JPH02217023A - Channel selector with learning function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for executing reserving operation, to effectively extract a channel transfer inclination by means of small storage capacity and to attain automatic channel selection by comparing current channel selection data with channel selection data stored in a storage means, and only at the time of making coincident in both the data, storing the data in the storage means as channel selection data with high using frequency. CONSTITUTION:The title device is provided with the 1st and 2nd storage means A(m), B(m) for storing channel selection data, current channel selection data outputted from a selection means 31 are compared with selection data stored in the 1st storage means A(m), and only at the time of obtaining a coincident output, the channel selection data in a 1st storage means A(m) in the block area of a 2nd storage means B(m) as channel selection data with high using frequency. At the time of obtaining a discrepancy output, the current channel selection data are stored in the block area of the 1st storage means A(m) as the channel selection data obtained before one period. Consequently, the channel selection data to be frequently selected are gradually stored.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to, for example, an automatic channel selection device for a television receiver, and is capable of automatically selecting frequently selected channels. This article relates to a channel selection device with a learning function.

(Prior Art) Recently, a television receiver with an automatic channel selection function has been developed that uses a central processing unit (hereinafter abbreviated as CPU) to perform various controls such as channel selection processing.

FIG. 5 shows a channel selection control circuit for this type of television receiver.

First, consider a case where a viewer switches channels. The viewer inputs a channel designation using an input device 11 such as a keyboard. The input channel designation information is input to a CPU (central processing unit) 12.

Connected to the CPU 12 are a program ROM (read only memory) 13, a working RAM (random access memory) 14, and a data storage RAM 15.

The program ROM 13 stores control programs for various processes performed by the CPU 12, and also stores a work R
AM14 is used as a work area of CPU12. The data storage RAM 15 stores a pair of band and digital tuning voltage data (hereinafter referred to as channel selection data) for each channel.

Now, based on the input channel designation information, the CPU 12 reads out the channel selection data for that channel from the data storage RAM 15. And CPUI 2 is
Among the read channel selection data, the band data is latched by the band hold latch circuit 16, and the read digital tuning voltage is latched by the digital tuning voltage hold circuit 17. The digital tuning voltage latched by the latch circuit 17 is supplied to the D/A converter 18, where it is converted into an analog tuning voltage and then supplied to the electronic tuner 9.

Next, the electronic tuner 9 will be explained. The high frequency is introduced into the electronic tuner 9 through the antenna 20. The electronic tuner 9 needs to select its internal circuit from three types: VHF low band reception, VHF high band reception, and UHF reception, depending on the frequency band of the channel to be selected.

The reception band of the electronic tuner 9 is determined by the output of the band hold latch circuit 16, and the reception channel is determined by the tuning voltage from the D/A converter. The electronic tuner 9 performs tuning by changing the internal local oscillation frequency based on this analog tuning voltage. Then, a desired intermediate frequency is obtained as the output of the electronic tuner 9.

Furthermore, a clock circuit 21 is connected to the CPU 12 so that the CPU 12 can determine the time.

If the CPU 12 is enabled to judge the time, the VTR
As shown in the above, this receiving system is capable of channel reservation processing. First, the viewer inputs the day of the week, time, and channel in advance from the input device 11, and the input information is stored in the data storage RAM 15 via the CPU 12. Then, the CPU
I2 compares the current day of the week and time obtained from the clock circuit 21 with the reserved day of the week and time input earlier, and if the two match, it automatically switches to the channel input earlier. be.

By the way, if the CPU 12 were to be able to determine the time, it would be possible to implement an automatic channel selection process that would automatically select the channel desired by the viewer without having to perform input operations for reservation each time. . For example, viewers
On the same day of the week and at the same time, one week is one cycle.
There is a particularly strong tendency to select the same channel.

Therefore, the channel transition layer with one week as one cycle can be stored in the data storage RAM 15, and the channel transition trend with one week as one cycle is determined based on the past channel transition layer. It may be possible to create a system that selects channels based on the following.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, when trying to realize the above functions,
There are the following problems. ■The algorithm for determining channel transition trends becomes complicated.

