JP3035407B2 - Viewing source detection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an AV television receiver with a built-in BS (satellite broadcast) tuner (used as a monitor for a video tape recorder or the like which has a plurality of external input terminals and is externally connected) when measuring a television audience rating. Sources (VHF / UHF tuners, BS tuners,
The present invention relates to a viewing source detection device that detects what a video tape recorder, an electronic game, and a video movie (a small video camera having a playback function) are.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a time when a television receiver (hereinafter, abbreviated as "television") was generally used alone, a television receiver was turned on and off to measure audience ratings. It was sufficient to collect the state and the channel number of the VHF / UHF tuner in the TV in association with the time data, but it was sufficient to use AV equipment such as a video tape recorder or A
With the widespread use of V-TVs, it has become necessary to collect information about what sources are actually being viewed on TVs.

In response to such a situation, one of the applicants has already proposed an invention entitled "AV terminal detection system" in Japanese Patent Application No. 60-69841. This means that a signal obtained by mixing a non-audible identification signal with an audio signal supplied to a television from a video tape recorder or the like is sequentially connected to a plurality of AV terminals (terminals for connecting audio and video signals), and the television speaker To check if the audio signal collected by the microphone contains an identification signal,
When it is determined that an identification signal is included, the AV terminal mixed with the identification signal is specified as the AV terminal selected for viewing. If it is determined that the terminal is not any of the AV terminals, the television is on, and if a channel can be specified, it means that a broadcast wave is being received and viewed by a tuner in the television.

[0004]

As described above, the conventional AV terminal detection system uses the A
Although it was possible to detect the V terminal, a situation has arisen in which it is not possible to respond again. That is the emergence of an AV television with a built-in BS tuner, an AV television with a built-in video tape recorder, and an AV television with a built-in electronic game.

That is, in the above-described AV terminal detection method, it is possible to determine which of the AV terminals is selected, and if not, it is determined that a broadcast wave is received and viewed by a tuner in a television. However, in the case of an AV TV with a built-in BS tuner, the BS broadcast can be viewed without passing through the AV terminal.
If none of the terminals is selected, it is not possible to distinguish whether the user is watching a VHF / UHF broadcast or a BS broadcast. Even in such a case, it is possible to modify the internal circuit of the television and directly mix the identification signal in the non-audible range into the audio signal by soldering or the like. It is difficult to implement because it is not desirable to tweak the inside of your television and it may be a reason for refusal to install a measuring instrument (meter).

The situation is the same even in an AV television with a built-in video tape recorder or an AV television with a built-in electronic game.

[0007] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and its object is to make it easy to connect a surveyee to a television or the like, and to make it practically applicable to any AV television with a built-in BS tuner. An object of the present invention is to provide a viewing source detection device capable of detecting whether a source is being viewed.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a means for detecting a vertical synchronizing signal applied to a CRT of a television, a means for detecting a horizontal synchronizing signal applied to a CRT of a television, TV built-in VHF
A PIF (picture intermediate frequency) sensor for detecting a video intermediate frequency signal from the vicinity of the / UHF tuner, a unit for extracting a video signal supplied to an AV terminal of the television, a unit for extracting a video signal of a built-in device of the television, and a PIF sensor. An analog switch for sequentially selecting and passing, for each source, a video signal detected and restored from a detected video intermediate frequency signal and a video signal obtained from an AV terminal of a television and a built-in device, and a video signal passed through the analog switch A synchronization separation circuit that extracts a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal from a time difference measurement unit that measures a time difference between a synchronization signal detected from a television and a synchronization signal extracted by the synchronization separation circuit,
A microprocessor that controls the analog switch and the time difference measuring unit, adds a correction for the delay time specific to each source to the measured time difference, and determines that the source with the smallest time difference after correction is the source being viewed. .

[0009]

In the viewing source detecting apparatus of the present invention, a vertical synchronization signal is detected from a television by means such as a V synchronization sensor, a horizontal synchronization signal is detected by means such as an H synchronization sensor, and a television signal is detected by a PIF sensor. Built-in VHF / UH
An image intermediate frequency signal is detected from the vicinity of the F tuner. In addition, a video signal supplied to the AV terminal of the television and a video signal of a device built in the television are extracted by means such as wiring.
Next, under the control of the microprocessor, the analog switch sequentially converts the video signal obtained by detecting the video intermediate frequency signal detected by the PIF sensor and the video signal obtained from the AV terminal of the television and the built-in equipment for each source. , And the sync separation circuit extracts a vertical sync signal and a horizontal sync signal from the video signal passed through the analog switch. Next, under the control of the microprocessor, the time difference measurement unit measures the time difference between the synchronization signal detected from the television and the synchronization signal extracted by the synchronization separation circuit. Then, the microprocessor adds a correction for the delay time unique to each source to the measured time difference, and determines the source during the television viewing from the selected position of the analog switch that minimizes the corrected time difference.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a viewing source detecting apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, this embodiment shows a television (AV television with a built-in BS tuner) owned by a surveyee.
1, video tape recorder 2, electronic game 3, video movie 4, and meter 5 installed for audience rating measurement
It is composed of Note that the AV equipment built in or connected to the television 1 is an example, and is not limited to this.

