KR101460403B1 - Apparatus, method and computer readable recording medium for controlling a smart tv - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smart TV control device, and more particularly, to a smart TV control device that includes a channel information collection unit for receiving real-time viewership information on a plurality of broadcast channels or contents from the outside; A channel information database for storing real-time viewership or connection rate information for each broadcast channel or content collected through the channel information collector; And a control screen generating unit configured to configure a control screen to be displayed based on real-time view rate or connection rate information of each broadcast channel or content stored in the channel information database, wherein the control screen displays the real- The information related to the broadcast channel or the content is displayed in at least one area preset in the entire display screen.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a smart TV control apparatus, method, and computer readable recording medium.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a smart TV, and more particularly, to a smart TV that receives various broadcast or content information by using a smart phone or a remote controller, selects a specific channel or content through the provided broadcast or content information, To a smart TV control device, method and computer-readable recording medium capable of controlling a channel or content of a TV.

Recently, display devices of various sizes and types are being released due to the desire of various consumers. In addition, with the popularization of smart phones, various hand-held personal devices are emerging. For example, devices having display means of various sizes such as a smart phone, a pad type terminal, a 7 inch tablet PC, and a 10 inch tablet PC are being released.

On the other hand, apart from the function of displaying only the received airwave or cable broadcasting signal, the interactive function with the user and various additional services using the Internet are provided on the TV.

In addition, a device called a set top box (STB) is additionally required not only for TV but also for receiving digital broadcasting. The term "set-top box" refers to a device that is connected to a TV, receives signals from the outside, appropriately converts the signals, and displays the contents on a TV. A set-top box is a home communication terminal required to use a next-generation interactive multimedia communication service (video on demand (VOD), home shopping, network game, etc.) Also called a subscriber signal converter. It is connected to a network such as an interactive TV, a telephone, or a company's video transmission service (for example, a video dial tone provided by a US regional telephone company).

The set-top box communicates with a video server installed in a telephone company or a general cable broadcasting (CATV) station, and has a function of receiving and converting video signals with basic functions. In addition, various standards such as those having a telephone interface and a connection interface with a personal computer (PC) so that a data communication service such as a telephone and a PC communication can be used at the same time are being examined. As a result, telecom, computer and consumer electronics manufacturers are competing for set-top box commercialization and sales in order to prevail in the interactive TV market.

The set-top box does not necessarily have a built-in tuner. An external signal may include an Ethernet cable, a satellite reception or terrestrial reception antenna, a coaxial cable, a telephone line, an analog Very High Frequency (VHF) UHF (Ultra High Frequency) antenna. The contents that can be obtained through this can be video, voice, internet web page, game, and the like.

As described above, the TV can provide not only broadcast information but also various information services through a set-top box interfaced with the Internet, and it is possible to select and control services through bidirectional communication with a user. In order to facilitate the inputting of a user's selection signal, there is a need for various functions of a remote controller to be expanded and a need for a convenient interface is required.

On the other hand, as a technique related to the above-described method for controlling the smart TV, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-0109212 entitled "Smart TV control system and operating method (Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.)" (Document 1) An interactive TV system and a method of operating the same are disclosed in which a selection menu of a smart TV and various selection information are continuously transmitted to the mobile device so that selection information of the smart TV can be easily confirmed and manipulated through a mobile device .

However, the conventional smart TV control devices, such as the above-described method, merely provide only a direction key, or provide only a limited control function of a smart TV, such as volume or channel selection.

Therefore, there is a need for a variety of information providing and control functions considering a user's interest, rather than a simple channel control function, through a smart phone or a smart TV remote controller.

[Patent Document 1] Korean Published Patent Application No. 2010-0109212 Smart TV control system and operation method (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.) 2012.05.14

An object of the present invention is to provide a smart TV control method capable of controlling a channel or content of a smart TV by receiving various broadcast or content information by using a smart phone or a remote controller and selecting a specific channel or content through the provided broadcast or content information, An apparatus, a method, and a computer-readable recording medium.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for controlling a smart TV by retrieving information of broadcast or contents that can be output from a smart TV through an application installed in a smart phone or a remote control and transmitting a selection signal for a specific channel to the smart TV And a computer readable recording medium.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for searching for broadcast or content information that can be output from a smart TV through an application installed in a smart phone or a remote control and storing and managing selection information for a specific channel, And a smart TV control device, method, and computer-readable recording medium capable of providing information.

In order to achieve the above-described object of the present invention and to achieve the specific effects of the present invention described below, the characteristic structure of the present invention is as follows.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a content distribution system including: a channel information collection unit for receiving real-time viewership or connection rate information for a plurality of broadcast channels or contents from the outside; A channel information database for storing real-time viewership or connection rate information for each broadcast channel or content collected through the channel information collector; And a control screen generating unit configured to configure a control screen to be displayed based on real-time view rate or connection rate information of each broadcast channel or content stored in the channel information database, wherein the control screen displays the real- And displaying information related to the broadcast channel or the content in at least one area preset in the entire display screen.

