KR20080017181A - Apparatus for upgrade of software using broadcasting signal and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for automatically revising the software of a home appliance using broadcast signals are provided to seek after convenience in upgrading firmware by extracting only firmware upgrade information inserted in the vertical blanking interval of a video signal and automatically executing firmware upgrade, without a user's any intervention. An apparatus for automatically revising the software of a home appliance comprises a signal splitting part(105), an upgrade information extraction part(117), a memory(119), a power part(123), and a microcomputer(121). The signal splitting part(105) receives a broadcast signal containing firmware upgrade information from a broadcasting station, and splits the received signal into an audio signal and a video signal. The upgrade information extraction part(117) extracts firmware upgrade information from the video signal. The memory(119) stores the extracted firmware for upgrading. The power part(123) supplies main power and standby power to the home appliance. In case the extracted firmware upgrade information is about the firmware of the home appliance, the microcomputer(121) changes the firmware previously stored in an EEPROM or a flash memory into the firmware stored in the memory(119) according to a power supply state of the power part(123).

Description

Apparatus for upgrade of software using broadcasting signal and method etc.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a software automatic correction device for home appliances using the broadcast signal according to the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a software broadcasting process for upgrading in a broadcasting station in a method for automatically correcting software for home appliances using a broadcasting signal according to the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a software automatic modification process in a receiver of a method for automatically correcting software for home appliances using a broadcast signal according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

105... Signal separator

117.. Upgrade Information Extraction Section

110... Memory

121... Micom

123... Power supply

125... Ypyrom

The present invention relates to the automatic modification of the software of home appliances using broadcast signals, in particular, the software of home appliances using broadcast signals to automatically modify the software (S / W) of home appliances having a function of receiving broadcast signals. An automatic correction device and a method thereof.

More specifically, software modified by a broadcasting station is inserted into the blanking interval (vertical blanking interval) of the video signal and broadcast, and the receiver receives the automatic correction software for home appliances using the broadcast signal to modify the software automatically And to a method thereof.

Recently, the role of software (S / W) in home appliances has become important.

In particular, in televisions and similar home appliances receiving broadcast signals, signal processing is being digitized, and software modification is required even after the product is released. For example, in some cases, the software has been modified to satisfy the changed broadcasting standard in the product which has been changed and the broadcasting standard has been changed. In order to improve the problems that were not known in the process of developing and producing the product, Corrections are made frequently.

However, this software modification is expensive. The reason is that the person servicing the product must modify the product's software. If the product is exported, it is necessary to modify the software at a higher cost.

For example, in the case of television, A / S personnel visited the home and provided a service of changing software using a serial port provided in the TV receiver.

However, as mentioned above, it is very cumbersome and inconvenient to visit the home and change the software embedded in the TV set. In particular, it is not a big problem when enough A / S centers and A / S personnel are secured in Korea, but it is very difficult to secure enough A / S centers and A / S personnel as necessary in foreign countries. It is difficult.

In addition, the conventional method for changing the software of a television, as is well known, is made only in a state in which the reception of the television has caused a problem that the user is uncomfortable watching television.

On the other hand, the conventional television has also been proposed a method of performing a software change as described above by connecting to a separate PC, in this case, because the manual operation of the user is inconvenient, and also increases the separate cost according to the use of the PC It was a cause.

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed to solve various problems that occur when changing the software of home appliances, such as the conventional television as described above,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for automatically modifying software for home appliances using broadcast signals, which are capable of automatically modifying software (S / W) for home appliances having a function of receiving broadcast signals.

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, "automatically correcting apparatus for home appliances using a broadcast signal",

A signal separation unit for receiving a broadcast signal including firmware upgrade information transmitted from a broadcasting station and separating the received broadcast signal into an audio signal and a video signal;

An upgrade information extracting unit extracting firmware upgrade information from the video signal separated by the signal separating unit;

A memory for storing the upgrade firmware extracted by the upgrade information extraction unit;

A power supply unit for supplying main power and standby power to the television;

If the firmware upgrade information is present by the upgrade information extracting unit, and the firmware is suitable for the television, the microcomputer that changes the firmware previously stored in the EPIROM or the flash memory into the firmware stored in the memory according to the power supply state of the power supply unit. It is characterized by including.

The upgrade information extracting unit may extract firmware upgrade information inserted in a blanking section of the video signal.

The microcomputer may be configured to perform firmware change with new firmware when the power supply state of the power supply unit is the main power supply is off and only standby power is being supplied.