- In determining channel transition trends, it is necessary to accumulate past channel transition layers, which requires a large amount of storage capacity. ■It is difficult to respond to special programs, sports broadcasts, etc. that have irregular broadcast times. ■Depending on the algorithm, it can become difficult to use.

Therefore, the present invention eliminates the need for reservation operations and can perform automatic tuning by extracting channel transition trends well with a small storage capacity, and is more selective than receivers that do not perform automatic tuning processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tuning device with a learning function that can reliably reduce the number of station operations.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a read address corresponding to one time data to a storage means that stores channel selection data in a plurality of block areas, and reads the read channel selection data. When performing temporal address control in a tuning control device that supplies data to a tuner, it is formatted so that the passage of time is divided periodically, and each period is further divided into M (integer) blocks, and at least Above M
M block areas corresponding to blocks are provided as areas corresponding to the passage of time, and first and second storage means capable of storing channel selection data are provided in each block area. and a timer means for generating a read address in accordance with the passage of time, and an automatic readout device for giving the read address to the second storage means and reading out channel selection data of a block area corresponding to one hour as frequently used data. a manual input means for generating tuning data according to manual operation; and a manual input means for generating tuning data from either the automatic reading means or the manual input means to the tuner according to the selection between automatic mode and manual mode. and comparing means for comparing the current channel selection data outputted from the selection means with the channel selection data of temporally corresponding block areas of the first storage means. Furthermore, only when this comparison means obtains a matching output, the channel selection data of the temporally corresponding block area of the first storage means is transferred to the corresponding block area of the second storage means that has a high frequency of use. If the first updating means for storing the channel selection data and the comparison means obtain inconsistent outputs, the current channel selection data is stored in the temporally corresponding block area of the first storage means for the selection one cycle before. and a second updating means for storing it as station data.

(Function) By the above means, frequently viewed channels are automatically received using the channel selection data from the second storage means,
In addition, if the reception channel is forcibly changed by the manual, the selection data of the changed channel is stored in the first storage means, and the next time the channel is selected,
This is used as a determining factor for determining whether or not to update the channel selection data in the first storage means. As a result, the second storage means gradually stores tuning data of channels that are frequently selected.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The basic configuration of a receiving system to which the apparatus of the present invention is applied is as shown in FIG.

This invention differs in the configuration of the control device corresponding to the CPU 12 in FIG.

The control device will be described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG. To simplify the explanation, one period of time elapsed is assumed to be one week, and the time is expressed as time m (1≦n≦M), which is obtained by dividing one week into M blocks.
Proceed with the explanation below.

First, as a preparation, the first storage area A(m) (m; 1≦m≦M) is created in order to store the channels actually selected for the past week as described above, and the processing described later is performed. A second storage area B (m) (m; 1≦m≦M
) are secured in the data storage RAM. Further, in realizing the present invention, the control device and the clock circuit must be constantly operating, and will be explained as being separate from the power supply of the television receiver main body.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control device when the television receiver main body is powered on, for example, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control device when the power is turned off. As for the current situation, the main body of the television receiver is powered off at time m1, and the explanation begins at the time when the power is turned on from the manual input device. On the flowchart, from step S14 in FIG.
Move to. Terminal T1 is common to terminal T1 in FIG. The explanation will be given below with reference to FIG.

First, the control device turns on the power of the television receiver main body in step S1, and proceeds to step S2. In step S2, time m is updated, and the process proceeds to step S3. Here, as the tuning mode, there is an automatic tuning mode in which automatic tuning is performed based on the tuning button stored in the second storage area B (m), and a manual tuning mode in which automatic tuning is not performed. Yes, the automatic channel selection mode is set in step S3.

Next, the process proceeds to step S4, where the parameter T representing the time is
Assign time m to . This is because when accessing each storage area, the block area corresponding to time m is accessed. In the next step S5, it is determined whether or not the mode is the automatic channel selection mode. In this case, since the automatic channel selection mode is set, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the reception channel of the tuner is set to B (T) based on the tuning data. In this way, when the power is turned on, a channel that is often selected is always selected.

