JP5002637B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is, remote controller (hereinafter, referred to as remote control.) Relates to an electronic device providing a user interface using.

  With the development of digital signal processing technology, video, audio, and control data have started to be provided as digital data as digital data, via infrastructure such as disk media, ISDN communication network, satellite digital communication network and cable TV network, It has been distributed to homes.

  Also in the home, a home multimedia network has been proposed in which various video / information devices such as TVs, VCRs, digital satellite tuners, and the like are connected by a common input / output interface so that multimedia data can be transmitted.

  There are major obstacles to such home multimedia networks. That is the increase in the number of keys on the remote controller, which is the center of the user interface, and the accompanying difficulty in operation. Many TV remote controls currently on the market have TV receiver control keys and VTR operation keys, but the number of keys has already exceeded 20, making it easy to use for unfamiliar users, the elderly, and children. The current situation is not necessarily true.

  Therefore, it is very difficult to realize further function increase in the television receiver with the conventional user interface.

  As a user interface for operating a device with many functions with a simple remote controller, a menu screen or an operation panel is displayed on the display screen, and selection is performed by using the cursor keys and the enter key. The user interface is the most popular. Many examples of such user interfaces are used such as a car navigation system and an Internet television with a built-in WWW (World Wide Web) browsing function. However, this type of user interface requires that the cursor key be pressed several times during one selection operation, and the user has to press the remote control key more frequently before finishing the target process, which takes a relatively long time. That was the problem.

  On the other hand, as another user interface realizing multiple functions, there is a method of dynamically changing the function assigned to the remote control key. This proposal dynamically assigns channel numbers to remote control keys according to the contents of multi-angle and multi-channel compatible programs, and at the same time displays a screen showing the key assignments so that the user can easily move between multi-channels. Is.

  Thus, the method of dynamically assigning functions to remote control keys has a great advantage that the number of times of pressing the keys is less than the method based on the cursor key and the decision key, and the intended processing can be completed quickly for the user.

  However, the above-mentioned conventional method basically does not change the purpose of selecting a television channel, but simply changes the channel number to be selected dynamically. Various methods for controlling devices on the home network are used. It does not dynamically change processing for different purposes. In the prior art, only predetermined functions can be assigned. For example, even if a video device having a completely new function appears, it cannot cope. Further, in the prior art, only a remote controller having a predetermined specification can be used as the remote controller to be used, and the remote controller specification cannot be changed even if the user desires.

  In addition, while the method of dynamically assigning functions to remote control keys as described above has a great advantage, the remote control guide is always displayed with the same icon arrangement on all operation screens, so it is in operation for the user. There was also one aspect that it was difficult to recognize the differences in the devices and modes.

  Further, the conventional technique is considered only when the number of items to be selected is smaller than the number of remote control keys, and a new technique is required when the number of selection items exceeds the number of keys.

The present invention is to make it possible to provide a user interface flexible (soft) capable number of items to be assigned to a plurality of remote control keys corresponding even if larger than the number of the plurality of remote control keys It shall be the purpose.

An electronic apparatus according to the present invention is an electronic apparatus that provides a user interface using a remote controller having a plurality of operation units arranged in a matrix, and includes a receiving unit that receives a signal from the remote controller, Guide information generating means for generating guide information having a plurality of display elements arranged to correspond to a plurality of operation means, the number of items allocated to the plurality of operation means and the plurality of operation means included The guide information generating means for determining how many pieces of the guide information are to be generated based on the number of operating means to be generated, and one or more guide information generated by the guide information generating means are displayed on the display means Display control means for controlling in this manner .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a flexible user interface that can cope with a case where the number of items assigned to a plurality of remote control keys is larger than the number of the plurality of remote control keys .

