JPH0676410A - Program reservation control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely perform a video recording by actuating the tuner connected with an external terminal at the time of executing a reserved video recording by automatically selecting either one of the tuner of a VTR and the tuner connected with the external terminal based on the reserved information at the time of executing the reserved video recording. CONSTITUTION:When the selection station channel corresponding to a guide channel is the selection station using a CATV converter 18, an external input setting (AUX) button 1e is operated. As a result, the AUX is set so as to switch a switch circuit 19 to the CATV converter 18 of a (b) side and it is stored in a correlation table memory 10. When the reservation information read from a reservation memory 4 in a reserved video recording standby state and the actual time from a clock circuit 11 coincide after a program reservation mode is terminated, a microcomputer judges the presence or absence of the AUX setting. Then, by a reservation execution circuit 12, the switch circuit 19 is switched to a first tuner 17 or the converter 18. Therefore, The video recording of a desired channel can be surely performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program reservation control apparatus for reservation control of a video tape recorder (hereinafter abbreviated as VTR) and the like, and particularly to a first tuner and an external input corresponding to an analyzed guide channel. Second connected to the terminal
The present invention relates to a program reservation control circuit that selects any one of tuners.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A program reservation system called "VCR PULS"("VideoPlus" in Japan) has been recently realized in the United States as a reservation method for recording a broadcast program on a VTR.

This VCR / PLUS system is used for newspapers,
By inputting a code (hereinafter referred to as VCR / PLUS code, which is composed of 1 to 9 digits) published for each program of a broadcast program such as a magazine into a dedicated decoder, Decode to reservation information such as guide channel, broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time,
This is a system for controlling reservation recording based on this reservation information (see Denpa Shimbun, February 13, 1992, Part 2, Electronics Special Issue, No. 567, pages 29 to 30).

FIG. 5 shows a conventional VTR adopting the VCR / PLUS system. 1 is the reservation setting button 1
a, a comparison table creation button 1b, an enter button 1c, a ten-key button 1d (note that the ten-key button is a number from 0 to 9) and the like, 2 is an input VC
It is a VCR / PLUS decoder which decodes the R / PLUS code into reservation information such as a guide channel, broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time. Here, the guide channel is when the VCR / PLUS code is created,
It is a channel number assigned to each broadcasting station, and does not necessarily match the reception channel or position (location where channel selection information is stored) number in the VTR on the user side. (The receiving channel or position number in the VTR is hereinafter abbreviated as a channel selection.) 3 checks whether or not the decoded reservation information can be executed (for example, whether or not it is duplicated with other reservation information). Reservation control circuit, 4 is a reservation memory for storing reservation information, 5
Is a display control circuit for controlling display of reservation information, and 6 is an LCD
And the like.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a guide channel input circuit that receives an input of a guide channel when the comparison table preparation button 1b of the input circuit 1 is operated, and reference numeral 8 also shows a channel selection channel when the comparison table preparation button 1b is operated. It is a channel selection channel input circuit that receives an input. Reference numeral 9 is a comparison table control circuit for creating a channel selected corresponding to the guide channel, and 10 is a comparison table memory for storing the created comparison table. Here, the comparison table control circuit 9 reads the comparison table from the comparison table memory 10 when the guide channel is input from the reservation information decoded by the VCR / PLUS decoder 2, and automatically selects the selected channel corresponding to the guide channel. To the reservation control circuit 3. The comparison table control circuit 9 creates the comparison table because the guide channel does not match the channel selection channel as described above.

Reference numeral 11 is a clock circuit, and reference numeral 12 is a reservation execution circuit for comparing the reservation information from the reservation memory 4 with the real-time information from the clock circuit 11 and controlling the first channel selection circuit 13 and the system controller 14 when they match. , 15 are antennas, 1
6 is a distributor, 17 is a first tuner built in the VTR,
Reference numeral 18 is a CATV converter, 21 is an external input terminal to which the output signal of the CATV converter 18 is connected, 19 is a switching circuit for switching between the second tuner signal and the first tuner signal input from the external input terminal, and 20 is a recording circuit. is there.
The CATV converter 18 has an internal configuration including a second tuner 22, a second channel selection circuit 23, a descramble circuit 24, and a remote control signal reception control unit (not shown). The dotted line part is composed of a microcomputer, and the one-dotted line part is the VTR.
Shows the body.

