KR101635563B1 - Apparatus for displaying image and method for operating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image display apparatus and an operation method thereof. A method of operating an image display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes receiving a channel interval selection signal for selecting a channel interval for extracting a thumbnail image from a remote input device, Generating a thumbnail image of a channel in the selected channel section, and displaying a thumbnail image list including a thumbnail image of the channel in the selected channel section. Thereby, the user can acquire update information about a channel of interest more quickly and conveniently.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an image display apparatus and a method of operating the same,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, and more particularly, to an image display apparatus and an operation method thereof that can set a channel interval of a broadcast signal of a received channel.

A video display device is a device having a function of displaying an image that a user can view. Also, the video display device can display a broadcast selected by the user among the broadcast signals transmitted from the broadcasting station on the display. Currently, the trend is shifting from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting worldwide.

Such digital broadcasting transmits digital video and audio signals and provides a clear screen with high data resolution and low error rate compared to analog broadcasting, advantageous for error correction, and high resolution. In addition, with the implementation of digital broadcasting, bidirectional services have become possible.

In addition to the tendency to switch to digital broadcasting, there is an increasing tendency to broadcast in response to various demands of users. In order to recognize each of the broadcasts increased by the user in the current video display device, each broadcast must be selected through channel switching, and channels not interested are also required to be provided with the information. Further, there is a problem that it takes a considerable time to search all the channels and update the list according to the increase in the number of channels or types of broadcasts. Also, there is a problem that the more frequently the update is performed, the greater the load on the device.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image display apparatus and an operation method thereof that can perform channel search and thumbnail image generation quickly.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a video display device, comprising: receiving a channel interval selection signal from a remote input device to select a channel interval for extracting a thumbnail image; Generating a thumbnail image for a channel in the selected channel section, and displaying a thumbnail image list including a thumbnail image for the channel in the selected channel section.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image display apparatus including an interface for receiving a channel interval selection signal from a remote input device for selecting a channel interval for extracting a thumbnail image, A channel browsing processor for generating a thumbnail image for a channel in the selected channel section, and a display for displaying a thumbnail image list including a thumbnail image for the channel in the selected channel section do.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the user can set a selected channel section, which is a section of channels to receive a thumbnail image, to receive a service centered on a desired content. In addition, since the status in which the selected channel section is set on the display or the result of setting the selected channel section can be visually confirmed, the convenience of section setting can be increased.

Also, if the selected channel interval is set, the update can be performed more quickly because the range of the channel for performing the channel scanning or generating the thumbnail image, and the range of the channel for updating the thumbnail image list are limited. It also reduces the burden on the device for updating the thumbnail image or its list.

1 is an internal block diagram of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an internal block diagram of the channel browsing processing unit of FIG.
3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of the remote control apparatus of FIG.
4 is an internal block diagram of the interface unit of FIG. 1 and the spatial remote controller of FIG. 3;
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a selected channel interval is set according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a list of thumbnail images according to the embodiment described with reference to FIG.
9 is a view illustrating a screen where a selected channel interval is set according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for convenience of description, and do not give special significance or role in themselves. Accordingly, the terms "module" and "part" may be used interchangeably.

1 is an internal block diagram of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, an image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first tuner 120, a second tuner 125, an external signal input / output unit 128, a first demodulation unit 130, A second demodulating unit 135, an analog / digital converting unit 140, an interface unit 150, a control unit 160, a channel browsing processing unit 170, a storage unit 175, a display 180, And the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, an image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a tuner 110. The tuner 110 may be physically or logically divided into a first tuner 120 and a second tuner 125 for convenience's sake. The first tuner 120 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user from among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through an antenna, converts the selected RF broadcast signal into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / Signal. For example, if the selected RF broadcast signal is a digital broadcast signal, it is converted into a digital IF signal DIF1, and if it is an analog broadcast signal, it is converted into an analog baseband video / audio signal CVBS 1 / SIF. That is, the first tuner 120 may be a hybrid tuner capable of processing a digital broadcast signal and an analog broadcast signal. The analog baseband video / audio signal (CVBS 1 / SIF) output from the first tuner 120 may be directly input to the controller 160.

The first tuner 120 receives an RF broadcast signal of a single carrier according to an ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) method or an RF broadcast signal of a plurality of carriers according to a DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) It is also possible. In addition, it is also possible to receive RF broadcast signals mixed with a single carrier system and a plurality of carrier systems according to DTMB (Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast) system.

Similarly to the first tuner 120, the second tuner 125 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by the user among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through the antenna, Into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal.

The second tuner 125 sequentially selects a corresponding RF broadcast signal of all broadcast channels previously stored through the channel memory function among the RF broadcast signals received through the antenna according to the present invention, Or to a baseband video / audio signal.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the thumbnail list including the thumbnail images corresponding to the images of other previously stored channels is displayed in a part or whole area of the display 180, so that the second tuner 125 can display the thumbnail image, ), It is possible to sequentially receive RF broadcast signals of all pre-stored channels.

For example, the first tuner 120 converts a main RF broadcast signal selected by the user into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal, and the second tuner 125 converts all It is possible to sequentially and periodically select an RF broadcast signal (sub RF broadcast signal) or all RF broadcast signals and to convert it into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband video / audio signal.