Preferably, when a specific broadcast channel or content is selected from the broadcast channel or content related information displayed on the control screen, a control signal corresponding to the channel or content selection is generated and transmitted to the smart TV, And switches the screen to the selected corresponding broadcast channel or content.

Preferably, the information related to the broadcast channel or the content displayed on the control screen is at least one of text information related to the broadcast channel or the content, image thumbnail information, video thumbnail information, and actual video.

Preferably, the broadcast channel is any one or more selected from an airwave broadcast channel, a cable broadcast channel, a satellite broadcast channel, and an IPTV channel, and the content is at least one selected from a video providing site, a social network service, .

Preferably, the control screen may include a real-time viewership or connection rate information area including the audience rating or connection rate information for each of the collected at least one channel or content, a channel or content information selected by the user, A personalized recommendation service area for providing information, and a function selection area for providing at least one function for switching each service mode.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes a search processor for requesting an external service server to search for a broadcast or a content corresponding to the keyword input by the user, and receiving the search result and displaying the search result through the control screen generator .

Preferably, the control screen is divided into at least two areas, and when at least one area is selected, the control screen may be switched to a next page, a previous page, and a separate menu input mode, respectively.

Preferably, the device performs a function corresponding to each area selection of the control screen according to a specific voice input.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes a motion detection sensor for detecting motion, and performs a function corresponding to each region selection of the control screen according to the detected specific motion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a smart TV control method is a method for controlling a smart TV, wherein each step performed in the smart TV control device includes real-time viewership or connection rate information for a plurality of broadcast channels or contents from outside Receiving; Storing real-time viewership or connection rate information for each of the collected broadcast channels or contents; And configuring a control screen to be displayed based on real-time viewership or connection rate information of each of the stored broadcast channels or contents, wherein the control screen is preset in the entire display screen according to the ranking of the real- And displaying information related to the broadcast channel or the content in at least one area.

Meanwhile, the information for receiving the smart TV control method may be stored in a recording medium readable by the server computer. Such a recording medium includes all kinds of recording media in which programs and data are stored so that they can be read by a computer system. Examples include ROMs (Read Only Memory), Random Access Memory, CD (Compact Disk), DVD (Digital Video Disk) -ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, (For example, transmission over the Internet). Such a recording medium may also be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code in a distributed manner can be stored and executed.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that information related to ratings or access rate ranking of broadcasting or contents that can be output from a smart TV through an application installed in a smart phone, a remote controller, or the like can be easily provided. There is an advantage that smart TV can be easily controlled through information.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily search information of broadcast or contents that can be output from a smart TV through an application installed in a smart phone or a remote control, and to easily control a smart TV through the provided information have.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that information on a user's preferred channel or contents can be provided by storing and managing selection information on a channel or a content with respect to a smart TV through an application installed in a smart phone or a remote controller.

1 is a diagram showing a system to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an interworking system of a set-top box and a smartphone according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating detailed functions of a set-top box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a detailed structure of a smart TV control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram illustrating details of an application installed in a smartphone according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a smart TV control procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a Smart TV control procedure according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 and 9 are views showing a user interface on an application execution screen of the smart TV control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram showing an application execution screen of a smart TV according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain features, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in connection with an embodiment. It is also to be understood that the position or arrangement of the individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which the claims are entitled, if properly explained. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the several views.

The present invention discloses a smart TV control apparatus and method capable of controlling a smart TV through an application installed in a smart phone or a remote controller. At this time, according to the embodiment of the present invention, audience rating or access rate rank information about a broadcast (e.g., a terrestrial broadcast, a cable broadcast, a satellite broadcast, etc.) Video format, and when the user selects a specific channel, it is possible to control switching from the smart TV to the corresponding channel.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a search function capable of searching for broadcast or content information that can be outputted from a smart TV through the application is provided. When a user selects a specific channel or content from a search result, It is possible to control switching from the TV to the corresponding channel or Internet site or service screen.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, selection information for a specific channel selected through the application as described above can be stored and managed, and information on the user preference channel can be provided through the selection information.

Meanwhile, in the following description, the smart TV control device may be a smart phone or a remote controller, and may be a mobile terminal, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a workstation, a palmtop computer, a personal digital assistant ), A web pad, a car navigation system, an advertisement screen, and the like, and can be adopted as a smart TV control device according to the present invention as long as it is a digital device equipped with a microprocessor and computing capability. Hereinafter, a smart TV control device will be described as a smart phone for the purpose of understanding the invention.

