KR20160037449A - Method for operating and apparatus for providing Image - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of operating an image providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes displaying a main image on a display, displaying a plurality of menus when a pointer corresponding to a motion of the remote controller moves over a predetermined area of the display, Displaying a live menu bar including an icon and displaying a display size of at least a portion of the live menu bar in a first size when the pointer is moved over one of the plurality of menu icons; A step of receiving an input for selecting one of the plurality of menu icons, a step of displaying submenus of the selected menu icon, an input for selecting one of the submenus And displaying a screen corresponding to the receiving step and the selected submenu. Accordingly, various user interfaces can be provided to the user, the user can perform a desired function with a smaller number of operations during the use of the content, and the usability of the user can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method of operating an image providing apparatus,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image providing apparatus and an operation method thereof, and more particularly, to an image providing apparatus and an operation method thereof that can provide various and convenient user interfaces.

The image providing apparatus is a device having a function of providing an image that the user can view. The user can view the broadcast through the video providing device. The image providing apparatus provides a user selected broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcasting station, and the broadcast image is displayed on the display. Currently, broadcasting is changing from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting around the world.

Digital broadcasting refers to broadcasting in which digital video and audio signals are transmitted. Compared to analog broadcasting, digital broadcasting is strong against external noise and has a small data loss, is advantageous for error correction, has a high resolution, and provides a clear screen. Also, unlike analog broadcasting, digital broadcasting is capable of bidirectional service.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an image providing apparatus and an operation method thereof that can provide various user interfaces and can perform a desired function by a smaller number of operations during content use.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating an image providing apparatus, the method comprising: displaying a main image on a display; displaying a pointer corresponding to a movement of the remote controller on a predetermined area of the display; Displaying a live menu bar including a plurality of menu icons and displaying a display size of at least a part of the live menu bar in a case where the pointer moves over one of the plurality of menu icons The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: expanding the menu icon to a first size, receiving an input for selecting one of the plurality of menu icons, displaying submenus of the selected menu icon, Receiving an input for selecting a menu, and displaying a screen corresponding to the selected submenu.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, various user interfaces can be provided to a user, and a user can perform a desired function with a smaller number of operations during content use.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the usability of the user can be improved.

1 is an internal block diagram of an image providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an internal block diagram of the control unit of FIG.
3 is a diagram showing a control method of the remote control apparatus of FIG.
4 is a perspective view of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an internal block diagram of a remote control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram showing an example of any one of platform configurations of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.
7 is a view showing another example of the structure of any one of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are diagrams showing, in a set-top box and a display device, any one of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11A to 18 are views referred to explain various examples of the operation method of the image providing apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for convenience of description, and do not give special significance or role in themselves. Accordingly, the terms "module" and "part" may be used interchangeably.

1 is an internal block diagram of an image providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, an image providing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a broadcast receiving unit 105, an external device interface unit 130, a network interface unit 135, a storage unit 140, An interface unit 150, a sensor unit (not shown), a controller 170, a display 180, and an audio output unit 185.

The broadcast receiving unit 105 may include a tuner unit 110 and a demodulation unit 120. [ The broadcast receiving unit 105 may further include a network interface unit 135. The broadcast receiving unit 105 can be designed to include the tuner unit 110 and the demodulating unit 120 and not include the network interface unit 135. In contrast, The tuner 110 and the demodulator 120 may not be included.

The tuner unit 110 selects an RF broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by the user or all pre-stored channels among RF (Radio Frequency) broadcast signals received through the antenna. Also, the selected RF broadcast signal is converted into an intermediate frequency signal, a baseband image, or a voice signal.

For example, if the selected RF broadcast signal is a digital broadcast signal, it is converted into a digital IF signal (DIF). If the selected RF broadcast signal is an analog broadcast signal, it is converted into an analog baseband image or voice signal (CVBS / SIF). That is, the tuner unit 110 can process a digital broadcast signal or an analog broadcast signal. The analog baseband video or audio signal (CVBS / SIF) output from the tuner unit 110 can be directly input to the controller 170.

The tuner unit 110 may receive an RF broadcast signal of a single carrier according to an Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) scheme or an RF broadcast signal of a plurality of carriers according to a DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) scheme.

Meanwhile, the tuner unit 110 sequentially selects RF broadcast signals of all broadcast channels stored through a channel memory function among the RF broadcast signals received through the antenna in the present invention, and sequentially selects RF broadcast signals of the intermediate frequency signal, baseband image, . ≪ / RTI >

On the other hand, the tuner unit 110 can include a plurality of tuners in order to receive broadcast signals of a plurality of channels. Alternatively, a single tuner that simultaneously receives broadcast signals of a plurality of channels is also possible.

The demodulator 120 receives the digital IF signal DIF converted by the tuner 110 and performs a demodulation operation.

The demodulation unit 120 may perform demodulation and channel decoding, and then output a stream signal TS. At this time, the stream signal may be a signal in which a video signal, a voice signal, or a data signal is multiplexed.

The stream signal output from the demodulation unit 120 may be input to the controller 170. The control unit 170 performs demultiplexing, video / audio signal processing, and the like, and then outputs an image to the display 180 and outputs audio to the audio output unit 185.

The external device interface unit 130 can transmit or receive data with the connected external device. To this end, the external device interface unit 130 may include an A / V input / output unit (not shown) or a wireless communication unit (not shown).

The external device interface unit 130 can be connected to an external device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu ray, a game device, a camera, a camcorder, a computer , And may perform an input / output operation with an external device.

The A / V input / output unit can receive video and audio signals from an external device. Meanwhile, the wireless communication unit can perform short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices.

The network interface unit 135 provides an interface for connecting the image providing apparatus 100 to a wired / wireless network including the Internet network. For example, the network interface unit 135 can receive, via the network, content or data provided by the Internet or a content provider or a network operator.

Meanwhile, the network interface unit 135 can perform data communication with an electronic device outside the image providing apparatus 100. At this time, the network interface unit 135 may receive device information of other electronic devices, channel information that can be remotely controlled by other electronic devices, frequency information, code information, and the like.

The storage unit 140 may store a program for each signal processing and control in the control unit 170 or may store the processed video, audio, or data signals.

In addition, the storage unit 140 may perform a function for temporarily storing video, audio, or data signals input to the external device interface unit 130. [ In addition, the storage unit 140 may store information on a predetermined broadcast channel through a channel memory function such as a channel map.

In addition, the storage unit 140 may store the platforms shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which will be described later.

In addition, the storage unit 140 may store IR format key codes for controlling other electronic devices as an IR signal, and may store an IR format key database of a plurality of electronic devices.

1 shows an embodiment in which the storage unit 140 is provided separately from the control unit 170, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. The storage unit 140 may be included in the controller 170.

The user input interface unit 150 transmits a signal input by the user to the control unit 170 or a signal from the control unit 170 to the user.

(Not shown), such as a power key, a channel key, a volume key, and a set value, from the remote control apparatus 200, (Not shown) that senses a user's gesture to the control unit 170 or transmits a signal from the control unit 170 to the control unit 170 It is possible to transmit it to the sensor unit (not shown).