Channel scanning can be performed by the tuner 110 through the above-described process. The tuner 110 can search for the receivable channels and obtain information on the receivable channels by receiving signals from all receivable channels or a part of the channels even when the user is watching the broadcast or not . The channel scanning may be performed by a predetermined period or by a user's signal input under the control of the controller 160. [ That is, the tuner 110 may perform channel scanning to search for channels that are currently being received.

The external signal input / output unit 128 receives an external signal from an external device. To this end, the external signal input / output unit 128 may include an A / V input / output unit (not shown) and a wireless communication unit (not shown).

The external signal input / output unit 128 is connected to an external device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu ray, a game device, a camcorder, a computer And transmits the external input data signal to the controller 160 in the image display apparatus 100. Also, the video signal, audio signal, and data signal processed in the controller 160 can be output to an external device.

The A / V I / O section has an Ethernet terminal, a USB terminal, a CVBS (Composite Video Banking Sync) terminal, a component terminal, an S-video terminal (analog) terminal, A DVI (Digital Visual Interface) terminal, an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal, an RGB terminal, a D-SUB terminal, an IEEE 1394 terminal, a SPDIF terminal, and a Liquid HD terminal.

The analog signal input through the CVBS terminal, the S-video terminal, or the like can be converted into a digital signal through the analog / digital conversion unit 140. The digital signal input through other input terminals can be input to the channel browsing processing unit 170 without analog / digital conversion.

The wireless communication unit can perform a wireless Internet connection. For example, WLAN (Wireless LAN) (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) .

Further, the wireless communication unit can perform short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices.

For example, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used.

The external signal input / output unit 128 may be connected to the various set-top boxes via at least one of the various terminals described above to perform input / output operations with the set-top box.

For example, if the set-top box is a set-top box for an IP (Internet Protocol) TV, the video, audio, and data signals processed in the settop box for IPTV can be transmitted to the controller 160, The control unit 160 may transmit the processed signals to the IPTV set-top box.

Meanwhile, the IPTV may include ADSL-TV, VDSL-TV, FTTH-TV and the like depending on the type of the transmission network. The IPTV may include a TV over DSL, a video over DSL, a TV over IP BTV), and the like. In addition, IPTV may also mean an Internet TV capable of accessing the Internet, or a full browsing TV.

On the other hand, the video display apparatus 100 is connected to the Internet via a network interface such as an Ethernet terminal of the external signal input / output unit 128, a wireless communication unit, or a set-top box for an IP (Internet Protocol) Can be performed.

Also, the external signal input / output unit 128 may be connected to a communication network capable of video or voice communication. The communication network may mean a broadcasting communication network, a public telephone network, a mobile communication network, etc. connected through a LAN.

Although not shown in the figure, when the signal output from the external signal input / output unit 128 is a digital signal, the signal can be input to the channel browsing processing unit 170 and processed.

The first demodulator 130 receives the digital IF signal DIF 1 converted by the first tuner 120 and performs a demodulation operation.

For example, when the digital IF signal DIF 1 output from the first tuner 120 is an ATSC scheme or a DVB scheme, the first demodulator 130 performs 8-VSB (8-Vestigal Side Band) demodulation or And performs CODDMA (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation) demodulation. Also, the first demodulator 130 may perform channel decoding. For this purpose, the first demodulator 130 includes a Trellis decoder, a de-interleaver, and a Reed Solomon decoder. The first demodulator 130 performs trellis decoding, Interleaving, de-interleaving, and reed solomon decoding.

The first demodulator 130 performs demodulation and channel decoding, and can output the stream signal TS 1. The stream signal TS 1 at this time may be a signal in which a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal are multiplexed. For example, the stream signal TS 1 may be an MPEG-2 TS (Transport Stream) in which an MPEG-2 standard video signal, Dolby AC-3 standard audio signal, etc. are multiplexed.

The stream signal TS 1 is input to the control unit 160 to perform demultiplexing, signal processing, and the like.

The second demodulating unit 135 receives the digital IF signal DIF 2 converted by the second tuner 125 and performs a demodulating operation and outputs the stream signal TS 2 to the channel browsing processing unit 170 . The operation of the second demodulation unit 135 will be omitted with reference to the operation of the first demodulation unit 130 described above.

The analog / digital converter 140 converts the analog baseband video signal CVBS 2 output from the second tuner 125 into a digital signal. For example, if the input signal is a video signal, sampling and quantization may be performed and converted to a digital video signal DV. The converted digital signal may be an uncoded signal. The converted digital video signal DV is input to the channel browsing processing unit 170 and processed.

The interface unit 150 transmits an input signal from the user to the control unit 160 or a signal from the control unit 160 to the user. For example, the interface unit 150 may be provided with various functions such as power on / off, channel selection, screen setting, etc. from the remote control device 200 in accordance with various communication methods such as an RF (Radio Frequency) Or may transmit a signal from the control unit 160 to the remote control apparatus 200. The remote control apparatus 200 may be connected to the remote control apparatus 200 via a network.

The control unit 160 demultiplexes the input stream and processes the demultiplexed signals to generate and output a signal for video and audio output. The overall operation of the video display device 100 can be controlled.

Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 160 may include a demultiplexing unit, a video processing unit, a voice processing unit, a user input signal processing unit, and the like.

