KR20090051918A - Device for controlling external device in broadcasting receiver and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an external device of a broadcast receiver and a method thereof. According to the setting, when the broadcast receiver is automatically turned off, power on and recording related commands are transmitted to the corresponding external device through the multimedia interface to control the operation of the external device so that the broadcast signal is recorded through the corresponding external device.

Broadcasting Receiver, External Device, Broadcast Recording, Auto Off, Sleep Timer, HDMI, CEC

Description

External device control device of broadcasting receiver and method thereof {DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING EXTERNAL DEVICE IN BROADCASTING RECEIVER AND METHOD THEREFOR}

The present invention relates to the control of an external device of a broadcast receiver, and in particular, the operation of an external device can be set when an automatic power off or sleep timer function is set in a digital broadcast receiver, and the power and broadcast recording of the external device is performed even after the digital broadcast receiver is automatically turned off. The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an external device of a broadcast receiver and a method thereof capable of controlling the same.

Recently, due to the spread of various audio / video (A / V) home appliances, various types of external devices (e.g. DVD players, set-top boxes, VCRs, etc.) are used for broadcasting receivers such as televisions. Are increasingly being used to connect to other components, such as component, S-video, or DVI. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of this configuration, in which a digital set-top box 11 is connected through an RGB terminal of a broadcast receiver 10 and a DVD player 13 through an HDMI terminal of the broadcast receiver 10. ) Are connected, and the VCR 15 (Video Cassette Recorder) is connected to each other through the component terminal of the broadcast receiver 10.

Today's digital broadcast receiver 10 employs a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) terminal instead of a DVI terminal. HDMI is an upgraded interface from a digital visual interface (DVI). HDMI only transmits digital video, digital audio and additional information through a single interface.

The external devices 11, 13, and 15 are conventionally connected to the broadcast receiver 10 through a separate audio interface from the DVI interface, but with the advent of a new interface called HDMI, most broadcast receivers and external devices are connected from DVI to HDMI. The trend is changing rapidly.

On the other hand, when viewing the 'off time' or 'sleep schedule' (hereinafter referred to as auto off) setting menu of the conventional digital broadcast receiver, it was possible to set the time and day of the week in the broadcast receiver 10 as shown in FIG.

When the auto-off mode is set, the broadcast receiver can no longer watch the broadcast through the broadcast receiver as the operation power supplied to the output unit including the display panel is cut off. Of course, there was a recording reservation function in the past, but this is an independent function that is operated separately from the auto off (or sleep reservation) function.

Therefore, there is a need to backup a broadcast of a desired channel even after the auto-off function is performed so that the user can watch the broadcast later.

An object of the present invention is to set the backup (recording) function through an external device when the auto-off function is set in the digital broadcast receiver, thereby controlling the power and broadcast recording of the external device even when the digital broadcast receiver is automatically turned off. An apparatus and method for controlling an external device of a broadcast receiver capable of backing up and recording a broadcast signal are provided.

The technical means of the present invention for achieving the above object, the memory is set in conjunction with the automatic power off time and the recording-related information using a specific external device; A multimedia interface connecting the external device and the broadcast receiver to enable mutual communication; And a control unit which transmits power control and broadcast recording related commands to a corresponding external device preset through the multimedia interface, and controls a broadcast signal of a set channel to be recorded on the external device when the preset auto-off time is set in the memory. Comprise.

The multimedia interface is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector, and the control unit is configured to transmit power-off and recording-related commands of an external device through a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) pin which is pin 13 of the HDMI connector. .

The recording related information set in the memory may include at least one of a recording time or a recording end time, a broadcasting channel, and external device selection information.

The control unit switches the broadcast receiver to the operation standby state when the automatic off time is reached, but the receiver side receiving the broadcast signal is maintained in the operation state.

Technical method of the present invention for achieving the above object, the control unit receiving the broadcast recording information of a specific external device interlocked with the auto-off function and setting in the memory; Checking, by the controller, whether to set broadcast recording using a specific external device when the set time of automatic turn off is reached; If the broadcast recording is set, the control unit transmits power-on and recording-related commands to the corresponding external device through the multimedia interface; And after transmitting the power-on and recording-related command, the control unit receives a broadcast signal of a set channel and transmits the signal to an external device to control recording.

