WO2008072346A1

WO2008072346A1 - Controller, information device, control method, and control program

Info

Publication number: WO2008072346A1
Application number: PCT/JP2006/325069
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shoichi Haijima
Original assignee: Fujitsu Limited
Priority date: 2006-12-15
Filing date: 2006-12-15
Publication date: 2008-06-19

Abstract

A technique of controlling an information device including an interface capable of connecting a television broadcasting receiving section is provided. A controller comprises a control section operating with a first clock signal and a clock generating section for generating a first clock signal at the operating frequency corresponding to the specification from the control section. During the reception of the television broadcasting, the control section allows the clock generating section to generate the first clock signal at an operating frequency different from that when the television broadcasting is not received. With this configuration, the received signal of the television broadcasting can be prevented from being interfered with the first clock.

Description

Specification

Control device, information device, control method, and control program

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology of a television viewing apparatus.

Background art

[0002] Currently, television functions are being installed in personal computers. However, personal computers are not designed specifically for receiving television broadcasts. In particular, the personal computer has various parts driven by a clock signal. For this reason, when the television reception function is used in a personal computer, the clock signals of various parts are superimposed on the received signal as noise. In this case, since the personal computer uses general-purpose parts, it is difficult to remove the noise caused by the clock signal. Therefore, when receiving a television broadcast on a personal computer, the video quality may be deteriorated as compared with receiving on a television dedicated device.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-086824

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-173788

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing degradation of video quality in a configuration in which a general-purpose information device having components driven by a clock signal, such as a personal computer, is provided with a television reception function. It is in.

Means for solving the problem

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, the present invention relates to a control technique for controlling information equipment including an interface to which a television broadcast receiver can be connected. This technology includes a control unit that operates by a first clock signal, and a clock generation unit that generates the first clock signal at an operating frequency according to the designation of the control unit power. This control unit receives the television broadcast from the clock generation unit. Some of them receive a television broadcast and generate a first clock signal at an operating frequency different from the current operating frequency. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the reception signal of the television broadcast from interfering with the first clock. That is, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the received signal due to the first clock.

[0005] The present invention may further include a storage unit that stores a value allowed as the operating frequency of the first clock signal. In this case, the control unit acquires a broadcast band of television broadcast that can be received through the television broadcast reception unit, and determines whether or not the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band. Then, when the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcasting band, the control unit refers to the value allowed as the operating frequency of the first clock signal from the storage unit, and operates outside the broadcasting band range. Select. And

The control unit causes the clock generation unit to generate the first clock at an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to suppress degradation of the received signal due to the first clock. In this case, the same effect can be obtained even when the receivable television broadcast band changes.

[0006] The information device further includes an operation unit that operates based on the second clock signal, and the storage unit stores a value of an operation frequency allowed as the second clock signal together with an allowable operation frequency of the first clock signal. May be. The controller determines whether at least one of the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band. Then, when at least one of the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band, the control unit refers to the storage unit, and operates the operating frequency and the first clock signal of the first clock signal. As the operating frequency of the 2 clock signal, an operating frequency outside the broadcasting band range may be selected. With such a configuration, even when the information device is driven by a plurality of different clocks, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the received signal due to these clocks.

[0007] The broadcast band may include frequency bands of a plurality of broadcast channels. With such a configuration, the present invention reduces interference between a frequency band including a plurality of broadcast channels and a clock in an information device. In such a configuration, a plurality of frequency bands can be collectively prevented to avoid interference with a clock force. Therefore, the received signal is reliably degraded by simple control. Ff¾ can be suppressed.

The invention's effect

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the degradation of video quality over a configuration in which a general-purpose information device having components driven by a clock signal is provided with a television reception function. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an outline of operation of a television viewing device.

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the television viewing device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a television viewing device.

FIG. 3 is a detailed configuration diagram of a television viewing device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a clock generation unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a broadcast band table for storing broadcast band arrangement information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a non-reception mode clock definition table.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a reception mode M (M = l,..., N) clock definition table.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a process of changing a clock signal when receiving a television broadcast.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modification of the processing of the television viewing device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the configuration of the television viewing device.

Explanation of symbols

[0010] 3 moving parts

4 Memory

5 Control unit

6 Control unit

10 Television viewing device

10A control unit

11 CPU

12 memory

13 Interface

13A Bridge section

14 Broadcast receiver 16 Hard disk drive

17 Portable storage medium drive

18 Operation unit

19 Infrared detector

20 Infrared remote control

21 display

22 Clock generation

51 Clock change

52 Frequency selector

53 Judgment part

54 Band acquisition unit

220 PLL

221 Frequency setting section

222 CPU clock generation

223 Magnification setting section

224 divider circuit

225 Division setting part

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a television viewing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A configuration of the following embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment.