On the other hand, the user input interface unit 150 receives personal information such as user's personal ID information, password information, personalized e-mail information, and the like from the neighboring electronic devices in the vicinity of the remote control device 200 and the image providing device 100, Device information of the electronic device, channel information that can be remotely controlled by other electronic devices, frequency information, code information, and the like.

The control unit 170 demultiplexes the input stream or processes the demultiplexed signals through the tuner unit 110 or the demodulation unit 120 or the external device interface unit 130 so as to output the video or audio output Signals can be generated and output.

The video signal processed by the controller 170 may be input to the display 180 and displayed as an image corresponding to the video signal. Also, the image signal processed by the controller 170 may be input to the external output device through the external device interface unit 130.

The audio signal processed by the control unit 170 may be output to the audio output unit 185 as an audio signal. The audio signal processed by the controller 170 may be input to the external output device through the external device interface unit 130. [

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the controller 170 may include a demultiplexer, an image processor, and the like. This will be described later with reference to Fig.

In addition, the control unit 170 can control the overall operation in the image providing apparatus 100. [ For example, the control unit 170 may control the tuner unit 110 to control the tuning of the RF broadcast corresponding to the channel selected by the user or the previously stored channel.

In addition, the controller 170 may control the image providing apparatus 100 according to a user command or an internal program input through the user input interface unit 150.

Meanwhile, the control unit 170 may control the display 180 to display an image. At this time, the image displayed on the display 180 may be a still image or a moving image, and may be a 2D image or a 3D image.

Meanwhile, the controller 170 may generate a 3D object for a predetermined object among the images displayed on the display 180, and display the 3D object. For example, the object may be at least one of a connected web screen (newspaper, magazine, etc.), EPG (Electronic Program Guide), various menus, widgets, icons, still images, moving images, and text.

On the other hand, the control unit 170 can recognize the position of the user based on the image photographed from the photographing unit (not shown). For example, the distance (z-axis coordinate) between the user and the image providing apparatus 100 can be grasped. In addition, the x-axis coordinate and the y-axis coordinate in the display 180 corresponding to the user position can be grasped.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 170 can control to perform log-in based on the personal information received from the remote control device 200 and the external electronic device. At this time, the login may be a login of the image providing apparatus 100 itself, a login to a server connected to the image providing apparatus 100, or a login to a predetermined web server subscribed by personal information.

For example, when the user logs in the image providing apparatus 100 itself by means of the personal ID information and the password information, the control unit 170 can control the display 180 to display a personal screen set for each user account . When there is an image being watched, the control unit 170 can control to display a personal setting screen together with the image being watched. Alternatively, it is also possible to switch the scene being watched and display it on the personal setting screen.

As another example, when logging in to the server connected to the image providing apparatus 100, the control unit 170 can control the display 180 to display a server connection screen received from the server. Specifically, it may be an app server screen. When there is an image being watched, the control unit 170 can control to display a server connection screen together with the image being watched. Alternatively, it is also possible to switch the scene being watched and display it on the server connection screen.

The control unit 170 controls the power supply unit (not shown) to turn on the power of the image providing apparatus 100 when the power of the image providing apparatus 100 is turned off in the state that the personal information is received . That is, when personal information is received in the user input interface unit 150 in the standby mode, the controller 170 switches to a wake up mode to supply power to various modules or units, Can be controlled.

The control unit 170 receives user's personal information received from the network interface unit 135 or the user input interface unit 150, device information of a nearby electronic device in the vicinity of the image providing device 100, It is possible to determine whether or not each electronic device is connected based on controllable channel information, frequency information, or code information, and to control the display 180 to display an object indicating that another electronic device is logged in.

Alternatively, the control unit 170 may control the remote controller 200 based on the device information of the adjacent electronic devices in the vicinity of the image providing apparatus 100, the remote controllable channel information of the other electronic devices, the frequency information, The device information, the channel information, the frequency information, or the code information.

Although not shown in the drawing, a channel browsing processing unit for generating a channel signal or a thumbnail image corresponding to an external input signal may be further provided. The channel browsing processing unit receives the stream signal TS output from the demodulation unit 120 or the stream signal output from the external device interface unit 130 and extracts an image from an input stream signal to generate a thumbnail image . The generated thumbnail image may be stream-decoded together with a decoded image and input to the controller 170. The control unit 170 may display a thumbnail list having a plurality of thumbnail images on the display 180 using the input thumbnail image.

At this time, the thumbnail list may be displayed in a simple view mode displayed on a partial area in a state where a predetermined image is displayed on the display 180, or in a full viewing mode displayed in most areas of the display 180. The thumbnail images in the thumbnail list can be sequentially updated.

On the other hand, in Fig. 1, the image providing apparatus 100 is shown as including a display 180. Fig. As described above, when the display device 180 is included, the image providing device 100 can be named as an image display device. However, the image providing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a concept that does not include the display 180. [ In this case, the image providing apparatus 100 can output an image or the like to another connected display device.

The display 180 converts a video signal, a data signal, an OSD signal, a control signal processed by the control unit 170, a video signal, a data signal, a control signal, and the like received from the external device interface unit 130, .

The display 180 may be a PDP, an LCD, an OLED, a flexible display, or the like, and may also be capable of a 3D display.

 Meanwhile, the display 180 may be configured as a touch screen and used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The audio output unit 185 receives the signal processed by the control unit 170 and outputs it as a voice.

A photographing unit (not shown) photographs the user. The photographing unit (not shown) may be implemented by a single camera, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be implemented by a plurality of cameras. On the other hand, the photographing unit (not shown) may be embedded in the image providing apparatus 100 or disposed separately on the display 180. The image information photographed by the photographing unit (not shown) may be input to the control unit 170.

The control unit 170 can detect the gesture of the user based on each of the images photographed from the photographing unit (not shown) or the signals sensed from the sensor unit (not shown) or a combination thereof.

The remote control apparatus 200 transmits the user input to the user input interface unit 150. [ To this end, the remote control device 200 may be connected to a communication network such as Bluetooth, RF (Radio Frequency) communication, IR (infrared) communication, UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, Can be used.

Also, the remote control apparatus 200 can receive the video, audio, or data signal output from the user input interface unit 150. Further, the remote control device 200 can display or output audio on the remote control device 200 based on the received video, audio, or data signal.

On the other hand, the remote control device 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention can receive information by a near field communication with a predetermined electronic device. The information may be personal ID information and password information that can be used in a portable terminal, a video providing device, or an electronic device, as described above.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the remote control device 200 mainly describes a space remote control capable of displaying a pointer corresponding to the movement of the user. That is, the remote control apparatus 200 can transmit personal information and the like to the image providing apparatus 100 using the RF method.

On the other hand, the remote control apparatus 200 may further receive the web server information or the like being connected by the personal information in addition to the personal information.

On the other hand, it is also possible to receive device information of other electronic devices, channel information that can be remotely controlled by other electronic devices, frequency information, code information, or the like, from adjacent electronic devices in the vicinity of the image providing device 100. Based on such other electronic device information, a channel, frequency, or code can be assigned to the electronic device to perform remote control.

Meanwhile, the image providing apparatus 100 may be a digital broadcasting receiver capable of receiving fixed or mobile digital broadcasting.