The figure which shows the whole structure of the system which has the "user interface control apparatus" which is Example 1. Block diagram showing the configuration of the television receiver TV1 Figure showing the key arrangement of the remote control The figure which shows the format of the wireless signal transmitted from the remote control The figure which shows the structure of the remote control guide control program The figure which shows the remote control guide information table which has a program Figure showing a display example of the remote control guide Diagram showing master program operation sequence Figure showing a display example of the remote control guide The figure which shows the operation sequence of the remote control frame program Diagram showing the operation sequence of the master program when an unknown device is connected The figure which shows the operation sequence of the master program when the unknown remote control is used The figure which shows the example of the unknown remote control and the display example of the corresponding remote control guide The figure which shows the example of a remote control guide information table The figure which shows the remote control guide information table which provided several remote control frame ID in one remote control. The figure which shows the operation | movement sequence at the time of switching a remote control frame for every program genre of a television program Figure showing the software configuration of the host computer The figure which shows the whole structure of the system which has the "user interface control apparatus" which is Example 2. Block diagram showing the configuration of the television receiver TV1 Figure showing the key arrangement of the remote control The figure which shows the initial operation sequence of the microcomputer Figure showing format of command packet and response packet Diagram showing device type ID Figure showing a display example of the remote control guide The figure which shows the operation sequence of the microcomputer The figure which shows the format of the operation command packet Figure showing a display example of the remote control guide Figure showing a remote control guide display example (group mode) Figure showing a remote control guide display example (group mode) The figure which shows a display example when using the remote control guide of group mode for character input The figure which shows the example of a remote control guide display at the time of tuner use The figure which shows the example of a display of a recording setting processing screen Flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer when recording is set The figure which shows the example of the setting screen for switching the input mode

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples of a user interface control device. The present invention is not limited to the user interface control device, and can be similarly implemented in the form of a user interface control method.

Example 1
<Description of each part>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire system having a “user interface control apparatus” according to the first embodiment, that is, an entire home multimedia network system using an IEEE1394 high-speed serial bus.

  A home multimedia network system will be described with reference to FIG. This system includes TV receivers TV1, TV2, TV3, video cassette recorder 1, VCR1, digital satellite broadcast tuner 1, Tuner 1, digital video disk 1, DVD1, DVD2, and network interface unit NIU as electronic devices. .

  These electronic devices are connected by an IEEE 1394 serial bus. Since each electronic device has a function of relaying an electrical signal of the serial bus, daisy chain connection is possible. Further, since the network interface unit NIU also has a relay function of this serial bus, the serial connection of each room is relayed, and the entire electronic device in FIG. 1 functions as one bus system.

  In the IEEE 1394 bus system, data transfer is performed in a predetermined cycle, and both isochronous (synchronous) communication that transmits while maintaining a constant data transfer rate and asynchronous (asynchronous) communication that transmits control commands and irregular data. It can be performed. There is a cycle start packet at the beginning of the communication cycle, and subsequently, packet transmission of isochronous communication is started. A channel number is assigned to the isochronous communication packet, and a plurality of isochronous communications can be performed. For example, since DV format stream data flowing from VCR1 to TV1 uses channel 1 and MPEG2 stream data flowing from DVD2 to TV2 uses channel 2, a plurality of isochronous communications can be performed simultaneously. Asynchronous communication packet transmission is started.

  In general, isochronous communication is used for data transfer that places greater importance on real-time performance than certainty of data transfer, such as DV format image data transfer and MPEG2 format image / audio stream transfer in digital video. -Data that emphasizes certainty, such as print data, can be used for transfer.

  An AV / C (Audio Video / Control) command for the purpose of controlling the AV device is performed by asynchronous communication.

  Commands used in asynchronous communication include a normal Control command, an Inquiry command that confirms whether the command is supported, and a Status command that confirms the status of the other party. Many commands receive data called a response to the command. That's it. By examining the contents of the received response, the command sender can know whether the command has been executed normally and the status information of the other party.

  In the IEEE 1394 serial bus, a physical address is assigned to each electronic device connected to the bus. This physical address is automatically determined in a setting process following a bus reset caused by increase / decrease of connected electronic devices.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when a home multimedia network based on an IEEE 1394 serial bus is installed in a home, the received video of one satellite broadcast tuner can be enjoyed on any television in the home. This makes it possible to see new VCR usage and convenience, such as the ability to watch VCR video on any TV. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, movie stream data stored on a DVD2 video disc can be input to the TV 1 via the network and viewed. In addition, a TV program received by the TV 3 can be stored on the DVD 2 or viewed on the TV 1.

  Accordingly, new functions have been required for television receivers. In other words, since the video device is not always near the television receiver, that is, in the user room where it is viewed, operations such as “play, record, stop”, etc. that have been performed directly on each device are conventionally performed. In other words, it is desired that the user can operate each device while using the television receiver as a user interface of each device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the blocks constituting the television receiver 1 (TV 1 in FIG. 1). 2-1 is an analog tuner unit that receives a TV broadcast wave from a TV antenna and converts it into a video signal, 2-2 is a 1394 interface unit that performs transmission and reception with the IEEE 1394 bus, and 2-3 is a video stream data input from the IEEE 1394 bus. Is a decoder unit for converting a video signal into a video signal. 2-4 is a place for creating display data to be actually displayed by the display 2-6. The video from the analog tuner 2-1 and the video from the decoder 2-3 are stored in the memory 2-5. This is a display control unit that displays an input video signal and graphic plane data (to be described later) in a superimposed manner or displays a window. Further, the display control unit 2-4 receives a drawing command from the microcomputer 2-7, and writes graphic objects such as icons and buttons to the graphic plane in the memory 2-5.