In addition, the microcomputer checks the unique code determined for each television model among the firmware information obtained in the blanking section to determine whether the firmware is suitable for the television.

In addition, the microcomputer, checks the version of the firmware stored in the memory, characterized in that to perform a firmware upgrade only if the newer than the version of the firmware stored in the EPIROM.

In addition, the microcomputer receives the firmware information transmitted in the blanking section and stores the information in the memory and notifies the consumer to the television screen on-screen method when an error occurs due to a natural phenomenon or an artificial human error. It is done.

The microcomputer further stores only the information after the previously stored information when the firmware information is normally received after an error occurs while receiving and storing the firmware information transmitted in the blanking interval in the memory. do.

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, "automatically correcting software for home appliances using broadcast signals",

A first step of broadcasting by inserting firmware upgrade information into a predetermined position of a channel at a broadcasting station;

A second process of extracting firmware upgrade information inserted into a channel and temporarily storing the firmware upgrade information inserted in a channel while the main power is supplied from the television;

And a third process of performing a firmware change by comparing a version of firmware stored in the memory with firmware previously stored in the EPI or flash ROM when the main power is turned off in the television.

In the above, the first process,

A first step of confirming whether firmware upgrade information exists at a broadcasting station;

Inserting the firmware upgrade information into a video signal blanking section of a specific channel if the firmware upgrade information exists;

And transmitting and broadcasting a channel into which the firmware upgrade information is inserted.

In the above, the specific channel of the second step is characterized in that the channel requested by the operator performing the firmware upgrade.

In the above, the specific channel of the second step is characterized in that all channels broadcast from a broadcasting station.

In the above, the second process,

Tuning the channel selected by the user while the main power is supplied;

A second step of checking whether there is upgrade information by searching for an image signal of the tuned channel;

A third step of extracting and analyzing upgrade information when upgrade information exists as a result of the checking;

And a fourth step of storing the extracted upgrade information in the memory if the extracted upgrade information is information suitable for itself.

The checking of the existence of the upgrade information of the second step may include determining whether the upgrade information exists based on whether the information exists in the blanking period of the video signal.

In the above, the upgrade information extraction of the third step is characterized in that to extract the firmware upgrade information inserted in the blanking period of the video signal.

The firmware upgrade information includes header information indicating the firmware upgrade, location information indicating the start and end positions of the firmware upgrade, and firmware information to be upgraded.

The upgrade information analysis is characterized by identifying a unique code determined for each television model among firmware information obtained in the blanking section.

In the above, the third process,

A first step of confirming whether the extraction of the upgrade information is finished;

A second step of checking whether the main power is off when the extraction of the upgrade information is finished;

Checking whether the firmware stored in the memory is a new version when the main power is off;

If the firmware stored in the memory is a new version, the method includes performing a firmware upgrade and controlling the device with the new firmware after the firmware upgrade.

The checking of the new version of the third step is characterized by comparing the version information included in the header information among the firmware upgrade information with the version information of the firmware pre-stored in the EPROM to determine whether the new version.

In addition, the third process,

If the firmware stored in the memory is not a new version, the method further includes a fifth step of deleting the firmware stored in the memory.

Hereinafter, described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention. If it is determined that the detailed description of the known function or configuration related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the "software automatic correction device for home appliances using the broadcast signal" according to the present invention.

Here, reference numeral 101 denotes an antenna for receiving a broadcast signal, reference numeral 103 denotes a tuner for tuning a signal of a specific channel in the broadcast signal received through the antenna 101, and reference numeral 105 denotes the tuner 103. Denotes a signal separator for separating the output signal of the video signal into an audio signal, reference numeral 107 denotes an audio signal processor 107 for processing the audio signal separated by the signal separator 105, and reference numeral 109 denotes a signal. An audio amplification unit amplifies the processed audio signal to a predetermined level and delivers the audio signal to the speaker 111. Reference numeral 113 denotes an image signal processing unit for processing the separated image signal, and reference numeral 115 denotes a screen for processing the processed image signal. A video display device displayed on the screen.

As is well known, the configuration exemplifies a basic configuration of a general television.

The present invention is a basic configuration of the above-described general television,

An upgrade information extracting unit (117) for extracting firmware upgrade information from the video signal separated by the signal separating unit (105); A memory 119 for storing the upgrade firmware extracted by the upgrade information extractor 117; A power supply unit 123 for supplying main power and standby power to the television; If it is determined that the firmware upgrade information exists by the upgrade information extracting unit 117, the firmware previously stored in the EPI rom 125 is converted into firmware stored in the memory 119 according to the power supply state of the power supply unit 123. It is configured to further include a microcomputer 121 to change.