This television viewing apparatus has a clock signal generation unit that generates a clock signal, a control unit that is driven by the clock signal, and a broadcast reception unit that receives a television broadcast. The clock signal generator generates a clock signal having a different operating frequency according to a predetermined control signal. A typical example of such a television viewing apparatus is a personal computer with a television broadcast receiving function. FIG. 1A and FIG. IB show an outline of the operation of the television viewing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1A, when the frequency band of the television broadcast to be received and the operating frequency of the clock signal are close or overlapping, the present television viewing device shifts the operating frequency of the clock signal. In this case, the television viewing apparatus receives the clock signal from the frequency band of the television broadcast including a plurality of broadcast channels that does not avoid the proximity or overlap between the individual broadcast channels and the operating frequency of the clock signal. Separate operating frequencies (Figure 1B).

For example, in a certain area, channel 1 (carrier frequency 566 MHz) to channel 8 (carrier frequency 764 MHz) are arranged in a frequency band of 566 MHz to 764 MHz. In this case, this television viewing device controls the clock signal to a value less than 566 MHz or more than 764 MHz while receiving a television broadcast.

By the way, in an information device such as a personal computer, a bus clock for an external device called FSB (Front Side Bus) (referred to as FSB clock) is used as a reference clock, and the operation frequency is the reference clock inside the CPU. An integer multiple of the internal clock is used. Further, when accessing the memory from the CPU, a clock according to the memory standard (for example, DDR (Double Data Rate), DDR2, etc.) is used. For example, the memory access clock has an operating frequency equivalent to 1 / integer of the internal clock or the reference clock. Also, certain interface standards may use a fraction of the reference clock.

In the television viewing apparatus, during the information processing operation, for example, the reference clock is 667 MHz and the internal clock inside the CPU is 2 GHz. The information processing operation is processing other than television broadcast reception, for example, information processing as a normal personal computer.

On the other hand, when receiving a television broadcast, the present television viewing apparatus controls the reference frequency to 533 MHz and the internal clock inside the CPU to 1.6 GHz. As a result, the operation of the clock signal used in each part of this television viewing device from the frequency band of the broadcast channel (channels 1 to 8 in Fig. 1A and Fig. IB) arranged in the frequency band of 566 MHz to 764 MHz. The frequency can be separated.

<Outline Configuration of Television Viewing Device> Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of this television viewing device. The television viewing apparatus includes a clock generation unit 22 that generates a first clock and a second clock, a control unit 5 that is driven by the first clock of the clock generation unit 22, and an operation unit 3 that is driven by the second clock. And a storage unit 4 for storing data used by the control unit 5 and a broadcast receiving unit 14 for receiving a television broadcast.

[0019] The clock generation unit 22 generates the first clock and the second clock at an operating frequency according to the designation from the control unit. The clock generation unit 22 includes, for example, a voltage controlled oscillator and a PLL circuit. The designation of the control unit is a parameter that designates the oscillation frequency of these voltage controlled oscillators or the phase condition of the PLL circuit.

[0020] The broadcast receiving unit 14 receives a television broadcast and displays an image on a display device (not shown).

The operation unit 3 generally shows a device driven by the second clock. The second clock may have the same operating frequency as the first clock. The second clock may have an operating frequency different from that of the first clock. Although two types of clocks are shown in FIG. 2, in the implementation of the present invention, the number of clock types is not limited to two, but may be one type. There may be more than two types of clocks. For example, a third clock for accessing the storage unit 4 may be used.

The storage unit 4 stores a specified value for the clock generation unit 22, for example, an operating frequency when the television broadcast is not received, an operating frequency when the television broadcast is received, or the like.

The control unit 5 is, for example, a CPU and is driven by the first clock. The clock generation unit 2 2, the control unit 5, and the storage unit 4 constitute a control device 6. In addition, the control device 5, the broadcast receiving unit 14, and the operation unit 3 constitute a television viewing device.

The control unit 5 includes a clock change unit 51, a frequency selection unit 52, a determination unit 53, and a band acquisition unit 54. The band acquiring unit 54 acquires the frequency band of the currently receivable broadcast channel through the broadcast receiving unit 14. The acquired information about the frequency band of the receivable broadcast channel may be stored in the storage unit 4. Note that the frequency band of a broadcast channel that can be received for each region may be stored in advance in the storage unit 4 at the time of factory shipment of the television viewing device, for example. [0025] The determination unit 53 compares the frequency band of the currently receivable broadcast channel with the operating frequencies of the first clock and the second clock generated by the clock generation unit 22.

