JPH0334795A - Video receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain proper charging in response to the sent information quantity by a picture number count means counting number of pictures of a video signal extracted from a time sharing multiplex signal and a charging information output means outputting the count obtained by the picture number count means or the information corresponding to the count as charging information. CONSTITUTION:A gate control signal outputted from a control circuit is led to a binary counter 70, which counts the output number of times. In this state, when a polling signal comes from a charging center via a public line network 90, the count of the binary counter 70 is converted into a serial data by a parallel/serial converter and fed to a MODEM. The charging center 100 send a polling signal to each receiving station 40 periodically (e.g. every one month) and the count data is collected from each receiving station. Then the preceding data is subtracted from the collected data this time to obtain the total number of still pictures viewed within the month concerned and the charge corresponding to the picture number is informed to the receiving station 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a video receiving device used, for example, in a receiving station of a still image transmission system.

(Prior Art) In recent years, various information and communication service systems have been developed with the development of communication technology and the diversification of communication needs. In this system, like a CATV broadcasting system, multiple programs consisting of video signals and audio signals are transmitted from a transmitting station, and each subscribed receiving station selectively transmits the video signals and audio signals of the desired program. There are systems that extract the information and display it on, for example, a television receiver. The billing method for this type of system is
Conventionally, a so-called Pay/View method has been used, which calculates the amount based on the type of program viewed and the viewing time.

Incidentally, as a new information transmission service system, a system has recently been considered in which still images of a plurality of programs configured using video signals are transmitted using a wireless communication line, particularly a satellite communication line. FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of this type of system.

In the figure, video signals and audio signals constituting programs such as news, lifestyle information, educational information, and mail order information transmitted from a plurality of information sources 1 are introduced into a transmitting station 2, respectively. Then, each screen of the video signal and the digitized audio signal are time-division multiplexed or frequency-division multiplexed at the transmitting station 2, and then subjected to, for example, FM modulation and transmitted from a transmitting antenna. Here, the structure of the video frame of the transmission signal is as shown in FIG. 5, for example, for each program A.
B C, the still screen al, a2. a3゜...
・bl, b2. b3. ... cl, c2. c3゜・
... are intermittently suppressed into time slots of the transmission signal at fixed time intervals (for example, several seconds).

The transmission signal transmitted from the transmitting station 2 is relayed by a transponder mounted on a communication satellite 3 to a large number of receiving stations 4.
transmitted to. In these receiving stations 4, for example, by specifying a desired program in advance by the receiver, the video signal and audio signal of the desired program are respectively extracted from the received signal and supplied to a television receiver or the like. displayed and audio output. Note that the extraction of the video signal of the desired program is performed, for example, as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the transmitting station superimposes program identification codes (hereinafter referred to as ID codes) IDa and IDb in the vertical blanking interval of each field of the video signal and transmits the signal. On the other hand, each receiving station detects the above-mentioned ID code suppressed in the vertical blanking interval every time one field of the video signal is received, and uses the ID code to detect the program of the video signal that has just been received. identify.

Using such a system, receivers can select their desired program from a variety of programs and obtain information about it, making effective use of limited satellite communication lines and receiving a large number of diversified programs. can meet the needs of people.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in this kind of system:
When attempting to charge each receiving station by applying the /View method, the following problems occur. That is, in the Pay/Vlev system, the fee is generally calculated based on a predetermined fee for each program () per hour, and the time and viewing time at which the program was selected. However, in addition to continuously transmitting the video signal of one program, the still image transmission system uses a method of intermittently transmitting still images for each program as described above. In some cases. Therefore, the number of still screens viewed and the viewing time do not necessarily have a constant relationship. Therefore, the Pay /V
When charging a still image transmission system using the lev method, for example, the receiver is charged a fee corresponding to the viewing time, even though the number of still images actually viewed, that is, the amount of information used is small. This was extremely undesirable as it caused some problems.

Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a video signal transmission method or any method.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a video receiving device that can always perform appropriate billing according to the amount of information actually transmitted.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention transmits a program composed of at least a plurality of screens worth of video signals by time-division multiplexing on a screen-by-screen basis at a transmitting station, and transmits a program made up of video signals for at least a plurality of screens by time-division multiplexing on a screen-by-screen basis, and a receiving station transmits a program consisting of video signals for at least a plurality of screens. A video receiving device used in a video transmission system that receives a time division multiplexed signal and selectively extracts a video signal of a desired program from the signal on a screen-by-screen basis includes a screen number counting means and a billing information output means. The number of screens of the video signal extracted from the time division multiplexed signal is counted by the screen number counting means, and the counted value obtained by the screen number counting means or information corresponding to this counted value is used as the billing information. The information is output as billing information from the output means.

The present invention also provides for transmitting the counted value obtained by the screen number counting means or information corresponding to this counted value to a device for managing billing via a communication line, and Each of them is also characterized in that the counted value or the fee calculated from the counted value is matched with the video signal selectively extracted from the time division multiplexed signal and displayed on the monitor.