The broadcast recording information set in the memory may include a recording time or a recording end time and a broadcasting channel. During the recording control, the controller determines whether the recording end time has been reached by comparing the set recording end time with the current time. Making; And transmitting the recording stop command and the power-off command sequentially to an external device when the recording end time has been reached.

The control unit controls the recording of the external device after switching the system to the operation standby state except for the broadcast receiving unit when the automatic turn-off time arrives.

As described above, the present invention enables the setting of a recording function through an external device at the time of setting the auto-off function in the digital broadcast receiver, thereby controlling the power and recording of the external device even when the digital broadcast receiver is automatically turned off, thereby controlling a specific broadcast. Since the signal can be backed up and recorded, the user's convenience can be improved.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a digital broadcast receiver to which an external device is connected according to an embodiment of the present invention. The broadcast receiver 100 includes a tuner 111, a DTV receiver 115, an HDMI connector 120, and an A / V. And a processor 130, a video processor 141, a display panel 145, a controller 160, and the like.

The tuner 111 is configured to tune and receive a broadcast signal of a selected channel according to the channel selection control signal of the controller 160.

The DTV receiver 115 is configured to receive a digital video signal input from a tuner 111 or an external device 200 (set top box, VCR, etc.) (not shown) to remove noise or convert it into digital data.

The HDMI connector 120 is connected to an external device (a DVD recorder) through an HDMI cable to output a control signal to or receive a media signal from an external device.

The A / V processor 130 receives the video signal and the audio signal input through the DTV receiver 115, extracts a control signal included in the video signal, decodes the video signal and the control signal, and decodes the same. The video signal and the audio signal are synchronized to each other and output to the video processor 141 and the audio processor 151.

In addition, the A / V processor 130 is configured to output the signal processed video signal and the audio signal to the external device 200 through the HDMI connector 120 under the control of the controller.

If the broadcast receiver 100 is also set to the recording mode using the external device 200 when the broadcast receiver 100 operates in the auto off mode such as off time or sleep reservation, the broadcast receiver 100 may control the controller 160 even when the broadcast receiver 100 is operating. In addition, the tuner 111, the DTV receiver 115, and the A / V processor 130 are preferably designed to maintain an operating state so that power is normally supplied, and accordingly, a broadcast signal received through a preset channel. Can be processed.

The video processor 141 scales the image data processed by the A / V processor 130 according to the size of the display panel 145 and displays the predetermined data through a predetermined LVDS unit (Low Voltage Differential Signaling). It is configured to output to the panel 145, the audio processing unit 151 is configured to convert the audio data processed by the A / V processor 130 to an analog signal and then amplify and output it to the speaker 155.

 The controller 160 may include output units 141 and 151 including the display panel 145 according to the automatic turning off of the broadcast receiver 100 set in the memory 165 or requested by the user and the broadcast recording mode of the external device 200. , 155 is automatically turned off and transmits an operation control command of the external device 200 through the HDMI connector 120 to control the overall operation of the broadcast receiver 100.

That is, the controller 160 turns off the output units 141 to 155 including the display panel of the broadcast receiver 100 when the broadcast recording time according to the auto-off time is turned off, and externally through the HDMI connector 120. After the turn-on command and the broadcast recording command are transmitted to the device 200, the broadcast signal of the set channel received through the tuner 111 is transferred to the external device 200 through the HDMI connector 120.

The external device 200 is connected to the broadcast receiver 100 through the HDMI connector 120 to receive an operation control command through the HDMI connector 120 to perform an operation corresponding thereto. For example, when the operation control command transmitted from the broadcast receiver 100 is a power-on and recording-related command, the external device 200 switches from the operation standby state to the operation state and sets the broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcast receiver 100. It is configured to record for time.

The broadcast receiver 100 transmits an operation control command of the external device 200 through the CEC terminal, which is pin 13 of the HDMI connector 120.

Meanwhile, the HDMI connector 120, which is a multimedia interface, is composed of 19 pins as shown in Table 1 below. Pins 1 to 12 are media data allocation pins through TMDS, Pin 13 is CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) pin, Pin 14 is inforframe pin, Pin 15 is SCL pin , Pin 16 is SDA pin, pin 17 is DDC / CEC ground pin, pin 18 is + 5V power pin, pin 19 is HPD (Hot Plug Detect) pin.

