KR100281040B1 - TV channel memory and channel selection signal processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a channel memory and channel selection signal processing method of a TV, which enables a user to quickly select a desired channel regardless of the number of channels. Each numeric key includes one or more alphabets or symbols not to overlap with other numeric keys. In the channel storage and channel selection signal processing method of a TV having a remote control, a number code corresponding to an alphabet written on the remote control and a channel number of a broadcasting station corresponding to the numeric code are matched with each alphabet used for a broadcasting station name. A first step of storing in the storage device, a second step of sequentially pressing a number key corresponding to the alphabet of the station name of the remote control by the user, and a number key corresponding to the number key pressed by the user in the TV microcomputer. The third stage of retrieving channel number from the storage device and switching to the corresponding channel And can be done so to maximize the convenience of the user comprises a.

Description

TV channel memory and channel selection signal processing method

The present invention relates to a TV, and more particularly, to a TV memory and channel selection signal processing method.

Analog TVs are being introduced to consumers in various forms, starting with small models such as 14 inches, and projection TVs over 60 inches.

However, the current analog TV shows various problems as it becomes larger and more functionalized. First, in view of image quality, the quality of video quality is degraded when watching the current TV broadcasting quality such as NTSC, PAL or SECAM on a large TV. You can experience it.

Second, in view of the limit of broadcasting channels that can be serviced in the future, the number of currently allocated TV broadcasts is limited to about 80 in total in both microwave and microwave channel bands. It is only about.

Third, the limitation as a unidirectional medium is mentioned.

That is, TV until now has only a function as a reception medium, but as the demand for interactive functions explodes due to the appearance of personal computers and the Internet, future TVs are required to function as interactive terminals.

Finally, the saturation of the analog TV market.

In other words, Korea currently has more than 2 units of supply per household, so we cannot expect any more demand.

As a result, digital TVs have emerged as a solution to the problems of the analog TV market. Digital TVs have dramatically improved the video quality of analog TVs to provide more than twice as vivid image quality as analog TVs, and interference between adjacent channels Since there is no channel area, it is possible to use all channel areas that were not used previously.

In addition, according to the Program Service Information Protocol (PSIP), a broadcasting supplementary information standard that provides detailed information about broadcast programs in the US Digital TV Standard Advanced Television Service Committe (ATSC) proposed in November 1997, One high-resolution (HD) digital broadcast program or four standard-definition (SD) digital broadcast programs can be transmitted per channel, that is, a 6 MHz band, which can provide hundreds of diverse services. By providing services such as Internet service, home shopping, and home banking, it is highly likely that analog channels will be replaced by digital channels in the near future, and explosive demand window is expected in the future.

Therefore, it is natural to watch more than 70 channels through TV when anticipating the development of current technology.

A method of selecting a channel in a TV according to the related art is as follows.

First, there is a direct channel selection method. First, a method of directly selecting a channel number of a station memorized by a user using the number buttons of the remote control as shown in FIG. 1 is suitable when the number of stations is small and quickly. The user can select the desired channel.

Secondly, the channel number is sequentially selected using the channel up (△) / down (▽) key to increase or decrease the channel number.

Next, there is an indirect channel selection method, which implements an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) using TV's OSD (On Screen Display) to select pre-stored channels by theme or genre according to the user's preference and select as a separate hot key. That's how.

TV channel selection method according to the prior art has the following problems when considerably increasing the number of channels in the case of digital broadcasting transmitted through the terrestrial, air and cable in the future.

First, in the case of the direct channel selection method, when the number of channels is small, the user can quickly select a desired channel. However, as described above, when the number of channels increases, it is almost impossible for the user to remember all channels and the channel up / down. Channel selection via keys also requires user patience, which inconveniences the user.

Second, in the case of the indirect channel selection method, the channel selection method using the EPG also needs to repeat the interaction through the OSD on the TV screen several times, and thus does not satisfy the user's desire to quickly select a desired channel.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a TV memory and channel selection signal processing method of a TV which enables a user to quickly select a desired channel regardless of the number of channels. have.

1 is a front view showing a remote control according to the prior art

Figure 2 is a front view showing a remote control according to the present invention

3 illustrates an embodiment of an OSD for channel selection stored in the same code according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a TV channel storage and channel selection signal processing method of a TV having a remote controller in which one or more alphabets or symbols are marked so as not to be duplicated with other numeric keys for each numeric key, wherein each remote controller is used for each alphabet used in a broadcast station name. The first step of matching the numeric code corresponding to the alphabet shown in the letter and the channel number of the broadcasting station corresponding to the numeric code and storing it in the storage device, and the user corresponding to the alphabet of the station name that the user wants to watch from the numeric keys of the remote control And a third step of sequentially pressing a numeric key, and a third step of retrieving a broadcasting station channel number corresponding to the numeric key pressed by the user from the storage device to the corresponding channel.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the TV memory and channel selection signal processing method according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 2 is a front view showing a remote control according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a view showing an embodiment of the channel selection OSD stored in the same code according to the present invention.

The present invention uses a method of storing a name of a broadcasting station having a higher recognition rate by a user than a channel number for quick channel selection, and using the corresponding numeric code for channel selection. First, the channel storage method is as follows.

The present invention maps and stores each broadcasting station name consisting of alphabets into a numeric code, and the mapping is performed in the same format as marked above each numeric key of the remote controller of the present invention shown in FIG.

That is, for example, numeric key '1' is assigned '-', numeric key '2' is assigned 'ABC', numeric key '3' is assigned 'DEF' and numeric key '7' is assigned 'PQRS' The numeric key '8' is assigned 'TUV' and the numeric key '0' is assigned & / !. The arrangement of alphabets and symbols is quoted on the existing numeric keys of the telephone. It is deformable.