On the other hand, inside the television 1, a V synchronization sensor 6 for detecting a vertical synchronization signal near the deflection yoke of the cathode ray tube and an H synchronization sensor 7 for detecting a horizontal synchronization signal near the flyback transformer and the like. , Built-in VHF /
A PIF sensor 8 for detecting a video intermediate frequency signal from near the UHF tuner is provided, and the detected signal is input to the meter 5. If a video signal projected on a cathode ray tube can be extracted from the television 1 as a monitor output, a synchronization signal can be obtained by synchronizing and separating from the video signal. In this case, the V synchronization sensor 6 and the H synchronization sensor 7 are used. Becomes unnecessary.

The left and right audio signals of the video tape recorder 2 and the electronic game 3 are directly supplied to the AV terminal of the television 1, while the video signal is supplied to the AV terminal via the meter 5. . Note that the audio signal and the video signal of the video movie 4 are directly supplied to the AV terminal of the television 1 without passing through the meter 5. This is because the video movie 4 is generally connected only to the AV terminal provided on the front panel of the television 1 at the time of use, and cannot be connected to the meter 5 in advance. Whether the movie 4 is used or not can also be detected. If the connection with the video movie 4 can be made constantly, the input can be made to the meter 5 as in the case of the video tape recorder 2 and the electronic game 3, so that it can be directly determined.

A video signal of a BS tuner built in the television 1 is input to a meter 5.
It should be noted that, in a television with a built-in BS tuner, provision of a terminal for taking out a video signal of the BS tuner to the outside is stipulated by the standard.

As described above, the connection between the television 1 and the meter 5 can be made only by connecting a few video cables, except for the V synchronization sensor 6, the H synchronization sensor 7, and the PIF sensor 8, and is owned by the individual. The TV 1 etc. need not be modified as much as possible.

On the other hand, the configuration inside the meter 5 will be described.
One-shot multivibrators 9 and 10 for inputting detection signals of V synchronous sensor 6 and H synchronous sensor 7 and shaping them into pulses of a fixed width, and an amplifier for inputting detection signals of PIF sensor 8 and amplifying to a predetermined level An input stage 11 includes a PIF amplification detection circuit 12 for restoring a video signal, and buffers 13, 14, and 15 for branching and capturing video signals of the video tape recorder 2, the built-in BS tuner, and the electronic game 3, respectively. . The reason why the one-shot multivibrators 9 and 10 are provided is that the pulse width of the raw synchronization signal detected from the television 1 is not uniform, so that the error in the subsequent time difference measurement is reduced by making the pulse width constant. To do that.

An analog switch 16 for inputting and sequentially selecting and passing video signals output from the PIF amplification detection circuit 12, buffers 13, 14, and 15 and a vertical synchronizing signal from the video signal output from the analog switch 16. And a synchronization separation circuit 17 for separating the signal and the horizontal synchronization signal.

Further, a vertical synchronizing signal and a horizontal synchronizing signal shaped by the one-shot multivibrators 9 and 10 are input, and a vertical synchronizing signal and a horizontal synchronizing signal are input from the synchronizing / separating circuit 17 so that the vertical synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal are input. For each of the signals, there are provided a time difference measuring unit 18 for measuring a time difference between arrivals of two-path synchronization signals, and a microprocessor 28 for controlling the analog switch 16 and the time difference measuring unit 18 and determining the source. The microprocessor 28 is provided with a synchronization signal, which is the output of the one-shot multivibrators 9 and 10, in order to determine the timing of the time difference measurement.