The operation will be described here. First, in order to match the guide channel with the selected channel, it is necessary to prepare a comparison table. FIG. 6a shows a flowchart for creating the comparison table. To create a comparison table, the comparison table creation button 1b of the input circuit 1 is operated to enter the comparison table creation mode (step S1). Then, check the guide channel and the corresponding broadcasting station name published in newspapers, magazines, etc., enter the guide channel with the ten key button 1d (step S2), and then select the selected channel with the ten key button 1d. Input (step S3). When the guide channel and the selected channel are correct, the confirm button 1c is operated (step S4). As a result, a comparison table is created and stored in the comparison table memory 10 (step S5). The above operation is repeated for broadcasting stations that can be received in the area. Incidentally, FIG. 6b shows the display state of the display unit 6 when the channel selection channel is input in step S3.
This makes it possible to confirm whether the guide channel and the channel selection channel have been set correctly.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of program reservation control. When making a reservation setting for a desired broadcast program, the input circuit 1
The reservation setting button 1a is operated to enter the program reservation mode (step S10). Then, the VCR / PLUS code published in newspapers, magazines, etc. is input with the ten-key button 1d (step S11). Input VCR / PLU
The S code is decoded by the VCR / PLUS decoder 2 into reservation information for the guide channel, broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time (step S12). Of the decoded reservation information, only the guide channel is supplied to the comparison table control circuit 9, and the selected channel is searched based on the comparison table read from the comparison table memory 10 (step S13). As a result, the searched channel selection is supplied to the reservation control circuit 3 (step S14), and the VC
Based on the broadcast date, start time, end time, or recording time reservation information decoded by the R / PLUS decoder 2, it is checked whether or not the program can be executed (step S15).
If there is no error, the reservation information including the selected channel is stored in the reservation memory 4 (step S16). This ends the program reservation mode. Since the reservation memory 4 can store a plurality of pieces of reservation information, the above-mentioned program reservation can be repeated several times.

Then, the reservation execution circuit 12 causes the reservation memory 4
The earliest broadcast date and start time of the reservation information stored in 1 are read out and compared with the real time from the clock circuit 11.
If the comparison results match, the reservation execution circuit 12 determines the first
The channel selection circuit 13 is operated to control the first tuner 17 so as to receive the reserved broadcast program, and the system controller 14 is also operated to set the recording circuit 20 to the recording state and start recording. As a result, the desired broadcast program reserved can be recorded. At this time, the switching circuit 19
Are pre-switched to select the first tuner signal in the VTR body.

[0010]

However, in the above program reservation system, when the switching circuit 19 is switched to select the first tuner (a side) in the VTR main body, for example, the second circuit of the CATV converter 18 is selected. When the reserved recording for selecting the tuner is to be executed, the switching circuit 19 is set to the first
Since the tuner (a side) is still selected, there is a problem that the desired broadcast program to be recorded cannot be recorded.
Further, in the program reservation system, there is a problem that the power supply circuit of the second tuner 22 connected to the external input terminal has to be turned on until recording is performed, and power consumption cannot be reduced. Further, there is a problem that the second tuner 22 cannot be tuned to a desired channel when the reserved recording is executed.

The present invention particularly provides a program reservation control device for operating a second tuner connected to an external input terminal of a VTR at the time of execution of reserved recording and for selecting a desired channel to be surely recorded. The purpose is to

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, in a program control device of the present invention, a first tuner, a second tuner connected to an external input terminal, and a first tuner are provided.
Switching means for switching the tuner signal selected by the tuner and the tuner signal selected by the second tuner, input means for inputting a specific code designated in advance for each broadcast program, and the input code Decoding means for decoding information such as a guide channel, broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time, and among the information decoded by this decoding means, a channel selected based on the guide channel and the first tuner or the first tuner Two
Judgment means for deciding which of the tuners to control,
A program reservation control device comprising a storage means for storing information such as the decoded broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time together with the judgment result of the judgment means, wherein the first tuner signal is generated when the reserved recording is executed. When it is determined that the second tuner signal is to be recorded, the first tuner is selected based on the stored tuning channel, the switching means is switched to the first tuner signal, and the second tuner signal is recorded, the remote controller is selected. A power-on command for the second tuner and the stored tuning channel are supplied to the roller, and the switching means is set to the second.
This is a configuration including control means for switching to a tuner signal.