In the following description, a TV having any type of form and function is applicable to the present invention. In the following description, a smart TV in which a predetermined application is installed and a communication function with the Internet is provided Will be described. Meanwhile, the present invention can be applied to a system in which a set-top box is connected to a general TV rather than a smart TV, and all or a part of the functions implemented in the smart TV according to the present invention can be implemented to function in a set- have. In the following description, a TV is described as a smart TV in order to facilitate an understanding of the invention. However, the present invention is not limited to a smart TV, and may be applied to any type of TV in which a predetermined application is installed and a network communication function is provided This is possible. In addition, the concept of smart TV is not only a smart TV that is currently in popular use, but also a smart TV with a wide range of meaning.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

First, the structure of a system and an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, and then a procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG.

TV And smartphone interworking system

1 is a diagram showing a system to which the present invention is applied. Referring to FIG. 1, a system to which the present invention is applied includes a smart TV 100, a communication network 110, a service server 120, at least one smart phone 130 or a remote controller, a terrestrial broadcast server 140, A broadcast server 150, and the like. 1, a smart phone 130 is shown in FIG. 1 as an example of a smart TV control apparatus according to the present invention. Any device capable of providing a corresponding function other than a smart phone, as described above, As a control device.

The smart TV 100 interworking with the smart phone 130 for the implementation of the present invention is preferably a smart TV 100 capable of being connected to the communication network 110 and capable of installing and executing applications, A set-top box may be connected to a general TV as shown in FIG. The smart TV 100 performs a function of displaying a broadcast signal received from the terrestrial broadcast server 140 or the cable broadcast server 150. Also, the smart TV 100 communicates with the service server 120 by connecting to the communication network 110, including an Internet connection function. In addition, the smart TV 100 can provide the functions of the present invention by installing a separate dedicated application.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the smart phone 130 can communicate with the smart phone 130 through an application installed in the smart TV 100, receives a control signal such as a channel selection signal from the smart phone 130, Function. At this time, in the smart TV 100, as shown in FIG. 10, various service screens according to the embodiment of the present invention can be provided through the application.

The service server 120 communicates with the smartphone 130 or the smart TV 100 through the communication network 110 to transmit various broadcast related information requested in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention , VOD information, content information, search information, etc.). That is, the broadcast-related information to be provided according to the present invention may be provided from the service server 120 to the smart phone 130 in the smart TV 100, or may be provided directly from the application installed in the smart phone 130 120).

Meanwhile, the communication network 110 may be configured without discriminating the communication modes such as wired and wireless, and may be a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN) A metropolitan area network (WAN), and a wide area network (WAN). Also, the communication network 110 may be a known World Wide Web (WWW) and may use a wireless transmission technique used for short-distance communication such as Infrared Data Association (IrDA) or Bluetooth It is possible. In addition, the communication network 110 may include a cable broadcasting communication network, a terrestrial broadcasting communication network, a satellite broadcasting communication network, and the like for receiving broadcasting signals from the smart TV 100.

1, the smart phone 130 is described as an example of the smart TV control device. However, not only a smart phone but also a user may access the service server 120 to provide various broadcast-related information Output function for communicating with the service server 120 through the communication network 110 in order to receive a specific application and to transmit a control signal to the smart TV 100 when a specific application is installed . For example, not only a mobile communication terminal but also a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a workstation, a palmtop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a web pad, But is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an interworking system of a set-top box and a smartphone according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, a system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a TV 200, a set-top box (STB) 210, a terrestrial broadcast server 220, a cable broadcasting server 230, A network 240, a service server 120, and the like.

The operation implemented in the smart TV 100 can be provided through the STB 210 connected to the TV 200 as described above. The STB 210 receives broadcast signals from the terrestrial broadcast server 220 or the cable broadcast server 230 and provides the broadcast signals to the TV 200. In addition, the STB 210 communicates with the service server 120 by connecting to the communication network 240 including an Internet connection function. In addition, the STB 210 can provide a function of the present invention through the installation of a separate dedicated application.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, various control functions of the smart phone 130 can be performed on the screen of the TV 200 through an application installed in the STB 210. [ In response to a broadcast-related information request through the smartphone 130, the application of the STB 210 may receive various broadcast-related information (e.g., audience rating or access rate ranking information, content search result Information, etc.) to the smartphone 130.

At this time, the user of the smart phone 130 executes an application installed in the smart phone 130, and selects a specific channel or content by referring to various broadcast-related information that can be broadcasted on the TV 200. [ According to the selection, the STB 210 receives a control signal from the smart phone 130 and controls a broadcast channel to be output from the TV.

The service server 120 receives the broadcast related information from the smartphone 130 or the STB 210 and transmits the requested broadcast related information to the smart phone 130 or the STB 210 through the communication network 230 to provide.

