KR20080064038A - System having device and receiver, and operation methods thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A system with a device and a receiver and an operation method of the same are provided to prevent transient phenomena at the switching time of a signal input source by transmitting an operation start signal to the receiver. A receiver(500) includes a message receiving unit(510), a main processing unit(522), an OSD screen producing unit(524), a signal processing unit(528), and a display unit(530). The message receiving unit receives a message indicating an operation start of a device. The main processing unit analyzes the received message to recognize the operation start of the device, and switches a signal input source to the recognized device. The OSD screen producing unit produces an OSD screen. The signal processing unit processes an image signal form the signal input source and synthesizes the processed image signal with the OSD screen. The display unit displays the synthesized result. An HDMI(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) transmitting unit(406) of a device(400) receives an image signal from a main processing unit(402) and transmits the image signal to the receiver through an HDMI connection unit(408).

Description

System having device and receiver, and operation method thereof

1 is a view schematically showing an entire system of a receiving apparatus and devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a device and a receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating a receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

100, 500: receiver 200 to 208, 400: device

300 ~ 308: Cable 410, 534: User command input unit

402, 522: main processing unit 404, 514: auxiliary processing unit

406: HDMI transmitter 408, 512: HDMI connector

510: message receiving unit 520: HDMI receiving unit

524: OSD screen generator 526: Signal receiver

528: signal processing unit

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to signal processing, and more particularly, to a system having a device and a receiving device and a method of operation thereof.

In a situation where at least one device is connected to a receiving device (eg, a television), when a user operates a device (eg, a VCR), the receiving device cannot recognize the device operated by the user. Therefore, the user must manually switch the signal input source of the reception apparatus so that the reception apparatus can receive the video signal output from the device operated by the user. In this case, although the receiving device is not ready to display the video signal provided from the device operated by the user, the receiving device may exhibit a transient (eg, a noise screen) phenomenon because it is forced to switch the signal input source. In addition, the device continues to perform the playback operation from the time when the user operates the device until the user manually switches the signal input source from the receiving device to the corresponding device. As a result, there is a part of the image which is missed and missed by the user through the receiving device, so that the user has to re-run the device in order to view the already reproduced image. In addition, a user may have to manually find and switch a signal input source from a receiving device to which a plurality of devices are connected to a corresponding device in a device connection list.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is a device that can facilitate the user's convenience, since it automatically switches the signal input source to recognize the start of the operation of any device in a situation where at least one device is connected; A system having a receiving device and a method of operation thereof are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the operation method according to the present invention of the receiving device connected to at least one device, receiving a message indicating the start of operation of the device, by analyzing the message to recognize the device that initiated the operation And converting the signal input source to the recognized device.

Alternatively, the receiving apparatus according to the present invention connected to at least one device may include a message receiving unit that receives a message indicating the start of operation of the device, and analyzes the received message to recognize the device that initiated the operation, Preferably, the device comprises a main processor for switching the signal input source to the device.

Alternatively, the operation method according to the present invention of at least one device connected to the receiving device, when there is a request to start the operation from the user, generating a message indicating the start of operation and transmitting the message to the receiving device Preferably, the receiving device switches the signal input source to the device according to the message.

Alternatively, at least one device according to the present invention connected to a receiving apparatus includes a user command input unit for generating a start command signal when a start of an operation is requested from a user, and a main processor for generating a message in response to the start command signal; The receiving device preferably switches the signal input source to the device according to the message.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a system having a device and a reception device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

1 is a view schematically showing an entire system of a receiving apparatus and devices according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is composed of the receiving apparatus 100, the devices 200 to 208, and the cables 300 to 308. When a device is interfaced with the reception apparatus 100 by a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) scheme, a cable may be configured of HDMI lines and HDMI-Consumer Electronics Control (HDC) lines. . Here, although four devices 200 to 208 are connected to the reception apparatus 100, four or more devices may be connected to the reception apparatus 100.

The receiving device 100 receives and processes an audio and / or video signal (hereinafter, referred to as an image signal) from the device, and then processes the same through a display unit (not shown) or a monitor (not shown). Shows the result. As the reception apparatus 100 performing such a function, there is a video display device such as a television (TV: TeleVision), a projector, a monitor, or the like.

Each of the devices 200 to 208 may store, reproduce, transmit, and / or process an image signal, provide the image signal to the receiving device 100, and interface with the receiving device 100 through at least one physical port. Can be. When a plurality of devices are configured as one composite device, the complex device is connected to the receiving device 100 through one physical port. Devices include set top boxes (STBs), personal computers (PCs), video game systems, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, STBs or DVD recorders. Audio / video sources such as hard disk drive (HDD) recorders, home theater systems (HTS) or video cassette recorders (VCRs) may be included.