[0013]

According to the above configuration, when the reserved recording is executed, it is automatically determined whether the second tuner (b side) or the first tuner (a side) is selected based on the reservation information, and the switching is performed. Since the means is controlled, the recording is surely performed.

When it is determined that the second tuner signal is to be recorded, a power-on command for the second tuner and channel selection information are supplied to the remote controller, and the remote controller controls the second tuner. The second tuner operates only at the time of execution, and a desired channel can be selected and recording can be surely performed.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

1 is different from the conventional configuration of FIG. 5 in that an external input setting (AUX) button 1e is added to the input circuit 1 so that the switching circuit 19 can be switched and controlled by the reservation execution circuit 12. And the control output terminal 29 on the VTR body.
The remote controller 31 is provided with the control input terminal 30, the control lines are connected as shown by the two-dot diagonal lines, and the discrimination circuit 36 is added in the remote controller 31. The details will be described below.

First, 31 indicates a remote controller,
32 is a key matrix in which operation keys for controlling the CATV converter 18, VTR, etc. are arranged, 33 is an encoder that generates a code signal according to the operation of the operation keys, 34 is a modulation circuit that modulates the encoder output into a remote control signal, Reference numeral 35 is a diode that emits infrared rays and is controlled by a remote control signal. Reference numeral 36 denotes a discriminating circuit added in the present invention, and when the reserved recording is executed, it discriminates the arrival of a power-on command for selecting the second tuner and the arrival of channel selection channel information as will be described later. Supply power-on command and channel selection. This causes the encoder 33 to
The power-on command signal of the V converter 18 and a code representing a channel selection signal are converted, and further modulated by the modulation circuit 34 into a remote control signal.
Sent by.

Reference numeral 25 is a photodiode arranged in the CATV converter 18 for receiving a remote control signal, 26 is a demodulation circuit for demodulating the remote control signal into a code signal, and 27 is a decoder for decoding the code signal, which corresponds to an operation key. Control is performed. A power supply circuit 28 supplies power to each circuit in the CATV converter 18.

Next, the operation of the program reservation control device of the present invention will be described.

First, a comparison table is prepared in order to match the guide channel with the channel selected as in the conventional case. FIG. 2 shows a flowchart for creating the correspondence table. However, the same step numbers are given to the same processes as in FIG. 6a. That is, check the guide channel and the corresponding broadcasting station name published in newspapers, magazines, etc., and press the numeric keypad 1
At d, enter the guide channel and tuning channel. After the confirmation setting, if the selected channel corresponding to the guide channel is the selected channel using the CATV converter 18, the external input setting (AUX) button 1e
Is operated (step S20). And AUX button 1
When e is operated, a comparison table is created and AUX is set so as to switch the switching circuit 19 to the second tuner signal (b) side and stored in the comparison table memory (step S21). On the other hand, when the AUX button 1e is not operated, only the comparison table is created and stored in the comparison table memory (step S22).

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of program reservation control. However, the same step numbers are given to the same processes as in FIG. 7. That is, the VCR / PLU of the broadcast program to be reserved and recorded.
The S code is input with the ten-key button 1d (step S11). Input VCR / PLUS code is VCR
・ Guide channel, broadcast date,
The reservation information such as the start time, end time or recording time is decoded (step S12). Of the decoded reservation information, only the guide channel is supplied to the comparison table control circuit 9, and the selected channel is searched based on the comparison table read from the comparison table memory 10 (step S13). Then, it is determined whether or not AUX is set (step S30), and A
If it is determined that there is a UX setting, the channel selection channel and information for switching to the second tuner signal (b) side are supplied to the reservation control circuit 3 (step S311).

On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no AUX setting, only the selected channel is supplied to the reservation control circuit 3 (step S32). As a result, the reservation control circuit 3 becomes V
Based on the broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time decoded by the CR / PLUS decoder 2 and the channel selected from the comparison table control circuit 9, it is checked whether or not it can be executed (step S15). For example, all the reservation information including the selected channel and the presence / absence of the AUX setting are stored in the reservation memory 4 together with the above-mentioned broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time (step S16).
This ends the program reservation mode.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of reserved recording execution control. In the reservation recording standby state, the earliest reservation information is read from the reservation memory 4 (step S40).
Then, the reservation information is compared with the real time from the clock circuit 11 (step S41), and when they match, the AU is continued.
The presence or absence of X setting is determined (step S42). Where A
If it is determined that there is no UX setting, the reservation execution circuit 12 switches the switching circuit 19 to the first tuner signal (a) side (step S43), and then activates the first channel selection circuit 13 in the VTR main body. The first tuner 17 is controlled to receive the reserved broadcast program, and the system controller 14 is also operated to set the recording circuit 20 in the recording state and start recording (step S44).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the AUX setting is present, the reservation execution circuit 12 switches the switching circuit 19 to the second tuner signal (b) side (step S45), and then the remote controller 31 is powered through the control line. Supply ON command and channel selection information. When the remote controller 31 determines this information by the determination circuit 36, it supplies the encoder 33 with the power-on command of the CATV converter 18 and the channel selection information. As a result, the remote controller 31 transmits to the CATV converter 18 a power-on command for the CATV converter 18 and a remote control signal indicating the selected channel.

