JPH0746521A - AV equipment and cards - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To expand the functions of electronic devices at low cost and in a small space. [Structure] A video cassette recorder (VCR) 7 is provided with a slot 6, and a card 13 is mounted in the slot 6. The card 13 stores a program for expanding the function of the VCR 7. Transmission and reception of signals between the VCR 7 and the card 13 are performed by the LED 16 and the phototransistor 17
Is done optically using.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an AV device and a card suitable for use in expanding the function of a video cassette recorder (VCR), for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various audio and video-related devices such as VCRs (hereinafter referred to as AV devices) are provided with circuits corresponding to the various functions so that they can be realized. A device capable of realizing all of the respective functions needs to incorporate as many circuits as that, so that the configuration becomes complicated and the cost becomes high.

Therefore, a lower cost device is often prepared separately by simplifying the built-in circuit so that only limited functions can be realized. However, even in a device that can realize only such limited functions, there are cases where it is desired to expand the functions thereafter. For such a case, a device having only a limited function is usually designed to be able to add a new function by connecting a commercially available adapter with a cord.

For example, a cheaper VCR or a television receiver usually does not have a circuit (decoder) for decoding pay broadcasting of the fifth channel of satellite broadcasting. If the user wants to listen to the pay broadcast of this channel, he / she purchases a decoder separately,
Connect with a cord to a CR or a television receiver. As a result, it becomes possible to view the pay broadcast.

[0005]

Since the conventional device is constructed in such a manner that another device for even a slight expansion of function is purchased and connected with a cord, the new device is newly added. When trying to expand the function, it is necessary to secure a space for the added device each time, which is inconvenient. Further, as a result, there is a problem that the cost becomes high.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to make it possible to easily and inexpensively expand a function in a space-saving manner.

[0007]

According to the AV apparatus of claim 1, a card (for example, the card 13 in FIG. 2) for expanding the function can be attached and detached relatively easily from the outside. For example, slot 6 in FIG. 2)
And a signal transmitting / receiving unit (for example, the LED in FIG. 3) for optically transmitting / receiving a signal to / from a card mounted on the attaching / detaching unit
21 and the phototransistor 22) and an expansion unit (for example, the CPU 5 in FIG. 4) that expands the function in response to a signal read from the card mounted in the mounting / demounting unit.
3) and are provided.

In the AV equipment according to the second aspect, a card for expanding the function can be attached and detached relatively easily from the outside (for example, the slot 6 in FIG. 2).
Receiving the scrambled transmission signal and outputting it to the card in order to descramble it (for example, the BS tuner 46 in FIG. 4) and the data output from the card attached to the attaching / detaching means. Storage means for storing the scrambled signal (for example, R in FIG. 4)
AM 52).

The signal received by the BS tuner 46 can be a signal related to a program section of television broadcasting.

A card according to a sixth aspect is a card which is connected to an AV device and extends the function of the AV device (for example, FIG. 2).
Card 13), storage means (for example, ROM 75, RAM 76 in FIG. 5) for storing the card ID, function expansion program and data, and decoding means (for example, FIG. 5 in FIG. 5) for decoding data transmitted from the AV equipment. CPU 77) and the AV device to transmit signals (for example, LED1 in FIG. 5).
6. phototransistor 17).

[0011]

In the AV device according to the first aspect, the card 13 is mounted in the slot 6 and signals are optically transmitted and received. The CPU 53 executes a new function in response to the signal stored in the card 13. Therefore, it is possible to expand the function with a simple configuration, reliably, and in a space-saving manner.

In the AV device according to the second aspect, the card 13 is inserted into the slot 6, and the scrambled signal received by the BS tuner 46 corresponds to the signal stored in the card 13. Descrambled. Therefore, it is possible to extend the descrambling function with a simple structure and space saving.