[0026] When the frequency band of the currently receivable broadcast channel interferes with the operating frequencies of the first clock and the second clock generated by the clock generator 22, the frequency selector 52 newly starts from the storage unit 4. Refer to the available operating frequencies (combination of operating frequencies for the first and second clocks). Then, the first clock and the second clock are generated by the clock generator 22 at the referenced operating frequency.

In this way, the present television viewing apparatus reduces interference between the receivable broadcast channel frequency band and the operating frequencies of the first clock and the second clock generated by the clock generator 22.

[0028] The clock changing unit 51, the frequency selecting unit 52, the determining unit 53, and the band acquiring unit 54 can be realized as a control program executed by the CPU, for example. However, the clock change unit 51, the frequency selection unit 52, the determination unit 53, and the band acquisition unit 54 may be realized by a digital circuit.

[0029] Further, for example, any one of the clock changing unit 51, the frequency selecting unit 52, the determining unit 53, and the band acquiring unit 54 may be realized by a processor different from the control unit 5. For example, the band acquisition unit 54 may be configured as a communication processor that cooperates with the broadcast receiving unit 14. The determination unit 53 or the frequency selection unit 52 may be configured as a memory management processor that cooperates with the storage unit 4. The clock changing unit 51 may be configured as a processor that exclusively controls the clock generating unit 22.

[0030] Here, it is determined whether or not the frequency band of the receivable broadcast channel interferes with the operating frequencies of the first clock and the second clock, and the operating frequency is changed when there is an interference. An example is shown. However, the operating frequency of the clock used when the television broadcast is not received and the operating frequency of the clock used when the television broadcast is received may be stored in the storage unit 4 in advance. The first clock and the second clock may be generated at the time of receiving the television broadcast at an operating frequency different from that at the time of non-receiving.

[0031] In that case, as the operating frequency at the time of receiving the television broadcast, a value should be selected so as not to interfere with the receivable broadcast channel frequency band. The operating frequency is stored in each reception area without interfering with the frequency band of such receivable broadcast channels. Just remember it. Then, for example, at the start of the use of the television viewing device, by specifying the area used by accepting user input, an operating frequency that does not interfere with the receivable broadcast channel frequency band is set for each area. do it.

[0032] <Configuration of Television Viewing Device>

FIG. 3 is an example of a detailed configuration diagram of the television viewing device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the television viewing device 10 executes a computer program and controls the television viewing device 10, and a computer program executed by the CPU 11 or a memory 12 for storing data processed by the CPU 11. And a bridge part 13A for connecting the CPU 11 to the memory 12 and other devices, an interface 13 for connecting the bridge part 13A to various devices, and a broadcast receiving part connected to the CPU 11 through the interface 13 and the bridge part 13A. 14, communication unit 15, hard disk drive device 16, portable medium drive device 17, operation unit 18, display 21, infrared detection unit 19 and other devices, and a clock for supplying clock signals to each part of television viewing device 10 Generator 22.

[0033] Here, the CPU 11 executes a computer program, controls each part of the television viewing device 10, and provides the function of the television viewing device 10. The computer program includes an OS (including an operating system, for example, a device control program such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System)), and an application program.

The memory 12 stores a program executed by the CPU 11 and data processed by the CPU 11. The memory 11 includes a volatile RAM (Random Access Memory) and a nonvolatile ROM (Read Only Member).

The ROM includes rewritable semiconductor memory such as flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The ROM stores a device control program such as a BIOS.

[0036] In the clock generation unit 22, a parameter that defines the operating frequency of the generated clock is set through the device control program. The clock generator 22 is set to According to the parameters, clock signals with various operating frequencies are generated and supplied to CPU 11, memory 12, bridge unit 13A, and so on. In this embodiment, the clock signal supplied from the clock generator 22 to the CPU 11 is the CPU clock, the clock signal supplied from the clock generator 22 to the memory 12 is the memory clock, and the clock signal supplied from the clock generator 22 to the bridge 13A. Is referred to as a reference clock.

[0037] The bridge unit 13A is a kind of interface for connecting a plurality of buses. The bridge unit 13A connects the internal bus with the CPU 11, the memory bus with the memory, and the bus with the interface 13 to each other.

[0038] The interface 13 is a serial interface such as USB, PCKPeripheral Component Interconnect, ISA (Industry standard Architecture), EISA (Extended ISA), ATA (AT Attachment), IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), IEEE 139 4 Any of parallel interfaces such as SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) may be used.

[0039] The broadcast receiving unit 14 is, for example, an analog television tuner. In that case, the broadcast receiving unit 14 includes a tuning circuit and an amplifier. Further, the broadcast receiving unit 14 may receive a digital television broadcast. In this case, the broadcast receiving unit 14 includes a high-frequency unit including a tuning circuit and an amplifier, a digital signal decoder (for example, an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing demodulator), and an MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group). , MPEG-i (i is a power of 1, 2 or 4).