The control unit 160 demultiplexes an input stream signal, for example, an MPEG-2 TS, into video signals, audio signals, and data signals, respectively.

Also, the control unit 160 can perform image processing of the demultiplexed video signal. For example, if the demultiplexed video signal is a coded video signal, it can be decoded. Specifically, when the demultiplexed video signal is an MPEG-2 standard-coded video signal, it can be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder. Also, if the demultiplexed video signal is a video signal of the H.264 standard according to the DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) scheme or DVB-H, it can be decoded by the H.264 decoder.

In addition, the controller 160 may process the brightness, tint, and color of the video signal.

The image signal processed by the controller 160 is input to the display 180 and displayed. It is also possible to input to an external output terminal connected to the external output device.

Also, the control unit 160 can perform the voice processing of the demultiplexed voice signal. For example, if the demultiplexed speech signal is a coded speech signal, it can be decoded. Specifically, when the demultiplexed speech signal is an MPEG-2 standard encoded speech signal, it can be decoded by an MPEG-2 decoder. In addition, if the demultiplexed speech signal is a coded voice signal of the MPEG 4 BSAC (Bit Sliced Arithmetic Coding) standard according to a terrestrial DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) scheme, it can be decoded by an MPEG 4 decoder. Also, if the demultiplexed speech signal is an encoded audio signal of the AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) standard of MPEG 2 according to the satellite DMB scheme or DVB-H, it can be decoded by the AAC decoder.

In addition, the control unit 160 can process a base, a treble, a volume control, and the like.

The voice signal processed by the control unit 160 is input to the voice output unit 185, for example, a speaker and is output as voice. It is also possible to input to an external output terminal connected to the external output device.

In addition, the control unit 160 can perform data processing of the demultiplexed data signal. For example, if the demultiplexed data signal is a coded data signal, it can be decoded. The encoded data signal may be EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information including broadcast information such as a start time and an end time of a broadcast program broadcasted on each channel. For example, the EPG information may be ATSC-PSIP (ATSC-Program and System Information Protocol) information in the case of the ATSC scheme and DVB-Service Information (DVB-SI) information in case of the DVB scheme . The ATSC-PSIP information or DVB-SI information may be information included in the above-described stream, i.e., the header (4 bytes) of the MPEG-2 TS.

In addition, the control unit 160 may perform an OSD (On Screen Display) process. Specifically, the control unit 160 displays various types of information on the screen of the display 180 based on at least one of the image-processed video signal and the data-processed data signal and the user input signal from the remote control device 200 To generate graphics for displaying graphics or text. The generated signal may be input to the display 180 together with the processed image signal and the processed data signal.

The signals generated for the graphic or text display described above may include various data such as a user interface screen of the image display apparatus 100, various menu screens, widgets, icons, and the like.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 performs browsing processing on at least one of a broadcast signal corresponding to the received channel and various input video signals inputted through the external signal input unit 128. Specifically, the demodulation unit 130 or 135 receives the demodulated and channel-decoded stream signal TS 1 or TS 2, receives the stream signal from the external input signal input unit 128, 140 and demultiplexes the stream signal TS 1 or TS 2 and extracts a part of the demultiplexed video signals and outputs the video signal including the extracted video signal And output a new stream signal TSa. For example, the stream signal TSa or TSb may be an MPEG 2 TS.

In addition, the channel browsing processing unit 170 can output the main stream signal TSb corresponding to the main video signal displayed in the main area of the display 180 without any processing, The sub-stream signal TSa corresponding to the sub-video signal displayed in the sub-area among the video signals displayed in the sub-area 180 may be output by performing the channel browsing process as described above.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when a partial list of the broadcast signals of a plurality of channels is extracted and re-encoded into a stream format through the channel browsing processor 170 to display the channel list on the display 180, At least a part of the images can be displayed on the screen in the form of a thumbnail. As a result, the user can intuitively know the content broadcast on the other channel.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 extracts a part of images of various external input images input through the external signal input unit 128 and re-encodes them into a stream form so that when displaying an external input list on the display 180, At least a part of the external input image from the external input device can be displayed on the screen in a thumbnail form. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents input from the external input device.

On the other hand, the channel browsing processor 170 extracts a broadcasting signal image of the channel and a partial image of the external input image described above, and re-enqueues the stream into a stream form, thereby displaying a channel list and an external input list on the display 180 , It is possible to display at least a part of the broadcast signal image of the plurality of channels and the external input image from the plurality of external input devices in a thumbnail form on the screen. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the contents input from the plurality of channels and the external input device.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The storage unit 175 may store a program for each signal processing and control in the control unit 160 or may store a video signal, a voice signal, and a data signal that have undergone signal processing.

In addition, the storage unit 175 may perform a function for temporarily storing video, audio, or data signals input from the external signal input unit 128.

In addition, the storage unit 175 may store the corresponding broadcast channel through the channel memory function.

The storage unit 175 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory) RAM, ROM (EEPROM, etc.), and the like.

Although the storage unit 175 is shown separately from the controller 160 in the drawing, the storage unit 175 is not limited thereto and may be included in the controller 160.

Meanwhile, the video display device 100 may reproduce and provide a file (a moving picture file, a still picture file, a music file, a document file, etc.) stored in the storage unit 175 to a user.