Hereinafter, each component of the system will be described in detail.

smart TV (or TV Connected to STB ) Application

3 is a block diagram illustrating detailed functions of a set-top box according to an embodiment of the present invention. As described above, it is possible to implement the functions of the smart TV 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention in the STB 210 in the same manner. Therefore, the functions shown in FIG. 3 are equally included in the smart TV 100 to provide functions.

3, the STB 210 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a TV / IPTV receiver 301, a data communication I / F 302, A main controller 303, an Internet access processor 304, an application program processor (CP) 305, a TV control video generator 306, (TV Video Combiner) 307, a received signal processing unit 308, a TV I / F unit 309, a wireless communication I / F unit 310, and the like.

The TV / IPTV receiver 301 may include a terrestrial TV receiver, a cable TV receiver, and an IPTV receiver as broadcast data receivers. The cable TV receiver performs demodulation on the cable TV signal. At this time, the demodulated data is composed of compressed video, audio, and additional information. The compressed image is decompressed according to the MPEG / H.264 standard to generate video raw data. In addition, the compressed audio is decompressed according to the MPEG / AC3 / AAC standard to generate audio raw data. In addition, the additional information is transmitted to the main control unit 303. On the other hand, the display screen composed of the video original data is a pure TV display screen and is displayed in the display area of the TV 200. [

The IPTV receiver is composed of compressed video, audio, and additional information as IPTV data received via the Internet. At this time, the compressed image is decompressed according to the MPEG / H.264 standard to generate video raw data as in the cable TV receiver. In addition, the compressed audio is decompressed according to the MPEG / AC3 / AAC standard to generate audio raw data. In addition, the additional information is transmitted to the main control unit 303. On the other hand, the display screen composed of the video original data is a pure TV display screen and is displayed in the TV display area of the TV 200. [

The data communication I / F unit 302 is a data communication channel for performing data communication separately from the reception of the TV broadcasting contents received by the TV / IPTV receiving unit 301. The data communication I / The data communication with the service server 120 is performed.

The main control unit 303 performs a main control function of the STB 210 to support various functions including connection with the service server 120 and the smart phone 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, the terminal 120 maintains connection of connected terminals (e.g., smartphones 130) through information exchange with the service server 120 through an Internet connection, and exchanges various broadcast-related information according to the present invention. The input signal during the execution of the TV control command or the application received from the connected smart phone 130 is received through the reception signal processing unit 308 and the display configuration of the TV 200 and each smart phone 130 Can be controlled. In addition, the main control unit 303 controls the TV setting change such as TV channel change, voice control, etc., controls the Internet connection, and performs application program control provided by the CP (Content Provider) such as 'T-commerce' do.

The Internet connection processing unit 304 controls the Internet connection to the service server 120 according to the execution of the application program according to the embodiment of the present invention. An internet display area is generated separately from the TV display area on the screen of the TV 200 through the Internet connection processing unit 304 to provide various information.

The application program processing unit 305 executes various application programs to be processed through the connection between the TV 200 and the smartphone 130 according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, it performs a function of connecting the TV 200 and the smartphone 130 and controlling the setting of the TV 210 according to a control signal from the connected smart phone 130. When the application is executed through the interconnection between the TV 200 and the smartphone 130, the interaction between the TV 200 and the respective smartphones 130 is handled.

The TV control screen generating unit 306 may generate a separate control display area for TV channel change, volume control, setting change, etc. on the screen of the TV 200 and / or the screen of the smartphone 130.

The TV image configuring unit 307 displays each display area provided through the TV / IPTV receiving unit 301, the Internet connection processing unit 304, the application program processing unit 305, and the TV control screen generating unit 306, And combines them in the set form to create a TV display area. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the TV display area may be divided into a personalized recommendation service area, a real-time view rating or a connection rate information area, or may be generated by partially overlapping the respective areas.

For example, in a form in which each of the display areas is combined, a display screen for TV output is generated by varying the scale of each display area according to a user's preference, or a specific display area is processed transparently or semi-transparently Thereby generating a TV display screen.

The reception signal processing unit 308 receives and collects TV control information such as channel selection information or TV setting information input by a user using the smart phone 130 through a touch screen or input means do. At this time, the information received from the received signal processing unit 308 through the wireless communication I / F unit 310 is transmitted to the main control unit 303 to perform a function linked with the TV 200, Control function.

The TV I / F unit 309 is an interface connected to the TV 200 and can use various connection means such as HDMI / Component / Composite.

The wireless communication I / F unit 310 processes data transmitted and received to provide a function interlocked with the smart phone 130. For example, it may communicate via short-range wireless communication such as infrared communication, WiFi, or the like, or may be implemented by any other method.