  2-7 is a control microcomputer that controls the entire television receiver TV1, 2-8 is a remote control interface unit that receives a key code sent from the remote control 2-11 as a wireless signal, and 2-9 is data via a telephone line. A modem 2-10 for communication is an IEEE1394 interface connector.

  FIG. 3 shows the remote control 2-11 in more detail. 3-1 is a wireless signal transmission unit that outputs a signal representing a key code to the remote control interface 2-8 of the television receiver TV1, and 3-2 is a television. Keys for power on / off control of the receiver 3-3 are key arrays arranged in 3 × 4, and “1” “2” …… “9” “0” “*” “#” on the button surface Is printed. Hereinafter, in the description, when each key in the key array is individually indicated, this printing is used. For example, the upper left key is called a “1” key.

  FIG. 4 shows the format of a wireless signal transmitted from the remote controller 2-11. As shown in the figure, the remote controller 2-11 of this embodiment transmits a wireless signal included in the remote controller ID for identifying the type of the remote controller in addition to the key code.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a remote control guide control program that operates on the microcomputer 2-7 of the television receiver TV1. Data is exchanged with the hardware through a driver or software hierarchy such as the remote control guide master program 5-1, which is the center of control in this embodiment.

<Description of operation>
The operation of the television receiver TV1 will be described below, and a user interface control method that is a feature of the user interface control device of this embodiment will be described.

  On the microcomputer 2-7 of the television receiver TV1, a remote control guide master program 5-1 (hereinafter referred to as a master program) is always activated.

  FIG. 6 shows the contents of the remote control guide information table 5-13 held in the memory of the master program. In the figure, “device ID” is an individual ID that can identify the manufacturer and product of a 1394 device. In the IEEE1394 standard, values such as NodeVendorID in the Bus_info_block field in the configuration ROM, ModuleVendorID, and ModuleSpec_ID in the Root_directory field correspond to this. . The master program reads “device ID” from the configuration ROM of each device immediately after the power supply On or immediately after the bus reset, and records it in the remote control guide information table 5-13 shown in FIG. 6 together with the “node number”. Also, “subunit type” in the figure is a value indicating the type of AV equipment defined by the AV / C (Audio Video / Control) standard, and the master program sends a unit info or unit info command that is an AV / C command to each equipment. Then, the type of the device is identified from the returned response data and recorded in the table of FIG. The “flag” in the figure will be described later. Note that the portion indicated by-in the figure corresponds to an analog tuner built in the television receiver TV1, and since it is not a 1394 device, information on the device ID, node ID, and subunit type is not recorded.

  When the user presses the power key 3-2 of the remote controller 2-11, the master program of the television receiver TV1 activates each block such as the display 2-6, the display control unit 2-4, the tuner unit 2-1. At the same time, the remote controller ID (described above) included in the wireless signal from the remote controller 2-11 is read to recognize the remote controller 2-11 used by the user. Here, it is assumed that a remote controller with a remote controller ID = 0 is recognized. The television receiver TV1 can recognize the remote controller 2-11 used by the user by reading the remote controller ID.

  Thereafter, the master program displays a remote control guide as shown in FIG. 7 and asks the user whether to view the video of the analog TV broadcast tuner built in the TV receiver TV1 or to use the devices on the home network. Display the screen to select. In the figure, VCR1 is assigned to the “1” key, DVD1 to the “2” key, DVD2 to the “3” key, Tuner to the “4” key, and an analog tuner to the “5” key. In this embodiment, functions are dynamically assigned to remote control keys, so there is no need for multiple operations such as selecting the desired icon with the cursor keys and pressing the “Enter” key, and selecting the device by simply pressing one key. can do.

  FIG. 8 is an operation sequence showing the operation of the master program after the user selects a device.

  When the user selects a device by operating a button on the remote control, the master program refers to the remote control guide information table from the previously recognized remote control ID and the selected device ID, reads the corresponding remote control guide frame ID, and stores it in the memory. A stored remote control frame program (hereinafter referred to as a frame program) is read and executed.