In the card according to the sixth aspect, the AV
The data transmitted from the device via the phototransistor 17 is decoded by the CPU 77 and is transmitted to the AV device again via the LED 16 as necessary. Therefore, the decoding function can be omitted as a basic function of the AV device, and the configuration thereof can be simplified.

[0014]

[Embodiment] Next, a card that provides a function for easily realizing recording reservation by receiving and decoding information of a television program section multiplexed and transmitted in an independent data section in a satellite broadcasting format is provided. An embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the VCR is attached to the VCR and the function is newly added.

FIG. 1 shows a VCR as an AV device of the present invention.
It shows the configuration of the system with the element. The data of the TV program column for recording reservation is stored in the large-scale computer 1 for recording reservation database. This database is transmitted to the workstation 2 as needed.
It is not necessary to continuously broadcast the TV program section information, and it is sufficient to broadcast the TV program section information at a predetermined time within a day. The workstation 2 takes out the TV program column information from the large-scale computer 1 and transmits it to the broadcasting center 3 at the determined time.

In the broadcasting center 3, the TV program section information is set to B
It is multiplexed with the independent data part of the S data format and broadcast. The broadcast signal is received by the VCR 7 via the broadcast satellite (BS) 4 and the outdoor device 5. Then, it is output to the television receiver 8 and displayed. The VCR 7 is provided with a slot 6 in which a card 13 (FIG. 2) for function expansion can be mounted as required.

The TV program section information is scrambled. Further, the VCR 7 which is not expanded by the card 13 (the card 13 is not mounted) has a function by this card 13 (in this embodiment, a function for decoding a TV program section and easily realizing recording reservation). ) Is not installed, the user cannot obtain TV program section information without mounting the card 13 on the VCR 7. The user cannot receive this service without the card 13, so scrambling is not always necessary, but scrambling is performed in consideration of the case where the card is forged.

To obtain this service, the user needs to purchase the card 13 and install it in the VCR 7. Specifically, it is performed as shown in FIG. That is, there is a slot 6 on the back surface of the VCR 7, and the card 13 is mounted therein. Of course, the position of this slot 6 is in front of the VCR 7,
Although it may be provided on the side surface, for example, a structure in which the casing of the VCR 7 is removed and then mounted inside should be avoided because the mounting becomes troublesome. At least slot 6 is VCR 7
It is preferable that the card 13 is exposed to the outside and the card 13 can be relatively easily attached and detached from the outside.

Power supply terminals 14 and 15 are attached to the card 13. Further, an LED 16 and a phototransistor 17 are attached as an interface for performing communication between the VCR 7 and the card 13.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified state of the card 13 mounted in the slot 6 of the VCR 7. Card 13
Obtains power from the power supply terminals 14 and 15. Power supply terminals 23 and 24 are also attached to the VCR 7 side so as to come into contact with the power supply terminals 14 and 15. The power supply terminals 23 and 24 on the VCR side are attached to the substrate 25. That is, the card 13 is supplied with necessary electric power from the VCR 7 through the power supply terminals 23 and 24 which are in contact with the power supply terminals 14 and 15.

The phototransistor 17 on the card 13 side, the LED 21 on the VCR 7 side, and the LED on the card 13 side
16 and the phototransistor 22 on the VCR 7 side are mounted so as to face each other when the card 13 is mounted in the slot 6.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the internal structure of the VCR 7. The IF signal output from the outdoor device 5 is input to the BS tuner 46 and demodulated.
The output of the BS tuner 46 is supplied to the recording / playback circuit 41. The recording / playback circuit 41 also has a V (not shown).
The VHF video signal supplied from the HF tuner is input. The recording / reproducing circuit 41 records the input video signal on a built-in magnetic tape, and reproduces it when necessary. The video signal output from the recording / playback circuit 41 is output to, for example, the television receiver 8 via the switch 43.