Here, the high frequency unit converts high frequency electromagnetic waves into baseband signals. The OFD M demodulator includes an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) processing circuit and an orthogonal demodulator, and generates a baseband signal strength digital signal. The MPEG decoder generates video data in accordance with the defined digital signal strength MPEG specification. These processes may be configured by a dedicated digital circuit that performs a product-sum operation. Further, it may be configured by a processor such as a DSP and a program. It is also possible to use demodulation LSIs that are manufactured and sold in accordance with television broadcasting standards.

In any case, the broadcast receiving unit 14 receives a television broadcast. In FIG. 3, the power broadcast receiver 14 that is omitted is an antenna or a broadband network. It is connected to the network interface, etc., and terrestrial, terrestrial digital broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, broadband network, etc. also receive signals. Then, the broadcast receiving unit 14 generates a moving image and sound from the received signal and displays them on the display 21.

[0042] The communication unit 15 is an interface with a broadband network. Broadband networks are, for example, LAN (Local Area Network), cable television network, xDSL (x Digital Subscriber Line), ADSL, wired network such as optical network, wireless LAN, fixed wireless access (FWA ) And other wirelessly accessible networks. The communication unit 15 is, for example, a computer program installed in the hard disk drive 16 from a server on the network, an electronic program guide for television broadcasting, a video data file that records the broadcasted program itself (video and audio), Alternatively, it acquires data received from online broadcast programs. These broadband networks are generally connectable to the Internet.

The hard disk drive 16 stores a program that is loaded into the memory 12. Further, the hard disk drive 16 stores data processed by the CPU 11. Further, the node disk drive device 16 records the received television broadcast program (video data) in conjunction with the broadcast receiving unit 14. Further, the hard disk drive 16 plays back the recorded program and displays it on the display 21.

The portable medium drive device 17 is a drive device such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an HD-DVD, or a Blu-ray Disc. The medium driven by the portable medium drive device 17 holds, for example, a computer program installed in the hard disk drive device 16 and a video data file.

[0045] The operation unit 18 is various switches, knobs for channel operation, and the like. The operation unit 18 includes a computer input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device. There are no particular restrictions on the type of pointing device, mouse, track ball, dial-type control unit, device that moves the pointer on the display in the form of a stick, device that detects the user's finger operation by capacitance, touch panel, joystick What is necessary is just to use an appropriate thing according to the characteristics of the television viewing apparatus 10, the user's needs, and the like. The keyboard transmits an electrical signal corresponding to the input key to a keyboard controller (not shown) in response to a user input operation. The keyboard controller transmits a code corresponding to the electrical signal to the CPU 11. The CPU11 device driver is based on font data (coordinates of several points for drawing outlines and curve equations connecting them) built in the OS (operating system). An outline is formed (called True Font) and displayed on the display 21. Further, the CPU 11 displays a character cursor indicating the character input destination on the screen and moves it on the screen in response to a user input operation.

[0047] The pointing device detects a user operation and transmits an operation signal to a pointing device control device (not shown) (for example, a mouse controller (not shown) or the interface 13). Upon receiving the operation signal, the pointing device control apparatus transmits information for generating an operation direction and an operation amount to the CPU 11. The device driver of the CPU 11 displays a pointer on the screen on the display 21 and moves it on the screen based on an operation signal from the pointing device control device.

[0048] Further, the OS of the CPU 11 determines the positional relationship between the pointer and the objects (window, button, menu, list, etc.) on the screen. Then, the object at the position where the pointer exists is set to the selected state or the focused state. Furthermore, the selection of the object is confirmed by a selection confirmation operation for the pointing device, for example, by pressing a mouse button.

[0049] The display 21 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display panel, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an electo-luminescence panel, or the like. The 1S display 21 (not shown) includes a RAM for storing image data, and a drive circuit for driving the display 21 based on the RAM data. In addition, the display 21 is provided with a sound force, and sounds (including sounds and sounds other than sounds) generated by the broadcast receiving unit 14 are read from the hard disk drive device 16 or the portable medium drive device 17. The sound reproduced by a speech synthesis board (not shown) is output. The speech synthesis board converts digital data such as MP3 into sound.

[0050] The infrared detector 19 detects an infrared operation signal from the infrared remote controller 20, and The signal is converted into an air signal and transmitted to each part of the television viewing device 10. However, the CPU 11 may receive an operation signal through the interface 13 and send a command from the CPU 11 to each part of the television viewing device 10. The user can operate the television viewing device 10 through the infrared detector 19 by operating the operation button on the infrared remote controller 20.

