55 is It is input to the video / color demodulation means 46.

In such a television receiver,
When selecting a broadcast channel, the tuning input means 5
A desired broadcast channel can be selected by sequentially changing the broadcast channel with one up / down key 51a.
In the method using the up / down key 51a, it takes time to select a desired broadcast channel. Therefore, the desired channel is directly selected using the numeric keypad 51b provided in the channel selection input means 51. You can also.
That is, data of a desired broadcast channel is stored in advance in correspondence with the ten-key 51b, and the desired broadcast channel can be directly selected by pressing the key of the ten-key 51b once to several times.

[0007] The storing of the broadcast channel data in advance using the channel selection input means 51 is generally called "station". The operation of this station will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, in a “start” step 61, when a channel programming mode (station setting mode) instruction signal is input to the channel selection control unit 52 using the channel selection input unit 51, the channel selection control is performed. The means 52 supplies the character signal generating means 55 with the character / graphic data necessary for displaying the channel programming. The character / graphic data is converted into a video signal by the character signal generating means 55,
The video / color demodulation means 46 is supplied with a video signal representing a character / graphic, instead of a video signal generated from a television broadcast signal, to the cathode ray tube 47, and channel programming is displayed. On the other hand, the process shifts to channel search under the control of the tuning control means 52, and a "search start" step 62 is executed, and the tuning voltage for tuning the tuner in ascending order of the broadcast channel frequency is changed to the control voltage generating means. Generated from 54. The tuning voltage sequentially generated from the control voltage generation means 54 is used to control the tuner /
When a television broadcast signal of a predetermined channel is received and selected by the intermediate frequency amplifying means 42, the video signal is transmitted to the video detecting means 4.
3 and the synchronization signal is extracted by the synchronization separation means 46. The synchronization signal is input to the channel selection control means 52, and the presence or absence of the broadcast signal on the reception channel is determined by determining the presence or absence of the synchronization signal. That is,
In the case of a channel on which a television broadcast signal is not transmitted, since no synchronization signal is detected, it can be determined that the channel is not transmitting a broadcast signal.
The tuning voltage when the broadcast signal is received in this manner is input to the tuning control means 52, and the tuning voltage is digitized. This digitized data can be stored in the memory means 53 as channel data.
Further, the tuning control means 52 calculates a channel number from the channel data and inputs character signal data to the character signal generating means 55. The character / graphic signal from the character signal generating means 55 is input to the CRT 47 via the video / color demodulating means 46, and the channel number selected first is displayed. Next, Step 6 of “Station 1”
At 3, the station is set by the station setting signal from the channel selection input means 51, and the data of the channel received first as the program 1 is stored in the first area of the memory means 53.

When the first channel number is set, the process proceeds to step 64 of "Station 2", where the tuning control means 52 controls the control voltage generating means 54 to search for the next broadcast channel. , The tuning voltage supplied to the tuner is changed, the signal of the second broadcast channel is received and processed in the same manner as described above, the second channel number is displayed on the CRT 47, and the second program is The channel data is stored in the second
Is stored in the area. In this way, the search for the third to n-th broadcast channels is performed, and step 6 of “station n” is performed.
When the station setting is repeated a predetermined number of times up to 5, the contents programmed as indicated by 66, that is, the channel number corresponding to the program number are displayed on the display screen. After the station is set, the desired channel can be selected by operating the numeric keypad 51b. For example, by pressing the key 1, the first channel can be received.

In such a station setting method, stations are set in the order of "station 1" to "station n" and in the order of lower broadcast channel frequency. If you want to place a channel in the program position where it is easiest to tune, or delete a broadcast channel that you do not want to watch, place it in the programming method described above, and then use the programming switching mode separately to set your favorite program position. Need to be edited. The addition of such an edit mode function causes a rise in cost, and the user must once place the station in the programming position and edit again using the edit mode function, which makes the place complicated.

Next, another station placement method will be described with reference to FIG. When a channel programming mode instruction signal is inputted from the channel selection input means 51 to the channel selection control means 52 in the step 71 of “START”, the mode is shifted to the channel programming mode under the control of the channel selection control means 52, and The channel programming screen 72 is displayed. According to this screen display,
In the step 73 of “station 1”, the station preparation mode of the program 1 is set, and the channel selection control means 52 is controlled by operating the channel selection input means 51 to switch to the broadcast channel reception search mode. As a result, the tuning voltage for sequentially switching the receiving channels is supplied from the control voltage generating means 54 to the tuner, and when the desired broadcast channel is received and selected, the set key of the tuning input means 51 is pressed. By pressing the button, the data of the channel is stored as a program 1 (in the figure, 22 is stored in the program 1).
An example in which channels are set is shown). In the next step "station 2", the program 2 of the channel programming screen is displayed, the channel is searched in the same manner, and the next desired broadcast channel is stationed and stored as the program 2 (in the figure, the program 2 is shown). 2 shows an example in which 33 channels are set). This operation is repeated several times up to the step 75 of “station n”, so that a desired number of stations can be stationed. In this station setting method, selection of a station setting program number and a broadcast channel can be realized by using either the up / down key 51a or the ten keys 51b of the channel selection input means 51.