The display 180 converts an image signal, a data signal, an OSD signal processed by the control unit 160 or an image signal and a data signal received from the external signal input unit 128 into R, G, and B signals, respectively, . The display 180 can be implemented in various forms such as a PDP, an LCD, an OLED, a flexible display, and a 3D display. Also, the display 180 may be configured as a touch screen and used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The audio output unit 185 receives a signal processed by the control unit 160, for example, a stereo signal, a 3.1 channel signal, or a 5.1 channel signal, and outputs it as a voice. The voice output unit 185 may be implemented by various types of speakers.

The remote control device 200 transmits the user input to the interface unit 150. [ To this end, the remote control apparatus 200 can use Bluetooth, RF (radio frequency) communication, infrared (IR) communication, UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, or the like.

Further, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive a video signal, an audio signal, a data signal, and the like from the interface section 150 and output it.

Meanwhile, the remote controller 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a space remote controller. The description of the spatial remote controller will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 and the following.

Though two tuners are shown in the drawing, a thumbnail image at the time of viewing a channel list, which is an embodiment of the present invention, is displayed on the screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this, It is also possible.

For example, if there is a channel list view command after receiving a broadcast signal of a selected channel through one tuner, the corresponding broadcast signals of all broadcast channels previously stored through the channel memory function are sequentially / periodically received It is possible. According to this, the channel list view can be performed as a whole view.

The video display apparatus 100 described above can be applied to a digital broadcasting of ATSC system (8-VSB system), digital broadcasting of DVB-T system (COFDM system), digital broadcasting of ISDB-T system (BST-OFDM system) (DMB) type digital broadcasting, ATSC-M / H type digital broadcasting, DVB-H (COFDM) digital broadcasting, A digital broadcasting receiver capable of receiving at least one of broadcasting, media flow-only (Digital Media), and the like. It may also be a digital broadcast receiver for cable, satellite communications, or IPTV.

Meanwhile, the video display device described in the present specification can be applied to a TV set, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) .

2 is an internal block diagram of the channel browsing processing unit of FIG.

The channel browsing processing unit 170 includes a switch 205, a demultiplexing unit 210, a picture decoder 215, a DV decoder 217, a format conversion unit 220, a video encoder 230 ), And a stream encoder 240.

The switch 205 selects any one of the input streams TS 1 and TS 2 and outputs it as it is without conversion operation to the main stream TSb and transmits the remaining streams to the demultiplexer 210 . The main stream corresponds to the main video signal, and the main video signal is displayed on the display 180 in most areas. The sub stream transmitted to the other demultiplexer 210 corresponds to a sub video signal other than the main channel, and the sub video signal can be displayed in a partial area of the display 180.

This method can be performed in correspondence with the simple view function of the " video channel list "that shows only the channel list in a part of the display area 180, rather than the entire area of the display 180. Meanwhile, And displaying the list on the display 180. It is also possible to display the channel list and the external input list on the display 180 together.

The demultiplexer 210 demultiplexes the received stream signal TS1 or TS2 into a video signal, a voice signal and a data signal, respectively. The video signal of the separated signals is transmitted to the picture decoder 215, and the other audio and data signals can be transmitted to the stream encoder 240 for forming a new stream.

The picture decoder 215 decodes at least part of the demultiplexed video signal. Decoding can be performed by an MPEG 2, MPEG-4 or H.264 decoder or the like. The decoded image may be a still image or a moving image. For example, the picture decoder 215 can decode an image of an I picture among input image signals or decode a part of an input image signal.

The DV decoder 217 receives the digital signal DV converted by the analog / digital converter 140, and acquires a digital image.

The format conversion unit 220 converts the format of a video signal input from the picture decoder 215 or the DV decoder 217. [ For example, the size (resolution) of an input video signal can be converted. This magnitude conversion is performed so that it is shown in an appropriate size when it is shown in thumbnail form on the display 180. [

On the other hand, the format conversion unit 220 may convert image signals to different sizes according to the simple view of the "image channel list" and the entire view of the "image channel list ". For example, the size of an image shown in thumbnail form in a full view of the "image channel list" may be larger than a simple view of the "image channel list ". The simple view and the full view function described above can also be performed when displaying an external input list on the display 180 in addition to the channel list. It can also be performed when displaying the channel list and the external input list together on the display 180. [

The video encoder 230 encodes the video signal converted by the format converter 220. [ For example, the format transforming unit 220 may encode the size-converted image into JPEG or MPEG-2. The still image or moving image to be encoded by the image encoder 230 is displayed as a thumbnail image on the display 180 in the future.

The stream encoder 230 encodes the image encoded by the image encoder 230 in a stream format. That is, the image can be re-encoded based on the image encoded by the image encoder 230 and the voice and data signals demultiplexed by the demultiplexer 210. [ The re-encoding may be performed in a multiplexing manner. The encoded stream format may be in the form of MPEG 2 TS.

In the embodiment of the present invention, at least some images of the broadcast signal image and the external input image of a plurality of channels are extracted and re-encoded through the channel browsing processing unit 170, A plurality of channel broadcast signal images and an external input image from a plurality of external input devices can be displayed on the screen in a thumbnail form. Accordingly, the user can intuitively know the content broadcasted on another channel or the content input on the external input device.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of the remote control apparatus of FIG.

Referring to the drawings, a spatial remote controller 301 can be used as the remote controller of FIG.

