KR100736085B1 - Apparatus and method for providing volume control user interface - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a user interface for volume control are provided.

An apparatus for providing a user interface for controlling volume according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a noise measurement unit for measuring ambient noise, a noise level measurement unit for measuring a noise level when a first volume set by the user exceeds a first threshold value set according to the measured noise A controller for generating a volume control interface in which a portion corresponding to a volume equal to or lower than the first threshold value and a portion corresponding to a volume level exceeding the first threshold value are displayed in different colors, .

Volume control, user interface (UI), threshold

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for providing a user interface for volume control [

1 is a block diagram of a system for providing a user interface for controlling volume according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remote control apparatus shown in FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user interface providing apparatus for adjusting the volume shown in FIG.

FIGS. 4A and 4D are views illustrating screens provided in the user interface providing apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a user interface for controlling volume according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Related Art

200: remote control device 300: user interface providing device

350: Video decoder 351: Video signal processor

352: Display unit 360: Control unit

370: noise measurement unit 380: storage unit

390: receiving section 395: threshold value setting section

410: Volume Control Guide Interface

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a user interface, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing a user interface that can visually provide an objective criterion for a volume magnitude.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] The spread of sound providing apparatuses such as digital TVs, video cassette recorders, digital video disc players, and audio apparatuses is widely spreading.

When listening to music through such a sound providing apparatus or watching a broadcast program or the like, the user appropriately adjusts the volume according to the degree of ambient noise. For example, at night, since the ambient noise is less than during the daytime, set the volume level low. On the other hand, in the daytime, since the ambient noise is higher than the nighttime, the volume level should be set to a large value.

However, in the case of a hearing impaired person, the volume is set too large to match his or her hearing regardless of the ambient noise. Thus, the volume set too high compared to the ambient noise damages people nearby.

However, in the conventional sound providing apparatus, when the volume is controlled by the user, information about the size of the currently set volume is displayed, but information about whether the volume level is set to an appropriate level is not provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a user interface providing apparatus and method that can provide information on whether a volume level is set to an appropriate level.

However, the objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing a user interface for controlling volume, the apparatus comprising: a noise measurement unit for measuring ambient noise; a first sound volume set by a user, A controller for generating a volume control interface in which, when the threshold value is exceeded, a portion corresponding to a volume equal to or lower than the first threshold value and a portion corresponding to a volume level exceeding the first threshold value are displayed in different colors; And a display unit for displaying an adjustment interface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a user interface for controlling volume, the method comprising: measuring ambient noise; measuring a first volume set by a user based on a first threshold Generating a volume control interface in which a portion corresponding to a volume equal to or lower than the first threshold value and a portion corresponding to a volume equal to or higher than the first threshold value are displayed in different colors; .

The details of the other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings, and the advantages and features of the present invention and the method of achieving them will be clarified with reference to the embodiments described later in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagrams or process flowcharts for explaining an apparatus and method for providing a user interface for controlling volume according to embodiments of the present invention. At this point, it will be appreciated that the combinations of blocks and flowchart illustrations in the process flow diagrams may be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded into a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, so that those instructions, which are executed through a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, Thereby creating means for performing functions. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer usable or computer readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to implement the functionality in a particular manner so that the computer usable or computer readable memory The instructions stored in the block diagram (s) are also capable of producing manufacturing items containing instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block (s). The computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment so that a series of operating steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer- It is also possible for the instructions to perform the processing equipment to provide steps for executing the functions described in the flowchart block (s).

In addition, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing the specified logical function (s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions mentioned in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be performed in reverse order according to the corresponding function.

First, FIG. 1 illustrates a system for providing a user interface (hereinafter referred to as a 'user interface providing system') for volume control according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a user interface providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a user interface providing apparatus 300 (hereinafter referred to as a 'user interface providing apparatus') and a remote control apparatus 200 .

The remote control apparatus 200 generates a remote control signal for remotely controlling the operation of the user interface providing apparatus 300 and transmits the remote control signal to the user interface providing apparatus 300. The remote control device 200 will be described later with reference to Fig.