The output of the BS tuner 46 is also supplied to the decoder 47 for decoding.
The output of the decoder 47 is the input / output interface (I /
O) 54 to the LED 21. As described with reference to FIG. 3, since the phototransistor 17 of the card 13 is arranged so as to face the LED 21, the light emitted from the LED 21 is incident on the phototransistor 17. There is. Further, the light emitted from the LED 16 of the card 13 enters the phototransistor 22, is converted into an electric signal, and is supplied to the CPU 53 via the I / O 54.

As described above, signals are sent and received between the card 13 and the VCR 7 by the LED 21 and the phototransistor 17.
In addition, since it is performed optically by using the LED 16 and the phototransistor 22, there is less risk of connection failure compared to the case of electrically performing, and the signal can be reliably transmitted.

The CPU 53 controls each part according to a program stored in the ROM 51 to execute a predetermined operation. For example, the BS tuner control circuit 45 is controlled by the CPU 53,
A control signal is output to the tuner 46 to receive a predetermined channel.

The RAM 52 stores not only data necessary for processing by the CPU 53, but also bit map data to be output and displayed on the television receiver 8. The bitmap data to be output and displayed on the television receiver 8 is R
The switch 43 is read out from the AM 52, supplied to the NTSC signal generation circuit 44, and converted into an NTSC signal.
Is supplied to the television receiver 8 via.

The timer circuit 65 constantly performs a time counting operation and gives time information to the CPU 53. The video output switching control circuit 50 is controlled by the CPU 53 and, for example, switches the switch 43 to the left side or the right side in the drawing when the timer circuit 65 measures a predetermined time.

When the timer circuit 65 reaches the preset recording reservation time, the recording reservation control circuit 42 displays the C
Under the control of the PU 53, the recording / reproducing circuit 41 is controlled to execute the recording operation. At this time, the power supply on / off control circuit 57 controls the power supply circuit 58 to turn on the power supply. The speaker 67 is driven, for example, when generating a warning sound.

The remote control receiving circuit 48 receives the infrared signal (remote control signal) output from the remote control 59, converts it into an electric signal, and outputs it to the command decoder 49. The command decoder 49 decodes the input remote control signal (command) and outputs it to the CPU 53.

In this embodiment, the remote controller 59 is
A cursor key 60 for moving the cursor up, down, left, and right, a program list key 63 operated when displaying a list of program columns to be described later, and an enlargement key 61 or contraction operated for enlarging or reducing the displayed TV program column. Key 6
2. It has a selection key 64 which is operated when selecting a displayed program.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the internal structure of the card 13. In this embodiment, the CPU 77 controls each unit according to the program stored in the ROM 75,
It is designed to execute a predetermined operation. RAM76
In the memory, data necessary for the operation of the CPU 77 is stored at any time. The scramble key generation circuit 74
The scramble key signal necessary for descrambling the scrambled signal received by the BS tuner 46 (FIG. 4) is generated.

The input / output interface (I / O) 71 is
The output of the phototransistor 17 that detects the light emitted from the LED 21 of the VCR 7 is supplied to the CPU 77, and the LED corresponding to the data supplied from the CPU 77.
16 is driven so that light is incident on the phototransistor 22 of the VCR 7.

FIG. 6 shows a signal format when a signal is sent from the VCR 7 to the card 13 and a signal format when a signal is sent from the card 13 to the VCR 7 on the contrary. In each case, 5 bytes are set as one unit. The first 1 byte (8 bits) is the header portion 81, and the remaining 4 bytes is the data portion 82.

Of the formats of signals transmitted from the VCR 7 to the card 13, the card ID request format 8
In No. 3, 0 is arranged in the header portion 81. Then, in the data section 82, dummy data (N / A) is arranged.

Program transfer request format 8
4, the header portion 81 is set to 1 and the data portion 82
N / A is located at. Furthermore, in the data format 85, the header part 81 is 2, and the data to be transmitted is arranged in the data part 82.