Next, the process advances to step S7 to determine the key strength of the manual input device. If there is no key human power, step S8
The process advances to step S9 to update the time m, and then advances to step S9.

In step S9, it is determined whether or not the time has changed. If the time has not changed, the process returns to step S7, and if the time has changed, the process proceeds to step SIO.

Therefore, step S7. S8. In the loop of S9 to S7, the receiving state is set using the frequently used channel selection data stored in the second storage area B (m).

The process in step S10 is an important step in realizing the present invention. First, the current tuning data of the currently tuned channel is compared with the tuning data of channel A (T) at the same time one week ago. As a result of this comparison, only if the channel selection data of the currently selected channel and the channel selection data of the first storage area A (m) match, the channel selection data of the currently selected channel is stored in the second storage area B (m). ) is substituted, and the tuning data in the first storage area A(m) is not changed. In other words, A of the first storage area A (m)
The channel selection data corresponding to (T) is stored in the second storage area B (
An update is performed by writing to the block corresponding to B (T) in m).

Next, as a result of the above comparison, the current selection data of the currently selected channel and A (T
) does not match the channel selection data for B (T) in the second storage area B (m), and leave the tuning data for B (T) in the first storage area A (m) as is. The current tuning data of the currently tuned channel is written into the block corresponding to . As a result, at the same time in the next week, the channel selection data received one week ago will be stored in the first storage area A (m).

As a result, if the tuning data of the selected channel and the tuning data of the first storage area A (m) match at the same time in the next week, the tuning data of the first storage area A (m) The corresponding channel selection data is written to the corresponding block of the second storage area B (m), and the channel selection data of the channel selected for two consecutive weeks is stored in the second storage area B (m). That will happen.

FIG. 3 shows channel A (T
), B (T) shows a specific pattern of update rules for channel selection data. This pattern will be explained further later.

When the process of step SIO is finished, the process returns to step S4, updates the parameter T representing the time, and continues the same process as described above.

On the other hand, consider a case where, in step S7, the viewer specifies reception tuning data of a channel different from the reception channel according to the tuning data from the second storage area B(m) using the manual input device. In this case, the process proceeds from step S7 to step S11. Step S11
Then, the mode is set to manual channel selection mode, and the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the tuner is set to a reception channel based on the channel selection data specified by the input device, and the process proceeds to step S8. The processes of step S8, step S9, step S10, and step S4 are performed in exactly the same manner as in the automatic channel selection mode described above. However, in this manual mode, when proceeding to step S5, the mode is not automatic channel selection mode, so step S6
Automatic tuning of channel B (T) using the tuning data in the second storage area B (m) is not performed as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in order to return from the manual channel selection mode to the automatic channel selection mode, an input to return to the automatic channel selection mode is made from the input device in step S7. Then, the process returns from step S7 to step S3, and the automatic channel selection mode can be returned again.

Next, consider when the power is off. First, in step S7, when there is an input from the input device to turn off the power of the television receiver body, the process proceeds from step S7 to terminal T2. Terminal T2 in FIG. 1 is common to terminal T2 in FIG. 2. The explanation will be given below with reference to FIG.

First, the control device turns off the power of the television receiver body in step S13, and proceeds to step S14. In step S14, a wait is made for a power-on input from the input device. During this time, no update of the channel selection data is performed. Then, when the control device receives an input to turn on the power again, the processing from the terminal T1 described above is executed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where one week is divided into M divisions as a unit of time has been explained, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to consider a case where one month is divided into M divisions. Each determined periodic period is further divided into M divisions.

FIG. 3 shows channel A (T
), B (T) shows the specific update rules for the channel selection data.

As shown in the figure, there are five update patterns, and through this process, the second storage area B(m) stores the tuning data of channels that are often tuned.

In patterns 1 and 4, the tuning data of the currently tuned channel (read out from the second storage area or given to the tuner from the input device)
and the channel selection data stored correspondingly in the first storage area are the same (X-X, X-Y). At this time, the channel selection data of the corresponding block of the first storage area is stored in the corresponding block of the second storage area.

