WO1999011100A1

WO1999011100A1 - Method for controlling signal parameters

Info

Publication number: WO1999011100A1
Application number: PCT/IB1998/000943
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Johannes Hubertus Van Den Broeck
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; Philips Ab
Priority date: 1997-08-26
Filing date: 1998-06-18
Publication date: 1999-03-04

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling at least two signal parameters (14), upon which a logical order is imposed. A parameter having a focus can be controlled by the user. The focus can be shifted manually, and, additionally, in the absence of user actions, the focus shifts to a logically next parameter at regular time intervals. The user is informed about the focus by a focus sign (16) and an auxiliary focus sign, which have different modalities.

Description

Method for controlling signal parameters.

The invention relates to a method for controlling at least two signal parameters of an input signal, comprising the steps of: imposing a logical ordering upon the parameters, designating one parameter to have a focus, indicating that said parameter is being controlled, generating a focus sign which provides a user with an indication of which parameter has the focus.

Such a method is used, for example, in television receivers for controlling audio and video parameters. Generally, a menu is presented on the television screen, comprising names or descriptions of signal parameters, one of which has the focus, indicated by a different color which serves as a focus sign. The parameter which has the focus can be controlled by some generic control, most often a right/left switch for respectively increasing and decreasing the parameter value. The focus can be moved to a logically next or logically previous parameter by means of an up/down switch. The parameter value is generally monitored by a graphical level indicator. The method is also used in, for example, car radios, where a number of audio parameters can be traversed in one or two directions. The name or description of the parameter which has the focus is presented as a focus sign on a display, often in combination with a level indicator.

An objective of the invention is to provide an alternative method for controlling signal parameters. To that end, the method according to the invention is characterized in that the method further comprises the step of moving the focus to a logically next parameter after a predetermined time interval since a last user action belonging to a predetermined set of user actions. As a consequence of these measures, the focus shifts automatically to a logically next parameter if the user performs no action belonging to a specific set of actions, particularly actions related to controlling the current parameter. This enables the user to control easily a series of related parameters, without the need to manually shift the focus to a logically next parameter. However, the method does not exclude manually shifting the focus.

In a further variant the method according to the invention further comprises the step of generating an auxiliary focus sign, which has another modality than the focus sign, and which signals the user when the focus has shifted to the logically next parameter. By taking this measure, the user's attention is called in two different ways to the event of the focus being shifted automatically to a logically next parameter. In a further embodiment the auxiliary focus sign also provides the user with an indication of which parameter has the focus.

In a preferred embodiment, the focus sign is a visual signal and the auxiliary focus sign is an audio signal. This is advantageous, because an audio signal requires less attention from the user in order to be noticed.

In a further embodiment, the method further comprises the step of generating a test signal, which has the same modality as the input signal and at least partially replaces the input signal, and which provides the user with a value sign, indicating a current value of the parameter having the focus. This step further improves the ease of controlling the signal parameters.

The measures are useful for controlling an audio signal, the parameters being the respective levels of at least two output channels. Particularly the application to a Dolby™ Surround system is advantageous. In a further embodiment of such a method the auxiliary focus sign comprises the at least partial muting of the output channels whose level parameter does not have the focus, enabling the user to concentrate on the output channel which is being controlled. In a further embodiment of the method the signal on that output channel is partially or completely replaced by a test signal, which has the advantage that the output level is more easily controllable due to the absence of incidental level variations. In a last embodiment of the method the test signal comprises a test tone. Since any complexities in the test signal are thus avoided, the user can concentrate on adjusting the level.

The invention relates further to a signal processing apparatus implementing any one of the embodiments of the method according to the invention

Figure 1 shows a diagram of a television receiver comprising a Dolby™ surround sound system.

Figure 2 shows a screen layout for controlling a Dolby™ surround sound system. Figure 1 shows a television receiver comprising a Dolby™ surround sound system. A TV signal is received by an antenna 1, which passes the signal to a tuner 2. The tuner 2 splits the signal into an audio signal and a video signal. The audio signal is passed to an audio controller 4, while the video signal is passed to display means 5, comprising a display processor 6 and a display screen 7. The audio controller 4 communicates with a timer 3 and passes audio signals to sound producing means 8, comprising amplifiers 9, a left speaker 10, a centre speaker 11, a right speaker 12 and surround speakers 13.

The audio controller 4 is suited for controlling various audio parameters, among which the level parameters for respectively the left speaker 10, the centre speaker 11, the right speaker 12 and the surround speakers 13. Figure 2 shows a user interface for controlling the level parameters, which is presented on the display screen 7. It comprises labels 14, each of which refers to an audio parameter. Level indicators 15 indicate the current value of the parameters by level markers 18, ranging from low values at the left side to high values at the right side of each level indicator 15. A focus sign 16 indicates which parameter has the focus. The focus sign 16 can be moved upward and downward in a cyclical way by generic up/down keys on a remote control (not shown), which is a well- known procedure. A parameter having the focus, which is indicated by the focus sign 16, can be controlled by generic left/right keys on the remote control, which is also a well- known procedure. Pressing the left key causes the value of the parameter having the focus to be decreased, the level marker 18 being moved to the left. Pressing the right key, causes the value of the parameter having the focus to be increased, the level marker 18 being moved to the right. The upper level indicator represents the overall sound level, while the other level indicators represent the offset levels, relative to the overall sound level, of the left speaker 10, the centre speaker 11, the right speaker 12 and the surround speakers 13 respectively. A check box 17 can be checked and unchecked by the generic left/right keys on the remote control. When the check box 17 is checked, the focus shifts to the level parameter of the left speaker 11 and the audio controller 4 starts generating a test tone on the left speaker 11 , muting the original sound signal. An automatic shifting process starts, which proceeds in the following way. If the user does nothing, the focus shifts at regular time intervals, which are generated by the timer 3, to the audio parameter below the one having the focus, just as if the generic down key on the remote control had been pressed. An appropriate length for the time intervals is two seconds, but other values might be satisfactory as well. If the focus was on the level parameter of the surround speakers 13, the focus shifts again to the level parameter of the left speaker 10. Each time, the test tone shifts along to the speaker of which the level parameter gets the focus. In this way, the user's attention is called in two different ways to the event of automatical shifting of the focus to a logically next parameter, namely by the focus sign 16, and, as an auxiliary focus sign, by shifting of the test tone to another speaker or pair of speakers. Moreover, the level of the test tone represents the value of the level parameter having the focus, thus providing the user with an additional indication of the level.