Hereinafter, to assist in understanding the present invention, assuming that the reception apparatus 100 and an arbitrary device are interfaced by the HDMI method, and the reception apparatus 100 performs a function of the broadcast reception apparatus, the configuration of the reception apparatus and the device and The operation will be described as follows with reference to FIG. 2. In the following description, except for parts related to HDMI, the present invention is the same even when the device and the receiving device 100 are interfaced by any other interface method (for example, DVI (Digital Video Interface or Digital Visual Interface)). Can be applied.

2 is a block diagram of a device 400 and a receiving apparatus 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The receiving device 500 corresponds to the receiving device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the device 400 corresponds to one of the devices 200 to 208, and the device 400 and the receiving device 500 are HDMI. Connected by line 560 and HDMI-CEC line 550.

The device 400 includes a main processor 402, an auxiliary processor 404, an HDMI transmitter 406, an HDMI connector 408, and a user command input unit 410. The receiver 500 includes a message receiver 510 having an HDMI connector 512 and an auxiliary processor 514, an HDMI receiver 520, a main processor 522, and an on screen display (OSD). The screen generating unit 524, the signal receiving unit 526, the signal processing unit 528, the display unit 530, the speaker 532, and the user command input unit 534 are configured.

The auxiliary processing unit 404 of the device 400 transmits the CEC frame to the receiving device 500 through the pin 412 of the HDMI connection 408 or the pin 412 of the CEC frame transmitted from the receiving device 500. It receives through the block, and provides the header block and the data block of the received CEC frame to the main processor 402. The auxiliary processing unit 514 of the receiving apparatus 500 transmits the CEC frame to the device 400 through the pin 516 of the HDMI connector 512 or transmits the CEC frame transmitted from the device 400 through the pin 516. The header block and the data block of the received CEC frame are provided to the main processor 522.

Pin 412 or 516 corresponds to pin 13 of the HDMI connector 408 or 512 when the HDMI connector 408 or 512 is A-type, and corresponds to pin 22 when the B-type is C-type. In this case, it corresponds to pin 14. Each of the auxiliary processors 404 and 514 may use an interrupt of, for example, 0.1 ms to sample a CEC frame. The auxiliary processing units 404 and 514 may be included in the main processing units 402 and 522, respectively. However, the auxiliary processing units 404 and 514 are preferably present separately because sampling in units of 0.1 ms may load the operation of other units. In addition, each of the auxiliary processors 404 and 514 may perform a process of handling a CEC line error, identifying whether a CEC frame is valid, and re-transmissions of the CEC frame. .

Each of the main processors 402 and 522 may process a CEC protocol layer and an application layer. The CEC protocol layer is a middleware layer that implements the operation of the CEC protocol, and provides a standard application programming interface (API) for application development. In addition, a porting layer may be provided in consideration of hardware changes of the auxiliary processors 404 and 514. The main role of the CEC protocol layer is to configure and manage a device tree for the connected receiving apparatus 500 and the device 400 and to manage the state of each device. In particular, it encapsulates the CEC protocol inside from the application.

The HDMI transmitter 406 of the device 400 receives an image signal from the main processor 402 and transmits the image signal to the receiver 500 through the HDMI connector 408. The video signal is transmitted through line 560 through a transition minimized differential signaling (TDMS) scheme, also called a channel link. The TDMS clock is a clock for the TDMS scheme. The user command input unit 410 receives the user's command and outputs it to the main processing unit 402. The HDMI receiver 520 of the receiver 500 receives an image signal transmitted from the device 400 through the HDMI connector 512, and transmits the received image signal to the main processor 522 and the signal processor 528, respectively. Output The user command input unit 534 receives the user's command and outputs it to the main processing unit 522.

The signal receiver 526 may be implemented as a tuner (not shown), a demodulator (not shown), and a demultiplexer (not shown). The tuner tunes the broadcast signal received through the antenna 525 under the control of the main processor 522 to tune the broadcast channel desired by the user. The demodulator demodulates the digital broadcast signal of the channel tuned in the tuner. The demultiplexer separates the demodulated result into an audio stream, a video stream, and a data stream and outputs the result. The image signal output from the signal receiver 526 to the signal processor 528 may be a result of the demodulation in the demodulator or a stream separated from the demultiplexer.