The 18 pin + 5V power pins are inputted by external devices 200, and are input mode pins in the broadcast receiver, and the 19 pin HPD (Hot Plug Detect) pin is an output mode pin in the broadcast receiver. This signal indicates that the situation can be received. If the HPD signal is high, it means that it is ready to receive; if it is low, it is not ready to receive.

When the broadcast receiver 100 is connected to the external device 200, the external device 200 detects the HPD signal output from the broadcast receiver 100 and recognizes the presence of the broadcast receiver connected to itself.

HDMI connector PIN Signal assignment PIN Signal assignment One TMDS Data2 + 11 TMDS Clock Shield 2 TMDS Data2 Shield 12 TMDS Clock- 3 TMDS Data2- 13 CEC 4 TMDS Data1 + 14 Inforframe 5 TMDS Data1 Shield 15 SCL 6 TMDS Data1- 16 SDA 7 TMDS Data0 + 17 DDC / CEC Ground 8 TMDS Data0 Shield 18 + 5V Power 9 TMDS Data0- 19 Hot Plug Detect 10 TMDS Clock +

In general, there are three service functions using the CEC pin, which is pin 13 of the HDMI connector 120.

First, the function of controlling the external device 200 through the GUI screen of the broadcast receiver 100, the second function to automatically turn on the broadcast receiver when recording the external device 200, and finally the broadcast receiver 100 It consists of a function of controlling some operations (Play, REW, FF, STOP, REC) of the external device 200 with a remote controller 190 of the.

Accordingly, the broadcast receiver 100 of the present invention controls the recording related operation of the external device 200 while simultaneously performing the auto power-on function of the external device 200 by using the third function.

In order to perform the auto-off and broadcast recording function according to the present invention, an external device such as a broadcast receiver 100, a DVD recorder (DVDR; DVD + HDD / Memory), and a VCR is basically connected to the HDMI connector 120. The external device 200 must be in the operation standby state, and the broadcast receiver 100 and the external device 200 each have a built-in software module for the HDMI-CEC interface to recognize the corresponding command transmitted to each other. Should be

Accordingly, when a predetermined command is received from the remote controller 190, the broadcast receiver 100 converts a keycode of the remote controller 190, which is the received command, into a key control keycode for controlling an external device. The external device 200 is transmitted to the external device 200, and the external device 200 receives the control key code and performs an operation corresponding to the command.

In Table 2 below eotneunde represent the code for the HDMI-CEC control instructions and the instructions, in the present invention, the existing control instructions (Forward, Backward, Stop, Eject, Play, Pause) power-on command, in addition to (Power On ) And a recording command (Record) and a power off command ( Power Off) were added, and the power on, off command and recording command are controlled by CEC using pin 13 of the HDMI connector 120.

HDMI-CEC Control code  External device control command Explanation 0x01 CECP_DECKCTRL_FWD DVD: Skip forward, VCR: Wind forward 0x02 CECP_DECKCTRL_RWD DVD: Skip backward, VCR: Rewind 0x03 CECP_DECKCTRL_STOP Stop 0x04 CECP_DECKCTRL_EJECT Eject 0x05 CECP_DECKCTRL_PLAY Play 0x06 CECP_DECKCTRL_PAUSE Pause 0x07 CECP_DECKCTRL_ON Power on 0x08 CECP_DECKCTRL_REC RECORD 0x09 CECP_DECKCTRL_OFF Power off

Then, a general process for broadcast recording control using the flowchart of FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, when the control unit 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 receives a command for setting the auto-off, such as an off time or sleep schedule, from the external remote controller 190 through the remote receiver 180, The screen data of the stored auto-off setting menu is read and controlled to be displayed on the display panel 145. 5 illustrates a GUI of the auto-off setting menu displayed on the display panel 145.

As such, when the setting command for the off time and the day of the week is transmitted from the remote controller 190 while the screen for the auto-off setting menu is displayed, the remote receiver 180 of the broadcast receiver controls the received auto-off setting command. The control unit 160 stores the auto-off data transmitted from the remote receiver 180 in the memory 165 and sets the data.