[0051] The television viewing device 10 as described above can be configured as a personal computer having the broadcast receiving unit 14, for example. However, the television viewing device 10 is not limited to a personal computer, and may be another device having an equivalent function, for example, a television receiving device having a hard disk 16. Further, the television viewing device 10 can be realized by a mobile phone with a television broadcast receiving function, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game machine, an in-vehicle device with a television broadcast receiving function, or the like.

FIG. 4 shows a detailed configuration of the clock generator 22. The clock generator 22 is used by the CPU 11 based on the PLL (Phase Locked Loop) 220 that generates the reference clock, the frequency setting unit 221 that specifies the operating frequency of the PLL 220, and the reference clock generated by the PLL 220. CPU clock generator 222 that generates the CPU clock, multiplier setting unit 223 that specifies the CPU clock multiplier with respect to the reference clock to the CPU clock generator 222, and memory clock by dividing the CPU clock A frequency dividing circuit 224 and a frequency dividing setting unit 225 for specifying a frequency dividing ratio of the frequency dividing circuit 224 are provided.

As is well known, the PLL 220 includes, for example, a voltage control oscillator and a phase lock loop, and generates a clock signal at an operation frequency corresponding to an oscillation frequency controlled by voltage.

[0054] The frequency setting unit 221 is, for example, a register, and holds a parameter that defines the oscillation frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator. The CPU 11 sets parameters of the frequency setting unit 221 through a control program such as BIOS. The control voltage of the voltage controlled oscillator is determined by the set value of the frequency setting unit 221 and the oscillation frequency is controlled.

The CPU clock generation unit 222 is configured by, for example, a second PLL circuit. Then, the CPU clock generation unit 222 uses the second voltage controlled oscillator, the second frequency dividing circuit that divides the oscillation pulse of the second voltage controlled oscillator, and sets the phase of the frequency dividing circuit to the phase of the reference clock. Solid And a phase-locked loop that performs control. That is, the oscillation frequency of the second voltage controlled oscillator is divided, and the phase with the reference clock is fixed. As a result, the CPU clock generation unit 222 generates a CPU clock having a high V and operating frequency obtained by multiplying the operating frequency of the reference clock by the division ratio.

The magnification setting unit 223 is, for example, a register, and holds parameters that define the oscillation frequency of the second voltage controlled oscillator and the frequency division magnification of the second frequency dividing circuit. The CPU 11 sets the parameter of the CPU clock generation unit 222 in the magnification setting unit 223 through a control program such as BIOS. The control voltage of the second voltage controlled oscillator and the frequency division ratio of the second frequency divider circuit are determined by the setting value of the magnification setting unit 223, and the operating frequency of the CPU clock (multiplier with respect to the reference clock) is controlled. The

The frequency dividing circuit 224 is, for example, a counter circuit. The frequency divider circuit 224 reduces the operating frequency of the input clock signal (CPU clock) by a factor corresponding to the division factor such as 1Z2, 1/3, 1/4, 1Z5. Further, the operating frequency divided by 1Z3 may be doubled by a PLL circuit or the like to generate an operating frequency corresponding to the division ratio of 2Z3. The same applies to other division ratios such as 2/5 and 3Z5.

The frequency division setting unit 225 is a register, for example, and holds a norm that defines the frequency division ratio of the frequency dividing circuit 224.

[0059] <Configuration of tape tape>

FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 show configurations of various tables included in the television viewing device 10. These tables are held in the memory 12 and the hard disk of the hard disk drive 16 (hereinafter simply referred to as a hard disk).

FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a broadcast band table for storing broadcast band arrangement information. The broadcast band table stores information for identifying broadcast channels (for example, channel numbers, CH1, CH2, etc.) and broadcast channel frequencies in association with each other. Each frequency in the broadcast band table is acquired, for example, when the television viewing device 10 scans a receivable frequency through the broadcast receiving unit 14. The receivable frequency is, for example, a frequency at which a gain for receiving an unillustrated antenna force is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value. A frequency range that can be received within a predetermined frequency range, for example, 50 MHz to 800 MHz, is scanned. Then, it is only necessary to determine CH1 and CH2 in order of increasing frequency force value.

[0061] However, a list of receivable frequencies for each area may be stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk of the television viewing device 10. Then, at the start of use of the television viewing device 10, the frequency band may be selected according to information (user input value) indicating the area where it is used. Then, let's configure the broadcast band table as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the non-reception mode clock definition table. The non-reception mode clock definition table defines the operating frequency of the clock signal generated when the television viewing apparatus 10 TV broadcast is not received. The television viewing device 10 functions as a normal information processing device such as a personal computer, a portable information terminal, a game machine, or a car navigation system when not receiving a television broadcast.