Smartphone (application)

4 is a diagram illustrating a detailed structure of a smart TV control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4, a smart TV control device 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a touch screen 410, a control unit 420, a wireless communication unit 430, a memory 440, a microphone 450, a speaker 460), and the like.

At this time, an application 441 for performing a smart TV control function according to an embodiment of the present invention may be installed in the memory 440 and executed.

That is, when the application 441 is executed, broadcast-related information is received from the service server 120 or the smart TV 100 through the wireless communication unit 430, and the provided broadcast-related information is displayed on the touch screen 410 Display. When a specific broadcast channel or content is selected from the provided broadcast related information through the touch screen 410, the selected control signal is transmitted to the smart TV 100 through the wireless communication unit 430, Respectively.

Meanwhile, the selection information by the user may be stored in the memory 440, and may be provided as preferred channel information of the user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The microphone 450 receives a voice signal, receives a voice signal of a user according to an embodiment of the present invention, and generates a TV control signal by recognizing the voice. Further, although not shown in FIG. 4, a motion recognition sensor may be further provided, and a TV control signal may be generated by recognizing motion through the motion recognition sensor.

5 is a block diagram illustrating details of an application installed in a smartphone according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5, an application installed in the smartphone 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a channel information collection unit 510, a search processing unit 520, a personalization information storage unit 530, a control screen generation unit 540), and the like.

The channel information collecting unit 510 collects broadcast channel related information from the smart TV 100 or the service server 120 according to application execution. For example, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to collect real-time viewership rank information such as over-the-air broadcast and cable broadcast. In addition, the service server 120 may collect information on access rates or views of the various contents (video, personal homepage, blog, etc.). The collected information is stored in the channel information database 550.

The search processing unit 520 requests the service server 120 to search for a keyword entered by a user when searching for a desired broadcast or content among broadcast channels or contents through an application being executed according to an embodiment of the present invention And performs a function of receiving a search result.

The personalization information storage unit 530 extracts selection information on a specific broadcast channel or content selected during execution of the application in real time and stores the selected information in the personalization information database 560 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control screen generating unit 540 generates the control information by using the broadcasting information collected through the channel information collecting unit 510 and the personalization information database 560 through the personalization information storing unit 530, Or the personalized recommendation information stored in the personalized recommendation information, as shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9.

A concrete method of generating the control screen according to the present invention will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG.

TV And smartphone interworking method

6 is a flowchart illustrating a smart TV control procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6, an application installed in the TV control apparatus 130 (for example, a smart phone or a remote controller) is executed in step S601 and a broadcast related information is requested in the smart TV 100 in step S602. 100 requests or receives broadcast-related information from the service server 120 according to the request (S603, S604, S605), or provides the broadcast-related information to the TV control device 130 (S606).

At this time, the broadcast related information may include real-time viewership or connection rate information of over-the-air broadcast, cable broadcast, and satellite broadcast according to an embodiment of the present invention, and may include various broadcast channel related information and the like.

The TV control device 130 provided with the broadcast-related information can display the broadcast-related information provided on the screen as shown in FIG. 8 or 9 (S607). For example, it is possible to receive the audience rating or the connection rate information of the broadcasting channel currently being broadcasted in real time, and to display the audience rating or the connection rate upper channel by a predetermined number.

At this time, the user confirms the displayed broadcast channel information and selects a specific channel (S608). The channel selection information is transmitted to the smart TV 100 in step S609 and the smart TV 100 receives the channel selection information and switches to the corresponding channel in step S610 according to the received channel selection information, .

Meanwhile, the channel information selected by the user according to the embodiment of the present invention may be accumulated (S611) in the TV controller 130, and the personalization service according to the embodiment of the present invention (E.g., user preference channel information, etc.).

7 is a flowchart illustrating a Smart TV control procedure according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7, when an application installed in the TV control unit 130 (e.g., a smart phone or a remote controller) is executed (S701) and the broadcast service related information is requested to the service server 120 (S702) 120 provides the broadcast-related information to the TV control device 130 according to the request (S703).

At this time, the broadcast related information may include real-time viewership or connection rate information of over-the-air broadcast, cable broadcast, and satellite broadcast according to an embodiment of the present invention, and may include various broadcast channel related information and the like.

The TV control device 130 provided with the broadcast-related information may display the broadcast-related information provided on the screen as shown in FIG. 8 or 9 (S704). For example, it is possible to receive the audience rating or the connection rate information of the broadcasting channel currently being broadcasted in real time, and to display the audience rating or the connection rate upper channel by a predetermined number.

At this time, the user confirms the displayed broadcast channel information and selects a specific channel (S705). The channel selection information is transmitted to the smart TV 100 in step S706 and the smart TV 100 receives the channel selection information and switches to the corresponding channel according to the received channel selection information in step S707, .