Here, when displaying the auto off setting screen of the broadcast receiver 100, the control unit 160 displays the 'auto recording' (recording after sleep) setting screen of the external device 200 simultaneously or sequentially with the auto off setting screen. Display on panel 145. Accordingly, the automatic recording mode of the external device 200 selectively selects data on the recording time or recording end time and day of the week, broadcast channel and external device selection information, and the like in a manner similar to setting the auto-off function of the broadcast receiver 100. It can be set by inputting (S1). In the above description, the recording time refers to the duration (duration) to be recorded from the auto-off time, for example, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes, etc., and the recording end time is the time to stop recording. 23: 00 (11 pm), 23: 50 (11:50 pm), and so on.

Although the automatic recording setting screen of the external device 200 may be displayed at the same time as the automatic turning off setting screen of the broadcast receiver 100, it is more preferable to sequentially display according to the user's selection.

As described above, in the state in which the auto-off function and the auto recording function of the broadcast receiver 100 and the external device 200 are set, the control unit 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 operates the broadcast receiver stored in the memory 165 during operation. The automatic shut down setting data of 100) and the current day and time are compared and checked to determine whether they match (S2).

The controller 160 checks whether the broadcast recording function of the external device 200 preset in the memory 165 is set when the auto-off data set in the memory and the current day of the week and time coincide. (S3).

When the broadcast recording function of the external device 200 is set in the above, the control unit 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 blocks the operation power supply to the output units 141 to 155 of the display panel and the speaker, and the tuner. The 111, the DTV receiver 115, the A / V processor 130, and the like are switched to the operation standby state maintained in the on state (S4).

If the broadcast recording function is not set at the time of setting the auto-off function of the broadcast receiver 100, the controller 160 switches the broadcast receiver to the operation standby state (S10). When the broadcast receiver 100 is switched to the operation standby state, the system may be configured to switch to the operation standby state in which all the systems except the controller 160 are turned off. As such, by controlling the operation standby state according to whether broadcast recording is set automatically when the broadcast receiver 100 is turned off, it is advantageous in terms of power consumption according to the situation.

Subsequently, when the broadcast recording function is set, the broadcast receiver 100 checks a signal transmitted / received through the HDMI connector 120 which is a multimedia interface to determine whether the corresponding external device 200 is connected to the broadcast receiver 100. Done.

Here, in order for the broadcast receiver 100 to control the external device 200, the broadcast receiver 100 and the external device 200 should be connected through an HDMI connector 120 which is a multimedia interface. 200 must be in a standby state (Stand-by) to receive a control command from the broadcast receiver 100, if the external device 200 is not connected through a multimedia interface capable of bidirectional communication Can not.

When the external device 200 is connected to the broadcast receiver 100, the controller 160 converts the remote control keycode of the external device 200 preset in the memory 165 into the HDMI_CEC protocol command and then the HDMI connector. It passes to the external device 200 through the CEC pin 13 of the 120 (S8). At this time, the command transmitted to the external device 200 by the broadcast receiver 100 is a CECP_DECKCTRL_ON command, which is a power on command of the external device 200, and a recording command of the external device 200 as shown in Table 2 below. Record) will contain the CECP_DECKCTRL_REC command. The power on command and the recording command may be simultaneously transmitted to an external device, but may be sequentially transmitted at predetermined time intervals (S5).

The external device 200 capable of recording, such as a DVDR or VCR, turns on the power according to a control command transmitted from the broadcast receiver 100 to switch the operation standby state to the operation state (S6). That is, the external device in the standby state is automatically switched to the system on state according to the control command of the broadcast receiver, and then the operation mode is switched to the recording mode.

On the other hand, the control unit 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 controls the tuner 111 to the channel specified at the time of automatic recording setting so that the broadcast signal of the corresponding channel is received, the received broadcast signal is the A / V processor 130 Control to be transmitted to the external device 120 through the HDMI connector 120 through. If there is no channel specified at the time of automatic recording setup, the broadcast signal of the last viewed channel is received.

Accordingly, the external device 200 stores and records the broadcast signal input through the HDMI connector 120, which is a multimedia interface, in an internal storage means such as an HDD, an SRAM, or a flash memory (S7). The time for recording the broadcast signal is from the auto-off time of the broadcast receiver to the recording end time. If the recording stop time is not set separately, the recording time is recorded up to the memory limit allowed by the storage means of the external device 200.

