EP0946012A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method and apparatus for monitoring the tuning status of a television receiver
Assignee: Video Research Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1999-03-18
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2019-03-18
Abstract
Abstract A monitoring apparatus (201) connected to a TV set (101) selects, from a plurality of internal sources, such as VHF/UHF and BS tuners (114) and (115) built in said TV set (101), and a plurality of external sources connected to the TV set (101) from the outside thereof, such as a CATV tuner(102) and a VCR (104), the source of video currently displayed on a cathode-ray tube (116) of the TV set (101) by comparing a sync signal of the video signal applied to the cathode-ray tuber (116) and a sync signal of the video signal output from each source. Then the monitoring apparatus (201) determines the currently selected channel by comparing a sync signal of the video signal output from the currently selected source and a sync signal of a video signal of each of broadcast channels generated by reference receivers (2171 to 2173) in the monitoring apparatus (201) independently of the TV set (101). When the channels cannot be narrowed down to one currently selected channel by the comparison of sync signals, the video signals output from the currently selected source are compared with the video signals of the broadcast channels generated by the receivers (2171 to 2173) to determine one of the channels as being currently selected.
Inventors
- 👤 Yosikazu Itoh
- 👤 Hiroshi Tanaka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 00:38
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04H; H04H60/00; H04H60/35; H04H60/38; H04H60/41; H04H60/43; H04H60/29; H04H60/31; H04H60/56; H04H60/59
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
268 words
A method for monitoring the channel selecting status of a TV
set (101) which has a plurality of video/audio sources (114, 115) built-in
and at least one video/audio input terminal (AV1) for inputting
video and audio signals from at least one external video/audio source
(102), said TV set (101) being capable of providing a display and an
acoustic output of video and audio signals supplied from a user's
arbitrarily selected one of said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102),
said method comprising the steps of: (a) detecting vertical and horizontal sync signals of a video
signal applied to a cathode-ray tube (116) of said TV set (101); (b) detecting video signals output from said plurality of
video/audio sources (114, 115) built in said TV set (101); (c) detecting a video signal output from said video/audio source
(102) connected to said video/audio input terminal (AV1) of said TV set
(101); (d) sequentially selecting said video signals detected in said
steps (b) and (c); (e) separating vertical and horizontal sync signals from each of
said video signals sequentially selected in said step (d); (f) measuring the time difference between said vertical and
horizontal sync signals detected in said step (a) and said vertical and
horizontal sync signals selected in said step (e); and (g) correcting said time difference measured in said step (f) in
accordance with a premeasured delay time inherent in each of said
plurality of video/audio sources (114, 115, 102), and determining
that that one of said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102) for which said
corrected time difference is minimum is the video/audio source
currently selected by said user.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
195 words
The method of claim 1, which further comprises the steps of: (h) controlling a plurality of reference receivers (2171 to 2174)
to sequentially generate video signals of channels receivable from that
one of said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102) which was determined
to be currently selected by said user in said step (g), said plurality of
reference receivers (2171 to 2174) being capable of generating video
signals of each channel of each TV broadcast independently of said TV
set (101); (i) separating vertical and horizontal sync signals from each of
said video signals generated in said step (h); (j) measuring the time difference between vertical and
horizontal sync signals of said video/audio sources determined to be
currently selected by seid user in said setp(g) and said vertical and
horizontal sync signals separated in said step (i); and (k) correcting said time difference measured in said step (j) in
accordance with a premeasured delay time inherent in each of said
plurality of video/audio sources (114, 115, 102), and determining that
a channel for which said corrected time difference is smaller than a
predetermined threshold value is a candidate for a channel currently
selected by said user.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
116 words
The method of claim 2, which further comprises the steps of: (l) when a plurality of channels are determined as candidates
for said user's currently selected channel in said step (k), controlling
said plurality of reference receivers (2171 to 2174) to sequentially
generate video signals of the same channels as said candidate
channels; and (m) comparing, at a plurality of sample points common thereto,
a video signal generated from that one of said video/audio sources
(114, 115, 102) determined to be currently selected by said user in said
step (g) and video signals sequentially generated in said step (l), and
detecting said user's currently selected channel based on the degree of
coincidence between said video signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 3, which further comprises the step of: (n) when said video/audio source (102) connected to said
video/audio input terminal (AV1) of said TV set (101) is a CATV tuner
(102) for CATV broadcast reception use, quasi-descrambling that one
of video signals from a CATV receiver provided as said reference
receiver (2173) which is of a pay channel scrambled by the
suppression of sync signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
88 words
The method of claim 4, wherein said step (n) comprises the
steps of: (n-1) generating vertical and horizontal blanking intervals
from said vertical and horizontal sync signals detected in said step (a); (n-2) extracting signals in said vertical and horizontal blanking
intervals in said scrambled video signal; (n-3) restoring said extracted signals to their original form
before said video signal was scrambled; and (n-4) replacing said signals in said vertical and horizontal
blanking intervals in said scrambled video signal with said restored
signals to form descrambled video signals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 3, which further comprises the step of: (o) determining, based on said vertical and horizontal sync
signals detected in said step (a), whether the scanning system of said
video signal applied to said cathode-ray tube (116) is an interlaced or
non-interlaced scanning system, and in the latter case, determining
that preset equipment (105) of the non-interlaced scanning system is
the currently user's selected video/audio source.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
448 words
An apparatus (201) for monitoring the channel selecting
status of a TV set (101) which has a plurality of video/audio sources
(114, 115) built-in and at least one video/audio input terminal (AV1)
for inputting video and audio signals from at least one external
video/audio source (102), said TV set (101) being capable of providing
a display and an acoustic output of the video and audio signals
supplied from a user's arbitrarily selected one of said video/audio
sources (114, 115, 102), said method comprising: sync signal detecting means (206, 207) for detecting vertical
and horizontal sync signals of a video signal applied to a cathode-ray