[0063] In that case, since there is no possibility of interference between the frequency of the television broadcast and the clock signal, the operating frequency to be originally used as the information processing apparatus is selected. The operating frequency that should be used originally is, for example, the frequency at the time of factory shipment determined from the viewpoint of processing speed, thermal design, and the like. As shown in FIG. 5, the non-reception mode clock definition table includes a reference clock operating frequency (also referred to as a reference clock frequency), a CPU clock frequency (multiplier), a memory clock frequency, and the like.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the reception mode M (M = 1,..., N) clock definition table. Reception mode The M clock definition table defines, for example, the operating frequency of a clock signal when a certain local television broadcast is received. The television viewing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has such a reception mode M (M = 1,..., N) clock definition table for each region.

[0065] For example, when the television viewing device 10 has the same usage pattern as that of a stationary television, the user sets regional information when the television viewing device 10 is installed. Depending on the setting, one of the reception mode M clock definition tables (M = 1,..., N) corresponding to the region is selected.

In this table, the operating frequency of the clock signal that does not interfere with the frequency of the local television broadcast is defined. Therefore, the television viewing device 10 is a television. At the start of the broadcast reception process, the table defined in this table, the reference clock frequency, the CPU clock frequency, the memory clock frequency, etc. are set. This setting is made in the frequency setting unit 221, the magnification setting unit 223, and the frequency division setting unit 225 shown in FIG. 4 through a control program such as BIOS. The type of clock signal is not limited to the reference clock, the CPU clock, and the memory clock. For example, the clock determined for each bus may be changed in the same manner.

[0067] <Processing flow>

FIG. 8 shows a process of changing the clock signal when the television viewing device 10 receives a television broadcast. In this process, the television viewing device 10 detects the start of viewing the television program (Sl). To start viewing a television program, for example, the CPU 11 may detect a user operation on the operation unit 18 or an operation signal from the infrared detection unit 19 and recognize the start of television broadcast reception. Further, the CPU 11 should detect a signal indicating the start of reception processing from the broadcast receiving unit 14 through the bridge unit 13A and the interface 13.

[0068] When the start of viewing a television program is detected, the television viewing device 10 refers to the reception mode M clock definition table corresponding to the region (S2).

[0069] Then, parameters for generating a clock signal defined in the reception mode M clock definition table are set in the frequency setting unit 221, the magnification setting unit 223, and the frequency division setting unit 225 shown in FIG. As a result, a clock signal according to the definition of the reception mode M clock definition table is set (S3). Then, the television viewing device 10 is controlled in accordance with the newly defined clock signal. Thus, in this process, the operating frequency set after the change is fixedly determined. Such processing is suitable for the stationary television viewing device 10.

[0070] Then, the television viewing device 10 receives a television broadcast (S4). During reception of this television broadcast, the television viewing device 10 monitors the instruction to end the reception of the television broadcast through an operation to the operation unit 18 or an operation signal from the infrared detection unit 19 (S5). . If there is no instruction to end the reception of the television broadcast, the television viewing device 10 continues the reception process as it is. On the other hand, when there is a television broadcast reception end instruction, the television viewing device 10 sets the clock signal to the non-reception mode (S6). That is, the television viewing device 10 refers to the non-reception mode clock definition table from the memory 12 and sets the corresponding parameters in the frequency setting unit 221, the magnification setting unit 223, and the frequency division setting unit 225. As a result, the mode is restored to the normal information processing mode other than clock signal strength S and television broadcast reception.

As described above, the television viewing device 10 of the present embodiment has an operating frequency that does not interfere with the frequency band of a television broadcast that may be received in the area at the start of viewing of the television broadcast. The table force is also read and set in the clock generator 22. Thus, the clock signal for controlling each part of the television viewing device 10 has a value that does not interfere with the frequency band of the television broadcast. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of noise or the like due to the received video signal, sound signal, etc. of the television broadcast interfering with the clock signal. That is, it is possible to reduce the quality deterioration of the television broadcast due to the clock signal.

[0073] In addition, since the television receiver 10 of the present embodiment sets the operating frequency of the clock signal by excluding the frequency band including a plurality of television broadcast channels, the control becomes simple and the configuration is simple. Thus, it is possible to reliably reduce interference between the reception frequency and the clock signal.

[0074] <Modification 1>

FIG. 9 shows a modification of the processing of the television viewing device 10. In the process of FIG. 8, for example, the reception mode M clock definition table appropriate for the local television reception is referred to according to the regional information set when the television viewing device 10 is installed. Then, the clock signal was set according to the definition of the table.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process suitable for watching a television on a mobile object. Even in this process, the television viewing device 10 first detects the start of viewing a television program (S11).