Meanwhile, a block diagram of the image providing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present invention. Each component of the block diagram may be integrated, added, or omitted according to the specifications of the image providing apparatus 100 actually implemented. That is, two or more constituent elements may be combined into one constituent element, or one constituent element may be constituted by two or more constituent elements, if necessary. In addition, the functions performed in each block are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and the specific operations and apparatuses do not limit the scope of the present invention.

1, the image providing apparatus 100 does not include the tuner unit 110 and the demodulating unit 120 shown in FIG. 1, but may include a network interface unit 135 or an external device interface unit 130 to play back the video content.

2 is an internal block diagram of the control unit of FIG.

The control unit 170 includes a demultiplexing unit 310, an image processing unit 320, a processor 330, an OSD generating unit 340, a mixer 345, A frame rate conversion unit 350, and a formatter 360. [0031] A voice processing unit (not shown), and a data processing unit (not shown).

The demultiplexer 310 demultiplexes the input stream. For example, when an MPEG-2 TS is input, it can be demultiplexed into video, audio, and data signals, respectively. The stream signal input to the demultiplexer 310 may be a stream signal output from the tuner 110 or the demodulator 120 or the external device interface 130.

The image processing unit 320 may perform image processing of the demultiplexed image signal. For this, the image processing unit 320 may include a video decoder 325 and a scaler 335.

The video decoder 325 decodes the demultiplexed video signal and the scaler 335 performs scaling so that the resolution of the decoded video signal can be output from the display 180.

The video decoder 325 can include a decoder of various standards.

The processor 330 may control the overall operation in the image providing apparatus 100 or in the control unit 170. [ For example, the processor 330 may control the tuner 110 to select a channel selected by the user or an RF broadcast corresponding to a previously stored channel.

In addition, the processor 330 may control the image providing apparatus 100 by a user command or an internal program input through the user input interface unit 150.

In addition, the processor 330 may perform data transfer control with the network interface unit 135 or the external device interface unit 130.

The processor 330 may control operations of the demultiplexing unit 310, the image processing unit 320, the OSD generating unit 340, and the like in the controller 170.

The OSD generation unit 340 generates an OSD signal according to a user input or by itself. For example, based on a user input signal, a signal for displaying various information in a graphic or text form on the screen of the display 180 can be generated. The generated OSD signal may include various data such as a user interface screen of the image providing apparatus 100, various menu screens, a widget, and an icon. In addition, the generated OSD signal may include a 2D object or a 3D object.

The OSD generating unit 340 can generate a pointer that can be displayed on the display based on the pointing signal input from the remote control device 200. [ In particular, such a pointer may be generated by a pointing signal processing unit, and the OSD generating unit 240 may include such a pointing signal processing unit (not shown). Of course, a pointing signal processing unit (not shown) may be provided separately from the OSD generating unit 240.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the OSD generating unit 340 can generate or configure the set personal screen when the image providing apparatus 100 itself is logged in. Alternatively, when logging in to the connected server, the OSD generating unit 340 may generate or configure at least a part of the server connection screen so that the server connection screen received from the server is displayed on the display 180. [ Alternatively, the OSD generating unit 340 may generate or configure at least a part of the web server connection screen based on the web server information being accessed by the personal information.

The mixer 345 may mix the OSD signal generated by the OSD generator 340 and the decoded video signal processed by the image processor 320. At this time, the OSD signal and the decoded video signal may include at least one of a 2D signal and a 3D signal. The mixed video signal is supplied to a frame rate converter 350.

A frame rate converter (FRC) 350 can convert the frame rate of an input image. On the other hand, the frame rate converter 350 can output the frame rate without conversion.

The formatter 360 receives the mixed signal from the mixer 345, that is, the OSD signal and the decoded video signal, and changes the format of the signal to be suitable for the display 180 and outputs the signal. For example, the R, G, and B data signals may be output as low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) signals or mini-LVDS signals.

On the other hand, the formatter 360 can separate the 2D video signal and the 3D video signal for 3D video display. It is also possible to change the format of the 3D video signal or convert the 2D video signal to the 3D video signal.

On the other hand, the audio processing unit (not shown) in the control unit 170 can perform the audio processing of the demultiplexed audio signal. To this end, the voice processing unit (not shown) may include various decoders.

In addition, the audio processing unit (not shown) in the control unit 170 can process a base, a treble, a volume control, and the like.

The data processing unit (not shown) in the control unit 170 can perform data processing of the demultiplexed data signal. For example, if the demultiplexed data signal is a coded data signal, it can be decoded. The encoded data signal may be EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information including broadcast information such as a start time and an end time of a broadcast program broadcasted on each channel.

2, a signal from the OSD generating unit 340 and the image processing unit 320 is mixed in a mixer 345 and then 3D processed in a formatter 360. However, the present invention is not limited to this, May be located behind the formatter.

Meanwhile, the block diagram of the controller 170 shown in FIG. 2 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present invention. Each component of the block diagram can be integrated, added, or omitted according to the specifications of the control unit 170 actually implemented.

In particular, the frame rate converter 350 and the formatter 360 are not provided in the controller 170, but may be separately provided.

3 is a diagram showing a control method of the remote control apparatus of FIG.

3 (a), it is exemplified that the pointer 180 corresponding to the remote control device 200 is displayed on the display 180. As shown in FIG.

The user can move or rotate the remote control device 200 up and down, left and right (Fig. 3 (b)), and back and forth (Fig. 3 (c)). The pointer 205 displayed on the display 180 of the image providing apparatus corresponds to the motion of the remote control device 200. [ As shown in the figure, the remote control device 200 can be referred to as a space remote controller because the pointer 205 is moved and displayed according to the movement in the three-dimensional space.

3B illustrates that when the user moves the remote control apparatus 200 to the left, the pointer 205 displayed on the display 180 of the image providing apparatus also shifts to the left corresponding thereto.

Information on the motion of the remote control device 200 sensed through the sensor of the remote control device 200 is transmitted to the image providing device. The image providing apparatus can calculate the coordinates of the pointer 205 from the information on the motion of the remote control apparatus 200. [ The image providing apparatus can display the pointer 205 so as to correspond to the calculated coordinates.

3C illustrates a case where the user moves the remote control device 200 away from the display 180 while the specific button in the remote control device 200 is depressed. Thereby, the selected area in the display 180 corresponding to the pointer 205 can be zoomed in and displayed. Conversely, when the user moves the remote control device 200 close to the display 180, the selection area within the display 180 corresponding to the pointer 205 may be zoomed out and zoomed out. On the other hand, when the remote control device 200 moves away from the display 180, the selection area is zoomed out, and when the remote control device 200 approaches the display 180, the selection area may be zoomed in.

On the other hand, when the specific button in the remote control device 200 is pressed, it is possible to exclude recognizing the up, down, left, and right movement. That is, when the remote control apparatus 200 moves away from or approaches the display 180, it is not recognized that the up, down, left, and right movements are recognized, and only the forward and backward movements are recognized. Only the pointer 205 is moved in accordance with the upward, downward, leftward, and rightward movement of the remote control device 200 in a state where the specific button in the remote control device 200 is not pressed.

On the other hand, the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer 205 may correspond to the moving speed and moving direction of the remote control device 200.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a remote control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an internal block diagram of a remote control apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 4, the spatial remote controller 201 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include various input keys, input buttons, and the like.