Of the formats of signals transmitted from the card 13 to the VCR 7, the status format 86 has its header portion 81 set to 0 and its data portion 8 set.
In the first 1 byte of 2, a flag 87 of 0 is arranged when an error occurs, and a flag 88 of 1 is arranged to indicate the end of transfer. The remaining 3 bytes are N / A.

In the ID format 89, the header portion 81 is 1, and the manufacturer code is arranged at the head of the data portion 82. And the remaining 3 of the data part 82
The ID is placed in the byte.

In the program format 90, 2 is arranged in the header part 81 and the program is arranged in the data part 82.

Further, 3 is arranged in the header portion 81 of the data format 91, and data is arranged in the data portion 82.

Next, the operation of the VCR 7 will be described.

The recognition of the VCR 7 card mounting is performed as follows. When the card is not mounted, the CPU 53 performs a normal VCR process by an interrupt that occurs at regular intervals. That is, for example, when a reproduction request is received from the user via the remote controller 59, the tape is reproduced, and when a rewinding request is received, the tape is rewound.
At other times, it is always checked whether the card 13 is mounted in the slot 6. This check is performed by the algorithm shown in FIG.

First, the CPU 53 passes through the I / O 54,
A card ID request (FIG. 6) is transmitted from the LED 21 according to the format 83 (step S1). Then, it is checked whether or not a signal is returned from the card 13 (step S2). If it does not return, it means that the card 13 is not mounted, and the process ends. If it returns, it can be determined that some card 13 is attached.

When it is possible to recognize the mounting of the card 13, it is next checked what card is mounted. This is done by decoding the signal returned from the card 13. Since the return value for the card ID request of the format 83 is the ID of the format 89, it is determined whether this ID is input (step S
3). The data section of this format contains the manufacturer code and ID (FIG. 6). Since some cards cannot be used in the VCR 7, it is determined whether a card having this manufacturer code and ID can be used (step S4).

If the card 13 cannot be used, a warning sound is emitted from the speaker 67 (step S5),
Encourage the user to remove the card 13. When it is determined that the card 13 can be used, the CPU 53 transmits a program transfer request of the format 84 (step S).
6). In contrast, the card 13 has the format 90
When the program is received (step S7), the operation of writing it in the RAM 52 is repeated (step S8).

As described above, the program itself is stored in the data section 82, and the program is divided into 4 bytes and repeatedly transmitted to the VCR 7 (FIG. 6).

When the transmission of the program is completed, the card 1
Finally, the transfer end flag 88 is transmitted from 3 (step S9). This allows the VCR 7 to know that all the programs have been transferred. When the transfer of the program is completed, the control is transferred to the execution of the program written in the RAM 52 (step S10). When the transfer end flag 88 is not transmitted, it is determined that there is some abnormality, and a warning sound is emitted from the speaker 67 (step S11).

By the above initialization processing, the program of the mounted card 13 is loaded into the RAM 52. The contents of the program differ depending on the card 13, and various functions can be expanded and realized by changing the program (card 13). The processing of the expanded function in this embodiment will be described below.

In the case of this embodiment, the RAM 52 of the VCR 7
The program transferred to the card stores the independent data (scrambled) output from the decoder 47 in the card 13.
And the descrambled information transmitted from the card 13 is stored in the RAM 52. On the other hand, the card 13 descrambles the scrambled independent data transmitted from the VCR 7 and transmits it to the VCR 7. This situation will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 shows the processing of the VCR 7, and FIG. 9 shows the processing of the card 13.
Shown respectively.

In the VCR 7 (FIG. 8), after confirming that the independent data has been output from the decoder 47 (step S21), this data is transferred to the I / O 54 and LE.
The data is transmitted to the card 13 in 4-byte units in the format 85 shown in FIG. 6 via the D21 (step S22).

On the other hand, the card 13 executes the processing shown in FIG. That is, the card 13 waits until the data of the format 85 is received (step S3
1) When receiving this, the scramble key generation circuit 7
Descrambling is performed by using the scramble key signal generated by No. 4 (step S32). The descrambled data is VC in 4 byte units in the format 91 of FIG.
All are sent to R7 (steps S33, S3
4). When all the data has been transmitted, the card 13 outputs the transfer end flag 88 (step S35).