The space remote controller 301 is one of the remote control devices 200 that can input commands to the image display device 100. In this embodiment, the spatial remote controller 301 transmits and receives signals in accordance with the RF communication standard with the image display apparatus 100. 3A, a pointer 302 corresponding to the spatial remote controller 301 may be displayed on the video display device 100. [

The user can move or rotate the space remote controller 301 up and down, left and right, and back and forth. The pointer 302 displayed on the video display device 100 corresponds to the motion of the spatial remote controller 301. [ FIG. 3B shows a bar displayed on the image display device 100 in response to the movement of the spatial remote controller 301. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when the user moves the spatial remote controller 301 to the left, the pointer displayed on the image display device 100 also moves to the left corresponding thereto. In the present embodiment, the spatial remote controller 301 has a sensor capable of discriminating a motion. Information about the motion of the spatial remote controller 301 sensed through the sensor of the spatial remote controller 301 is transmitted to the image display apparatus 100. [ The image display apparatus 100 determines the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 from the information on the motion of the spatial remote controller 301 and calculates the coordinate value of the pointer 302 corresponding thereto.

3A and 3B illustrate an example in which the pointer 302 displayed on the display 180 moves in correspondence with the up, down, left, right, or rotation of the spatial remote controller 301. Fig. The moving speed and the moving direction of the pointer 302 may correspond to the moving speed and moving direction of the spatial remote controller 301. [

In this embodiment, the pointer displayed on the video display device 100 is set to move in response to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301. [ As another example, it is possible to set a predetermined command to be inputted to the image display apparatus 100 in response to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301. That is, when moving the remote controller 301 back and forth, the size of the image displayed on the image display device 100 can be enlarged or reduced. Therefore, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

4 is an internal block diagram of the interface unit of FIG. 1 and the spatial remote controller of FIG. 3;

The space remote controller 301 includes a wireless communication unit 320, a user input unit 330, a sensor unit 340, an output unit 350, a power supply unit 360, a memory 370, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 380 < / RTI >

The wireless communication unit 320 transmits and receives signals to and from the image display apparatus 100. The spatial remote controller 301 may include an RF module 321 capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the interface unit 310 of the image display apparatus 100 according to the RF communication standard. The spatial remote controller 301 may include an IR module 323 capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the interface unit 310 of the image display apparatus 100 according to the IR communication standard.

In this embodiment, the spatial remote controller 301 transmits a signal containing information on the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 to the image display device 100 through the RF module 321. [ In addition, the spatial remote controller 301 can receive the signal transmitted by the image display apparatus 100 through the RF module 321. The spatial remote controller 301 can transmit commands to the video display device 100 via the IR module 323, such as power on / off, channel change, volume change, and the like, as needed.

The user input unit 330 may include a keypad or a button. The user can input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the spatial remote controller 301 by operating the user input unit 330. [ When the user input unit 330 includes a hard key button, the user can input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the spatial remote controller 301 through the push operation of the hard key button. When the user input unit 330 has a touch screen, the user can touch a soft key of the touch screen to input a command related to the image display apparatus 100 to the space remote controller 301. [ In addition, the user input unit 330 may include various types of input means such as a scroll key, a jog key, etc., which can be operated by the user, and the present invention is not limited to the scope of the present invention.

The sensor unit 340 may include a gyro sensor 341 or an acceleration sensor 343. The gyro sensor 341 can sense information on the operation of the spatial remote controller 301. [ For example, the gyro sensor 341 can sense information about the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 on the basis of the x, y, and z axes. The acceleration sensor 341 can sense information on the moving speed of the spatial remote controller 301 and the like. The output unit 350 may output a video or audio signal corresponding to an operation to the user input unit 330 or a signal transmitted from the video display device 100. [ The user can recognize whether the user input unit 330 is operated or whether the image display apparatus 100 is controlled through the output unit 350.

For example, the output unit 350 includes an LED module 351 that is turned on when the user input unit 330 is operated or a signal is transmitted and received between the image display device 100 and the image display apparatus 100 through the wireless communication unit 320, 353, an audio output module 355 for outputting sound, or a display module 357 for outputting an image.

The power supply unit 360 supplies power to the space remote controller 301. The power supply unit 360 can reduce power waste by interrupting the power supply when the spatial remote controller 301 has not moved for a predetermined time. The power supply unit 360 can resume power supply when a predetermined key provided in the space remote controller 301 is operated.

The memory 370 may store various types of application data or the like necessary for the control or operation of the spatial remote controller 301. If the spatial remote controller 301 wirelessly transmits / receives a signal through the image display device 100 and the RF module 321, the spatial remote controller 301 and the image display device 100 transmit / receive signals through a predetermined frequency band . The control unit 380 of the spatial remote controller 301 stores information on the frequency band and the like capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals to and from the video display device 100 paired with the spatial remote controller 301 in the memory 370 Can be referenced.

The control unit 380 controls various matters related to the control of the spatial remote controller 301. The control unit 380 transmits a signal corresponding to a predetermined key operation of the user input unit 330 or a signal corresponding to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 sensed by the sensor unit 340 through the wireless communication unit 320 100 to the interface unit 310 of FIG.