<Remote control frame program>
The frame program monitors drawing of the display screen constituting the remote control guide and input of the remote control key, and executes processing corresponding to the key operation. A plurality of frame programs are recorded in the memory of the microcomputer 2-7, and the above-mentioned (remote control guide) frame ID is assigned to each of them. The operation of the frame program will be described below.

  The frame program first executes entry processing. The entry processing includes, for example, securing a channel for isochronous transfer for transferring video and resetting a channel that has been seen before in the case of a tuner. The frame program displays the remote control guide after executing the entry process.

  The frame program may be a bicode represented by JAVA (registered trademark).

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a display screen of a frame program executed when the user selects the video cassette recorder VCR1. A thick frame indicates the entire remote control frame, and icons having the same button arrangement as the remote control are displayed therein. Further, each icon is marked with a mark indicating a function currently assigned to the corresponding key (△ mark for reproduction, □ mark for stop, etc.). In addition, the hatched icon in the figure indicates that the corresponding key is not currently assigned a function, and the icon without a mark and the image in the background are combined (α blended) on the display screen. Is displayed.

  For example, in the frame program of the video cassette recorder VCR1, a processing process for transmitting an operation command to the VCR 1 is assigned to each button. For example, when the user presses the “3” key, the AV / C ( The transmission of a Play command defined in the VCR subunit standard of (Audio Video / Control) and a response check process (confirmation of whether the process has been correctly executed) are executed.

  When the user presses the “#” key in the display state of FIG. 9, the remote control frame is terminated, and control is returned to the master program. The termination process is a process such as releasing an isochronous channel secured by the entry process.

  A flowchart showing the operation of the above frame program is shown in FIG.

<Operation when an unknown device is connected>
The above is the basic operation related to the remote control guide of the television receiver TV1 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a device having no data in the memory (remote control guide information table) 5-13 is connected to the 1394 bus in advance. Even in such a case, an optimal remote control guide can be displayed. The operation will be described below using the flowchart of FIG.

  When the device is connected to the 1394 bus, a bus reset occurs, and a physical address (node address) is newly allocated to each device in the setting process in the IEEE 1394 bus (S11-1). Thereafter, the remote control master program reads the device ID of each device (node) on the 1394 bus as described above, and compares it with the device ID stored in the remote control guide information table on the memory (in this case, the node on the table). The number is also updated simultaneously (S11-2). If an unknown device ID is found (S11-3, YES), the above-mentioned UnitInfo or SubinfoInfo command is transmitted to the device to check the subunit type, and to the host computer 2-20 by network communication. An inquiry is made (S11-4). FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a software configuration on the host computer. The host computer 2-20 has a remote control frame database, and a remote control frame program for displaying the optimal remote control guide for a new device is always registered and stored.

<Communication with host>
In this embodiment, since the host computer 2-20 is assumed to be located in a service center outside the home network, the remote control master program is connected to the host computer 2 by PPP (Point-Point-Protocol) connection using a telephone line. Connect with -20 to establish a logical connection.

  Thereafter, the remote control master program transmits the unknown device ID and the remote control ID registered in the table 5-13 in the memory to the frame providing service program 17-1 of the host computer 2-20, thereby allowing the host computer A remote control frame program suitable for the device is downloaded from 2-20. The remote control master program can be downloaded or a new remote control frame program can be registered in the table shown in FIG. 6 so that it can be executed when the user selects the new device.

<Operation when a new remote control is used>
In the present embodiment, even when a remote controller ID having no data in the memory (remote controller guide information table 5-13) is received in advance, it is possible to display an optimal remote controller guide that meets the specifications of the remote controller. The operation is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  When receiving signals from different types of remote controllers as shown in FIG. 13A and receiving an unknown remote controller ID, the master program executes connection with the host computer 2-20 as described above. The host computer 2-20 transmits the unknown remote controller ID and all device IDs registered in the table 5-13 in the memory to the frame providing service program 17-1 of the host computer 2-20. A new remote control frame program is downloaded. The remote control master program is downloaded or the remote control frame program is additionally registered in the table shown in FIG. 6 so that it can be executed when the user operates the device using the unknown remote control. FIG. 13B shows a display example of the remote control guide in this case.

  In this way, in this embodiment, the television receiver can register a plurality of remote control IDs in the table as shown in FIG. 14, and further, a remote control frame for operating devices on the 1394 bus for each remote control ID. Since the program can be held, for example, even when the user alternately uses two types of remote controllers, an optimal remote controller guide can always be displayed. For example, when the video cassette recorder VCR1 is used, if a signal from the remote controller A (ID = 0) is received, the corresponding remote controller frame program (frame ID = 0002) is executed, and the remote controller B (ID = 1). If a signal from is received, a corresponding remote control frame program (frame ID = 0011) is executed.