Returning to FIG. 8, the CPU 53 causes the step S
After step 22, the process proceeds to step S23 and waits until the descrambled data is transmitted from the card 13,
When transmitted, the data is stored in the RAM 52 (step S25) until the transfer end flag 88 is received (step S24).

The format of the descrambled data transferred from the card 13 to the VCR 7 is the data format 91 of FIG. 6 as described above. The structure of the data transmitted in the format of 5 bytes (substantial data is 4 bytes) is shown in FIG.
It is as shown in 0. The data structure of FIG. 10 will be described below.

This data is the channel header 101
And the data 102 of each channel (in the case of this embodiment,
Data of N channels from channel 1 to channel N) are arranged. Channel header 101
Has a fixed length, but the data of each channel has a variable length.

In the channel header 101, the number 103 of channels to be transmitted (N in the case of this embodiment) is arranged at the head thereof, and subsequently, an offset value 104 for each channel is arranged. That is, as described above, since the data of each channel has a variable length, the data length is different for each channel. Therefore, the length from the beginning of the channel header to the beginning of the data of each channel is transmitted as an offset value. This makes it possible to access the data of each channel from the channel header.

A program header 105 is arranged at the head of the data of each channel, and subsequently, information 106 of the program (program) of the channel is arranged. The program header 105 has a fixed length, but M pieces of program information 10
Each of 6 has a variable length.

In the program header 105, the number of programs (M) 107 to be broadcast on the channel is arranged at the head of the program header 105, followed by each program information (in FIG. 10, the program information 3-1 of the channel 3). To 3-M are shown). As described above, since the program information 3-1 to 3-M also has a variable length, the length from the head of the program header 105 to the head of each program information 3-1 to 3-M is used as an offset value. By prescribing in the program header 105, each information can be accessed from the program header 105. The offset value for each program is represented by a fixed length.

In each program information 3-1 to 3-M (the same applies to other channels), the start time of the program is 10
9, broadcast time (end time) 110, program name 111, and program content 112 are arranged.

In this way, the scrambled and transmitted data are descrambled, decoded, and bit-mapped, so that a television program section as shown in FIG. 11 can be displayed on the television receiver 8. it can. At the top of this TV program section, there is a certain width W and channel 1
Display columns for each channel from 1 to N are provided. For example, in the case of the Tokyo area, there are channels 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 as VHF channels, and channels 5, 7, and 11 as satellite broadcasting channels.
A display area having a width W is provided for each of these channels.

In the display area of each channel, programs (programs) with earlier broadcast times are displayed above, and those with later broadcast times are displayed below in the same manner as TV program columns published in newspapers and the like. Has been done. The programs at the same time for each channel are arranged on substantially the same horizontal line. All information (characters) in this program section
Is displayed on the television receiver 8 at the same time, the characters become small and become substantially unreadable. Therefore, as for the display, only a part thereof (the range shown by the solid square in FIG. 11) is displayed. This display range can be moved in the up, down, left, and right directions by operating the cursor key 60 as necessary to display a program for which a recording reservation is desired.

FIG. 12 shows a display example of the television program section (the range shown by the solid line rectangle in FIG. 11) displayed on the television receiver 8. In this embodiment, channel 4 and part of the program names of the channel next to it are displayed together with the numbers for identifying them.

Display of the TV program section and recording reservation while watching this are performed as follows. When the program list key 63 of the remote controller 59 is operated, an infrared signal corresponding to this operation is output from the remote controller 59 and received by the remote controller receiving circuit 48 of the VCR 7. This signal is photoelectrically converted in the remote control receiving circuit 48 and is output from there to the command decoder 49. Command decoder 49
Decodes the input signal and outputs a command corresponding to the input to the CPU 53.