Meanwhile, the channel information selected by the user according to the embodiment of the present invention may be accumulated (S708) in the TV controller 130, and the personalization service according to the embodiment of the present invention (E.g., user preference channel information, etc.).

Thus, the smart TV control apparatus and the control method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described. Hereinafter, an example of a user interface through a service provision screen according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Example

8 and 9 are views showing a user interface on an application execution screen of a smart TV control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8, a screen of the smart TV control device includes a personalization recommendation service area 810, a real-time view rate or connection rate information area 820, and a function selection area 830 (main control area) according to an embodiment of the present invention. And the like. At this time, the personalized recommendation service area 810 and the real-time viewership or connection rate information area 820 may be displayed simultaneously as shown in FIG. 8, and only one selected area may be displayed as a wide screen .

The personalized recommendation service area 810 is an area where user's broadcast channel selection information is provided as described above. For example, when the user selects a specific broadcast channel or a specific content through the broadcast information provided by the user after executing the application, the selection information is accumulated and stored in the memory as described above, And may be arranged in the area. At this time, the provided broadcast information may be provided in the form of a text, and an image or a video mapped to the broadcast channel or the content may be provided in the form of a thumbnail or a reduced image of an actual moving image.

The real-time viewership or connection rate information area 820 is an area in which broadcast channel information according to a real-time broadcast rating or access rate is provided as described above. For example, when the real-time view rate or the connection rate information is collected after the execution of the application, the collected information is sorted by a predetermined number (for example, eight in FIG. 9) according to the real- . At this time, the provided broadcast channel information may be provided in the form of a text, and an image or a video mapped to the broadcast channel or the content may be provided as a thumbnail form or an actual moving picture.

The function selection area 830 is an area for returning to the home screen or selecting various functions that can be switched to other functions.

Referring to FIG. 9, for example, eight icons 910 or buttons may be provided on the home screen. The provided icons or buttons may be eight channels sorted on the basis of an audience rating or a connection rate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this state, touching the right arrow 923 among the directional key buttons at the center can provide another eight channels after the other. That is, each time the next direction key is pressed, the next subordinate can be listed up.

At this time, if the user selects any one of the icons or buttons listed up, the selection information is transmitted to the smart TV, and in the smart TV, the corresponding channel is switched to the corresponding channel in response to the selection information, . Examples of the broadcast channel include not only terrestrial broadcast but also a cable TV channel, an IPTV channel, and the like.

Here, the content may be, for example, a video providing site such as YouTube, a social network service, a personal homepage, a blog, or the like.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, when a desired channel does not exist or a channel is too many among the channels or contents listed according to the real-time view rate or connection rate, it is included in the function selection area 830 (For example, the heart button 940 at the center in FIG. 9) is touched, a character can be input and search is possible. Accordingly, when a search window is created and a search word is input, related contents can be listed up as a search result.

That is, if eight icons or buttons on the first level home screen were listing up real-time channels based on audience ratings or access rates, searching in step 2 to search for specific information would result in a random or ordered list of views . At this time, similarly, when the right arrow 923 is pressed, the next eight moving pictures can be listed up.

Meanwhile, a personalization service may be provided according to another embodiment of the present invention. That is, as described above, as the operations of the user are accumulated, the information on the channel or content preferred by the user can be stored in the memory. If the thumb button 930 at the bottom of FIG. 9 is touched on the basis of the information related to the cumulative use, the screen listing the real-time broadcasting by the audience rating or the connection rate is switched to the personalization service screen, You can list up. Similarly, when the right arrow 923 is touched, eight channels or contents of the next frequency of use are displayed.

8, the personalized recommendation service area 810 is located above the real-time view rate or the connection rate information area 820. However, even if the personalized recommendation service area is not separately formed at the upper part, It can be used by switching through the changeover button 930 in the information area, so that it can be formed not to be distinguished as shown in FIG.

9, when the + button 921 at the center is touched, the VOD (Video on Demand), the game, the music, and the health , Social network service (SNS), movie, shopping, and the like. For example, when the user selects VOD from among the plurality of converted categories, eight VOD contents can be listed up on the basis of a specific criterion, for example, the number of downloads. At this time as well, when the right arrow 923 is touched, eight VODs of the next ranking can be listed up.

If the V button 950 is selected in the function selection area 830, the screen returns to the initial screen.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to list up contents according to a specific criterion (for example, audience ratings (connection rate or preference), etc.) and to provide all possible contents in a selectable manner. . In addition, by making the viewing frequency of the user database, it is possible to provide the content selection button that is characteristic to the user.

In the above description, a specific broadcast channel or content is selected through the touch screen. However, the TV control apparatus according to the present invention can select a specific broadcast channel or content through not only the touch screen but also speech recognition and motion recognition have.