Therefore, the names of the stations consisting of alphabets are mapped to the corresponding numbers.As of July, 1998, the names of terrestrial broadcasters in Korea are KBS1, KBS2, MBC, SBS, and EBS. Among the KBS1, the number corresponding to the alphabet 'K' is' 5. ', The number corresponding to the letter' B 'is' 2', and the number corresponding to the letter 'S' is' 7 ', which is 5271 including the last' 1 '. In the same way, it is 5272 for KBS2 and 622 for MBC. , 727 for SBS and 327 for EBS.

On the other hand, in the United States, since there are currently 76 broadcasting stations, mapping them to numeric codes causes the same number codes to be allocated to different broadcasting station names, unlike in the case of Korea where there are not many broadcasting stations.

That is, in the case of the ADC 232, the BET 238, the E! 30, the FAM 316, the IC 42, and the like, the numeric codes do not overlap, but the ABC 222, the CBC 222, and the CNN ( 266) and COM 266, RDS 737 and REQ 737, and the mapped numeric code, such as TBS (827) and VCR (827) may occur.

Therefore, to solve this problem, a method of assigning an additional numeric code in alphabetical order to a station name having a duplicate numeric code is used. For example, ABC and CBC both have a numeric code of '222'. In order of precedence, ABC maps to '222-1' and CBC maps to '222-2'.

At this time, since '-' is the only symbol corresponding to the number '1', ABC is actually mapped to '22211' and CBC is mapped to '22212'.

Therefore, when the above method is applied, the duplicated broadcast station names are CNN 26611 and COM 26612, RDS 73711 and REQ 73712, and TBS 82711 and VCR 82712, respectively. have.

On the other hand, in addition to the problem of duplication of broadcasting station names, there are cases in which a plurality of broadcasting stations are generated in one broadcasting company, that is, ABC-1, ABC-2, CBC-1, CBC-2,... … There are broadcast stations such as, and so on. In this case, additional numeric codes are mapped to solve the problem.

That is, ABC-1 is set to '222111', ABC-2 is set to '222112', CBC-1 is set to '222121' and CBC-2 is set to '222122' to prevent duplication of numeric codes.

In addition, when a new broadcast station is created in the future, a new number code can be assigned and stored in a storage device according to the above-described number code mapping criteria, thereby coping with an increase in broadcast stations.

When the mapping is completed as described above, the channel storing process is completed by matching the mapped numeric code corresponding to each broadcasting station name with the channel number corresponding to the numeric code and storing it in the TV storage.

Next, a method of processing the case in which the user selects the memorized channel as described below will be described.

As described above, the user presses the numeric key corresponding to the name of the broadcasting station to be viewed through the remote control.

For example, if a user wants to watch a US broadcasting station FAM, and sequentially presses the number '326' corresponding to the alphabet, the TV microcomputer receives the input and searches the memory device.

At this time, since only one FAM channel is stored in the storage device, the channel number corresponding to '326' is determined to be a FAM broadcast, and the FAM broadcast program is displayed by switching to the corresponding channel using the corresponding channel number.

On the other hand, when the user inputs '222' through the remote control to watch ABC, the memory search results, because there are two broadcasting station channels corresponding to '222', that is, ABC and CBC, Figure 3 according to the preset OSD processing routine As shown, ABC 1 and CBC 2 are displayed on the OSD screen.

Then, when the user presses '2' to watch the CBC, '222' is generated by adding '-', that is, '1' according to the remote control processing routine.

Accordingly, the microcomputer searches the storage device and determines that the user has selected the CBC broadcast, thereby switching the current channel to the CBC broadcast channel and displaying the broadcast program on the screen.

TV channel storage and channel selection signal processing method according to the present invention by pressing the name of the station with a higher recognition than the channel number directly through the remote control to tune to the corresponding station channel without having to memorize the channel number of each broadcasting station corresponding to multiple channels Since the channel can be easily selected, the user's convenience can be maximized.

Claims (5)

In the TV memory and channel selection signal processing method of the TV having a remote control marked with one or more alphabets or symbols so that each numeric key does not overlap another numeric key, A first step of matching a number code corresponding to a letter displayed on the remote controller and a channel number of a broadcasting station corresponding to the number code with respect to each alphabet used for a broadcasting station name and storing the same in the storage device; A second step of sequentially pressing a numeric key corresponding to an alphabet of a broadcasting station name that the user wants to watch among the numeric keys of the remote controller; And a third step of retrieving the channel number corresponding to the numeric key pressed by the user from the storage device and converting the channel number into a corresponding channel in the TV microcomputer. The method of claim 1, And if there are two or more broadcast station names having the same number code in the first step, different number codes having a predetermined number of digits are additionally assigned. The method of claim 2, The step of additionally giving each of the different numeric code of the predetermined number of digits A channel storage and channel selection signal processing method characterized by increasing the number codes of a certain digit from a station having a same alphabetic code to a station having a lower alphabetical order to a station having a lower alphabetical order. The method of claim 2, The step of additionally giving each of the different numeric code of the predetermined number of digits Stations with the same alphabetic code as those with faster alphabetical order, 1, 2,... … And assigning additional numeric codes in order. The method of claim 1, Displaying at least two broadcasting station names corresponding to the numeric keys input by the user in the third step on the screen in OSD format; If the user selects one of the station name displayed on the screen, the remote control generates an additional number code to be identical to the previously stored number code corresponding to the station name and input it to the microcomputer; And receiving a numeric code input through the remote controller from the microcomputer and searching for the corresponding channel number from the memory device and switching the screen to the corresponding channel.