When the command corresponding to the program list key 63 is input, the CPU 53 outputs program section data from the RAM 52 (this data is stored in the RAM 5 in step S25 of FIG. 8).
(Written in 2) is read, this data is converted into bitmap data, and stored in the RAM 52 again. As a result, the bitmap data of the TV program section shown in FIG. 12 is expanded in the RAM 52.

A Japanese font pattern is required for bitmapping. Usually VCR 7 is not equipped with a font pattern. Therefore, the font pattern is transferred at the same time when the program is transferred from the card 13. That is, font data is also transferred as part of the program.

The data expanded in the RAM 52 is read out at a predetermined timing under the control of the CPU 53 and supplied to the NTSC signal generation circuit 44. N
The TSC signal generation circuit 44 converts the input data to NTS.
Convert to C signal and output.

This signal is output to the television receiver 8 (FIG. 1) via the switch 43 and displayed. At this time, the CPU 53 switches the switch 43 to the right side in FIG. 4 via the video output switching control circuit 50.

In this way, the characters in the range shown by the solid line in FIG. 11 are displayed on the television receiver 8.
This display range can be enlarged or reduced by operating the enlargement key 61 or the reduction key 62 of the remote controller 59.

That is, when an input signal corresponding to the operation of the enlargement key 61 or the reduction key 62 is input through the remote control receiving circuit 48 and the command decoder 49,
The CPU 53 enlarges or reduces the range read from the RAM 52. As a result, the range displayed on the television receiver 8 is enlarged or reduced.

The CPU 53 also controls the NTSC signal generation circuit 44 to display a cursor on the display screen as shown in FIG. This cursor is displayed by a solid square line in the embodiment of FIG.

When the cursor key 60 of the remote controller 59 is operated, a signal corresponding to the cursor key 60 is input to the CPU 53 via the remote controller receiving circuit 48 and the command decoder 49. The CPU 53 controls the NTSC signal generation circuit 44 in response to this input, and moves the cursor in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction in accordance with the operation direction of the cursor key 60.

When the position of the cursor reaches the end of the display screen of the television receiver 8, the CPU 53 also
The movement of the cursor is stopped there, and when the cursor key 60 is operated, the range read from the RAM 52 is sequentially changed.

That is, when the cursor key reaches the upper end in FIG. 12, for example, the cursor key 60
When is operated to move the cursor further upward, the data in the television program section is sequentially scrolled from the top to the bottom (the cursor is further moved upward). In this way, the user can move the cursor to the position corresponding to the desired program program.

When the selection key 64 of the remote controller 59 is operated when the cursor is moved to a predetermined position, a signal corresponding to this operation is input to the CPU 53 via the remote controller receiving circuit 48 and the command decoder 49. The CPU 53
When this input is received, the data relating to the television program where the cursor is located at that time is read from the RAM 52.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the program information stored in the RAM 52 includes the broadcast channel, broadcast start time, and broadcast time of the program. CP
The U53 outputs the data regarding the broadcast start time and the broadcast time to the recording reservation control circuit 42. The recording reservation control circuit 42 stores the input data.

When the time measured by the timer circuit 65 reaches the start time of the program stored in the recording reservation control circuit 42, the CPU 53 turns on / off the power.
The power supply circuit 58 is controlled via the off control circuit 57 to turn on the power supply, and the BS tuner 46 or the VHF tuner (not shown) receives the reserved channel. Then, the recording / reproducing circuit 41 is controlled to start the reserved recording operation of the received channel.

The recording / playback circuit 41, at the reserved time,
A video signal input from the BS tuner 46 or the VHF tuner is recorded on a built-in magnetic tape (not shown). Then, when the time corresponding to the broadcast time has elapsed after the start of the reserved recording, the recording reservation control circuit 42
Controls the recording / reproducing circuit 41 to stop the reserved recording operation.