For example, the center button 920 located at the center in FIG. 9 may be divided into three parts as shown in FIG. 9 as + 921, left arrow 922, and right arrow 923. Accordingly, when the real time broadcast program is displayed in eight areas excluding the fifth location, and the viewer rate or the connection rate is implemented in the descending order, if the right arrow 923 button is touched, as described above, 9th to 16th programs can be shown.

At this time, if the voice 'forward' is recognized using the voice recognition module, the function corresponding to the right arrow 923 can be performed in the same manner. In addition, it is also possible to implement the same function by causing the finger to move (e.g., rotating the five fingers to the right) and recognizing the movement through the motion sensor.

Also, when the left arrow 922 button is touched, the program having the audience rating or the connection rate 1 to 8 can be displayed as a backward function as described above. Likewise, when a voice of 'back' is recognized using the voice recognition module, the function corresponding to the left arrow 922 can be performed in the same manner. In addition, it is also possible to implement the same function by causing the finger to move (e.g., rotating the five fingers to the left) and recognizing the movement through the motion sensor.

Also, if the + button 921 at the center is touched, it is possible to switch to a separate menu input mode instead of real time broadcasting. At this time, the same function can be implemented by performing five voice recognition and crossing (+ displaying) the left and right index finger.

In addition, the first to ninth buttons 910 other than the 5th button are respectively used for voice recognition such as 'one', 'two', 'three', 'four', 'six', 'seven', 'eight' ', And the motion recognition can display the corresponding position with the left and right detection.

The heart button 940 of the function selection area switches to a search mode through character input, and the result of the search can be displayed on one screen in a form similar to FIG. Voice and actions can also be displayed in the form of a "heart" sound and a "heart" hand.

In addition, the thumb button 930 located on the left side of the function selection area can be switched to a mode capable of providing a personalized service program and a separate menu corresponding to the user's characteristic. A cue can be used for voice recognition, and a thumb can be used for motion recognition.

In addition, the V button 950 located on the right side of the function selection area is a button for switching to the initial screen as described above, and a 'villa' can be used for voice recognition. .

Although FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a two-dimensional planar user interface, the present invention can be implemented using a three-dimensional solid user interface.

10 is a diagram showing an application execution screen of a smart TV according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 10, a personalized recommendation service area and a real-time viewership or connection rate information area may be provided in a smart TV such as a smart phone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the above description, the smart TV control apparatus of the present invention controls the broadcast screen of the smart TV. However, the user interface according to the present invention is not limited to the control of the smart TV, but may be applied to a smart phone The user interface screen configuration of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be applied to a wide range of smart TV devices in which the smart devices are interlocked.

The various operations and functions as described herein with respect to the various methods may be performed by any of a number of types of functions, such as a particular processing function and / or a processing function implemented therein, and / ≪ / RTI > For example, such functions may be described herein, as well as performing various operations and processes as described herein, or any other operations and functions as described herein, etc., or the like, And may perform such operations, processes, and the like.

The invention has been described above with the aim of method steps illustrating the performance of certain functions and their relationships. The boundaries and order of these functional components and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternative boundaries and sequences may be defined as long as the specific functions and relationships are properly performed. Any such alternative boundaries and sequences are therefore within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. In addition, the boundaries of these functional components have been arbitrarily defined for ease of illustration. Alternative boundaries can be defined as long as certain important functions are properly performed. Likewise, the flow diagram blocks may also be arbitrarily defined herein to represent any significant functionality. For extended use, the flowchart block boundaries and order may have been defined and still perform some important function. Alternative definitions of both functional components and flowchart blocks and sequences are therefore within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the functional components and other illustrated blocks, modules, and components herein may be implemented as illustrated or as separate components, such as semiconductor integrated circuits (ASICs) And the like, or any combination thereof.

While various combinations of features and specific combinations of features of the present invention are explicitly described herein, other combinations of these features and functions are likewise possible. The present invention is not limited to the specific examples disclosed herein, and explicitly incorporates these different combinations.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, such as specific elements, and specific embodiments and drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above- And various modifications and changes may be made thereto by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, belong to the scope of the present invention .