For example, the spatial remote controller 201 may include an Okay key 291, a menu key 292, a four-way key 293, a channel adjustment key 294, and a volume adjustment key 296 have.

For example, the Okay key 291 may be used to select a menu or an item, the menu key 292 may be used to display a predetermined menu, and the four directional keys 293 may be a pointer or an indicator, The channel adjustment key 294 can be used for channel up and down adjustment, and the volume adjustment key 296 can be used for volume up and down adjustment.

In addition, the spatial remote controller 201 may further include a back key 297 and a home key 298. For example, the back key 297 may be used to move to a previous screen, and the home key 298 may be used to move to a home screen.

On the other hand, as shown in the figure, the confirmation key 291 may be added with a scroll function. For this, the confirmation key 291 can be implemented as a wheel key. That is, when the OK key 291 is pressed, it is used as a menu or item selection. When the OK key 291 is scrolled up and down, a display screen scrolling or a list page switching can be performed.

Specifically, when an image larger than the size of the display 180 is displayed on the display 180, when the OK key 291 is scrolled to search for the image, an image area that is not currently displayed on the display is displayed on the display do. As another example, when the list page is displayed on the display unit 180, the previous page or the next page of the current page can be displayed by scrolling the OK key 291. [

This scroll function may be provided with a separate key other than the confirmation key 291. [

On the other hand, the four directional keys 293 can be arranged in four directions in the circular type, as shown in the figure, up, down, left, and right keys. Touch input to the four directional keys 293 may also be possible. For example, if there is a touch operation from the up key to the down key in the direction key 293, the set function may be inputted or performed according to the corresponding touch input.

5, the remote control device 200 includes a wireless communication unit 220, a user input unit 230, a sensor unit 240, an output unit 250, a power supply unit 260, a storage unit 270, , And a control unit 780.

The wireless communication unit 220 transmits / receives signals to / from any one of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention described above. Of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention, one image providing apparatus 100 will be described as an example.

In this embodiment, the remote control apparatus 200 may include an RF module 221 capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the image providing apparatus 100 according to the RF communication standard. Also, the remote control apparatus 200 may include an IR module 223 capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the image providing apparatus 100 according to the IR communication standard.

Further, the remote control device 200 may further include an NFC module (not shown) for short-range magnetic field communication with the electronic device.

The remote control apparatus 200 can transmit a signal including information on the motion of the remote control apparatus 200 to the image providing apparatus 100 through the RF module 221. [

In addition, the remote control device 200 can receive a signal transmitted by the image providing apparatus 100 through the RF module 221. [ Also, the remote control device 200 can transmit a command regarding power on / off, channel change, volume change, and the like to the image providing apparatus 100 through the IR module 223 as necessary.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the remote control device 200 can receive personal information by a near field communication with a predetermined electronic device.

On the other hand, the remote control apparatus 200 can transmit the received personal information to the image providing apparatus 100. The communication method at this time can be an IR method or an RF method.

On the other hand, the remote control apparatus 200 may further receive the web server information or the like being connected by the personal information in addition to the personal information.

On the other hand, the remote control device 200 can receive device information of other electronic devices, channel information that can be remotely controlled by other electronic devices, frequency information, code information, and the like. Based on such other electronic device information, a channel, frequency, or code can be assigned to the electronic device to perform remote control.

The user input unit 230 may include a keypad, a key (button), a touch pad, or a touch screen. The user can input a command related to the image providing apparatus 100 to the remote control apparatus 200 by operating the user input unit 230. [ When the user input unit 230 includes a hard key button, the user can input a command related to the image providing apparatus 100 to the remote controller 200 through the push operation of the hard key button. When the user input unit 230 has a touch screen, the user may touch a soft key of the touch screen to input a command related to the image providing apparatus 100 to the remote control apparatus 200. [ In addition, the user input unit 230 may include various types of input means such as a scroll key, a jog key, and the like that can be operated by the user, and the present invention does not limit the scope of the present invention.

The sensor unit 240 may include a gyro sensor 241 or an acceleration sensor 243. The gyro sensor 241 can sense information on the motion of the remote control device 200. [

For example, the gyro sensor 241 can sense information on the operation of the remote control device 200 based on the x, y, and z axes. The acceleration sensor 243 can sense information on the moving speed of the remote control device 200 and the like. On the other hand, it may further include a distance measuring sensor, whereby the distance to the display 180 can be sensed. Alternatively, it can detect the amount of change in orientation by including a geomagnetic sensor that can detect the direction of the magnetic field generated by the earth and detect the orientation like a compass.

The output unit 250 may output an image or voice signal corresponding to the operation of the user input unit 230 or corresponding to the signal transmitted from the image providing apparatus 100. The user can recognize whether the user input unit 230 is operated or whether the image providing apparatus 100 is controlled through the output unit 250.

For example, the output unit 250 may include an LED module 251 that is turned on when the user input unit 230 is operated or a signal is transmitted to or received from the image providing apparatus 100 through the wireless communication unit 225, 253 for outputting sound, an acoustic output module 255 for outputting sound, or a display module 257 for outputting an image.

The power supply unit 260 supplies power to the remote control device 200. The power supply unit 260 can reduce power consumption by stopping the power supply when the remote controller 200 is not moving for a predetermined period of time. The power supply unit 260 may resume power supply when a predetermined key provided in the remote control device 200 is operated.

The storage unit 270 may store various types of programs, application data, and the like necessary for the control or operation of the remote control apparatus 200. [ If the remote control apparatus 200 wirelessly transmits and receives a signal through the image providing apparatus 100 and the RF module 221, the remote control apparatus 200 and the image providing apparatus 100 transmit signals through a predetermined frequency band Send and receive. The control unit 780 of the remote control device 200 stores information on a frequency band and the like capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving a signal with the image providing device 100 paired with the remote control device 200 in the storage unit 270 Can be referenced.

In addition, the storage unit 270 may store IR format key codes for controlling other electronic devices as an IR signal, and may store an IR format key database of a plurality of electronic devices.

The control unit 780 controls various items related to the control of the remote control device 200. The control unit 780 transmits a signal corresponding to a predetermined key operation of the user input unit 230 or a signal corresponding to the motion of the remote control device 200 sensed by the sensor unit 240, (100).

The control unit 780 can control the received personal information to be transmitted to the image providing apparatus 100 through the wireless communication unit 220 by near field communication with the electronic apparatus. Particularly, when there is a predetermined key input of the user input unit 230, the control unit 780 can control the received personal information to be transmitted to the image providing apparatus 100 through the wireless communication unit 220.

In addition, the control unit 780 can control the received personal information to be transmitted to electronic devices other than the image providing apparatus 100. [ At this time, it is possible to use different channels, frequencies or codes corresponding to each electronic device. Such a channel, frequency, or code may be based on device information from another electronic device, remotely controllable channel information, frequency information, or code information.

The user input interface unit 150 of the image providing apparatus 100 includes a wireless communication unit 211 capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals to and from the remote control apparatus 200 and a pointer corresponding to the operation of the remote control apparatus 200. [ And a coordinate value calculation unit 215 that can calculate the coordinate values of the coordinate values.