When the reproduction is instructed, the video signal reproduced and output from the magnetic tape of the recording / reproducing circuit 41 is output and displayed on the television receiver 8 via the switch 43.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, by installing a card having a G code decoding function in the slot 6, the VCR 7 which cannot use the G code before the function expansion (before the card installation) uses the G code. Directly DAT the digital PCM broadcast by enabling it or mounting a card having the function of receiving the PCM broadcast on the DAT (digital audio tape recorder) having the same slot.
It is also possible to record with. As described above, the present invention can be applied to AV devices other than VCRs.

[0078]

As described above, according to the AV apparatus of the first aspect, the function is expanded in response to the signal read from the card capable of optically transmitting and receiving the signal. The user can inexpensively and space-savingly and surely expand the function.

According to the AV device of the second aspect, the scrambled signal received by the receiving means is descrambled corresponding to the signal stored in the card. Therefore, it is possible to extend the descrambling function with a simple structure and space saving.

According to the card of claim 6,
Since the data transmitted from the AV device via the transmission means is decoded by the decoding means and transmitted to the AV device again via the transmission means as needed, the basic function of the AV device is achieved. As a result, the decoding function can be omitted, and the basic configuration can be simplified accordingly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system to which an AV device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the VCR 7 and the card 13 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a card 13 is mounted on the VCR 7 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a VCR 7 shown in FIG.

5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a card 13 of FIG.

6 is a diagram illustrating a communication format between the VCR 7 and the card 13. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an initialization process in which the VCR 7 recognizes a card when the card is attached.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which the VCR 7 transmits and receives data to and from the card 13.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the card 13 that descrambles the independent data transmitted from the VCR 7 and transmits the descrambled data to the VCR 7.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a structure of descrambled data.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of a display screen for selecting a program.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a television program section display.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Large-scale computer 2 Workstation 3 Broadcast center 4 Broadcast satellite 5 Outdoor equipment 6 Slot 7 VCR 8 Television receiver 11 VCR 13 Card 14, 15 Power supply terminal 16 LED 17 Phototransistor 21 LED 22 Phototransistor 23, 24 Power supply terminal 25 Board 41 recording / reproducing circuit 42 recording reservation control circuit 43 video output changeover switch 44 NTSC signal generating circuit 45 BS tuner control circuit 46 BS tuner 47 decoder 48 remote control receiving circuit 49 command decoder 50 video output changeover control circuit 51 ROM 52 RAM 53 CPU 54 I / O 57 Power on / off control circuit 58 Power circuit 59 Remote control 60 Cursor key 61 Expand key 62 Reduce key 63 Program list Over 64 program selection key 65 timer circuit 71 I / O 74 scramble key generating circuit 75 ROM 76 RAM 77 CPU

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication H04N 7/167

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A mounting / dismounting means for relatively easily mounting / dismounting a card for expanding a function from the outside, and a signal transmitting / receiving means for optically transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the card mounted on the mounting / demounting means. And an expansion unit for expanding the function in response to a signal read from the card attached to the attachment / detachment unit. 2. An attaching / detaching means capable of attaching / detaching a card for expanding the function from the outside relatively easily, and receiving a scrambled transmission signal and outputting it to the card to descramble it. An AV device comprising: a receiving unit for storing the descrambling signal output from the card attached to the attaching / detaching unit. 3. The AV device according to claim 2, wherein the receiving unit is a tuner that receives a scrambled television broadcast signal. 4. The AV device according to claim 3, wherein the signal received by the tuner is a signal relating to a program section of television broadcasting. 5. The A according to claim 2, further comprising a signal transmitting / receiving unit for optically transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the card attached to the attaching / detaching unit.
V equipment. 6. A card which is connected to an AV device and expands the function of the AV device, wherein the card stores a card ID, a function expanding program and data, and a data transmitted from the AV device. A card comprising: a decoding unit for decoding and a transmission unit for transmitting a signal to and from the AV device.