In patterns 2 and 3.5, the tuning data of the currently selected channel (read out from the second storage area,
Alternatively, the channel selection data stored in correspondence with the first storage area may differ from the channel selection data provided to the tuner from the input device.

At this time, the current tuning data is written to the corresponding block in the first storage area, and the tuning data in the second storage area is not changed.

Although the present invention can be implemented using software in a microcomputer, it can also be implemented using dedicated hardware.

FIG. 4 shows a basic example of the hardware of this invention.

The selection circuit 31 selects the input device 11 or the second storage area B.
(m) is selectively derived, and a tuning voltage and a band switching signal based on this are provided to the tuner 19. In this case, when the selection circuit 31 receives the tuning data from the input device 11, it supplies this to the tuner 19 as the current tuning data.

Now, the time information for selecting the channel is from the clock circuit 21.
When given to the sequencer 35 from
Decoded by the sequencer 35 and sent to the address generator 3
6. Then, the address generator 36 generates an address corresponding to the time information and supplies it to the first and second storage areas A (m) and B (m). The channel selection data in the second storage area B (m) is supplied to the selection circuit 31 . As a result, channel selection is performed based on the frequently used channel selection data stored in the second storage area B (m).

Next, the current channel selection data is compared in the comparator 32 with the corresponding channel selection data in the first storage area A (m). Here, when a coincidence output is obtained from the comparator 32, the first update circuit 33 transfers the data corresponding to the current channel selection data stored in the first storage area A(m) to the second storage area A(m). Write to the corresponding block area of area B (m). The same applies when channel selection data is provided from the input device 11 and a matching output is obtained from the comparator 32.

Next, when a mismatch output is obtained from the comparator 32, the second update circuit 34 operates. The second update circuit 34 is
The current station selection data is stored in the corresponding block area of the second storage area A (m).

The above data processing steps are controlled by a sequencer 35. Therefore, the sequencer 35 has the input device 1.
The configuration is such that a timing pulse is also given when channel selection data is output from 1.

Although the above embodiment has been described as an automatic channel selection device for a television receiver, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to receivers in general.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, there is provided a receiver that can satisfactorily extract channel transition trends and perform automatic tuning with a small memory capacity, and that does not perform automatic tuning processing. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a tuning device with a learning function that can reliably reduce the number of tuning operations.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are flowcharts for explaining the present invention, FIG. 3 is a data update rule diagram for explaining the present invention, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a channel selection processing control circuit of a television receiver. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Input device, 12... CPU, 13... Program ROM, 14... RAM for work, 15...
RAM for data storage, 19...Electronic tuner, 21.
...Clock circuit. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] In a tuning control device, a readout address corresponding to time data is given to a storage means storing tuning data in a plurality of block areas, respectively, and the read tuning data is given to a tuner. When performing address control, the passage of time is divided into periods, and each period is divided into M
(Integer) It is formatted to be divided into blocks, has at least M block areas corresponding to the above M blocks as areas corresponding to the passage of time, and can store channel selection data in each block area. 1st and 2nd
a timer means that generates a read address in accordance with the passage of time; and a timer means that provides the read address to the second memory means and stores the channel selection data of the temporally corresponding block area as frequently used data. automatic reading means for reading out; manual input means for generating channel selection data according to manual operations; and either one of the automatic reading means or the manual input means for generating channel selection data depending on the selection between automatic mode and manual mode. a selection means for supplying said tuner with said selection means; a comparison means for comparing the current tuning data outputted from said selection means with said tuning data of a temporally corresponding block area of said first storage means; and said comparison means. only when a matching output is obtained, the channel selection data of the temporally corresponding block area of the first storage means is stored as frequently used channel selection data in the corresponding block area of the second storage means. and when the comparing means obtains a mismatch output, storing the current channel selection data in a temporally corresponding block area of the first storage means as channel selection data from one cycle before. A channel selection device with a learning function, characterized in that it comprises a second updating means.