In this method, a user can store and set desired broadcast channel data in a desired station program number, but it is necessary to receive and confirm a desired broadcast channel for each program number. It takes time and does not reduce the complexity of the user.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a conventional tuning device,
In order for the user to set the desired channel at the desired programming position, set the channel once in ascending order and then edit the setting again, or confirm that the desired channel has been received for each programming position. There is a problem that the user repeats complicated operations such as checking and setting.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a tuner for selecting a broadcast signal of a desired channel from a plurality of television broadcast signals, and a demodulation of the television broadcast signal selected by the tuner. Demodulation means for supplying to the display means;
Control voltage generating means for supplying a different tuning voltage to each channel for the tuner, memory means capable of storing channel data corresponding to the tuning voltage, and a plurality of keys. In response, channel selection input means capable of selecting a station setting mode for storing a pre-programmed number of channel data in the memory means, and a channel selection mode for reading and selecting a stored arbitrary channel data. A character generating unit for displaying, on the display unit, a channel number generated based on the various character figures and the channel data, and the memory unit, the character generating unit, and the Tuning control means for controlling a control voltage generating means, wherein the tuning control means is configured to control the control voltage generation in the station setting mode. The tuning voltage from the means is sequentially changed, and a signal channel is searched using the demodulated output from the demodulation means, and the channel numbers of this signal are displayed in a list on the display means. A TV broadcast signal selecting apparatus, wherein the control means controls to store the channel data of an arbitrary channel number selected by the tuning input means in the memory means by the number of programs.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a television receiver according to the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The difference between the circuit configuration of the television receiver shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention and FIG.
1c, a menu key 51d, and a store key 51e, and a channel search mode and a channel position setting mode, which will be described later, in the channel selection control means 52 and the memory means 53. A description will be given using a procedure flowchart and a plan view showing the channel program screen of FIG. 3 together.

First, in step 1 of the start of FIG. 2, a channel search mode signal is output using the channel selection input means 51. In response to the signal, the channel selection control unit 52 shifts to step 2 to change the tuning voltage output from the control voltage generation unit 54 according to the channel search program, and to change the broadcast channels to be selected by the tuner at predetermined intervals in ascending order of frequency. Search by. In step 3, the AFT from the tuner / intermediate frequency amplifying means 42
The signal and the synchronization signal from the synchronization separation means 48 are taken into the channel selection control means 52, and it is determined whether the searched broadcast channel is a signal or no signal. If there is a signal on the broadcast channel, the AFT signal and the synchronization signal are detected, so that it is reliably determined from these two signals whether the broadcast program signal is being transmitted on the channel. If it is determined in step 3 that the channel is a signal channel, in step 4, the data of the signal channel is stored in the memory 53. Step 5 of this channel search
Is repeated for all channels n, and when all channels n are completed, the completion of the search is confirmed in step 6.

Next, when the completion of the writing of the signaled channel data to the memory means 53 is confirmed, the menu key 51d of the channel selection input means 51 is used to move to step 7 and the channel selection control means 52 Reads out the data of all the channels stored in the memory means 53, and outputs a character / graphic signal for displaying a channel program screen as shown in FIG. The image is displayed on the cathode ray tube 47 via 46. This channel program screen has at least one
~ N program numbers 21 and station channel numbers 2
2 and all channel numbers 23 determined as signal channels in the channel search mode are displayed.
When the channel program screen is displayed, first, the program number 21 and the station channel number 22 are displayed by the cursor 24. In the next step 8, it is determined whether or not the up / down key 51a has been operated. Is operated, the cursor 24 is moved down one step in step 9. In the example of FIG. 3A, the cursor 24 is initially located at the program number 1.
In this state, when the right key of the left and right keys 51c is operated, it is determined in step 10 and in step 11,
Signaled channel number 23 on the channel program screen
Is displayed on the side of. Further, in step 11, the cursor 25 is moved to a desired channel number in response to the operation of the up / down key 51a. FIG.
(A) shows an example in which the cursor 25 is moved to the position of channel 33. In this way, the positions of the cursors 24 and 25 are set and confirmed by the user, and when the store key 51e is operated, the step 12 determines that the store key 51e has been operated. Stored and stationed. After that, the channel 3 which has been set up is determined from the signaled channel number 23 displayed on the channel program screen.
If the number 3 is deleted, the remaining signal channel number 23 which is not set can be easily visually recognized. After confirming the station setting in step 14, the process returns to step 8, and the next program number 21
The cursor 24 is moved to the position 2 as shown in FIG. 3 (d), and the operation of storing desired channel data corresponding to each program number in the procedure from step 8 to step 13 is repeated n times. When it is confirmed at 14 that the station assignment to all program numbers has been completed, the channel position setting mode ends at step 15.