<When there is no device ID corresponding to the host>
In the foregoing description, but remote control frame program corresponding to all of the 1394 devices to the host computer 2-20 may operate is as being registered, the remote control frame over beam program all devices registered for some reason in practice There may be situations where this is not the case. In addition, there may be a case where the remote control frame program cannot be downloaded correctly due to a communication failure on the telephone line. In this case, the remote control master program of the television receiver TV1 acquires the subunit type information obtained by transmitting the UnitInfo command or the SubunitInfo command of the AV / C (Audio Video / Control) command of IEEE1394 to the device, and also stores the information in the memory. A device having the same subunit type is searched from the remote control guide information table 5-13 stored in the remote control guide table 5-13, and if found, the remote control frame program of that device is executed as a substitute. Further, by setting a flag in the “flag” of the table, the host computer 2-20 is periodically accessed to try to obtain an optimal remote control frame program.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the remote control guide master program can register a plurality of remote control frame programs for each device. In the remote control guide master program of the TV receiver in this embodiment, the remote control guide frame program can be changed for each program genre for TV video display using a built-in TV tuner.

  FIG. 16 shows the operation sequence. The master program receives the electronic program guide information sent together with the broadcast from the tuner 2-1, and identifies the genre of the program that the user is currently viewing. For example, the frame (1) is selected for the drama, the frame (2) is selected for the sport, and the frame (3) is selected for the others, and the remote control guide frame program is executed. With such a function, the user can not only know the genre of the program from the remote control guide, but, for example, in baseball broadcasting, there are many characters and graphic displays such as ball count and output status, so it is important to display the remote control guide It is possible to display a small remote control guide to prevent hidden information from being hidden.

If a table having a plurality of remote control frame IDs as shown in FIG. 15 is used, for example, when there are two same products from the same vendor on the 1394 bus, the same remote control guide is not displayed, but the same remote control guide is displayed. by displaying the remote control guide with different colors and icons in the function, some strongly to recognize the difference of the device to the user, also merits, such as it is possible to reduce the erroneous operation.

  In the present embodiment described above, an example in which a telephone line is used as a communication means between the television receiver and the host computer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a LAN such as Ethernet (registered trademark) may be used. good. In addition, the present embodiment has been described by taking as an example a configuration in which a display is incorporated in a television receiver. However, the essence of the present invention is not limited to this, and it is a set top box having no display. However, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained. Further, the present invention can be similarly implemented by performing user interface control in an electronic device other than the television receiver.

  As described above, according to the user interface control device of the present embodiment, various operations in a home network environment can be realized without increasing the number of remote control keys when the remote control of the TV receiver is used. In addition, the operation can be performed very quickly. In particular, the number of times the key is pressed can be greatly reduced compared to a user interface using a combination of a cursor key and a determination key.

  Also in the conventional proposal, there is a method of dynamically assigning functions to remote control keys as in this embodiment, but this embodiment solves problems that could not be solved by the proposal. For example, according to the present embodiment, even when a new AV device is connected, it is possible to assign an optimal remote control key suitable for the device and display a remote control guide, and when the user uses a new type of remote control. Similarly, optimal remote control key assignment and remote control guide display are possible. Further, in this embodiment, a number of effects such as the ability to dynamically cope with a plurality of types of remote controllers can be obtained.

(Example 2)
<Description of each part>
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the entire system including the “user interface control apparatus” according to the second embodiment, that is, the entire home multimedia network system using the IEEE1394 high-speed serial bus. The description of this figure is omitted since it has already been made in the description of FIG. Note that the function is not the same as that in FIG.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing blocks constituting the television receiver 1 (TV 1 in FIG. 18). 19-1 is an analog tuner unit that receives TV broadcast waves from the TV antenna and converts them into video signals, 19-2 is a 1394 interface unit that performs transmission and reception with the IEEE 1394 bus, and 19-3 is video stream data input from the IEEE 1394 bus. Is a decoder unit for converting a video signal into a video signal. 19-4 is a place for creating display data to be actually displayed by the display 19-6. The video from the analog tuner 19-1 and the video from the decoder 19-3 are stored in the memory 19-5. This is a display control unit that displays two input video signals and graphic plane data (to be described later) in a superimposed manner or displays them in a window. Further, the display control unit 19-4 receives a drawing command from the microcomputer 19-7 and writes graphic objects such as icons and buttons to the graphic plane in the memory 19-5.