Subsequently, the controller 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 compares the broadcast recording end time set in the memory 165 with the current time to determine whether the broadcast recording end time has been reached (S8).

When the broadcast recording end time is reached, the control unit 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 transmits a stop command (CECP_DECKCTRL_STOP) to the external device 200 through the HDMI connector 120 as shown in Table 2, The device 200 stops recording according to the delivered stop command. Subsequently, the control unit 160 of the broadcast receiver 100 transmits a power off command (CECP_DECKCTRL_OFF) to the external device 200 as shown in Table 2, and the external device 200 operates according to the transmitted power off command. To switch to the operation standby state (S9).

As such, when the broadcast receiver 100 is automatically turned off, the external device 200 may be controlled to turn on the external device 200, and the broadcast signal of the set channel received through the broadcast receiver may be recorded.

On the other hand, in the present invention has been described using the HDMI connector 120 as a multimedia interface as an example, any of the wired / wireless multimedia interface that can communicate with the broadcast receiver 100 and the external device 200 can be applied, multimedia interface Is not limited to the HDMI connector.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the DVD recorder receives the broadcast signal from the broadcast receiver and records the broadcast signal. However, when the DVD recorder is a built-in tuner, the DVD recorder may directly tune to a predetermined channel to record the broadcast signal. Of course, when the DVD recorder directly receives a broadcast signal, the broadcast receiver transmits the power on command, the recording command, the recording stop command, and the power off command of the external device in a timely manner according to the set auto recording data. To control.

Accordingly, preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art will be capable of various modifications, changes and additions within the spirit and claims of the present invention. Changes, changes, and additions should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

1 is a general diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of external devices are connected to a broadcast receiver through respective input terminals.

2 is a diagram illustrating a GUI for a conventional auto-off setting menu.

3 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a digital broadcast receiver to which an external device is connected according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an external device of a digital broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a diagram illustrating a GUI of an auto-off setting menu according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

100: broadcast receiver 120: HDMI connector

125: HDMI receiver 130: A / V processor

145: display panel 160: control unit

165: memory 180: remote receiver

190: remote controller 200: external device

Claims (10)

A memory set in association with an auto-off time and recording related information using a specific external device; A multimedia interface connecting the external device and the broadcast receiver to enable mutual communication; And And a control unit for transmitting a power control and broadcast recording related command to a corresponding external device preset through the multimedia interface, and controlling a broadcast signal of a set channel to be recorded on the external device when the preset time of automatic turn off is set in the memory. External device control device of the broadcast receiver. The method according to claim 1, And the multimedia interface is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector. The method according to claim 2, And the control unit is configured to transmit power-off and recording related commands to external devices through CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) pins of pin 13 of the HDMI connector. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The recording-related information set in the memory includes at least one of a recording time or recording end time and a broadcasting channel and external device selection information. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the control unit switches the broadcast receiver to an operation standby state when the automatic off time is reached, but maintains the receiver side receiving the broadcast signal in an operation state. The control unit receives the broadcast recording information of a specific external device linked to the automatic off function and setting in the memory; Checking, by the controller, whether to set broadcast recording using a specific external device when the set time of automatic turn off is reached; If the broadcast recording is set, the control unit transmits power-on and recording-related commands to the corresponding external device through the multimedia interface; And After transmitting the power-on and recording-related commands, the control unit receives the broadcast signal of the set channel and transmits to the external device to control to record; External device control method of a broadcast receiver comprising a. The method according to claim 6, The broadcast recording information set in the memory includes a recording time or recording end time and a broadcast channel. The method according to claim 7, During the recording control, the control unit, comparing the recording end time with the current time to determine whether the recording end time; And transmitting a recording stop command and a power-off command to an external device in sequence, when the recording end time has been reached. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, The control unit controls the recording of the external device after switching the system to the operation standby state except for the broadcast receiving unit when the time to automatically turn off. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, The multimedia interface is an HDMI connector, the external device control method of the broadcast receiver, characterized in that the communication using the CEC pin of the HDMI connector.

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