The apparatus for automatically modifying software for home appliances using broadcast signals according to the present invention configured as described above, when a company producing and selling a specific television from a broadcasting station requests a firmware upgrade of the television, the video signal blanking section of the specific channel is displayed. Broadcast by inserting requested firmware upgrade information.

In this case, the specific channel may be a channel requested by an operator, or may be all channels broadcast by the corresponding broadcasting station.

When a broadcast station broadcasts by inserting firmware upgrade information into a video signal of a channel, the tuner 103 of the television receiver as shown in FIG. 1 tunes a channel selected by a user among the signals received from the antenna 101.

The signal separating unit 105 separates and outputs the audio signal and the video signal from the signal of the channel tuned by the tuner 103, and the voice signal processing unit 107 uses the conventional voice signal processing processor. The voice signal thus processed is amplified to a predetermined level by the voice amplifier 109 and then transmitted through the speaker 111 so that the user can listen to the voice signal of the channel selected by the user.

Next, the video signal processor 113 processes the separated video signal using a conventional video signal processor, and the processed video signal is displayed on the screen through the video display device 115. Therefore, the user will watch the video of the channel selected by the user.

Meanwhile, the upgrade information extracting unit 117 extracts the firmware upgrade information included in the video signal separated by the signal separating unit 105, and as a result, notifies the microcomputer 121 if the upgrade information exists, and the micom ( Under the control of 121, the extracted firmware upgrade information is stored or deleted in the memory 119.

Here, the upgrade information extracting unit 117 extracts the information for firmware upgrade inserted in the blanking section of the video signal.

If the upgrade information is present, the microcomputer 121 selectively selects the YCOM 121 or flash ROM (not shown) according to the power supply state of the power supply unit 123 and the version information of the firmware stored in the memory 119. Upgrade the stored firmware. That is, when the power supply state of the power supply unit 123 is the main power is off, and only standby power is being supplied, the firmware change is performed with the new firmware, and the firmware version stored in the memory 119 is checked. The firmware upgrade is performed only when the firmware is newer than the version of the firmware stored in the pyrom 125. This is because the user is currently watching the broadcast when the main power is being supplied, and if the firmware is upgraded, a temporary video interruption may occur, which may be annoying to the user. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the firmware upgrade when the main power is off and only standby power is supplied. In addition, if the received firmware version is the same as or earlier than the firmware version stored in this pyrom, since the firmware is already upgraded, it is preferable not to perform the firmware upgrade to prevent the redundant upgrade.

In addition, the microcomputer 121 checks a unique code determined for each television model in the firmware information obtained in the blanking section to determine whether the firmware is suitable for the television. The unique code here is a number consisting of "0" and "1", and a specific code is assigned to each television model.

In addition, the microcomputer 121 receives the firmware information transmitted in the blanking section and stores the information in the memory. If the error occurs due to a natural phenomenon or an artificial mistake of the user, the microcomputer 121 informs the consumer by the on-screen method on the television screen. do. That is, when the information is interrupted or caused by an artificial mistake such as when a television signal causes an error in the information due to a natural phenomenon such as wind or lightning, or when the viewer turns a channel to watch another broadcast by mistake. In order to inform the consumer, the TV screen is notified of this by means of an on screen (ON SCREEN).

In addition, the microcomputer 121 additionally stores only the information after the previously stored information if the firmware information is normally received again after an error occurs while receiving and storing the firmware information transmitted in the blanking section in the memory. desirable.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of transmitting firmware upgrade information at a broadcasting station among "method for automatically correcting software for home appliances using a broadcast signal" according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is software for home appliances using a broadcast signal according to the present invention. "Automatic Correction Method" is a flowchart showing the automatic firmware upgrade process in the television receiver.

As shown therein, a first process (S101 to S105) of broadcasting by inserting firmware upgrade information into a predetermined position of a channel in a broadcasting station; A second process (S201 to S209) of extracting firmware upgrade information inserted into a channel and temporarily storing the firmware upgrade information inserted into a channel while the main power is supplied from the television; In a state in which the main power is turned off in the television, a third process (S211 to S221) is performed to perform a firmware change by comparing versions of firmware stored in the memory with firmware previously stored in the EPROM.