The interface unit 310 of the image display apparatus 100 includes a wireless communication unit 320 capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving a signal to and from the spatial remote controller 301 and a wireless communication unit 320 capable of transmitting and receiving the coordinate values of the pointer corresponding to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 And a coordinate value calculation unit 315 that can calculate the coordinate value.

The wireless communication unit 320 can transmit and receive signals wirelessly with the spatial remote controller 301 through the RF module 321. And can receive signals transmitted by the spatial remote controller 301 according to the IR communication standard through the RF module 323.

The coordinate value calculator 315 corrects the camera shake or the error from the signal corresponding to the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 received via the wireless communication unit 320 and outputs the coordinate value of the pointer 302 to be displayed on the display 180 x, y) can be calculated.

The transmission signal of the spatial remote controller 301 inputted to the image display apparatus 100 through the interface unit 310 is transmitted to the controller 160 of the image display apparatus 100. The control unit 160 can determine the information about the operation of the spatial remote controller 301 and the key operation from the signal transmitted from the spatial remote controller 301 and control the image display apparatus 100 accordingly.

A block diagram of the spatial remote controller 301 among the image display apparatus 100 and the remote controller 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present invention. Each component of the block diagram can be integrated, added, or omitted according to specifications of the video display device 100 and the spatial remote controller 301 actually implemented. That is, two or more constituent elements may be combined into one constituent element, or one constituent element may be constituted by two or more constituent elements, if necessary. In addition, the functions performed in each block are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and the specific operations and apparatuses do not limit the scope of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the video display apparatus receives a channel section selection signal received from a remote control device such as a spatial remote controller through the interface unit 150 (S510). That is, the user can select one or more channels to be updated for generating a thumbnail image according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the channel section is referred to as a selected channel section. A user signal input by a user to set a selected channel interval is hereinafter referred to as a channel interval selection signal.

One channel section selection signal may be transmitted to the control unit by inputting a plurality of user signals. A channel selection start signal for indicating the start point of the channel section and a channel selection end signal for indicating the end point of the channel section, and the channel selection start signal and the channel selection end signal may be set to one selected channel section setting For example, one or more times. In this case, the channel from the channel corresponding to the channel selection start signal to the channel corresponding to the channel selection end signal is set as the selected channel section.

When different types of broadcast signals are received according to a plurality of transmission standards, a selected channel section for each broadcast can be separately set, and a plurality of sections can be set in one broadcast. Broadcasts having different transmission standards mean, for example, digital broadcasting, analog broadcasting, cable broadcasting, terrestrial broadcasting, and the like. Thus, the entire channel may include a digital television (DTV) broadcast channel, an analog television (ATV) broadcast channels, cable digital television (CDTV) broadcast channels, cable analog television (CATV) broadcast channels, and one or more kinds of channels in the channel . (-> check for underlined part)

A process of inputting the channel interval selection signal will be described below as an example. When a list of channels or a range of channels being received is displayed on the display 180, a point or an area corresponding to a specific channel is pointed to by a spatial remote controller on the screen, Channels can be set to the selected channel period. In this case, the selected channel section is set according to the position of the pointer of the spatial remote controller. When the input of the channel interval selection signal is completed through the processes described above, the controller 160 generates the selected channel interval information and sets a selected channel interval (S520).

The control unit 160 sets a selected channel period and transmits the selected channel period information to the channel browsing processing unit 170. Then, the channel browsing processor 170 generates a thumbnail image for the channels in the selected channel interval according to the selected channel interval information (S530). Or if the channel browsing processor 170 has already generated a thumbnail image for all the channels, the controller 160 may select only thumbnail images corresponding to the channels in the selected channel section. That is, the controller 160 generates a list of thumbnail images using the thumbnail images of the channels in the selected channel section generated by the channel browsing processor 170. The generated thumbnail image may be stored in the storage unit 175.

The display 180 displays a list of thumbnail images for the channels in the selected channel section (S540). Then, the channel scanning and / or the thumbnail image generation is repeatedly performed on the channels in the selected channel section, and the list of the thumbnail images targeted for the channels in the selected channel section is updated (S550). As described above, the time required to update the list of the thumbnail images is shortened by limiting the channel interval that is the target of channel scanning, thumbnail image generation, and list update. Even if the update period is set to be short, can do.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image display apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 6, the search for the entire receivable channel is preceded. The tuner 110 acquires information on the list of the entire channels or the range of the entire channels through the channel search (S610). The channel searched here may be stored in the storage unit 175. Of course, the channel search for the entire channel of the tuner 110 is exemplary and the tuner 110 does not necessarily have to perform a search for the entire channel, Accordingly, the search can be performed only for channels within a certain range. That is, when a specific broadcast standard or a range of a channel is set, it is also possible to perform channel search only for channels within the range, and set the selected channel section again within the range. However, in the present invention, the case of performing channel search for all channels will be described as an example.

If the tuner 110 previously stores the result of searching for the entire channel, it is possible to omit the process of searching for and storing the channel instead of using the stored channel list. If there is a change in the entire channel list, have.