  19-7 is a control microcomputer for controlling the entire television receiver TV1, 19-8 is a remote control interface unit for receiving a key code sent by a wireless signal from the remote control 19-11, and 19-9 is data via a telephone line. A modem 19-10 for communication is an IEEE1394 interface connector.

Figure 20 is an illustration in greater detail the remote control 19-11, 20-1 wireless signal transmitter for outputting a signal representative of the key code to the remote controller interface 19-8 of the television receiver TV1, 2 20 -2 of the One key left cursor keys 20 -3 is a key array arranged in 3 × 4, the button face is printed as "1", "2", ...... "9", "0", "*", "#" Yes. Hereinafter, in the description, when each key in the key array is individually indicated, this printing is used. For example, the upper left key is called a “1” key.

<Description of operation>
The operation of the television receiver TV1 will be described below.

  FIG. 21 shows an initial operation sequence of the microcomputer 19-7. The microcomputer 19-7 operates even when the power is turned off by a remote control operation, and can receive a key code from the remote control 19-11. When the microcomputer 19-7 receives any key code from the remote controller 19-11 in the power OFF mode, the microcomputer 19-7 starts the power ON, that is, the system startup operation (S21-1).

The microcomputer 19-7 to investigate other AV devices connected to the 1394 bus via the 1 39 4 interface (S21-2). Specifically, by sending a UnitInfo or SubunitInfo command that is a command based on the AV / C (Audio Video / Control) standard, the type of the partner device is inquired, and response data returned for this command is analyzed. By doing so, it is possible to determine whether a device connected on the 1394 bus belongs to any of predetermined device types such as VCR, DVD, Tuner, and Monitor.

  FIG. 22 shows an example of the UnitInfo command. In the figure, (a) shows the format of a UnitInfo command that the television receiver TV1 transmits to another device, and (b) shows the response format returned by the device that has received the command (a). The device type can be known from the ID embedded in the Unit_type field in the response. FIG. 23 shows an example of the type ID.

  Next, the microcomputer 19-7 assigns remote control keys based on the AV device type information investigated by the above-described operation (S21-3). Here, since the microcomputer 19-7 of the television receiver TV1 recognizes four usable AV devices VCR1, DVD1, DVD2 and Tuner among the devices shown in FIG. 18, these devices are assigned to the remote control keys. For example, VCR1 is the key “1”, DVD1 is the key “2”, DVD2 is the key “3”, and Tuner is the key “4”. Furthermore, the analog TV function that the TV 1 itself has is assigned to the key “5”.

  And remote control guide display data is produced | generated based on the allocation result (S21-4). FIG. 24 shows an example.

  The microcomputer 19-7 generates icon data having the same arrangement as the button arrangement (3 × 4) of the remote controller. The hatched portion in the drawing is a display for a button to which no function is assigned, and the background image is displayed so that it can be seen translucently by the overlay function of the display control unit.

  In this state, when the user presses the remote control key “1”, the microcomputer 19-7 controls the display control unit so that the video from the VCR 1 is displayed in the video area, and when the “2” key is pressed, the microcomputer 19-7 The display control unit is controlled to display the video in the video area (S21-5).

<Operation of AV equipment>
Next, the operation when the user selects the video cassette recorder VCR1 by pressing the “1” key will be described. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an operation sequence of the microcomputer 19-7.

  When the user selects the video cassette recorder VCR1 (S25-1), the microcomputer 19-7 transmits a command to the video cassette recorder VCR1, and investigates what operation command the video cassette recorder VCR1 supports ( S25-2). In the AV / C standard, dozens of commands such as PLAY, FORWARD, and RECORD are defined as VCR commands. However, since which commands are supported varies depending on the device, it is necessary to investigate in advance. AV / C also defines this investigation method. When the command type field of each command such as PLAY is set to “Inquiry”, it is possible to examine whether the partner device supports the command.

  FIG. 26 shows a command format. In the figure, by setting an ID (= 02h) indicating an inquiry type in a field called CT (Command type), the device that has received the command supports IMPLEMENT if it supports the command indicated by OpCode + Operand. If not, it returns NOT IMPLEMENT as a response. The microcomputer 19-7 transmits all of the VCR commands defined in AV / C as the Inquiry type command to the video cassette recorder VCR1 and resolves the respective responses, so that the video cassette recorder VCR1 Create a list of supported commands.

