Television receiver with a dual tuner system

• US 5,285,284 A
• Filed: 11/09/1992
• Issued: 02/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sudoh, Takayuki, Takashima, Tadoa
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murrell, Jeffrey S.
• Application Number:
  US07/972,027
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 358/194.1, 358/191.1, 358/183, 358/188, 358/181, 358/22 PIP, 455/296, 455/132, 455/139, 455/295
• US Class Current: 348/731
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0083 using two or more tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A television receiver having first and second tuners which can receive the same frequency band and display multiple-surfaces includes key inputting means for indicating that the display of a second tuner picture in a plurality of tuners is on or off and channel selection controlling means for making the second tuner an ordinary selected condition when the key inputting means indicates that the display of the second tuner picture is on and fixing the second tuner'"'"'s local oscillation frequency so as to set a frequency received by the second tuner outside a receivable frequency band when the key inputting means indicates that the display of the second tuner picture is off. Thereby, mutual beat interference between the plurality of tuners is eliminated.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

first and second tuners able to receive signals in a predetermined frequency band, respectively;

displaying means able to simultaneously display the signals received by said first and second tuners;

key inputting means able to generate a first indicating signal for simultaneously displaying the signals received by said first and second tuners and a second indicating signal for displaying only the signal received by said first tuner; and

control means for controlling said first and second tuners in response to said first and second indicating signals, the control means setting frequencies received by said first and second tuners within said frequency band when said first indicating signal is generated, and said control means setting a frequency received by said first tuner within said frequency band and setting a frequency received by said second tuner outside said frequency band when said second indicating signal is generated.

2. A television receiver comprising:

first and second tuners being able to receive signals in a predetermined frequency band, respectively;

displaying means able to simultaneously display the signals received by said first and second tuners;

key inputting means able to generate a first indicating signal for simultaneously displaying the signals received by said first and second tuners and a second indicating signal for displaying only the signal received by said first tuner; and

control means for controlling local oscillation frequencies of said first and second tuners in response to said first and second indicating signals and setting frequencies received by said first and second tuners, said control means for setting frequencies received by said first and second tuners within said frequency band when said first indicating signal is generated, and setting a frequency received by said first tuner within said frequency band and setting a frequency received by said second tuner outside said frequency band when said second indicating signal is generated.

3. The television receiver according to claim 2 wherein said control means controls a local oscillation frequency of said second tuner so as to set the frequency received by said second tuner at a high frequency outside said frequency band when said second indicating signal is generated from said key inputting means.

4. The television receiver according to claim 2 wherein each of said first and second tuners includes a phase locked loop having a voltage controlled oscillator, a fixed frequency divider, a variable frequency divider, a reference oscillator, a phase comparator and a low pass filter, said first and second tuners able to select channels by changing a frequency dividing ratio of said variable frequency divider by said control means, respectively, said control means fixing the second tuner'"'"'s local oscillation frequency so as to set the frequency received by said second tuner outside said frequency band by controlling a frequency dividing ratio of said variable frequency divider when said key inputting means generates said second indicating signal.

5. A television receiver comprising:

first and second tuners able to receive signals in a predetermined frequency band, respectively;

key inputting means for indicating each channel received by said first and second tuners and able to indicate whether a signal received from said second tuner is displayed or not;

first and second detecting means for detecting video signals output from said first and second tuners;

first processing means for processing a detecting output from said first detecting means to produce a first signal;

signal producing means for producing a second signal compressed by processing a detecting output from said second detecting means;

switching means for selectively outputting either said first signal only or a signal in which said second signal is superimposed onto said first signal, by selectively switching said first signal from said first processing means and said second signal from said signal producing means;

video displaying means for displaying an output signal from said switching means; and

channel selection controlling means for controlling a channel selection by controlling local oscillation frequencies for said first and second tuners and selectively switching said switching means, said channel selection controlling means setting a frequency received by said second tuner within said frequency band when said key inputting means indicates a signal being displayed from said second tuner and controlling said switching means so as to output said signal superimposing said second signal onto said first signal by selectively switching said switching means, said channel selection controlling means controlling said switching means so as to select only a first signal based on an output from said first tuner and fixing said second tuner'"'"'s local oscillation frequency at a predetermined frequency so as to set a frequency received by said second tuner outside said frequency band when said key inputting means indicating that display of the signal from said second tuner is not needed.

6. The television receiver according to claim 5 wherein said channel selection controlling means fixes said second tuner'"'"'s local oscillation frequency so as to set a frequency received by said second tuner at a high frequency outside said frequency band when said key inputting means indicates that display of a signal from said second tuner is not needed.