In the above, the first process may include: a first step (S101) of confirming whether firmware upgrade information exists in a broadcasting station; A second step (S103) of inserting the firmware upgrade information into a video signal blanking section of a specific channel when the firmware upgrade information exists; And transmitting and broadcasting a channel in which the firmware upgrade information is inserted (S105).

In the above, the second process includes a first step (S201, S203) of tuning the channel selected by the user while the main power is supplied; A second step (S205) of retrieving the existence of upgrade information by searching the video signal of the tuned channel; A third step (S207) of extracting and analyzing upgrade information when upgrade information exists as a result of the checking; In the case of the determined firmware suitable for itself as a result of the analysis, a fourth step S209 of storing the extracted upgrade information in a memory is included.

In the above, the third process may include: a first step (S211) of checking whether the extraction of the upgrade information is completed; A second step (S213) of checking whether the main power is off when the extraction of the upgrade information is finished; A third step (S215) of checking whether the firmware stored in the memory is a new version when the main power is off; If the firmware stored in the memory is a new version, performing a firmware upgrade and controlling the device with the new firmware after the firmware upgrade (S219, S221); If the firmware stored in the memory is not the new version, a fifth step S217 of deleting the firmware stored in the memory is included.

When the "automatic software correction method for home appliances using the broadcast signal" according to the present invention made as described above in detail as follows.

First, the broadcasting station inserts the firmware upgrade information into a predetermined position of the channel and broadcasts it at the request of the television operator. That is, the broadcasting station checks whether the firmware upgrade information exists in step S101. If the firmware upgrade information exists in step S101, the broadcasting station moves to step S103 to insert the firmware upgrade information in the video signal blanking section of the specific channel. In this case, the specific channel may be a channel requested by the operator performing the firmware upgrade or may be all channels broadcast by the corresponding broadcasting station.

Next, in step S105, the broadcasting station transmits a channel into which the firmware upgrade information is inserted and performs normal broadcasting.

In the television receiver, in the state where the main power is supplied as in step S201, the channel selected by the user is tuned in step S203. In step S205, the video signal of the tuned channel is searched to determine whether upgrade information exists. Here, the existence of the upgrade information may determine whether the upgrade information exists based on the presence or absence of information on the blanking section of the video signal.

Next, when upgrade information exists as a result of the check, the upgrade information is extracted in step S207. Similarly, the upgrade information extraction extracts the firmware upgrade information inserted in the blanking section of the video signal. The firmware upgrade information includes header information indicating the firmware upgrade and location information indicating the start and end positions of the firmware upgrade. And firmware information to be upgraded.

In addition, in step S209, the extracted upgrade information is stored in a memory.

On the other hand, in step S211 checks whether the upgrade information extraction is complete, if the extraction of the upgrade information is not finished, go to step S207 to repeat the following operations, otherwise, if the upgrade information extraction is completed, step In step S213, the main power is turned off. The checking whether the main power is in the off state is because the current user is watching the broadcast when the main power is on. If the firmware is upgraded, video disconnection may occur, which may cause discomfort to the user. Therefore, to prevent this problem, the state of the main power supply is checked.

When the main power is turned off as a result of checking the state of the main power, the process moves to step S215 to check whether the firmware stored in the memory is a new version. The check whether the currently extracted and stored firmware is a new version is to prevent a redundant upgrade since the firmware upgrade is already performed when the currently extracted and stored firmware is a previous version. In order to confirm the new version, it is preferable to check whether the new version is new by comparing the version information included in the header information among the firmware upgrade information with the version information of the firmware previously stored in the EPROM, and also confirm the creation date or supply date of the version. It is also possible.

If the firmware stored in the memory is a new version, go to step S219 to perform a firmware upgrade, and after the firmware upgrade, go to step S221 to control the device with the new firmware.

In addition, if the firmware stored in the memory is not a new version, go to step S217 to delete the firmware stored in the memory. Here, deleting the previous version of firmware stored in the memory is to prevent unnecessary use of the memory and to easily store new firmware upgrade information.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described specific preferred embodiments, and various modifications can be made by any person having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. Of course, such changes will fall within the scope of the claims.

According to the present invention described above, there is an advantage that the broadcast station can be broadcast by inserting the upgrade firmware in the blanking interval (vertical blanking interval) of the video signal.

In addition, by using the blanking section of the video signal as the firmware upgrade information providing section, it is not necessary to allocate a separate channel for the firmware upgrade, there is an advantage that can solve all the problems caused by the use of the channel for information transmission. .

In addition, the receiver extracts only the firmware upgrade information inserted in the blanking section of the video signal without user intervention, and performs the firmware upgrade automatically, thereby pursuing convenience in upgrading the firmware.