When the CATV converter 18 receives this remote control signal, the demodulation circuit 26 and the decoder 27 decode the code signal, decode that the power-on command and channel selection information have been transmitted, and the power supply circuit 28.
To supply power to each circuit and operate the second channel selection circuit 23 to control the second tuner 22 so as to receive the reserved broadcast program (step S46). Then, the system controller 14 is also operated to set the recording circuit 20 in the recording state and start recording (step S47).

Here, the reservation execution circuit 12 causes the CAT
Although the power-on command of the V converter 18 and the channel selection information are supplied, only the channel selection information is supplied, and the power-on command is generated by the discrimination circuit 36 and supplied to the encoder 33 together with the channel selection information. May be.
Further, the reservation execution circuit 1 is provided without providing the determination circuit 36.
It is also possible to directly control the encoder 33 by using 2. Further, the control line is freely attachable / detachable, and in the case of the present embodiment, it is connected when it is desired to perform reserved recording.

Further, at the time of reserved recording, the remote controller 31 uses the photodiode 25 of the CATV converter 18.
It is necessary to set it in the direction of.

Thus, it is determined whether the switching circuit 19 should be switched to the second tuner signal side or the first tuner signal side based on the reservation information, and the remote controller further supplies the power and tunes to the second tuner. Since the channels are controlled, the power consumption of the second tuner can be reduced and the desired channels can be surely recorded.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the reserved recording is executed, it is automatically selected whether the second tuner (b side) or the first tuner (a side) is selected based on the reservation information. Therefore, the recording is surely performed because the switching circuit is controlled.

When the reservation execution circuit determines that the second tuner signal is to be recorded, the remote controller is supplied with the power-on command of the second tuner and the channel selection information, and the second tuner outputs the remote control signal. Since the second tuner operates for the first time when the reserved recording is executed, the power consumption can be reduced, and the desired channel can be selected and the recording can be surely performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow chart showing creation of a comparison table of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flowchart showing program reservation control of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart showing reservation execution control of the present invention.

FIG. 5: V adopting the conventional VCR / PLUS system
It is a block diagram which shows TR.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow chart showing a conventional comparison table and a display state.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing conventional program reservation control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 input circuit (input means) 3 reservation control circuit 4 reservation memory 8 channel selection / AUX input circuit 9 comparison table control circuit (determination means) 10 comparison table memory (storage means) 12 reservation execution circuit 13 first selection circuit 17 First tuner 18 CATV converter 19 Switching circuit (switching means) 21 External input terminal 22 Second tuner 23 Second channel selection circuit 28 Power supply circuit 31 Remote controller 36 Discrimination circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first tuner, a second tuner connected to an external input terminal, switching means for switching between a tuner signal selected by the first tuner and a tuner signal selected by the second tuner. Input means for inputting a specific code designated in advance for each broadcast program, decoding means for decoding the input code into information such as a guide channel, broadcast date, start time, end time or recording time, and the decoding Of the information decoded by the means, a judging means for judging whether to control the channel selected and the first tuner or the second tuner based on the guide channel, and the decoded broadcast together with the judgment result of the judging means. A program reservation control device comprising storage means for storing information such as date, start time, end time or recording time, When it is determined that the first tuner signal is to be recorded during execution of recording, the first tuner is tuned based on the stored tuning channel, the switching means is switched to the first tuner signal, and the second tuner signal is switched to the second tuner signal. When it is determined that the tuner signal is to be recorded, the remote controller is provided with control means for supplying a power-on command of the second tuner and the stored tuning channel to switch the switching means to the second tuner signal. Program reservation control device.