(Function) As a result, according to the present invention, the number of screens of video signals actually viewed in the video receiving device is counted, and this counted value or the corresponding information or billing information is output. Therefore, even if the transmission method is, for example, a method in which the video signal of one program is transmitted by continuous time division multiplexing on a screen-by-screen basis, or a method in which the video signal of each program is transmitted intermittently one screen at a time. Even if there is, the fee will always be calculated according to the number of still screens truly viewed, that is, the amount of information used. Therefore, in a system in which a program composed of video signals is time-division multiplexed transmitted on a screen-by-screen basis, and the receiving side extracts the video signal of the desired program on the screen, appropriate billing is always possible.

(Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a receiving station equipped with a video receiving device and a system for collecting billing information from these receiving stations in an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the audio signal reproducing system of the receiving station is omitted for convenience of explanation and is shown in -C.

Each receiving station 40 receives a signal relayed by a transponder of a communication satellite (3 in FIG. 4) using a receiving antenna 41, and then converts the signal from the SHF band to the UH band using a frequency conversion circuit 42.
The frequency is converted to an F band signal, and then the frequency is converted from this UHF band to an intermediate frequency (1S) signal.The frequency conversion circuit 42 also performs channel selection.Then, this intermediate frequency band signal is converted into an FM signal. After the FM signal is demodulated by the demodulator 43, it is separated into a video signal RVS and an audio signal reproduction system RAS, and the video signal is introduced into the video selection circuit 50.

The video selection circuit 50 is configured as shown in FIG. 1, for example. That is, the received image signal RVS is introduced into the ID decoder 81. This ID decoder 81 detects the ID that is inserted into the vertical blanking interval for each field of the video signal of the received video signal RVS, that is, for each still image.
Detect and decode codes. In addition, the received video signal RV
S is also introduced into the gate circuit 54. This gate circuit 5
4 performs a gate operation in accordance with a gate control signal GS output from a control circuit 52, which will be described later, and thereby inputs a video signal from the received video signal RVS in units of one field.
In other words, it is passed in still image units and supplied to the image memory 55. The image memory 55 has a storage capacity of one field's worth of video signals, and each time a still image is supplied from the gate circuit 54, it temporarily stores the still image. The stored still image is then repeatedly read out and output to the television receiver 6o until the next still image is supplied via the gate circuit 54. The control circuit 52 is
For example, it is equipped with a microcomputer, and has a video selection control means 52a as its control function. This video selection control means 52a uses the ID decoder 51 to
Every time a D code is detected, this received ID code is
It is compared with the ID code of the desired program stored in advance in the memory 53, and if the received ID code matches the stored ID code as a result of this comparison, a gate control signal GS is output to the gate circuit 54, and the gate circuit 54 is opened for one field period of the received video signal RVS.

By the way, the gate signal GS output from the control circuit 52 is also introduced into the storage device 7o. This storage device 70
As shown in FIG. 1, it is composed of, for example, a binary counter, and counts the number of times the gate control signal GS is generated, that is, the number of frames of still images passing through the gate circuit 54.

Then, the count value CO is outputted to the data transmission device 8° as billing information. This data transmission device 80 is comprised of, for example, a parallel/serial converter (P,/5) 81 and a modem (MOD) 82, as shown in FIG.

Then, when polling arrives from the billing center 100 via the public line network 90, the count value from the above-mentioned null counter 70 is introduced into the parallel/serial converter 81, and this converter 81 converts the parallel data into serial data. Convert to Then, this serial data is converted into a predetermined signal format by the modem 82 and then transmitted to the billing center 100 via the public line network 90.

Note that a 36-bit counter, for example, may be used as the binary counter. If you use a counter like this, even if you listen to the current song continuously for 24 hours every day, the
Can be used for more than 6 years.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as above will be explained.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the transmitting station transmits each program A and B.
, C still images al, a2. a3゜... bl, b2
．． b3. ... c l + c 2 - c 3
+... are intermittently multiplexed and transmitted at regular intervals.

In the video selection circuit 50, when the received video signal RVS is input, the ID decoder 51 detects the ID code for each field of the received video signal.Then, the control circuit 52 detects the ID code in the ID decoder 51. Each time the desired program is detected, the ID code of the desired program is read out from the ID memory 53, and the received ID code is entered in this record. Check with ID code. Then, when both ID codes match, a gate control signal GS is outputted to the gate circuit 54 with that preference, thereby opening the gate circuit 54 for one field period. Therefore, the still image of the received video signal RVS passes through the gate circuit 54 and is supplied to the image memory 55, and after being temporarily stored in the image memory 55, it is repeatedly read out and displayed on the television receiver 60. .