Next, the television viewing device 10 uses the broadcast receiving unit 14 to search for a receivable broadcast channel. That is, the television viewing device 10 scans the reception frequency to search for a frequency at which a reception gain equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value is detected. Store in 2 (SI 2).

[0077] Next, the television viewing device 10 refers to the non-reception mode clock definition table (S13). Then, the television viewing device 10 determines whether any of the clocks interferes with the broadcast band (S14).

Then, if any of the clocks interferes with the broadcast band, the television viewing device 10 refers to the reception mode M clock definition table (S 15). Then, it is determined whether or not the operating frequency of the deviation defined in the reception mode M clock definition table interferes with the broadcast band (S16).

[0079] When the clock of V or any of the deviations interferes with the broadcast band, the television viewing device 10 determines whether or not there is a remaining reception mode M clock definition table (S17). If there is a remaining reception mode M clock definition table, broadcast receiving apparatus 10 returns control to S15 and refers to the next reception mode M clock definition table.

On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no interference in the determination of S16, the television viewing apparatus 10 sets a clock according to the reception mode M clock definition table (S18). Then, a television broadcast reception process is executed (S19).

[0081] If it is determined in S14 that there is no interference with the broadcast band in the non-reception mode clock definition table, the television viewing device 10 executes the television broadcast reception process as it is. Further, even when there is no remaining reception mode M clock definition table in the determination of S17, the television viewing device 10 executes the television broadcast reception process as it is.

As described above, according to the processing of FIG. 9, the television viewing device 10 searches for a broadcast band at the start of television viewing, and does the operating frequency of the clock signal interfere with the broadcast band? Determine whether or not. When the interference occurs, the television viewing device 10 sequentially refers to the reception mode M (M = l,..., N) clock definition table and searches for the definition of the operating frequency without interference! / ヽTo do. If an operating frequency definition that does not cause interference is found, the clock is set according to the operating frequency definition. In this way, the television receiver 10 sets the clock at an operating frequency that causes as little interference as possible with the broadcast band. In addition, the above processing is performed together with the start of television broadcast reception processing. Therefore, the present invention can be effectively applied even when the television viewing device 10 moves together with the moving body. That is, the present invention can be applied to an on-vehicle device, a portable information terminal, a mobile phone, and the like.

In the first modification described above, the process of searching for a broadcast band at the start of television viewing has been described. However, such a process is executed at predetermined time intervals in parallel with the reception of a television broadcast. Also good. Further, for example, in an in-vehicle device or the like, a process of monitoring a travel distance and searching for a broadcast band every time the travel distance reaches a predetermined distance may be executed. In addition, when the reception gain at the frequency of the currently receiving broadcast channel drops to a predetermined limit, a process for searching for the broadcast band may be executed. Through such processing, when a television broadcast is received by a mobile object such as an in-vehicle device, a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, or a portable game machine, the broadcast channel in the destination area is monitored, The present invention can be applied. That is, as the television viewing device 10 moves, the broadcast band can be searched every moment and interference between the broadcast band and the clock signal can be reduced.

The clock generation unit 22 in FIG. 4 has a CPU clock generation unit 222 along with the PLL 220. 4 generates a CPU clock, a memory clock, and the like other than the reference clock. Instead of such a configuration, the clock generator 22 may generate only the reference clock. For example, the CPU clock may be generated inside the CPU 11. Such a configuration is shown in FIG.

Note that clocks other than the CPU clock may be generated by other than the clock generator 22. For example, a clock for a bus (such as PCI) between the interface 13 and various devices may be generated by a circuit connected to the interface 13. In any case, any configuration may be used as long as the parameter power such as the frequency division ratio of the clock can be set for the CPU 11 OS or control program power.

[0086] <Other variations>

The above processing is particularly effective for analog television broadcast reception. However, even when receiving digital broadcasts, if the bits of digital information that are extremely influenced by the clock cannot be identified, the effects of the present invention can be achieved even with digital television devices. Is done.

[0087] <Computer-readable recording medium>

A program for causing a computer or other machine or device (hereinafter, a computer or the like) to realize any of the above functions can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The function can be provided by causing a computer or the like to read and execute the program of the recording medium.

[0088] Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a computer or the like that accumulates information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action. A recording medium that can be read. Among such recording media, those that can be removed from a computer or the like include flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-R / Ws, DVDs, DATs, 8 mm tapes, memory cards, and the like. is there.

[0089] Further, as a recording medium fixed to a computer or the like, there are a hard disk, a ROM (read-only memory), and the like.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A control device that controls an information device including an interface to which a television broadcast receiver can be connected.

A control unit operated by a first clock signal;

A clock generator that generates the first clock signal at an operating frequency in accordance with designation from the controller.