The user interface providing apparatus 300 detects a surrounding noise and sets a threshold value for the volume magnitude. When the user adjusts the volume using the remote control device 200, the volume control guide interface (refer to reference numeral 410 in FIG. 4B) including information on whether the volume level of the currently set volume is set to a predetermined threshold value or more ). A description thereof will be given later with reference to Fig.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote control device 200 applied to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 includes a key input unit 210, a control unit 220, and a transmission unit 230. The remote control device 200 includes a key input unit 210, a control unit 220,

The key input unit 210 is a part capable of receiving a user command, and includes a plurality of function keys although not shown. For example, a power key, a menu / selection key having a menu function and a selection function, a direction key for focusing a predetermined menu, a plurality of number keys for changing channels, and a volume control key. These function keys may be configured as separate keys in hardware or may be configured in combination with other function keys. For example, among the direction keys, the up key and the down key include a channel up / down function, and the left key and the right key among the direction keys may have a volume down / up function. As described above, the keys provided in the key input unit 210 generate a predetermined key signal when the keys are applied by the user. The generated key signal is provided to the control unit 220.

The control unit 220 generates a command code corresponding to the input key signal. For example, when the volume increase key is applied, the command code for the volume increase key is generated and provided to the transmitter 230.

The transmission unit 230 modulates the input command code into a predetermined radio signal, for example, an infrared (IR) signal, and transmits the modulated signal to the user interface providing apparatus 300.

Meanwhile, the user interface providing apparatus 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention provides a volume control guide interface (see reference numeral 410 in FIG. 4B) including information on the volume magnitude. The user interface providing apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus 300 for providing a user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user interface providing apparatus 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a digital device. Here, the digital device is a device having a digital circuit for processing digital data, and is a device having a digital circuit, such as a computer, a printer, a scanner, a pager, a digital camera, a facsimile, a digital copier, a digital home appliance, A digital broadcast receiver, a digital satellite broadcast receiver, a set-top box, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone. In the following description, the user interface providing apparatus 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as a digital TV.

3 includes a tuner 310, a demodulator 320, a demultiplexer 330, an audio decoder 340, a video decoder 350 a video signal processor 341, a video signal processor 351, a receiver 390, a storage unit 380, a noise measurement unit 370, and a controller 360.

The tuner 310 tunes to a reception band of a channel selected by the user, converts the received signal wave into an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, and provides the signal to the demodulation unit 320.

The demodulation unit 320 demodulates the digital signal provided by the tuner 310 and supplies the data of the MPEG-2 transport stream format to the demultiplexing unit 330.

The demultiplexer 330 demultiplexes the compressed audio data and the compressed video data from the input MPEG-2 transport stream, and supplies the separated audio data and compressed video data to the audio decoder 340 and the video decoder 350, respectively.

The audio decoder 340 decodes the input audio data and supplies the decoded audio data to the audio signal processing unit 341.

The audio signal processing unit 341 processes the inputted audio data with a predetermined audio signal, and outputs audio through the amplifier 342. [

The video decoder 350 decodes the input video data and supplies the decoded video data to the video signal processor 351.

The video signal processing unit 351 displays the input video data through a display unit 352 to be described later. When the volume is adjusted by the user, the video signal processor 351 superimposes the volume control guide interface (refer to reference numeral 410 in FIG. 4) on the video data and displays the volume control guide interface through the display unit 352.

The receiving unit 390 receives and demodulates the remote control signal from the remote control device 200, and provides the remote control signal to the control unit 360, which will be described later.

The storage unit 380 stores an operating system (OS) and other programs necessary for driving the user interface providing apparatus 300, for example, programs necessary for diagnosis and initialization of the user interface providing apparatus 300. [ Also, the storage unit 380 stores a mapping table including threshold value information of the volume magnitude corresponding to the magnitude of the ambient noise. The storage unit 380 may be a nonvolatile memory device such as a cache, a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) A storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), or a volatile memory device such as a random access memory (RAM), but is not limited thereto.

The noise measuring unit 370 measures the ambient noise of the user interface providing apparatus 300 and converts it into a digital signal. The signal converted into the digital signal is provided to the threshold value setting unit 395 through the control unit 360, which will be described later. The noise measurement unit 370 may be micro-structured, for example.

The threshold value setting unit 395 receives data on the ambient noise size from the noise measurement unit 370 and sets a threshold value of the volume magnitude. At this time, the threshold value setting unit 395 sets a threshold value for the volume magnitude by referring to the mapping table stored in the storage unit 380. [

Here, the mapping table will be described with reference to Table 1. Table 1 illustrates a mapping table according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Table 1, the mapping table includes the size information of the ambient noise and the threshold information for the volume magnitude corresponding thereto.

Ambient noise level (dB) Volume size threshold 3 10 5 12 7 14 : :

In Table 1, if the ambient noise magnitude is 3 dB, the volume magnitude threshold value is 10. This means that when the surrounding noise level is 3 dB, the volume level set to 10 or less in the user interface providing apparatus 300 does not cause damage to the surrounding people. In other words, when the noise level of the surroundings is 3 dB, if the volume level of the user interface providing apparatus 300 is set to, for example, 15, which is greater than 10, it means that it damages nearby people.