The user input interface unit 150 can wirelessly transmit and receive signals to and from the remote control device 200 through the RF module 212. [ Also, the remote control device 200 can receive a signal transmitted through the IR module 213 according to the IR communication standard.

The coordinate value calculation unit 215 corrects the camera shake or error from the signal corresponding to the operation of the remote control device 200 received via the wireless communication unit 211 and outputs the coordinate values x, y) can be calculated.

The transmission signal of the remote control apparatus 200 inputted to the image providing apparatus 100 through the user input interface unit 150 is transmitted to the control unit 180 of the image providing apparatus 100. [ The control unit 180 can determine the information about the operation of the remote control device 200 and the key operation from the signal transmitted from the remote control device 200 and control the image providing device 100 accordingly.

As another example, the remote control apparatus 200 may calculate the pointer coordinate value corresponding to the operation and output it to the user input interface unit 150 of the image providing apparatus 100. In this case, the user input interface unit 150 of the image providing apparatus 100 can transmit information on the received pointer coordinate values to the control unit 880 without a separate camera shake or error correction process.

Alternatively, as another example, the coordinate value calculating unit 215 may be provided in the control unit 170 instead of the user input interface unit 150, unlike the drawing.

6 is a diagram showing an example of any one of platform configurations of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.

7 is a view showing another example of the structure of any one of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention.

Any one of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention may include OS-based software to perform the various operations described above.

6, any one of the visual indicators according to embodiments of the present invention is a separate platform, including a legacy system platform 400 and a smart system platform 405, Can be designed separately. The OS kernel 410 can be commonly used in the legacy system platform 400 and the smart system platform 405.

The legacy system platform 400 may include a driver 420, a middleware 430, and an application layer 450 on an operating system (OS) kernel 410. On the other hand, the smart system platform 405 may include a library 435, a framework 440, and an application layer 455 on an operating system (OS) kernel 410 .

The OS kernel 410 is a core of an operating system, and it is a core of an operating system. When the image providing apparatus is driven, hardware drivers, hardware and processor security in the image providing apparatus, efficient management of system resources, memory management, Provision, multi-process, and schedule management according to multi-processes. Meanwhile, the OS kernel 410 may further provide power management and the like.

The hardware driver in the OS kernel 410 may include at least one of a display driver, a Wi-Fi driver, a Bluetooth driver, a USB driver, an audio driver, a Power management, a Binder driver, .

The hardware driver in the OS kernel 410 is a driver for a hardware device in the OS kernel 410 and includes a character device driver, a block device driver, and a network device driver dirver. Since a block device driver transfers data in units of specific blocks, a buffer for storing a unit size may be required. The character device driver may transmit a basic data unit, i.e., a character unit, so that a buffer may not be needed.

The OS kernel 410 may be implemented in various operating system (OS) based kernels such as UNIX based (Linux) and Windows based. The OS kernel 410 is an open OS kernel, and can be general-purpose which can be used in other electronic devices.

The driver 420 is located between the OS kernel 410 and the middleware 430 and drives the device along with the middleware 430 for operation of the application layer 450. For example, the driver 420 may include a microcomputer, a display module, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a frame rate converter (FRC), a general purpose input / output pin (GPIO) A driver such as HDMI, SDEC (System Decoder or Demultiplexer), VDEC (Video Decoder), ADEC (Audio Decoder), PVR (Personal Video Recorder), or I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) . These drivers operate in conjunction with hardware drivers in the OS kernel 410. [

Further, the driver 420 may further include a remote control device 200, in particular, a driver for the above-described space remote control. In addition, the driver of the space remote controller may be variously provided in the OS kernel 410 or the middleware 430, in addition to the driver 420.

The middleware 430 is located between the OS kernel 410 and the application layer 450 and can serve as intermediary between other hardware or software to exchange data. Thus, it is possible to provide a standardized interface, various environment support, and system can interoperate with other tasks.

Examples of the middleware 430 in the legacy system platform 400 may be middleware of MHEG (Multimedia and Hypermedia information Coding Experts Group) and ACAP (Advanced Common Application Platform) which are data broadcasting related middleware. Or SI middleware, and peripheral communication related middleware DLNA middleware.

The application layer 450 on the middleware 430, that is, the application 450 layer in the legacy system platform 400, can be used as, for example, a user interface application for various menus and the like in the image providing apparatus 100 . The application layer 450 on this middleware 430 may be editable by the user's choice and may be updated over the network. By using the application layer 450, it is possible to enter a desired menu among various user interfaces according to the input of the remote control device while watching the broadcast video.

The application layer 450 within the legacy system platform 400 may also include at least one of a TV guide application, a Bluetooth application, a reservation application, a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) application, .

Meanwhile, the library 435 in the smart system platform 405 is located between the OS kernel 410 and the framework 440, and can form the basis of the framework 440. For example, the library 435 may include a security related library such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL), WebKit (WebKit) related to Web engine, libc (c library), video format and audio format A media framework such as a media-related library, and the like. Such a library 435 may be written on a C or C ++ basis. It can also be exposed to the developer through the framework 440.

The library 435 may include a runtime 437 having a core Java library and a virtual machine (VM). This runtime 437 forms the basis of the framework 440 along with the library 435.

The virtual machine (VM) can be a plurality of instances, that is, a virtual machine that can perform multitasking. On the other hand, each virtual machine (VM) may be allocated and executed in accordance with each application in the application layer 455, at which time a binder (not shown) in the OS kernel 410, for scheduling or inter- Binder) driver (not shown) may be operated.

Meanwhile, the binder driver and the runtime 437 can connect a Java-based application and a C-based library.

On the other hand, the library 435 and the runtime 437 can correspond to the middleware of the legacy system.

On the other hand, the framework 440 in the smart system platform 405 includes a program that is the basis of the application in the application layer 455. [ The framework 440 is compatible with any application and may be capable of reusing, moving or exchanging components. The framework 440 may include a support program, a program for weaving other software components, and the like. For example, a resource manager, an activity manager associated with an activity of an application, a notification manager, a content provider that summarizes shared information between applications, and the like . Such a framework 440 can be created based on Java (JAVA).

The application layer 455 on the framework 440 includes various programs that can be displayed and driven within the image providing apparatus 100. [ For example, a Core Application having at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS), a calendar, a map, a browser, etc. . This application layer 450 may be created on a Java (JAVA) basis.

In addition, the application layer 455 includes an application 465 that is stored in the image providing apparatus 100 and can not be deleted by the user, an application 465 that is downloaded and stored through an external device or a network, 475).

(VOD) service, a web album service, a social networking service (SNS), a location-based service (LBS), a map service, a web search Service, an application search service, and the like may be performed. In addition, various functions such as game and schedule management can be performed.

7, any one of the image providing apparatuses according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an OS kernel 510, a driver 520, a middleware 530, A framework 540, and an application layer 550.

The platform of FIG. 7 differs from FIG. 6 in that the library 435 shown in FIG. 6 is omitted, and the application layer 550 is provided as an integrated layer. In addition, the driver 520 and the framework 540 correspond to Fig.