  Next, the microcomputer 19-7 performs remote control key assignment based on the contents investigated in the above-described operation (S25-3). Here, the video cassette recorder VCR1 supports two commands, Play and Wind, as operation commands. Further, Play has three modes of forward / reverse / stop, and Wind has two modes of forward / reverse. Assuming that it is supported, the microcomputer 19-7 plays “1” key with Play (reverse direction), “3” key with Play (forward direction), “5” key with Play (stop), and “4” key with Wind. (Reverse direction), “Wind” (forward direction) is assigned to the “6” key. Then, display data of the remote control guide is generated based on the allocation result (S25-4). FIG. 27 shows an example. For example, when the user presses the “6” key on the remote controller, a forward wind (fast forward) command is transmitted to the video cassette recorder VCR1.

<When there are not enough remote control keys>
The operation described above is for the case where the number of objects to be assigned is smaller than the number of remote control keys. However, in this embodiment, even when the number of objects to be assigned is larger than the number of remote control keys, it is possible to cope without impairing operability. FIG. 28 shows a display example of the remote control guide in this case. In this example, it is assumed that 12 types of playback speeds of the video cassette recorder VCR are supported in the forward and backward directions.

  When the number of commands supported by the video cassette recorder VCR1 exceeds the number of keys on the remote controller 19-11, the microcomputer 19-7 performs display in the group mode. In the group mode, for example, a 6 × 4 icon is displayed as shown in FIG. 28, and the display is performed by enclosing a half of the 3 × 4 icon in a frame ((a) in the figure). Then, when the user presses the cursor key 20-2 (see FIG. 20), the frame moves, and the other 3 × 4 icon is displayed ((b) in the figure). When a frame is displayed at the location shown in FIG. 28 (a), the “1” key is stopped, “3” is fast-forwarded, and “5” is assigned the forward slow playback level 2 (shown as SL2 in the figure). When a frame is displayed at the location shown in FIG. 28 (b), the “1” key rewinds, “3” is stop, “5” is reverse slow playback level 2 (SL2 in the figure). Assign).

  As described above, even when there are more objects (processes) to be assigned than the number of remote control keys, any command shown in FIG. 28 can be transmitted by two button operations at the worst by the group mode display, and a speedy operation becomes possible.

  The display in the group mode is naturally applicable not only to the operation of the video cassette recorder VCR but also to the case where a program service (channel) that can be received by the tuner Tuner 1 is selected. FIG. 29 shows a display example in that case.

  When a frame is displayed at the position in FIG. 29A, CS1 is assigned to the “1” key, and NHK2 is assigned to the “9” key, and the user presses the cursor 20-2 on the remote control 19-11. When the frame is moved to the position 29 (b), BS1 is assigned to the “1” key and CS2 is assigned to the “9” key. In this case as well, in the worst case, all services can be selected with two button operations.

<Application to character input>
The example shown in FIG. 30 is an example corresponding to character input in the group mode. In this example, three groups are selected by the cursor, but even in this case, since characters can be input by three key operations, speedy character input is possible.

<When recording reservation is set>
FIG. 31 shows a display example of the remote control guide when the user is watching a TV program using the tuner Tuner1. In the present embodiment, during normal TV viewing, each of the keys of the remote controller 19-11 has nine broadcasting services selected by the user as set in advance or analyzed by analyzing the viewing history as shown in FIG. ”To“ 9 ”key, and when the remote control key is pressed, the service is directly selected. A process for moving to the menu display is assigned to the “*” key, and a process for recording setting is assigned to the “#” key.

  Here, when the user presses the “#” key (recording) and tries to set the recording, the display shown in FIG. 32 is performed by the microcomputer 19-7.

  FIG. 32A shows a screen immediately after the “#” (recording) key is pressed, where the user designates an action. At this time, the microcomputer 19-7 assigns three action items to the keys "1", "2", and "3". When the user selects one of them, the item of the AV device that can execute the action is assigned below, that is, “4”, “5”, “6” (FIG. 32B). When the user selects an AV device, the recording location conditions corresponding to the media of the device are further assigned to “7”, “8”, and “9” (FIG. 32 (c)). Then, by selecting the recording location condition, for example, the video recording reservation for the next week broadcast of the currently viewed program is completed.

  In this embodiment, since the function is directly assigned to the remote control key of the TV receiver, the recording setting can be completed by only three button operations after the recording key is first pressed.