100: Smart TV 110: Communication network
120: service server 130: smart phone
140: terrestrial broadcast server 150: cable broadcast server
200: TV 210: STB
220: terrestrial broadcast server 230: cable broadcast server
240: communication network 301: TV / IPTV receiver
302: Data communication I / F unit 303: Main control unit
304: Internet connection processing unit 305: Application program processing unit
306: TV control screen generating unit 307: TV image configuring unit
308: received signal processing unit 309: TV I / F unit
310: wireless communication I / F unit 410: touch screen
420: control unit 430: wireless communication unit
440: memory 441: application
450: microphone 460: speaker
510: Channel information collecting unit 520: Search processing unit
530: personalization information storage unit 540: control screen generation unit
550: Channel information database 560: Personalization information database

Claims (17)

A channel information collection unit for receiving real-time view ratings or connection rate information for a plurality of broadcast channels or contents from outside;
A channel information database for storing real-time viewership or connection rate information for each broadcast channel or content collected through the channel information collector;
A control screen generation unit configured to configure a control screen to be displayed based on real time viewership or connection rate information of each broadcast channel or contents stored in the channel information database; And
And a search processor for requesting an external service server to search for a broadcast or a content corresponding to a keyword input by the user and receiving the search result and displaying the search result through the control screen generator,
On the control screen,
A real-time view rate or connection rate information area including the audience rating or connection rate information for each of the collected channels or contents, a personalized recommendation service area for providing channels or content preference information by accumulating contents or channel selected by the user, And a function selection area for providing at least one function for switching each service mode are selected and displayed,
Wherein the real-time view rate or the connection rate information area of the control screen is configured by displaying information related to the broadcast channel or the content in at least one area preset in the entire display screen according to the ranking of the real-time view rate or the connection rate,
When a specific broadcast channel or content is selected from the broadcast channel or content related information displayed on the control screen, a control signal corresponding to the channel or the content selection is generated and transmitted to the smart TV, and the smart TV receives the control signal And switches the screen to the selected corresponding broadcast channel or content,
The information related to the broadcast channel or the content displayed on the control screen is,
The video thumbnail information related to the broadcast channel or the content, the video thumbnail information, and the actual video,
The broadcast channel includes:
A public broadcasting channel, a cable broadcasting channel, and a satellite broadcasting channel,
The content may be at least one selected from a video providing site, a social network service, a personal homepage, or a blog,
The area selected and displayed on the control screen can be switched to the next page, the previous page, and a separate menu input mode,
In the function selection area, there are provided three function icons or buttons formed in the center of the three-partly divided UGG pattern or eight icons or buttons formed in the vicinity thereof, so that the information related to the broadcast channel or contents is displayed on the eight icons or buttons Lt; / RTI >
A separate icon or button is additionally provided below the function selection area, and when a specific icon or button provided at the lower part is selected, the search mode is entered through a character input, and the search result is displayed on the eight icons or buttons And the pages to be displayed are switched by selecting one of the three function icons or buttons provided at the center.
delete delete delete delete delete delete The apparatus of claim 1,
And performs a function corresponding to each area selection of the control screen according to a specific voice input.
The apparatus of claim 1,
Further comprising a motion detection sensor for detecting motion and performing a function corresponding to selection of each region of the control screen according to the detected specific motion.
A method for controlling a smart TV, comprising the steps of:
Receiving real-time viewership or connection rate information for a plurality of broadcast channels or contents from outside;
Storing real-time viewership or connection rate information for each broadcast channel or content collected;
Configuring a control screen to display based on real time viewership or connection rate information of each of the stored broadcast channels or contents;
Requesting an external service server to search for a broadcast or a content corresponding to a keyword input by a user; And
Receiving a search result and displaying it on a screen,
On the control screen,
A personalized recommendation service area for providing channel or content preference information related to accumulation of channel or content information selected by the user and a personalized recommendation service area for providing related channel or content preference information, At least one of function selection areas providing at least one function for switching each service mode is selected and displayed,
Wherein the real-time view rate or the connection rate information area of the control screen is configured by displaying information related to the broadcast channel or the content in at least one area preset in the entire display screen according to the ranking of the real-time view rate or the connection rate,
When a specific broadcast channel is selected from the broadcast channel or content related information displayed on the control screen, a control signal corresponding to the channel selection is generated and transmitted to the smart TV, and the smart TV receives the control signal, A screen is switched to a broadcast channel or content and displayed,
The information related to the broadcast channel or the content displayed on the control screen is,
The video thumbnail information related to the broadcast channel or the content, the video thumbnail information, and the actual video,
The broadcast channel includes:
A public broadcasting channel, a cable broadcasting channel, and a satellite broadcasting channel,
The content may be at least one selected from a video providing site, a social network service, a personal homepage, or a blog,
An area selected and displayed on the control screen may be switched to a next page, a previous page, and a separate menu input mode,
In the function selection area, there are provided three function icons or buttons formed in the center of the three-partly divided UGG pattern or eight icons or buttons formed in the vicinity thereof, so that the information related to the broadcast channel or contents is displayed on the eight icons or buttons Lt; / RTI >
A separate icon or button is additionally provided below the function selection area, and when a specific icon or button provided at the lower part is selected, the search mode is entered through a character input, and the search result is displayed on the eight icons or buttons And the pages to be displayed are switched by selecting one of the three function icons or buttons provided at the center.
delete delete delete delete delete delete A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the method of claim 10.

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