The control unit causes the clock generation unit to generate a first clock signal at an operating frequency different from an operating frequency when the television broadcast is not received during reception of the television broadcast. Control device.

[2] The control device includes:

A storage unit for storing a value allowed as the operating frequency of the first clock signal;

The controller is

A band acquisition unit that acquires a broadcast band of a television broadcast that can be received through the television broadcast reception unit;

A determination unit for determining whether the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band;

When the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band, an allowable value as the operating frequency of the first clock signal is referred to from the storage unit, and an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range is referred to. A frequency selector to select;

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a clock changing unit that causes the clock generating unit to generate a first clock at an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range.

[3] The information device further includes an operation unit that operates according to a second clock signal,

The storage unit stores a value of an operation frequency allowed as the second clock signal together with an allowable operation frequency of the first clock signal,

The determining unit determines whether at least one of an operating frequency of the first clock signal and an operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band;

The frequency selection unit includes an operating frequency of the first clock signal and a second clock signal. When at least one of the operating frequencies is included in the broadcast band, the storage unit is referred to, and the operating frequency outside the broadcasting band is set as the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal. The control device according to claim 2 to be selected.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast band includes frequency bands of a plurality of broadcast channels.

[5] The operating frequency of the first clock signal is an integer multiple of the operating frequency of the second clock signal,

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a frequency conversion unit that receives the second clock signal and generates the first clock signal.

6. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising an operating frequency reducing unit that generates a second clock having an operating frequency reduced from that of the first clock.

[7] An interface that can be connected to a television broadcast receiver,

A control unit operated by a first clock signal;

The control unit causes the clock generation unit to generate a first clock signal at an operating frequency different from an operating frequency when the television broadcast is not received during reception of the television broadcast. Information equipment.

[8] The storage device further includes a storage unit that stores an allowable value as an operating frequency of the first clock signal.

The controller is

When the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band, an allowable value as the operating frequency of the first clock signal is referred to from the storage unit, and an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range is referred to. A frequency selector to select; 8. The information equipment according to claim 7, further comprising: a clock changing unit that causes the clock generating unit to generate a first clock at an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range.

[9] The apparatus further includes an operation unit that operates according to the second clock signal,

The frequency selection unit refers to the storage unit when at least one of the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band, and operates the operating frequency of the first clock signal. 9. The information device according to claim 8, wherein an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range is selected as the operating frequency of the second clock signal.

[10] An interface that can be connected to a television broadcast receiver,

A control unit operated by a first clock signal;

A computer that controls an information device including a clock generation unit that generates the first clock signal at an operating frequency according to a designation from the control unit;

Detecting the start of reception of a television broadcast;

A step of causing the clock generator to generate a first clock signal at an operating frequency different from the operating frequency when the television broadcast is not being received during the reception of the television broadcast. Method.

[11] The computer includes a storage unit that stores an allowable value as an operating frequency of the first clock signal,

Obtaining a broadcast band of a television broadcast that can be received through the television broadcast receiver;

Determining whether the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band; and

When the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band, the storage unit is referred to a value allowed as the operating frequency of the first clock signal; and the operating frequency outside the broadcast band range A step of selecting 11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising: causing the clock generator to generate a first clock signal at an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range.

[12] The information device further includes an operation unit that operates based on a second clock signal, and the storage unit stores a value of an operation frequency allowed as the second clock signal together with an allowable operation frequency of the first clock signal. And the computer is

Determining whether at least one of the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band; and

When at least one of the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band, the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the second clock are referred to by referring to the storage unit 12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of selecting an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range as an operating frequency of the signal.

[13] An interface that can be connected to a television broadcast receiver,

A control unit operated by a first clock signal;

Detecting the start of reception of a television broadcast;

Controlling the clock generator to generate a first clock signal at an operating frequency different from the operating frequency when the television broadcast is not being received during the reception of the television broadcast. program.

[14] The computer has a storage unit that stores an allowable value as an operating frequency of the first clock signal,

When the operating frequency of the first clock signal is included in the broadcast band, the storage unit is referred to a value allowed as the operating frequency of the first clock signal; and the operating frequency outside the broadcast band range A step of selecting 14. The control program according to claim 13, further causing the clock generation unit to execute a step of generating a first clock signal at an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range.

The information device further includes an operation unit that operates according to a second clock signal, and the storage unit stores a value of an operation frequency permitted as the second clock signal together with an allowable operation frequency of the first clock signal. The computer is

When at least one of the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the operating frequency of the second clock signal is included in the broadcast band, the operating frequency of the first clock signal and the second clock are referred to by referring to the storage unit 14. The control program according to claim 13, further comprising the step of selecting an operating frequency outside the broadcast band range as an operating frequency of the signal.