  In general, when processing is directly assigned to each remote control key as in the present embodiment, a button press error is likely to occur when an unfamiliar user operates, but in this embodiment, the recording setting shown in FIG. For settings that require several procedures, even if the button is pressed incorrectly, if the correct key is pressed thereafter, the settings up to that point can be canceled and the setting procedure can proceed immediately. For example, even if the VCR1 key is pressed by mistake in the case of DVD1 in FIG. 32 (b), the display content is immediately switched by immediately pressing the DVD1 key (that is, the “5” key), depending on the DVD1 media. Recorded recording conditions are displayed. The above operation sequence is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 32, the operation means is advanced in the column (vertical) direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation means may be advanced in the row (horizontal) direction.

<Transition to cursor mode>
In the present embodiment, in addition to the “dynamic mode” interface that dynamically assigns various functions and processes described so far to the remote control keys, the “cursor mode” interface based on a combination of a cursor and a determination key that has been generally used conventionally. And can be selected on the setting screen. FIG. 34A shows an example of the setting screen. Switching from the “dynamic mode” to the “cursor mode” is possible by pressing the “1” key on the setting screen. FIG. 34B shows an example of the setting screen after the cursor mode is set. In this case, the remote control keys “2”, “4”, “6”, “8” are assigned fixedly to the up / down / left / right cursor movement processing, and the “5” key is fixedly assigned to the “dynamic mode”. To return, press the “2”, “4”, “6”, “8” keys to bring the cursor to the “cursor mode” icon and press “5” to make the decision.

  In the embodiments described above, the display unit is incorporated in the television receiver. However, according to the essence of the present invention, the set top box is not limited to this and has no display unit. However, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained. In addition, the electronic device other than the television receiver can be similarly implemented by performing user interface control.

  Also, in this embodiment, the description has been made using IEEE 1394 as the basic technology of the network. However, this is not limited to the essence of the present invention, and the same bus system or network system is the same. Obviously.

  As described above, according to the user interface control device of the present embodiment, various operations in the home network environment can be realized without increasing the number of remote control keys when the remote control of the TV receiver is used. In addition, processing can be performed very quickly. In particular, the number of times the key is pressed can be greatly reduced compared to a user interface using a combination of a cursor key and a determination key.

  Also in the conventional proposal, a method for dynamically assigning functions to remote control keys as in this embodiment has been proposed, but in this embodiment, the number of remote control keys is more than the number of functions. Even if there are few, it can respond, and furthermore, it is possible to assign a key reflecting the device configuration and resources on the home network. In addition, there are many merits such as processing that requires many procedures such as recording reservation can be performed in a very short time.

Claims (11)

An electronic device that provides a user interface using a remote controller having a plurality of operation means arranged in a matrix ,
Receiving means for receiving a signal from the remote controller;
Guide information generation means for generating guide information having a plurality of display elements arranged to correspond to the plurality of operation means, wherein the number of items allocated to the plurality of operation means and the plurality of operation means The guide information generating means for determining how many of the guide information are to be generated based on the number of operation means included;
Display control means for controlling the one or more guide information generated by the guide information generating means to be displayed on the display means;
An electronic device comprising: When the receiving unit receives a signal corresponding to one of the plurality of operation units, and when one of a plurality of items is assigned to one of the plurality of operation units, the plurality of operation units The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that causes the electronic device to perform an operation corresponding to an item assigned to one of the electronic devices. The guide information generation unit generates one guide information when the number of items assigned to the plurality of operation units is smaller than the number of operation units included in the plurality of operation units. Item 3. The electronic device according to Item 1 or 2. The guide information generation unit generates a plurality of the guide information when the number of items assigned to the plurality of operation units is larger than the number of operation units included in the plurality of operation units. Item 4. The electronic device according to any one of Items 1 to 3. When the number of items assigned to the plurality of operation means is larger than the number of operation means included in the plurality of operation means, the display control means displays the plurality of guide information on the same screen. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is controlled as follows. 6. The display element to which a predetermined item of the plurality of display elements is not assigned is displayed so that an image positioned behind the guide information can be seen through. 6. The electronic device of Claim 1. The plurality of guide information is displayed on the display means, and information indicating which guide information of the plurality of guide information is operable is displayed on the display means. The electronic device according to any one of 1 to 6. The said remote controller has an operation means for moving the information which shows which operation by which guide information is possible among the said several guide information is characterized by the above-mentioned. Electronic equipment. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of operation units include a plurality of operation units for inputting numbers. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of operation units include a plurality of operation units for inputting a symbol. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the electronic device is a television receiver.

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