The main processor 522 controls the units 514, 526, 524, 528, and the like of the reception apparatus 500. Under the control of the main processor 522, the signal processor 528 processes the audio signal and / or the video signal from the video signal received from the HDMI receiver 520 or the signal receiver 526, respectively. The result of the video signal processing by the signal processor 528 is visually provided to the user through the display unit 530, and the result of the audio signal processing by the signal processor 528 is audibly provided to the user through the speaker 532. do. The OSD screen generator 524 generates an OSD screen under the control of the main processor 522 and outputs the generated OSD screen to the signal processor 528. The signal processor 528 mixes / processes the OSD screen generated by the OSD screen generator 524 with the video signal provided from the HDMI receiver 520 or the signal receiver 526 and displays the OSD signal on the display 530.

Although the device 206 illustrated in FIG. 1 may receive an image signal from the device 208 and transmit the image signal to the receiving device 100, the device 206 may process the received image signal in itself. That is, if the device 206 has each part of the receiving apparatus 500 shown in FIG. 2, the device 206 may serve as the receiving apparatus for the device 208.

Hereinafter, a method of operating a device and a method of operating a receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. 3 and 4, the operation methods illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 are performed in the receiving apparatus 500 and the device 400 illustrated in FIG. 2, respectively. Although described as a device 400 shown in the present invention is not limited thereto.

3 is a flowchart for explaining an operating method of the receiving apparatus 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The message receiver 510 illustrated in FIG. 2 receives a message indicating the start of operation of the device 400 through the CEC line 550 (operation 600). The main processor 522 checks whether the receiving apparatus 500 is ready to analyze the message transmitted from the device 400 (step 602). The receiving device 500 illustrated in FIG. 2 may analyze the CEC frames in the CEC mode. In operation 602, the main processor 522 checks whether the receiving device 500 is in the CEC mode. The method shown in FIG. 2 may not include step 602.

If the receiving device 500 is in the CEC mode, the main processing unit 522 analyzes the message provided from the auxiliary processing unit 514 of the message receiving unit 510 and performs a message analysis result on the device 400 that started the operation. (Step 604). The main processor 522 may recognize the corresponding device 400 that has started operation by using the logical address included in the header of the CEC frame provided through the auxiliary processor 514. The logical address is preferably unique to each of the devices connected to the receiving apparatus 100. This is because the main processor 522 uses the logical address to check from which device the message was sent. To this end, as will be described later, when the device 400 initiates an operation, the device 400 includes its logical address in the message and transmits the message.

The main processor 522 switches the signal input source of the receiving apparatus 500 to the device 400 recognized in operation 604 (operation 606). The receiving device 500 illustrated in FIG. 2 may operate in a broadcast mode and an external input mode depending on what the signal input source is. That is, when the signal input source is a broadcast video signal, it operates in a broadcast mode, and when the signal input source is a video signal provided from the device 400, it operates in an external input mode.

In the broadcast mode, the reception apparatus 500 processes the broadcast video signal received through the antenna 525 and displays the broadcast video to the user through the display unit 530. In the broadcast mode, the main processor 522 controls the signal processor 528 to process an image signal provided from the signal receiver 526 instead of the HDMI receiver 520. In the external input mode, the reception apparatus 500 processes an image signal provided from the device 400 and displays it to the user through the display unit 530. In the external input mode, the main processor 522 controls the signal processor 528 to process an image signal provided from the HDMI receiver 520 instead of the signal receiver 526. In operation 606, the image signal provided from the switched device 400 may be reproduced by the signal processor 528 and displayed to the user through the display unit 530 (operation 610). As a result, when the signal input source is switched to the video signal provided by the recognized device 400, the reception apparatus 500 switches from the broadcast mode to the external input mode.

According to the present invention, at least one of an operating state and a switching state of the switched device 400 may be known to the user (operation 608). For example, when the switched device 400 is a DVD recorder, if there is no DVD, an operation state of the device 400 called “NO DISC” may be displayed to the user through an OSD screen. In addition, when not in the CEC mode, a switching state of “turn on the CEC mode” may be displayed to the user through the OSD screen. In addition, when the image signal provided from the operated device 400 is successfully recognized by the receiving apparatus 500, a switching situation of “the desired device is connected” may be displayed to the user through the OSD screen. In order to perform step 608, the OSD screen generator 524 generates an OSD screen using at least one of a state and a switching state of the device 400 provided from the main processor 522, and generates the OSD screen. The signal is output to the signal processor 528. The signal processor 528 processes the video signal from the signal input source, synthesizes the processed result with the OSD screen, and outputs the synthesized result to the display 530. The display unit 530 displays an OSD screen corresponding to the synthesized result. Through the OSD screen, the user may request that the receiving device 500 enter the CEC mode using the user command input unit 534. When there is a request for mode switching from the user, the main processor 522 enters the receiving device 500 into the CEC mode. Operation 610 may be performed simultaneously with or before operation 608. In addition, the method illustrated in FIG. 3 may not include step 608.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The main processor 402 checks whether there is a request to start operation of the device 400 from the user (step 700). When the user command input unit 410 is requested to start the operation of the device 400 from the user, the user command input unit 410 generates and provides a start command signal to the main processing unit 402. Therefore, the main processor 402 may recognize the presence / non-operation start request of the device 400 through the start command signal.