If the user presses the left/right keys, the value of the audio parameter having the focus is adapted in the usual way, and the timer 3 is restarted, thus causing the automatic focus shift to be carried out after the regular time interval since the moment of pressing the left/right keys.

If the user presses the up/down keys, the focus shifts accordingly, and the timer 3 is restarted, again delaying the automatic focus shift. If the user presses the up key while the focus is at the level parameter of the left speaker 10, the focus shifts to the overall level parameter, which is normally ignored by the automatic shifting mechanism, and the test tone is generated on all speakers proportionally to their respective levels. After the usual time interval since the most recent user action has expired, the focus is shifted again to the level parameter of the left speaker 10.

If the user presses the down key while the focus is at the level parameter of the surround speakers 13, the test tone is generated on all speakers proportionally to their respective levels, and the focus shifts to the check box 17 of the parameter which determines whether the test tone is generated and the automatic shifting mechanism is activated. This parameter is normally also ignored by the automatic shifting mechanism, but again, if the user does not change the value, the focus shifts to the level parameter of the left speaker 10 after the usual time interval. If the check box 17 is unchecked, the automatic shifting process is stopped and the original sound signal is restored, according to the new parameter values. Then, the audio parameters can still be controlled in the normal way, but shifting the focus must be done manually again, by pressing the up/down keys.

Instead of the check box 17, an alternating text label can be applied, which can take the values 'yes' and 'no', where the former value corresponds to the crossed check box, and the latter to the empty check box. Pressing either of the left/right keys causes the label to switch to the other value.

In addition to the level parameters mentioned, a level parameter for a sub- woofer could be introduced. It could, for example, be arranged logically next to the level parameter of the surround speakers 13. Summarizing, the invention relates to a method for controlling at least two signal parameters, upon which a logical order is imposed. A parameter which has a focus can be controlled by the user. The focus can be shifted manually and, additionally, in the absence of user actions, the focus shifts to a logically next parameter at regular time intervals. The user is informed about the focus by a focus sign and an auxiliary focus sign, which have different modalities.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for controlling at least two signal parameters of an input signal, comprising the steps of: imposing a logical ordering upon the parameters, designating one parameter to have a focus, indicating that said parameter is being controlled, generating a focus sign which provides a user with an indication of which parameter has the focus, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of: moving the focus to a logically next parameter after a predetermined time interval since a last user action belonging to a predetermined set of user actions.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of generating an auxiliary focus sign, which has another modality than the focus sign, and which signals the user when the focus has shifted to the logically next parameter.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the auxiliary focus sign also provides the user with a further indication of which parameter has the focus.

4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the focus sign is a visual signal and the auxiliary focus sign is an audio signal.

5. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of generating a test signal, which has the same modality as the input signal and at least partially replaces the input signal, and which provides the user with a value sign, indicating a current value of the parameter having the focus.

6. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the method comprises the controlling of an audio signal, the parameters being the respective levels of at least two output channels.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the auxiliary focus sign comprises the at least partial muting of the output channels whose level parameter does not have the focus.

8. A method according to one of the claims 6 to 7, characterized in that the test signal is generated on the output channel whose level parameter has the focus.

9. A method according to one of the claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the test signal is a test tone.

10. A signal processing apparatus, comprising: - controlling means for controlling at least two signal parameters of an input signal, the parameters being ordered logically, the controlling means being suited for designating one parameter to have a focus, and for generating a focus sign indicating that said parameter is being controlled, signalling means for presenting the focus sign to the user, characterized in that the signal processing apparatus further comprises a timer for timing a predetermined time interval, the controlling means being suited for moving the focus to a logically next parameter after the predetermined time interval since a last user action belonging to a predetermined set of user actions.

11. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the controlling means are further suited for generating an auxiliary focus sign, which has another modality than the focus sign, to signal the user when the focus has shifted to the logically next parameter.

12. A signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the signalling means comprise display means for presenting the focus sign as a visual signal, and that the signal processing apparatus further comprises sound producing means for presenting the auxiliary focus sign as an audio signal.

13. A signal processing apparatus according to one of the claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the controlling means are further suited for generating a test signal, which has the same modality as the input signal and at least partially replaces the input signal, to provide the user with a value sign, indicating a current value for the parameter having the focus.

14. A signal processing apparatus according to one of the claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the controlling means constitute an audio controller for controlling an audio signal, the parameters being the respective levels of at least two output channels.