As described above, the present invention automatically searches for a signal channel in the channel search mode, stores and displays the signal channel number, and visually recognizes the displayed signal channel number. Signaled channel data can be stored (located) at the position of a desired program number, and the channel position can be set reliably in a short time.

In the above description, the example in which the menu key 51d is operated to shift to the screen display of FIG. 3 after the end of the channel search has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one key operation at the start stage is performed. Then, the continuous processing from step 2 to step 7 may be performed. In addition, although the cursor on the channel program screen displayed on the CRT is shown as a rectangle in FIG. 3, any display method can be used as long as the input position can be easily confirmed by inverting characters or changing colors. But it is clear that it is good.

Although the above description has been made with reference to an example of a channel selection device of a television receiver, the invention can also be applied to, for example, a channel selection device built in a video tape recorder, and to a video device capable of receiving a television broadcast signal. What you can do is obvious.

[0021]

As described above, the present invention automatically searches for a signal channel in the channel search mode, stores and displays the signal channel number, and visually recognizes the displayed signal channel number to select a desired channel. Signal channel data can be stored (stationed) at the position of the program number.
The channel position of the desired signal channel number can be reliably set in a short time.

(Described for each claim)

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a television receiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a channel position setting procedure according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a channel programming screen according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a conventional television receiver.

FIG. 5 is a procedure diagram showing a conventional channel position setting procedure.

[Explanation of symbols]

21: program number, 22: station channel number, 2
3 ... Signal channel number, 41 ... Antenna, 42 ... Chana / intermediate frequency amplifying means, 43 ... Video detecting means, 44
... Sound means, 45 ... Speaker, 46 ... Video / color demodulation means, 47 ... CRT, 48 ... Sync separation means, 49 ... Deflection means, 50 ... Deflection coil, 51 ... Tuning input means, 51
a: Up / down key, 51b: numeric keypad, 51c: left / right key, 51d: menu key, 51e: store key,
52: channel selection control means, 53: memory means, 54: control voltage generation means, 55: character signal generation means.

Claims (3)

[Claims] A tuner for selecting a broadcast signal of a desired channel from a plurality of television broadcast signals; a demodulation unit for demodulating the television broadcast signal selected by the tuner and supplying the demodulated television broadcast signal to a display unit; A control voltage generating means for supplying a different tuning voltage to the tuner for each channel; a memory means capable of storing channel data corresponding to the tuning voltage; and a plurality of keys. And a channel selection input means capable of selecting between a station setting mode for storing a pre-programmed number of channel data in the memory means and a channel selection mode for reading and selecting any stored channel data. Character generation means for displaying on the display means various character figures and a channel number generated based on the channel data; A tuning control means for controlling the memory means, the character generating means and the control voltage generating means in accordance with an instruction from a tuning selection input means, wherein the tuning control means performs the control in the station setting mode. The tuning voltage from the voltage generating means is sequentially changed, and a signal channel is searched using the demodulated output from the demodulating means. The channel numbers of the signal are displayed in a list on the display means, and the displayed channel number is displayed. A television broadcast signal tuning apparatus, wherein the control means controls to store the channel data of an arbitrary channel number selected by the tuning input means from among the programs in the memory means by the number of programs. 2. In the station setting mode, the display means displays a program number by a further programmable number, and associates the program number selected by the tuning means with a channel number, respectively.
2. The television broadcast signal selecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said channel data is stored in a predetermined program position of said memory means. 3. A tuning system for selectively receiving and selecting a plurality of television broadcast signals, comprising: a judging means for sequentially selecting the plurality of television broadcast signals at predetermined intervals to determine the presence or absence of a video signal; Storage means for storing channel data for which the presence of a video signal has been confirmed by the determination means; display means for displaying respective channel numbers based on the channel data stored in the storage means; and display on the display means. With reference to the channel number
A rearrangement unit that rearranges and stores the channel data stored in the storage unit in a desired order; and that reads out the rearranged channel data and receives a broadcast signal of a predetermined channel. TV broadcast signal tuning system.