In response to the start command signal, the main processing unit 402 checks whether preparation to start an operation is requested (step 702). When a user requests that a garbage screen (eg, an image portion unnecessary for the user such as an advertisement or a guide image) is skipped without being displayed on the receiving apparatus 500, the user command input unit 410 generates a preparation command signal to generate a main command signal. The processing unit 402 is provided. Therefore, the main processor 402 may recognize the presence / absence of the operation start preparation request through the preparation command signal.

If the ready command signal is generated from the user command input unit 410, the main processing unit 402 checks whether or not it is ready to start the operation (step 704). In other words, when skipping of the garbage screen is requested by the user, the main processor 402 checks whether the reproduction of the video signal corresponding to the garbage screen is terminated in the device 400. Typically, the garbage screen that the user does not want to watch is provided at the beginning of the original contents of the image (eg, the beginning of the movie), so that the main processing unit 402 keeps a message until all of the garbage screen playback is finished. Wait for creation. If the reproduction of the garbage screen is finished, the main processing unit 402 generates a message and outputs the generated message to the auxiliary processing unit 404 (step 706). When generating a message in step 706, the main processing unit 402 includes a logical address that uniquely represents the device 400 so that the receiving device 500 can identify itself later. After the step 706, the auxiliary processor 404 transmits the message provided from the main processor 404 to the receiving device 500 through the HDMI connector 408 (step 708). The method shown in FIG. 4 may not include steps 702 and 704. In this case, the main processing unit 402 generates a message in response to the start command signal provided from the user command input unit 410 (step 706).

Computer-readable recording media include all kinds of storage devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the user tracking method can be easily inferred by programmers in the art to which the present invention belongs.

Above, preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for the purpose of illustration. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will be able to make various other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention as disclosed in the claims by way of improvement, modification, replacement, or addition of the disclosed embodiments.

As described above, a system having a device and a receiving apparatus according to the present invention and an operation method thereof

You can automatically switch the signal input source to the device you have selected and operated, eliminating the need for cumbersome and complicated tasks for the user to manually switch the signal input source.

Since the device transmits its own operation start message to the receiving device at the time when the device completes all the playback related preparations (e.g., the end of the playback of the garbage), the transition from the signal input source is prevented,

The user may not only miss an image provided from the device, but also a garbage screen unnecessary for the user may be skipped and displayed to the user, thereby preventing the user from watching an unnecessary portion.

Claims (12)

In the operating method of the receiving device connected to at least one device, Receiving a message informing the start of operation of the device; Analyzing the message to recognize a device that initiated the operation; And Switching a signal input source to the recognized device. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating method is And informing a user of at least one of a state of the switched device and the switching situation. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating method is And checking whether the receiving device is ready to analyze the message. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating method is And reproducing and displaying the video signal from the switched device. A receiving device connected with at least one device, A message receiver configured to receive a message indicating the start of operation of the device; And And a main processor configured to analyze the received message to recognize a device that initiated the operation, and to switch a signal input source to the recognized device. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving device An OSD screen generator for generating an on-screen display (OSD) screen using at least one of a recognized state and a switching state of the recognized device provided from the main processor; A signal processor for processing an image signal from the signal input source and synthesizing the processed result with the OSD screen; And And a display unit for displaying the result of the synthesis process. The receiving apparatus of claim 5, wherein the message receiving unit receives the message from the device through an HDMI-CEC line. In the method of operating at least one device connected to the receiving device, When there is a request to start operation from the user, generating a message informing of the operation start; And Sending the message to the receiving device; And the receiving device switches a signal input source to the device according to the message. The method of claim 8, wherein the operating method is When the operation start request is received, further comprising the step of preparing to start the operation of the device. The method of claim 9, wherein the preparing step And when the skip of the garbage screen is requested by the user, when the reproduction of the video signal corresponding to the garbage screen ends, the preparation is completed. In at least one device connected to the receiving device, A user command input unit for generating a start command signal when a start of an operation is requested from a user; And A main processor for generating a message in response to the start command signal; And the receiving device switches a signal input source to the device according to the message. The method of claim 11, wherein the main processing unit In response to the start command signal, generating the message after completing preparation to start operation.

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