On the other hand, it is possible that the library 435 shown in FIG. 6 is designed to be incorporated into the middleware 530 shown in FIG. That is, the middleware 530 is middleware under the legacy system, middleware of MHEG or ACAP, middleware of PSIP or SI, middleware of broadcasting information, DLNA middleware which is middleware related to peripheral communication, Middleware under the device system can include SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which is a security related library, WebKit (WebKit) which is a web engine related library, libc, and a media framework which is a media related library. On the other hand, it may further include the above-described runtime.

The application layer 550 is an application under the legacy system that can include menu related applications, TV guide applications, reservation applications, etc. and can include email, SMS, calendar, map, browser, have.

On the other hand, the application layer 550 includes an application 565 that is stored in the image providing device 100 and can not be deleted by the user, an application 565 that is downloaded and stored through an external device or a network, 575).

The above-described platforms of Figs. 6 and 7 can be used for general purpose in various electronic apparatuses as well as image providing apparatuses. 6 and 7 may be stored or loaded in the storage unit 140 or the control unit 170 shown in FIG. 1 or a separate processor (not shown). In addition, a separate application processor (not shown) for executing an application may be further provided.

On the other hand, unlike the platform described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the image providing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can operate on a web OS basis.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are diagrams showing one of the image providing apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention as a set-top box and a display apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 8, the set-top box 750 and the display device 700 can transmit or receive data by wire or wireless.

The set top box 750 may include a network interface unit 755, a storage unit 758, a signal processing unit 760, a user input interface unit 763, and an external device interface unit 765.

The network interface unit 755 provides an interface for connection to a wired / wireless network including the Internet network. It can also transmit or receive data to other users or other electronic devices via the connected network or other network linked to the connected network.

The storage unit 758 may store a program for each signal processing and control in the signal processing unit 760 or may store a video, audio, or data It may perform a function for temporary storage of a signal. In addition, the storage unit 758 may store the platform shown in Figs. 6 and 7 described above.

The signal processing unit 760 performs signal processing of the input signal. For example, it is possible to demultiplex or decode an input video signal, and perform demultiplexing or decoding of an input audio signal. To this end, a video decoder or a voice decoder may be provided. The signal-processed video signal or audio signal can be transmitted to the display device 700 through the external device interface unit 765.

The user input interface unit 763 transfers a signal input by the user to the signal processing unit 760 or a signal from the signal processing unit 760 to the user. For example, various control signals, such as power on / off, operation input, and setting input, input through a local key (not shown) or the remote controller 200, may be received and transmitted to the signal processor 760.

The external device interface unit 765 provides an interface for data transmission or reception with an external device connected by wire or wirelessly. In particular, it provides an interface for data transmission or reception with the display device 700. It is also possible to provide an interface for data transmission or reception with an external device such as a game device, a camera, a camcorder, a computer (notebook computer) or the like.

On the other hand, the set-top box 750 may further include a media input unit (not shown) for playing a separate media. An example of such a media input unit is a Blu-ray input unit (not shown) or the like. That is, the set-top box 750 can include a Blu-ray player. A media such as an input Blu-ray disc can be transmitted to the display device 700 through the external device interface unit 765 for display after signal processing such as demultiplexing or decoding in the signal processing unit 760 .

The display apparatus 700 includes a tuner 770, an external device interface unit 773, a demodulator 775, a storage unit 778, a control unit 780, a user input interface unit 783, a display unit 790, And an audio output unit 795. [0051] FIG.

The tuner 770, the demodulation unit 775, the storage unit 778, the control unit 780, the user input interface unit 783, the display unit 790, and the audio output unit 795, The display 180, and the audio output unit 185 of the tuner 110, the demodulation unit 120, the storage unit 140, the control unit 170, the user input interface unit 150, The description will be omitted.

On the other hand, the external device interface unit 773 provides an interface for data transmission or reception with an external device connected by wire or wirelessly. In particular, it provides an interface for data transmission or reception with the set-top box 750.

Accordingly, the video signal or the audio signal input through the set-top box 750 is output through the display unit 790 or the audio output unit 795 via the control unit 170.

9, the set-top box 750 and the display device 700 are the same as the set-top box 750 and the display device 700 shown in FIG. 8 except that the tuner 770 and the multi- There is a difference in that the position of the trough 775 is located in the set-top box 750 rather than in the display device 700. [

The signal processing unit 760 can perform signal processing of a broadcast signal received through the tuner 770 and the demodulation unit 775. Also, the user input interface unit 763 can receive inputs such as channel selection, channel storage, and the like.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image providing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 11A to 18 are views for explaining various examples of an operation method of the image providing apparatus according to the present invention.

10, the image providing apparatus according to the present invention may display a main image on the display 180 (S1010). For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the main image may be a broadcast image 1110 based on a broadcast signal of a predetermined broadcast channel or based on broadcast content data received through a network such as an IPTV broadcast channel. In addition, the main image may be a screen based on execution of a broadcast content application based on a web OS.

Thereafter, when the user operates the remote control device 200 to move the pointer 205 corresponding to the motion of the remote control device 200 over a predetermined area of the display 180 (S1020), a plurality of menu icons It is possible to control to display a live menu bar 1120 including a plurality of windows 1121, 1122, 1123 and 1124 on a partial area of the display 180 (S1030)

Here, the live menu bar may be overlaid on the main image and displayed. The live menu bar 1120 is a menu that is overlaid on one layer of the main content and can be called anytime, and can be configured as a context menu according to the content attribute of the one layer and the UI property have.

Accordingly, the menu icons included in the live menu bar 1120 may vary according to the type of the main image.

For example, when a user uses a broadcast content and VOD content as main content and moves the pointer to a predetermined area, for example, a right edge area, a menu related to a broadcast content or a menu related to a VOD content Can be provided to the user.

In this case, the menu icons may be displayed in the areas partitioned by graphic objects of bar type.

11B, the live menu bar 1120 may include broadcast related menus 1121, 1122, and 1123 and a back menu 1124 of a history back function to return to a previous step. have.

For example, when the application currently running in the foreground is broadcast content, the first depth menu category of the live menu bar 1120 may be composed of broadcast related menus.

For example, the broadcast related menus 1121, 1122, and 1123 included in the live menu bar 1120 illustrated in FIG. 11B may be channel menus, recommended menus, have.

Meanwhile, the channel menu may include sub-menus of 'second, depth, such as' Now, Next' or 'DTV, ATV, Radio' or 'Favorite A, Favorite B, Favorite C'

Also, the recommended menu (Recommended) may include submenus such as 'Video, Photo, Music' or 'Current broadcasting, Future broadcasting'.

In addition, the recordings may include sub-menus such as 'Finish, Schedule, Recent'.

On the other hand, when the live menu bar 1120 is initially displayed, the back menu 1124 which returns to the previous step may be a close menu.

On the other hand, the live menu bar 1120 may vary depending on the type of application, channel, and content currently being played, and may vary depending on the main content and the main content being changed.

If the pointer 205 is moved over the menu icon 1121 of any one of the plurality of menu icons at step S1040, the control unit 170 sets the display size of at least a part of the live menu bar 1120 as It is possible to control the display to be extended to the first size (S1050). [

Alternatively, when the live menu bar 1120 is divided into a plurality of selection regions and the selection regions correspond to one menu, the controller 170 determines whether the pointer 205 is one of a plurality of selection regions (S1040), it is possible to control the display size of at least a part of the live menu bar 1120 to be enlarged to a first size (S1050)

According to the embodiment, the controller 170 may expand the live menu bar 1120 as a whole. Alternatively, the control unit 170 may control to selectively extend and display a part of the area. For example, the area corresponding to the menu icon where the pointer is located may be extended to the first size.