Then, a channel search image for the searched whole channel is displayed on the display 180 (S620). The channel search image may be a graphical image showing the range of the searched channel or the entire channel. The channel search image can be generated by the OSD generation function of the control unit 160. [ An image representing a list of channels may also be an example of a channel search image. The user can conveniently set the selected channel section using the channel search image displayed on the display 180. [

A channel interval selection signal is received through a channel search image (S630). For example, the user may use a spatial remote controller to point to a specific location in the channel search image to input a user signal. The user signal transmitted to the controller 160 through the interface unit 150 may be interpreted as a channel interval selection signal for setting a channel corresponding to the position of the pointer to a selected channel interval. The channel section selection signal can be input by various methods. As described above, the channel selection signal may be inputted through the input of the channel selection start signal and the channel selection end signal, or a specific part of the channel search image corresponding to the channel section desired by the user may be input to the remote control device The channel interval selection signal may be input by pointing or dragging. That is, the channel interval selection signal can be input through various methods.

When the channel section selection signal is inputted, the control section 160 sets the selected channel section accordingly. Here, the selected channel section may be displayed in the channel search image (S640). In this case, the channel search image shows which section is set as the selected channel section within the entire channel range. The control unit 160 generates a channel search image in which the selected channel period is displayed by adding a figure or the like representing the selected channel period to the pre-generated channel search image using the selected channel period information generated according to the channel interval selection signal can do. In this case, the selected channel section may be displayed on the channel search image by the OSD generating function of the controller 160. [

If the selected channel period is set through the above-described procedure, channel searching, channel scanning, and generation or update of the thumbnail image may be performed only within the set selected channel period. Accordingly, the image display apparatus can provide channel information focusing on the content desired by the user, and can update the thumbnail image or its list more quickly.

The channel browsing processor 170 generates a thumbnail image of the channels in the selected channel section (S650). The display 180 displays a list of the generated thumbnail images including one or more thumbnail images on the screen (S660). Here, the operation of the image display apparatus according to the generation and display of the list of the thumbnail image and the thumbnail image may be exemplified in various ways.

In a first example, the control unit 160 transmits the selected channel period information to the tuner 110. In this case, the tuner 110 performs channel scanning only for the channels belonging to the selected channel period, or receives only the broadcast signals for the channels, and decodes the channel, and delivers the broadcast signal to the channel browsing processor 170. Then, the channel browsing processor 170 generates a thumbnail image using only broadcast signals of the received channels, and the controller 160 generates a list of thumbnail images.

In the second example, the control unit 160 transmits the selected channel period information to the channel browsing processing unit 170. In this case, the channel browsing processor 170 generates a thumbnail image selectively using only broadcast signals of channels belonging to the selected channel section according to the selected channel section information. In this case, the channel browsing processor 170 generates only a thumbnail image of channels belonging to the selected channel section.

In the third example, the control unit 160 uses the selected channel period information only when creating and updating the list of thumbnail images. In this case, reception of broadcast signals, channel scanning, and thumbnail image generation for channels other than the selected channel period may be performed. However, when generating the list of the thumbnail images, the controller 160 selects the thumbnail images of the channels belonging to the selected channel section among the generated thumbnail images to form a list of the thumbnail images, The selected channel section information can be used to update the channel information. That is, when the update is performed, the controller 160 transmits the selected channel section information to the tuner 110 and / or the channel browsing processor 170 to perform channel scanning only on the selected channel section, The user can create or edit a new document.

A list of generated and displayed thumbnail images or thumbnail images may be stored in the storage unit 175. And, as already described, the list of displayed thumbnail images and thumbnail images can be updated. For this update, channel scanning, channel list creation, broadcast signal reception, and thumbnail image generation for the channels in the selected channel section can be performed.

The updating of the list of thumbnail images and / or thumbnail images may be performed repeatedly, periodically or repeatedly. Since no thumbnail image or list generation is required for the entire channel, the update period can be set short and the update rate can also be accelerated. A thumbnail image or a list of channels stored in the storage unit 175 for updating the thumbnail image or the list may be used.

7 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a selected channel interval is set according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a method of setting a selected channel section using a remote control device on a screen in which channel lists are listed is illustrated. Channel lists 701, 703, and 705 for each broadcasting signal transmission standard are displayed on the screen of the display. Here, it is desired to set a selected channel section from among a list 701 of digital TV (DTV) broadcasting channels, a list 703 of analog TV (ATV) broadcasting channels and a list 705 of cable TV broadcasting channels.

The user points the desired channels using the pointer 302, and the channels into which the signals are input are set as the selected channel section. The user can set a plurality of selected channel sections by selecting a plurality of points on the channel list using the space remote controller or inputting a channel selection start signal and a channel selection end signal for a plurality of channels.

It is assumed that the selected channel section includes the first selected channel section 710 and the second selected channel section 715 according to the broadcasting signal transmission standard. The first selected channel section 710 represents a selected channel section set in the digital TV broadcasting channels and the second selected channel section 715 represents a selected channel section set in the cable TV broadcasting channels.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a list of thumbnail images according to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, one or more thumbnail images generated for the channels in the selected channel section set in FIG. 7 are displayed.

The list of the thumbnail images shown in FIG. 8 is a list of the first thumbnail image list 810 and the second thumbnail image list 810 according to the setting of the first selected channel section 710 and the second selected channel section 715 of FIG. (815). The first thumbnail image list 810 and the second thumbnail image list 815 may be stored in the storage unit and may be updated repetitively.