The time difference measuring unit 18 receives the synchronization signals of the one-shot multivibrators 9 and 10 as a reset signal, inputs the synchronization signal of the synchronization separation circuit 17 as a set signal, and enables the microprocessor 28 to determine the start of measurement. Flip-flop 1 for inputting a signal
9, 20; a clock generator 21 for generating a clock signal of a predetermined cycle; NAND gates 22 and 23 for inputting the clock signal of the clock generator 21 and the output signals of the flip-flops 19 and 20, respectively; Negative logic input OR gate (hereinafter referred to as "gate") 2 for inputting a preset signal from the microprocessor 28.
4 and 25 and preset down counters 26 and 27 for inputting the output as a clock signal. Each of the counters 26 and 27 has a register unit which can be written from the microprocessor 28. The predetermined value is written by the first clock signal after the microprocessor 28 writes the predetermined value into the register unit. This counter has a function of presetting it in an internal counter section and counting down with a subsequent clock signal. Of course, when up counters are used as the counters 26 and 27, the gates 24 and 25 are unnecessary, but it is necessary to apply a reset signal from the microprocessor 28 to the counters 26 and 27.

Although not shown, a circuit section for determining the channel of the television broadcast is usually provided in the meter 5.

The operation of the above embodiment will be described below.

When the power of the television 1 is turned on and any image is displayed on the cathode ray tube, a pulse of a synchronizing signal is detected by the V synchronizing sensor 6 and the H synchronizing sensor 7, and the one-shot multivibrator 9 , 10 to form a synchronization signal having a predetermined pulse width.

On the other hand, a video intermediate frequency signal of a VHF / UHF tuner built in the television 1 is detected by the PIF sensor 8, amplified by the amplifier 11, detected by the PIF amplification detection circuit 12 and restored to a video signal. Is done.

Also, a video tape recorder 2 and a built-in B
The S tuner and the electronic game 3 are fetched by the buffers 13, 14, and 15 if they output a video signal.

The analog switch 16 receives the video signal of the built-in VHF / UHF tuner restored by the PIF amplification detection circuit 12, the video signal of the video tape recorder 2 obtained via the buffer 13, and the video signal obtained via the buffer 14. The video signal of the built-in BS tuner and the video signal of the electronic game 3 obtained via the buffer 15 are input, and selectively input in a predetermined order, for example, in the order of I1, I2, I3, and I4, under the control of the microprocessor 28. Let it pass.

The synchronizing separation circuit 17 includes an analog switch 16
A vertical synchronizing signal and a horizontal synchronizing signal are extracted from the video signal that has passed through.

The microprocessor 28 writes a predetermined value in the register of the counters 26 and 27 of the time difference measuring section 18 and selects one pulse (preset) through the gates 24 and 25 every time one input is selected by the analog switch 16. Signal) is input to the counters 26 and 27 to preset the predetermined value in the counters 26 and 27, and then, at predetermined timing, the flip-flops 19 and 27.
The enable signal to be given to 20 is made active (high level), the enable signal is made non-active (low level) at a predetermined timing thereafter, and the count values of the counters 26 and 27 at that time are taken in as data.

Here, the outputs of the flip-flops 19 and 20 become low level when the pulse of the synchronizing signal is given from the one-shot multivibrators 9 and 10, and when the pulse of the synchronizing signal is given from the sync separation circuit 17. , The NAND gates 22 and 23 invert the clock signal of the clock generator 21 for the time t from when the pulse is applied from the sync separation circuit 17 to when the pulse is applied from the one-shot multivibrators 9 and 10. Since this signal is input to the counters 26 and 27 through the gates 24 and 25, the count value of the counters 26 and 27 becomes a value corresponding to the time t.

FIG. 2 shows a synchronization signal (CRT) obtained from the television 1, a synchronization signal (detection PIF) obtained from the built-in VHF / UHF tuner, a synchronization signal (VTR) obtained from the video tape recorder 2, and This shows an example of a temporal relationship with a synchronization signal (BS) obtained from a BS tuner, at which time the source is set to the analog switch 16.
The count period (the shaded portion) in the case where is selected is shown correspondingly. It should be noted that although the periods of the vertical synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal are significantly different, their relations are substantially the same.

Generally, at least for a short time, the phase of the synchronization signal of each source does not change. In addition, the probability that the synchronization signals match if the source is different is considerably low. Therefore, the count values of the counters 26 and 27 have different constant values depending on each source.

The signal detected by the PIF sensor 8 is subjected to a relatively large delay by the PIF amplification detection circuit 12. The synchronization signal detected by the V synchronization sensor 6 or the H synchronization sensor 7 is also delayed by the built-in detection circuit, but the former is larger than the latter. Furthermore, there is almost no delay of a synchronization signal detected from a video signal from an AV device connected to the AV terminal and a built-in BS or the like.