For example, assume that the ID code IDa of program A is stored in the ID memory 53 as a program that the receiver desires to view. Then, the control circuit 52 generates still images a1a2. of program A as shown in FIG. a3. ... is received, a gate control signal GS is generated. Therefore, the gate circuit 54 is in the gate open state only for the pulse output period (one field) of the gate control signal GS, and
As a result, among the received video signals RVS, each still image al, a2 . a3. . . . passes through the gate circuit 54 and is supplied to the image memory 53. Then, each of the above still images al, a2. a3°... are each temporarily stored in the image memory 55, and then read out repeatedly until the next still image is supplied via the gate circuit 54, as shown in VS2 in FIG. The signal is supplied to the television receiver 60 and displayed as if it were a continuously received video signal. That is, the television receiver 60 displays still images al, a2゜a of the desired program A.
3. ... is displayed in real time while being updated at the reception interval.

By the way, the gate control signal GS outputted from the control circuit 52 is guided to a binary counter 70, and the number of outputs thereof is counted by the binary counter 70. In this state, when a polling signal arrives from the billing center 100 via the public line network 90, the binary counter 7
The count value of 0 is converted into serial data by a parallel/serial converter 81 and then supplied to a modem 82 . The modem 82 converts the serial data of the count value supplied from the parallel/serial converter 81 into a predetermined signal form, and then sends it to the billing center 100 via the public line network 90.

The billing center 100 sends out the polling signal to each receiving station 40 periodically (for example, every January), thereby collecting data on the count value from each receiving station 40 . and,
For example, the previous data is subtracted from the data collected this time to determine the total number of still screens viewed this month, and the charge corresponding to this number of screens is transmitted to the receiving station 40.

As described above, in this embodiment, the number of still screens selected at each receiving station 40 is counted, and this counted value is transmitted to the billing center 100 as billing information. Regardless of the signal transmission method, the billing center 100 can always accurately calculate the fee corresponding to the number of still screens truly viewed by each receiving station 40.

Further, in this embodiment, the number of screens can be counted simply by counting the gate control signal GS of the gate circuit 54, which has the advantage that it can be realized with a simple circuit configuration.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, a charge calculation circuit may be provided in the storage device 70 or the data transmission device 80, and this circuit may calculate the charge from the count value of the binary counter 70 and transmit this charge data to the billing center 100. Furthermore, each time viewing of one program is completed, the counted value and the fee corresponding to this counted value may be calculated and transmitted to the billing center 100. Furthermore, these counted values and calculated charges may be superimposed on the video signal using, for example, a superimposition method and displayed on the television receiver. In addition, the number of screens and billing center 10
The control circuit 52 may control the transmission to 0 all at once.

Further, although the above embodiments have been described using a system using a satellite communication line as an example, the present invention can also be applied to a terrestrial microwave communication system. In addition, video signal transmission methods,
The structure of the screen number counting means and billing information outputting means, the format of billing information, the (14-channel configuration) of the receiving station, etc. may be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, the screen number counting means and the billing information output means are provided, and the screen of the video signal extracted from the time division multiplexed signal sent from the transmitting station is provided. The video signal It is possible to provide a video receiving device that can always perform appropriate billing according to the amount of information actually transmitted, regardless of the transmission method used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 3 are for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing the main structure of a video receiving device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a receiving station and billing system. FIG. 3 is a timing diagram used to explain the operation of the device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a still image transmission system, and FIG. 5 is a video transmission system. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a transmission signal. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Information source, 2... Transmitting station, 3... Communication satellite, 40... Receiving station, 41... Receiving antenna, 42
...Frequency conversion circuit, 43...FM demodulator, 50.
...Video selection circuit, 51...ID decoder, 52...
- Control circuit, 52a... Video selection control means, 53...
- ID memory, 54... Gate circuit, 55... Image memory, 60... Television receiver, 70... Storage device (binary counter), 80... Data transmission device, 81... Parallel/serial converter, 82...modem,
90...Public line network, 100...Billing center. Fourth

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A transmitting station time-division multiplexes and transmits a program made up of video signals for at least multiple screens on a screen-by-screen basis, and a receiving station receives the time-division multiplexed signal sent from the transmitting station and transmits it. In a video receiving device used in a video transmission system that selectively extracts a video signal of a desired program on a screen-by-screen basis from the time division multiplexed signal, the screen number counting means counts the number of screens of the video signal extracted from the time division multiplexed signal. and billing information output means for outputting the counted value obtained by the screen number counting means or information corresponding to this counted value as billing information. (2) A claim characterized in that the billing information output means transmits the counted value obtained by the screen number counting means or information corresponding to this counted value to a device for managing billing via a communication line. (1) The video receiving device described. (3) The billing information output means inserts the counted value obtained by the screen number counting means or the charge calculated from this counted value into the video signal selectively extracted from the time division multiplexed signal and monitors it. Claim (1) characterized in that
) described video receiving device.