9 is a view illustrating a screen where a selected channel interval is set according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, a user may input a channel interval selection signal through a channel search image 910. FIG. The thumbnail images 901, 903, ..., 905, and 907 for the channels belonging to the selected channel section and the channel search image 910 are displayed in one screen. Also, the channel search image 910 displays selected channel intervals 921, 923, and 925 together.

The user uses the remote control device such as a space remote controller to point a specific point of the channel search image 910 to the pointer 302. Then, the controller of the video display device can set the selected channel section using the position of the pointer or the like. Channels corresponding to the point where the pointer is located or the point where the pointer passes are set as the selected channel section.

Here, the channel search image 910 displays channels of broadcasting according to various kinds of broadcasting signal transmission standards. That is, in the channel search image, the channel range of the entire channel is shown in the form of a bar. The digital broadcasting channels range from channel 1 (DTV-CH 1) to channel 100 (DTV-CH 100), analog broadcasting channels from channel 1 (ATV-CH 1) to channel 60 (ATV-CH 60) The broadcast channel is in a state in which all channels from channel 1 (CATV-CH 1) to channel 90 (CATV-CH 90) are searched. Of course, the channel number or channel range is exemplary, It is irrelevant.

The user can select a selected channel section by inputting a channel section selection signal while moving the position of the pointer 302 using the spatial remote controller. The user sets a selected channel section by pointing several points of the channel search image using the spatial remote controller or drags the pointer 302 by a certain distance at a desired position so that channels corresponding to the position of the pointer 302 are moved to a selected channel It can be included in the section.

9, a user may select a first selected channel interval 921 in a digital broadcast channel, a second selected channel interval 923 in an analog broadcast channel, and a third selected channel interval 923 in a cable broadcast channel, (925) is selected. The first selected channel section 921 is divided into digital TV broadcasting channels 50 (DTV-CH 50) to 80 (DTV-CH 80), a second selected channel section 923 is an analog TV broadcasting channel 15 -CH 15 to 30 (ATV-CH 30) and the third selected channel section 925 to the cable TV 1 (CATV-CH 1) to 30 (CATV-CH 30) have.

The thumbnail images 901, 903, ..., 905, and 907 displayed at the top of the screen correspond to thumbnail images of channels in the selected channel sections. These thumbnail images can be stored and thereafter changed by setting change of the selected channel section or by repeated updating of the thumbnail image or its list.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a thumbnail image of channels in a desired section is provided, and the update is performed only for the channels in the corresponding section. Accordingly, the user can receive the service mainly on the content that he / she is interested in, and also can acquire the update information promptly.

Also, the user can intuitively grasp the channel section selected by the user by selecting the selected channel section using the channel search image and the remote control device, and can also conveniently select, edit, and change the selected channel section. Also, as the thumbnail image or the list of channels in the selected section is updated repetitively, the user can be provided with the latest information.

In addition, since updating of the entire channel is unnecessary, it is possible to reduce the burden on the image display device for the update of the thumbnail image or the list thereof, and the time required for the update can also be shortened.

The image display apparatus and the operation method thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above but the embodiments can be applied to all or some of the embodiments May be selectively combined.

Meanwhile, the operation method of the image display apparatus of the present invention can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a recording medium readable by a processor included in the image display apparatus. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium readable by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and also a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet. In addition, the processor readable recording medium may be distributed over networked computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed manner can be stored and executed.

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, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100: Video display device
110: tuner
120: first tuner
125: Second tuner
128: External input device
150:
160:
170: Channel browsing processor
175:
180: Display
200: remote control device

Claims (21)

Displaying a channel search image indicating a total channel to be received;
Setting a selected channel section including channels corresponding to a point where a pointer corresponding to a remote control device is dragged among channels of the channel search image;
Displaying a graphic form representing the selected channel section in the channel search image;
Generating a thumbnail image of a channel in the selected channel section; And
And displaying a thumbnail image list including a thumbnail image of a channel in the selected channel section. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the channel search image and the thumbnail image list are displayed together. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the overall channel includes a broadcast channel that conforms to at least one broadcast signal transmission standard. delete The method according to claim 1,
And performing channel scanning on channels in the selected channel period. 8. The method of claim 7,
And updating the list of thumbnail images according to the channel scanning result for the channels in the selected channel period. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote control device is a space remote control,
Wherein the pointer moves according to a movement of the remote control device. The method according to claim 1,
And storing the thumbnail image. display;
A tuner for searching the entire received channel;
An interface for receiving an input signal from a remote control device;
A channel search image indicating the entire channel is displayed on the display and a pointer corresponding to the remote control device among the channels of the channel search image is dragged according to the input signal, A controller for setting a channel interval; And
And a channel browsing processor for generating a thumbnail image of a channel in the selected channel section,
Wherein the display displays a thumbnail image list including the thumbnail image and a graphic object indicative of the selected channel section, the graphic object being displayed within the channel search image. delete delete delete 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the display unit displays a list of the channel search image and the thumbnail image together in a single screen. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the entire channel includes a broadcast channel that conforms to at least one broadcast signal transmission standard. delete 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the tuner performs channel scanning for channels in the selected channel section. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the control unit updates the list of the thumbnail images for the channels in the selected channel section according to a result of the tuner performing the channel scanning. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the remote control device is a space remote control,
Wherein the pointer moves according to movement of the remote control device. 12. The method of claim 11,
And a storage unit for storing the thumbnail image.

Images