The control unit 360 controls the components in the user interface providing apparatus 300 according to a command provided through the receiving unit 390. For example, when the user designates a specific channel through the remote control device 200, the tuner 310 sends an instruction code for tuning to the frequency of the channel designated by the user.

When the control unit 360 receives a signal for controlling the volume through the receiving unit 390, the control unit 360 configures the volume control guide interface 410 including the volume information set by the user, .

Also, the controller 360 determines whether the volume level set by the user is equal to or greater than a threshold value set according to the magnitude of the ambient noise. If it is determined that the volume magnitude is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the controller outputs an event indicating that the volume magnitude is greater than or equal to the threshold value. At this time, the event may be at least one of a video signal or an audio signal. Here, examples of the video signal include color and flicker of the volume control guide interface 410. An example of an audio signal is a warning sound.

If the event is a video signal, the control unit 360 allows the event to be output through the display unit 352. [ More specifically, when the volume control guide interface 410 is displayed as a volume bar, when the volume magnitude is set to be smaller than the threshold value, the color of the volume bar is displayed in green, and when the volume magnitude exceeds the threshold value If it is set, the color of the volume bar corresponding to the volume level set after the threshold value is displayed in red, and it can be notified that the volume level is set to the threshold value or more. Or the volume bar is blinking to indicate that the volume magnitude is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

In contrast, when the event is an audio signal, for example, a warning sound, the control unit 360 can output a warning sound through the amplifier 342 to notify that the volume magnitude is set to a threshold value or more.

The display unit 352 outputs the processed video signal through the video signal processing unit 351. The display unit 352 outputs the video signal processed by the video signal processing unit 351 in a visible form. When the volume is adjusted, the volume control guide interface 410 is output.

Next, a method of providing a user interface for adjusting the volume according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4A and FIG.

4A to 4D are views illustrating an example of a screen provided by the user interface providing apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface providing apparatus 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the user selects a specific channel using the remote control apparatus 200, the user interface providing apparatus 300 displays a broadcast program for the channel selected by the user through the display unit 390.

More specifically, when a user applies a predetermined number key among the number keys provided in the key input unit 210 of the remote control device 200, a key signal for the applied number key is generated, And is provided to the control unit 220. Thereafter, the control unit 220 of the remote control device 200 generates a command code corresponding to the key signal provided from the key input unit 210, and provides the generated command code to the transmission unit 230. The transmission unit 230 of the remote control device 200 modulates the command code provided by the control unit 220 into a radio signal, for example, an infrared signal, and transmits the modulated signal to the user interface providing apparatus 300.

On the other hand, the receiver 390 of the user interface providing apparatus 300 receives and demodulates the remote control signal modulated with the radio signal from the remote controller 200, and provides the remote control signal to the controller 360. Thereafter, the control unit 360 of the user interface providing apparatus 300 provides the tuner 310 with the command code for the selected channel. The tuner 310 tunes to the reception band of the channel selected by the user according to the command code provided by the controller 360 and converts the received signal wave into an intermediate frequency signal and provides it to the demodulator 320. [ The demodulation unit 320 demodulates the digital signal provided by the tuner 310 and supplies the data of the MPEG-2 transport stream format to the demultiplexing unit 330.

The demultiplexer 330 demultiplexes the compressed audio data and the compressed video data from the input MPEG-2 transport stream, and supplies the separated audio data and compressed video data to the audio decoder 340 and the video decoder 350, respectively. The audio decoder 340 decodes the audio data provided by the demultiplexer 330 and supplies the decoded audio data to the audio signal processor 341. The audio signal processing unit 341 processes a predetermined audio signal to the audio data provided by the audio decoder 340 and outputs audio through the amplifier 342. [

The video decoder 350 decodes the video data provided by the demultiplexer 330 and supplies the decoded video data to the video signal processor 351. 4A, the video signal processing unit 351 displays the video data provided by the video decoder 350 through the display unit 352. [

 Meanwhile, the noise measuring unit 370 of the user interface providing apparatus 300 measures the magnitude of the ambient noise (S500) and converts it into a digital signal. The magnitude of the noise converted into the digital signal is provided to the threshold value setting unit 395 through the control unit 360.

Thereafter, the threshold value setting unit 395 sets a threshold value of the volume magnitude corresponding to the noise level provided by the noise measurement unit 370, referring to the mapping table as shown in Table 1 (S510). For example, when the noise level measured by the noise measurement unit 370 is 3 dB, the threshold value setting unit 395 sets the threshold value of the volume level to 10.