FIG. 11C shows an example in which the area 1121 in which the pointer 205 has moved is extended.

On the other hand, additional information of the corresponding menu icon may be displayed in the area 1130 extended to the first size. For example, the additional information may include a menu name corresponding to the menu icon. Referring to FIG. 11C, the channel menu icon area 1121 is extended, and the menu name 'CHANNELS' is provided as additional information, so that the user can point out that the menu pointing to is a channel menu.

It is difficult to accurately grasp which menu the user wants when the live menu bar is called while watching the main video.

Therefore, the present invention not only provides a live menu bar composed of menus related to the main image, but also displays the information of the live menu bar in a small area in the form of an icon so as not to interfere with the viewing of the main image. In addition, as the pointer moves, the area of the live menu bar can be expanded and additional information can be provided.

The additional information may further include an object indicating the number of the submenus of the menu icon.

11D, when the control unit 170 receives an input for selecting any one of the plurality of menu icons (S1060), the control unit 170 controls to display the submenus 1131 and 1132 of the selected menu icon (S1070)

For example, if there is a selection input such as clicking the OK key while the pointer 205 is positioned on the expanded 'channel menu' area 1130, the submenus 1131 and 1132 of the 'channel menu' are displayed . In this case, the submenus 1131 and 1132 may be displayed in place of the other upper menus 1122 and 1123 of the live menu bar 1120.

11E and 11F, when the controller 170 receives an input for selecting one of the submenus 1122 and 1123 (S1080), the controller 170 selects the submenu 1122 corresponding to the selected submenu 1122 and 1123 It is possible to control to display the screens 1140 and 1150. (S1090)

In addition, the controller 170 may control the size of the screen corresponding to the selected submenu to extend to a second size. Here, the second size may be larger than the first size.

In addition, a screen corresponding to the selected sub-menu may be overlaid on the main image.

According to an embodiment, the controller 170 may control to gradually increase the size of the screen corresponding to the selected submenu to a second size.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the selection area of the live menu bar 1120 is widened in the menu category of the live menu bar 1120 as a pointer and any menu category is selected, The 2nd Depth item of the menu category can be expanded downwards.

Also, when the user selects the second depth item, the related content can be expanded on the right side. At this time, the animation effect may be applied to enlarge the size of the screen corresponding to the selected sub-menu gradually to the second size (size).

For example, as shown in FIG. 11E, a screen 1140 corresponding to the selected sub-menu is displayed at a predetermined size, and the screen 1150 is enlarged gradually as shown in FIG. 11F, Can be displayed.

On the other hand, when the pointer moves to the area where the live menu bar is displayed, the controller 170 can control to redisplay the live menu bar.

In this case, the live menu bar can be overlaid on the screen corresponding to the selected submenu and displayed.

For example, when the pointer corresponding to the selected submenu is called and the pointer moves to the right edge, as shown in FIG. 11G, the live menu bar 1120 composed of the top menu icons of the first depth is displayed Can be displayed again.

On the other hand, when there are many sub menus, a specific motion gesture or wheel 291 may be input to scroll, move between submenus, or change submenus.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, when the submenu is selected, the upper menu may be reduced to its original size.

12A to 12F illustrate a UI screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, the main screen is a VOD playback screen when the main content is a VOD.

12A, when the user uses the main video 1210, which is a VOD playback content screen, and moves the pointer 205 to a predetermined area, for example, a right edge area of the main video 1210, a live menu bar 1220 including menu icons corresponding to n categories can be displayed.

On the other hand, since the main menu image 1210 is a VOD playback content, the live menu bar 1220 may include menu icons of VOD-related categories. For example, a menu menu item such as a movie menu item (Movies) 1221, an application and a game menu item (Apps & Games) 1222, a search menu item (Search) 1223, and a 3D content menu item.

In addition, the menu items may have sub menu items. For example, the application and game menu item 1222 may have submenu items such as 'Paid, Free, Popular' or 'Puzzle, Arcade, Action, Roll Play'

In addition, the live menu bar 1220 may further include a back menu icon 1224.

On the other hand, the live menu bar 1220 can be superimposed on the main image 1210 and displayed.

Referring to FIG. 12B, when the user hoveres the pointer over the live menu bar 1220, at least some selected areas 1230 of the live menu bar 1220 are widened. At this time, additional information such as the name of the corresponding menu may be displayed in the widened selection area 1230. [

Referring to FIG. 12C, when the user selects a predetermined menu, the sub menu items 1231, 1232, and 233 of the selected menu category may be expanded downward.

Also, when the user selects one of the sub menu items 1231, 1232, and 1233, the related contents 1240 and 1250 can be expanded and expanded on the right side, and the animation effect can be applied as shown in FIGS. 12D and 12E .

12F, in this state, if the user moves the pointer to the right edge area again in a state in which the screen 1250 corresponding to the selected lower menu is called, the live menu bar 1220 is moved to the right edge area It can be superimposed on the screen 1250 and redisplayed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the wheel key input of the remote control device is received while the pointer is positioned on the live menu bar, the live menu bar is scrolled up and down )can do.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the pointer is positioned on a live menu bar including a movie menu item 1221, an application and a game menu item 1222, and a search menu item 1223, When the input to move the wheel key up is received, the display of the movie menu item 1221 is terminated and the application, game menu item 1222, and search menu item 1223 are scrolled up, An item may be displayed.

Meanwhile, the image providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may provide a live menu bar that varies depending on the main contents. For example, the first depth (1s tDepth) category of the live menu bar can be an antenna, HDMI 1, HDMI 2, Component, AUX, etc., when the main content currently running in the foreground is an external input.

In addition, the image providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide content suitable for an external input apparatus. For example, when a game machine is connected, a latest game is recommended, or when a set-top box is connected, a channel for each genre can be recommended.

13A shows an example in which the recommended content screen 1320 is superimposed on the main image 1310 when the recommended content item is selected among the menus using the live menu bar.

When the user selects any one of the recommended content items included in the recommended content screen 1320, the image providing apparatus can directly play the recommended content 1330 as shown in FIG. 13B.

14A to 14F show a UI screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the user moves the pointer to a predetermined area, a live menu bar 1420 including a plurality of upper menu icons 1421, 1422, and 1423 can be displayed on the main image 1410 as shown in FIG. 14A.

In addition, when the user moves the pointer 205 over the live menu bar 1420, at least a part of the area of the live menu bar 1420 is displayed by extending to the first size.

14B illustrates a live menu bar 1430 in which the entire area is extended.

The selection areas 1431, 1432, and 1433 of the extended live menu bar 1430 may include additional information such as a name of a corresponding menu.

Referring to FIG. 14C, the selected areas 1431, 1432, and 1433 of the extended live menu bar 1430 may include an object representing the number of the submenus of the menu icon.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, one of the objects representing the number of the submenus of the menu icon may be displayed differently from other objects in display state such as color, shape, and the like, have.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the wheel key input of the remote control device is received while the pointer is positioned on any one of the menu icons of the plurality of menu icons, The submenus of the menu icon positioned can be displayed by scrolling in the left and right directions.