tube (116) of said TV set (101); internal video signal detecting means (208, 212) for detecting
video signals output from said plurality of video/audio sources (114,
115) built in said TV set (101); external video signal detecting means (209) for detecting a
video signal output from said video/audio source (102) connected to
said video/audio input terminal (AV1) of said TV set (101); an analog switch (215) which is supplied with said video
signals detected by said internal video signal detecting means (208,
212) and said video signal detected by said external video signal
detecting means (209), and selectively outputs one of said video
signals; first sync separating means (216) for separating vertical and
horizontal sync signals from said video signal output from said analog
switch (215); time difference measuring means (221) which is supplied with
first and second vertical and horizontal sync signals, and measures
the time differences between said first and second vertical sync
signals and between said first and second horizontal sync signals; and control means (226) which: inputs said vertical and horizontal
sync signals detected by said sync signal detecting means (206, 207),
as said first vertical and horizontal sync signals, to said time
difference measuring means (221); inputs said vertical and horizontal
sync signals separated by said first sync separating means (216) from
said video signal of each of said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102)
selectively fed thereto from said analog switch (215), as said second
vertical and horizontal sync signals, to said time difference measuring
means (221); measures, by said time difference measuring means
(221), the time differences between said vertical and horizontal sync
signals detected by said sync signal detecting means (206, 207) and
said vertical and horizontal sync signals of said each video/audio
source (114, 115, 102); corrects said measured time differences in
accordance with a premeasured delay time inherent in said each
video/audio source (114, 115, 102); and determines that that one of
said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102) for which said corrected time
difference is minimum is the video/audio source currently selected by
said user.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
346 words
The apparatus of claim 7, which further comprises: a plurality of reference receivers (2171 to 2174) for generating
video signals of each channel of each TV broadcast independently of
said TV set (101); second sync separating means (219) for separating vertical and
horizontal sync signals from each of said video signals generated by
said reference receivers (2171 to 2174); and a selector (220) for selectively outputting either said vertical
and horizontal sync signals detected by said sync signal detecting
means (206, 207) or said vertical and horizontal sync signals
separated by said second sync separating means (219); wherein said control means (226): inputs a video signal of said
that one of video/audio source (114, 115, 102) determined as being
currently selected by said user, to said first sync separating means
(216) via said analog switch (215); inputs vertical and horizontal sync
signals separated by said first sync separating means (216), as said
first vertical and horizontal sync signals, to said time difference
measuring means (221); sequentially generates, by said reference
receivers (2171 to 2174), video signals of respective channels
receivable from that one of said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102)
determined as currently selected by said user, and applies said video
signals to said second sync separating means (219) one by one; inputs
vertical and horizontal sync signals separated by said second sync
separating means (219), as said second vertical and horizontal sync
signals, to said time difference measuring means (221); measures, by
said time difference measuring means (221), the time differences
between vertical and horizontal sync signals output from that one of
said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102) determined as currently
selected by said user and vertical and horizontal sync signals of each
channel generated by said reference receivers (2171 to 2173); corrects
said measured time differences in accordance with a premeasured
delay time inherent in said each of said plurality of video/audio
sources(114, 115, 102); and determines that a channel for which said
corrected time difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold
value is a candidate for a channel currently selected by said user.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
170 words
The apparatus of claim 8, which further comprises: a first A-D converter/frame memory (222) for digitizing and
storing said video signal output from said analog switch (215); and a second A-D converter/frame memory (223) for digitizing and
storing said video signals output from said reference receivers (2171
to 2174); wherein when a plurality of channels are determined as
candidates for said user's currently selected channel by the
comparison of said sync signals, said control means (226): controls
said plurality of reference receivers (2171 to 2173) to sequentially
generate video signals of the same channels as said candidate
channels, and inputs said video signals to said second A-D
converter/frame memory (223); stores in said first A-D
converter/frame memory (222) a video signal generated by that one of
said video/audio sources (114, 115, 102) determined as the source
currently selected by said user; compares those video signals at a
plurality of sample points common thereto; and detects said user's
currently selected channel based on the degree of coincidence between
said video signals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus of claim 9, which further comprises: a CATV receiver (2173) as one of said reference receivers; and a suppressed sync signal quasi-regenerator (218) which quasi-descrambles
that one of video signals from said CATV receiver which
is of a pay channel scrambled by the suppression of sync signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
128 words
The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said suppressed sync
signal quasi-regenerator (218) comprises: interval generating means (21806, 21807) for generating
vertical and horizontal blanking intervals from said vertical and
horizontal sync signals detected by said sync signal detecting means
(206, 207); signal extracting means for extracting signals in said vertical
and horizontal blanking intervals in said scrambled video signal
generated by said CATV receiver (2173); sync signal restoring means (21810) for restoring said
extracted signals to their original form before said video signal was
scrambled; and video signal generating means (21811) for replacing said
signals in said vertical and horizontal blanking intervals in said
scrambled video signal from said CATV receiver (2173) with said
restored signals from said sync signal restoring means (21810) to form
descrambled video signals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
92 words
The apparatus of claim 10, which further comprises: a scanning system identifying circuit (224) for determining,
based on said vertical and horizontal sync signals detected by said
sync signal detecting means (206, 207), whether the scanning system
of said video signal applied to said cathode-ray tube (116) is an
interlaced or non-interlaced scanning system, and wherein when the scanning system of said video signal is the
non-interlaced scanning system, said control means (226) determines
that preset equipment (105) of the non-interlaced scanning system is
the video/audio source currently selected by said user.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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