Meanwhile, the control unit 360 of the user interface providing apparatus 300 determines whether a remote control signal related to volume control, for example, a remote control signal for volume increase or volume decrease, has been received through the receiving unit 390 (S520 ).

As a result of the determination, if the remote control signal related to the volume control is not received (S520, NO), the controller 360 controls the components of the user interface providing apparatus 300 according to the received remote control signal. For example, when a signal for turning off the power is received, the power of the user interface providing apparatus is turned off.

The control unit 360 configures the volume control guide interface 410 including the currently set volume level information and outputs the volume control guide interface 410 to the video signal processor 351 ). Thereafter, the video signal processing unit 351 superimposes the volume control guide interface 410 provided by the control unit 360 on the video data provided by the video decoder 350, and displays the superimposed video data through the display unit 352 (S540). As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. 4B can be displayed.

Thereafter, the control unit 360 determines whether the magnitude of the volume reset by the user is equal to or greater than a threshold value (S550).

As a result of the determination, if the volume level set by the user is smaller than the threshold value (S550, NO), the controller 360 displays information on the volume level reset through the volume control guide interface 410 S570). For example, if the size of the noise measured by the noise measurement unit 370 is 3 dB and the magnitude of the sound volume set by the user is set to 8 in the state that the volume magnitude is set to 8, the control unit 360 4C, the volume control guide interface 410 including information on the reset volume magnitude can be displayed through the display unit 352. [

As a result of the determination, if the volume level set by the user is greater than or equal to the threshold value (S550, YES), the controller 360 outputs an event indicating that the volume level is set to a threshold value or more (S560). For example, the control unit 360 displays a bar between the volume magnitude threshold value and the currently set volume magnitude in red in the bar-shaped volume control guide interface 410, thereby determining that the volume magnitude is set to a threshold value or more Display. More specifically, when the size of the noise measured by the noise measuring unit 370 is 3 dB and the volume magnitude is set to 12 by the user in a state where the volume magnitude is set to 8, 4D, in the bar-shaped volume control guide interface 410, a portion corresponding to a volume level of 0 to 9 is displayed in green, and a portion corresponding to a volume level of 10 or more is displayed in a red color do.

In this way, if a portion of the bar-shaped volume control guide interface 410 is displayed in red, the user can intuitively recognize whether the volume of the currently set volume exceeds the threshold value. As a result, the user can control the volume magnitude to be smaller than the threshold value, thereby preventing damage to the surrounding people.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the volume control guide interface 410 is implemented in the form of a bar has been described as an example. However, the volume control guide interface 410 may be implemented in various other forms. For example, when a remote control signal related to volume control is received, the size of the volume currently set at a predetermined position of the display unit is displayed as a number, and whether or not the volume of the volume reset by the user is greater than or equal to a threshold value It is also possible to display the color of the number differently and display whether or not the volume magnitude is set at an appropriate level. For example, when the size of the volume reset by the user is less than or equal to the threshold value, the number indicating the volume size is displayed in green, and when the size of the volume reset by the user is greater than or equal to the threshold value, Color so that the user can intuitively know whether or not the magnitude of the reset volume is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It is needless to say that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea.

As described above, the apparatus and method for providing a user interface for controlling volume according to the present invention have one or more of the following effects.

First, by transmitting information to the user about whether the volume level is set to a proper level, it is possible to prevent damage to the people around because of the volume set too high.

Claims (5)

A noise measuring unit for measuring ambient noise; When a first volume set by the user exceeds a first threshold value set according to the measured noise, a portion corresponding to a volume below the first threshold value and a portion corresponding to a volume exceeding the first threshold value A control unit for generating a volume control interface displayed in different colors; And And a display unit for displaying the volume control interface. The method according to claim 1, And a threshold value setting unit for setting the first threshold value with reference to a mapping table including a size of the measured noise and a threshold value of a volume magnitude that can be set for the measured noise, . The method according to claim 1, Wherein the volume control interface is a number indicating a size of the first volume, Wherein the control unit displays the numbers in different colors based on the first threshold value. Measuring ambient noise; Wherein when a first volume set by the user exceeds a first threshold set according to the measured noise, a portion corresponding to a volume below the first threshold and a portion corresponding to a volume above the first threshold Creating a volume adjustment interface displayed in a different color; And And displaying the volume control interface. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 19 > 5. The method of claim 4, And setting the first threshold value with reference to a mapping table including a size of the measured noise and a threshold value of a volume magnitude that can be set for the measured noise .

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