14D, 14E, and 14F illustrate examples in which the submenus 1444, 1445, and 1446 of the menu icon-recommended menu item where the pointer is located are scrolled, respectively.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main image may be reduced and displayed, and a higher menu, a lower menu, additional information, or a function may be displayed in the remaining area.

For example, when an input for selecting one of the submenus is received, the main image can be displayed in a reduced size. In this case, menus that are not selected in the live menu bar may be further displayed in a sub area of the reduced main image, or menus related to the main image may be further displayed around the reduced main image . In addition, when another sub menu of the menu of the sub area exists, it can be displayed in the blank space in the middle of the sub area.

15A to 15D illustrate a UI screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the channel menu item 1520 of the live menu bar is selected and the sub menu items 1521 and 1522 of the channel menu item 1520 are displayed on the main image 1510 as shown in FIG. 15A, When the sub menu item 1522 is selected, the main image 1510 can be displayed in a reduced size and the screen 1540 corresponding to the selected sub menu item 1522 can be displayed as shown in FIG. 15B.

In addition, not only the menu 1551 selected around the reduced main image 1530 but also menus 1552 and 1553 which are not selected in the live menu bar can be displayed.

In addition, menus are displayed around the reduced main image 1530 and additional information of the TV is displayed in the remaining space 1554 or a control OSD (OSS) is displayed when the TV is not TV, .

15B, menus are displayed around the reduced main image 1530, and a volume adjustment menu and a channel adjustment menu are displayed in the remaining space 1554. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

 In addition, when the content of the currently displayed sub-area is related to the main video channel or the main content at the time of switching the main video channel or changing the main content, the menu may be changed in accordance with the channel switching and content switching. For example, if the switched channel is a recording series, the sub-area's menu may be automatically changed to Recording.

Referring to FIG. 15C, an object indicating the number of submenus including the menu item 1555 displayed in the submenu may be displayed.

Also, according to an embodiment, one of the objects representing the number of the lower menus may be displayed on the current screen among the lower menus by displaying different display states such as color, shape and the like with other objects.

In addition, the submenus can be toggled according to the input through the wheel 291 provided in the remote control device 200. [

On the other hand, upon receiving an input or channel switching command for selecting the content included in the reduced main image 1520 or the screen 1540 corresponding to the selected lower menu item 1522, The content or the channel image according to the command or the command can be switched to the full screen 1560 and displayed.

Referring to FIG. 16A, in addition to the screen 1540 corresponding to the selected sub-menu item 1522, another sub-menu item 1610 may be displayed in the remaining space of the sub-area.

Also in this case, the submenus can be toggled according to the input through the wheel 291 provided in the remote controller 200, and when the toggle submenu 1620 is selected, A screen 1630 corresponding to the item 1620 can be displayed.

17 and 18 show a UI screen according to another embodiment of the present invention.

17, the lower menus 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 of the selected upper menu 1720 are displayed on the selected upper menu 1720 (FIG. 17), unlike the other embodiments in which the above- The upper side 1723 and the lower side 1724 and the lower side 1721 and 1722, respectively. Also, the submenus 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 may be displayed as if they are spread over the upper menu.

FIG. 18 shows various examples of displaying the upper and lower menus.

Referring to FIG. 18A, a selected sub menu item 1811 of the selected sub menu item 1810, a selected sub menu item 1811 of the selected sub menu item 1810, and a sub menu item 1811 of the selected sub menu item 1811 1812 and 1813 are displayed as if they are spread downward in order to intuitively indicate the hierarchical structure of the menus.

On the other hand, UI screens according to the embodiment of the present invention can display menu items without being displayed adjacent to each other.

18B, a selected lower menu item 1821 of the selected upper menu item 1820 and lower menu items of the selected upper menu item 1820 are displayed at the upper left of the screen, and the selected lower menu item 1820 1821 may be displayed on the right side of the screen.

18, the selected upper menu item 1830 and the lower menu items 1831, 1832, and 1833 of the selected upper menu item 1830 are displayed at the upper left of the screen, and the selected lower menu item 1830 1831 may be displayed on the right side of the screen.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, various user interfaces can be provided to a user.

Again. It is possible to invoke a menu associated with the main content at any time during use of the main content, and to perform a desired function with a smaller number of operations, thereby improving usability.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but may be applied to all or some of the embodiments so that various modifications may be made. May be selectively combined.

Meanwhile, the operation method of the image providing apparatus of the present invention can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor in a recording medium readable by a processor included in the image providing apparatus. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium that can be read by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet . In addition, the processor-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed fashion can be stored and executed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

110: tuner unit
120: demodulator
130: External device interface unit
135: Network interface unit
140:
150: user input interface unit
170:
180: Display
200: remote control device

Claims (20)

Displaying a main image on a display;
Displaying a live menu bar including a plurality of menu icons when a pointer corresponding to a movement of the remote control device moves over a predetermined area of the display;
Expanding a display size of at least a part of the live menu bar to a first size when the pointer moves over one of the plurality of menu icons;
Receiving an input for selecting a menu icon of any one of the plurality of menu icons;
Displaying submenus of the selected menu icon;
Receiving an input for selecting a submenu of any one of the submenus; And
And displaying a screen corresponding to the selected submenu. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the menu icons included in the live menu bar differ according to a type of the main image. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of expanding at least a part of the live menu bar to a first size includes displaying an area corresponding to a menu icon where the pointer is located by extending the menu icon to the first size, The method comprising: The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the additional information of the corresponding menu icon is displayed in an area extending to the first size. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the additional information includes a menu name corresponding to the menu icon. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the additional information includes an object representing a number of submenus of the menu icon. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the live menu bar is overlaid on the main image and displayed. The method according to claim 1,
And expanding a size of a screen corresponding to the selected lower menu to a second size. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the step of expanding the size of the screen corresponding to the selected lower menu to the second size progressively expands the size of the screen corresponding to the selected lower menu to a second size. And the operating method of the providing apparatus. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the second size is larger than the first size. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the screen corresponding to the selected sub-menu is overlaid on the main image and displayed. The method according to claim 1,
And redisplaying the live menu bar when the pointer moves back to the area where the live menu bar was displayed. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the step of redisplaying the live menu bar displays the live menu bar by ovrelaying the live menu bar on a screen corresponding to the selected submenu. The method according to claim 1,
And scrolling the live menu bar in a vertical direction when a wheel key input of the remote control device is received while the pointer is positioned on the live menu bar, Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
When a wheel key input of the remote control device is received while the pointer is positioned on any one of the menu icons, the submenus of the menu icon where the pointer is located are scrolled in the left and right directions and scrolling the displayed image on the display screen. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of, when receiving an input for selecting one of the submenus, reducing the main image. 17. The method of claim 16,
Further displaying menus that are not selected in the live menu bar around the reduced main image. 17. The method of claim 16,
And further displaying menus related to the main image around the reduced main image. 17. The method of claim 16,
Receiving an input for selecting the reduced main image;
And displaying the main image on a full screen. The method according to claim 1,
And changing the live menu bar based on the changed main image when the main image is changed.

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