Claims (18)

In the device for automatically modifying the software of home appliances using a broadcast signal, A signal separation unit for receiving a broadcast signal including firmware upgrade information transmitted from a broadcasting station and separating the received broadcast signal into an audio signal and a video signal; An upgrade information extracting unit extracting firmware upgrade information from the video signal separated by the signal separating unit; A memory for storing the upgrade firmware extracted by the upgrade information extraction unit; A power supply unit for supplying main power and standby power to the television; If the firmware upgrade information is present by the upgrade information extracting unit, and the firmware is suitable for the television, the microcomputer that changes the firmware previously stored in the EPIROM or the flash memory into the firmware stored in the memory according to the power supply state of the power supply unit. Software automatic correction device for home appliances using a broadcast signal, characterized in that configured to include. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upgrade information extracting unit extracts firmware upgrade information inserted in a blanking section of the video signal. The software of claim 1, wherein the microcomputer performs a firmware change with a new firmware when the power supply state of the power supply unit is the main power is off and only standby power is being supplied. Auto correction device. The broadcast signal according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the microcomputer checks the version of the firmware stored in the memory and performs the firmware upgrade only when it is newer than the version of the firmware stored in the EPROM. Software automatic correction device of used household appliances. The software of claim 1, wherein the microcomputer checks a unique code determined for each television model among firmware information obtained in the blanking section to determine whether the firmware is suitable for the television. Auto correction device. The method of claim 1, wherein the microcomputer receives the firmware information transmitted in the blanking section and stores the information for the firmware in a memory. Software automatic correction device for home appliances using a broadcast signal, characterized in that telling. According to claim 1 or 6, wherein the microcomputer receives the information for the firmware transmitted in the blanking interval and when the error is received normally after the error occurs again while storing information in the memory information after the previously stored information Apparatus for automatically modifying the software for home appliances using a broadcast signal, characterized in that the additional storage. In the software automatic modification method of home appliances using a broadcast signal, A first step of broadcasting by inserting firmware upgrade information into a predetermined position of a channel at a broadcasting station; A second process of extracting firmware upgrade information inserted into a channel and temporarily storing the firmware upgrade information inserted in a channel while the main power is supplied from the television; And a third process of performing a firmware change by comparing versions of firmware stored in the memory with firmware previously stored in the EPIROM when the main power is turned off in the television. How to fix software automatically. The method of claim 8, wherein the first process comprises: A first step of confirming whether firmware upgrade information exists at a broadcasting station; Inserting the firmware upgrade information into a video signal blanking section of a specific channel if the firmware upgrade information exists; And a third step of transmitting and broadcasting a channel into which the firmware upgrade information is inserted. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific channel of the second step is a channel requested by an operator performing a firmware upgrade. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific channel of the second step is all channels broadcast from a broadcasting station. The method of claim 8, wherein the second process, Tuning the channel selected by the user while the main power is supplied; A second step of checking whether there is firmware upgrade information by searching for an image signal of the tuned channel; A third step of extracting and analyzing upgrade information when upgrade information exists as a result of the checking; And a fourth step of storing the extracted upgrade information in a memory if the extracted upgrade information is information suitable for oneself. The method of claim 12, wherein the existence of the upgrade information of the second step is to determine whether the upgrade information exists based on whether the information exists in the blanking section of the video signal. How to fix. The method of claim 12, wherein the upgrading information extraction of the third step comprises extracting firmware upgrade information inserted into a blanking section of the video signal. The method of claim 12, wherein the firmware upgrade information includes header information indicating firmware upgrade, location information indicating start and end positions of the firmware upgrade, and firmware information to be upgraded. How to automatically fix software for home appliances. The method of claim 8, wherein the third process, A first step of confirming whether the extraction of the upgrade information is finished; A second step of checking whether the main power is off when the extraction of the upgrade information is finished; A third step of checking whether the firmware stored in the memory is a new version when the main power is off; And if the firmware stored in the memory is a new version, performing a firmware upgrade and controlling the device with the new firmware after the firmware upgrade. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the checking of the new version of the third step comprises: comparing the version information included in the header information among the firmware upgrade information with the version information of the firmware pre-stored in EPIROM to determine whether the new version is present. Software automatic modification method of home appliances using the broadcast signal. The method of claim 16, wherein the third process, And if the firmware stored in the memory is not a new version, further comprising a fifth step of deleting the firmware stored in the memory.

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