Therefore, in this state, the count value is determined by comparing the phases of the vertical synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal in each source with V
The deviation from the phase of the vertical synchronization signal and the horizontal synchronization signal detected by the synchronization sensor 6 and the H synchronization sensor 7 is not correctly reflected. Therefore, the detection conditions are made uniform, and correction is performed so that the time difference count value of the source displayed on the CRT becomes a preferable minimum value.

In the above correction, the delay time based on the synchronizing signal detected by the V synchronizing sensor 6 or the H synchronizing sensor 7 is measured for each source in advance when the meter 5 is installed, and stored in the microprocessor 28. In advance, the data obtained from the time difference measuring unit 18 is corrected at the time of actual measurement. Note that the measurement of the delay time of each source when the meter is installed can be performed using the time difference measurement unit 18 or the like, and no additional hardware is required.

In the present invention, the source being viewed can be specified by utilizing these properties. That is, the microprocessor 28 circulates the analog switch 16, acquires data from the time difference measuring unit 18 for each source, adds a correction based on the delay time unique to each source to the acquired data, and adds the data after the correction to the data. The vertical synchronization signal and the horizontal synchronization signal detected by the V synchronization sensor 6 and the H synchronization sensor 7 based on the
The source whose time difference between the vertical synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal extracted in step (b) is the preferable minimum value is determined as the source during television viewing. The reason why the time difference is measured for both the vertical synchronization signal and the horizontal synchronization signal is to increase the determination accuracy. If a desirable minimum value cannot be obtained even if the analog switch 16 is cycled, the video movie 4
Is determined to be the source.

In the above embodiment, the PIF sensor 8
By using the video signal detected from the video intermediate frequency signal detected in step (1), it is determined whether or not the built-in VHF / UHF tuner of the television 1 is the source. When the above is performed together, the PIF sensor 8 can be omitted. That is, when the PIF sensor 8 is omitted, the AV
In the device configuration, if it is determined that the source is neither the video tape recorder 2 nor the electronic game 3 nor the built-in BS tuner, it is possible that the source is the built-in VHF / UHF tuner or the video movie 4. Even if the channel is determined, if the channel can be specified, the built-in VHF / UHF tuner can be specified as the source. If the channel cannot be determined, the video movie 4 can be specified as the source.

[0037]

As described above, in the viewing source detecting apparatus according to the present invention, the time difference between the synchronizing signal of the CRT and the video signal of each source, which can be easily taken out from the television, is actually used. Since the source being viewed is detected, even an AV television with a built-in BS tuner or the like in which a source that does not pass through the AV terminal exists.
There is an effect that the source being viewed can be uniquely specified, and the accuracy of audience rating measurement can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a viewing source detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... TV 2 ... Video tape recorder 3 ... Electronic game 4 ... Video movie 5 ... Meter 6 ... V synchronous sensor 7 ... H synchronous sensor 8 ... PIF sensor 9,10 ... 1 shot multivibrator 11 ... Amplifier 12 ... PIF amplification detection circuit 13 to 15 Buffer 16 Analog switch 17 Synchronization separation circuit 18 Time difference measurement unit 19, 20 Flip-flop 21 Clock generator 22, 23 NAND gate 24, 25 Gate (negative logic input OR gate) 26, 27 Counter (preset type down counter) 28 ... Microprocessor

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-40026 (JP, A) JP-B-4-16975 (JP, B2) JP-B-4-29277 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04H 9/00 H04N 17/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A means for detecting a vertical synchronization signal applied to a CRT of a television receiver, a means for detecting a horizontal synchronization signal applied to a CRT of a television receiver, and a built-in VHF / UHF of the television receiver A PIF sensor for detecting a video intermediate frequency signal from the vicinity of the tuner, a unit for extracting a video signal supplied to an AV terminal of the television receiver, a unit for extracting a video signal of a built-in device of the television receiver, and detection by the PIF sensor An analog switch for sequentially selecting and passing a video signal detected and restored from the obtained video intermediate frequency signal and a video signal obtained from an AV terminal of the television receiver and a built-in device for each source, and passing through the analog switch A sync separation circuit for extracting a vertical sync signal and a horizontal sync signal from a video signal, A time difference measuring unit for measuring a time difference between a synchronization signal detected from the receiver and a synchronization signal extracted by the synchronization separation circuit, and an analog switch and a time difference measuring unit. A viewing source detection device, comprising: a microprocessor that performs a correction and determines that a source having a minimum time difference after the correction is a source being viewed.