FI124797B - The method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving digital television broadcast information - Google Patents

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SENDING AND RECEIVING DIGITAL TELEVISION SENDING INFORMATION

TECHNICAL FIELD This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 907,064, filed March 19, 2007, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Korean Patent Application No. No. 10-2007-0051586, filed May 28, 2007, by the Korean Patent Office, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The devices and methods of the present invention relate to digital television broadcasts, and more particularly to digital television broadcasts, in which power consumption is reduced by selectively disabling frame reception when transmitting an unwanted service.

Technology background

According to old practice, television broadcasting is viewed in a fixed position. However, this practice is now changing, allowing the user to watch television anytime, anywhere. In order to adapt to the change that is taking place in the way the public watches television broadcasts, companies and manufacturers are striving to produce standards and terminals that are suitable for the mobile environment. These standards and terminals must be designed taking into account a particular mobile environment. This means that the mobile terminal provides the service to the user using limited battery resources. Therefore, while providing regulatory services, standards and terminals should be designed to provide service with minimal battery resources.

Description of the Invention

Technical Problem To reduce the power consumption of terminals, there is a need in the art to turn off the radio frequency (RF) device when transmitting a service that is not user selected.

Technical solution

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for transmitting digital television transmission information by reducing power consumption by selectively disabling a frame receiving device when transmitting a service not desired by the user and a computer readable medium including a computer program for performing a digital television transmission information transmission method.

The present invention further provides a method and apparatus for receiving digital television transmission information by reducing power consumption by selectively disabling a frame receiving device when transmitting a service that is not desired by the user and a computer readable medium including a computer program for performing a digital television broadcast receiving method.

Inexpensive effects

In the method and apparatus for transmitting digital television transmission information and method and apparatus for receiving digital television transmission information according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, service frame groups containing all service frames are formed and a the power is turned off when receiving service frames corresponding to the unwanted service, thereby saving power. In addition, the RF device is continuously turned off during multiple frames so that the RF device can rest for a longer period of time, thereby providing excellent power-saving efficiency. Accordingly, the terminal may be used for a longer period of time.

Description of the drawings

The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) channel system; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an ATSC channel system improved in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic view of service focus groups according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a block diagram of a device for transmitting digital television transmission information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a block diagram of a device for receiving digital television transmission information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a device for transmitting digital television transmission information according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a device for receiving digital television transmission information according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method for receiving digital television transmission information according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack of the Advanced-Vestigial Side Band (A-VSB) system; Figure 10 shows an example in which the method of transmitting information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied to the A-VSB system of Figure 9; Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the format of an SIC element according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 shows in more detail the format of the SIC element of Figure 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 illustrates the contents of a phrase_group_information element according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 14 illustrates a version-on_indicator_information element according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 15 shows an Addition_service_information element according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 16 shows a tur-bo_channel_information element according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Best shape

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of transmitting digital television transmission information, the method comprising: generating or allocating at least one service frame associated with corresponding services included in a channel, assigning a frame number to at least one service frame established or allocated; a service frame group comprising all service frames having a assigned frame number is formed and transmitting the service frame group.

In determining the frame number, a frame number 1 can be assigned to the first service frame group of the service frame group, and the frame number is increased by 1 for the next service frame.

Establishing service frame groups may include: generating service configuration information for a service frame group and adding service configuration information to at least one service frame formed or allocated, wherein the service configuration information indicates which channel service each service frame corresponds to.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for transmitting digital television broadcast information, comprising: a service frame generating unit which generates or allocates at least one service frame associated with corresponding services contained in a channel, a frame number determination unit assigning a frame number to at least one a service frame group forming unit, which forms a service frame group, which includes all service frames for which a frame number is assigned, and a sending unit, which transmits the service frame group.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of receiving digital TV broadcast information, comprising: analyzing service configuration information of a service frame group, determining a frame number of at least one service frame turning off the power of the radio frequency (RF) device to receive a service frame when transmitting service frames that do not comprise a specified frame number.

In the service frame frame number, a frame number 1 can be assigned to the first service frame of the service frame group, and the frame number is increased by 1 for the next service frame.

The service configuration information may indicate which channel service each service frame corresponds to. Turning off the RF device may include: determining the number of service frames within the service frame group that do not correspond to the desired service, determining the time to turn off the RF device by multiplying one service frame by a specified number of service frames, and receiving the last service frame. service frames and turning off the RF device at a specified time.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for receiving digital television broadcast information, comprising: a service configuration information interpreting unit, analyzing a service frame group service configuration information and determining a frame number of at least one service a service frame having a specified frame number, and an RF power management unit that turns off the RF receiving unit when transmitting service frames that do not have a specified frame number.

In the service frame frame number, a frame number 1 can be assigned to the first service frame of the service frame group, and the frame number is increased by 1 for the next service frame.

The service configuration information may indicate which channel service each service frame corresponds to. The RF power management unit may comprise: a timeout unit for determining the number of service frames in a service frame group that do not correspond to the desired service, and a time for powering the RF receiving unit off by multiplying the number of service frames by one frame length, and , which receives the last service frame from the set of corresponding service frames of the desired service and turns the RF receiving unit off at a specified time.

Embodiment of the invention

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) channel system. The ATSC is a committee established to develop the ATV (Advanced Television) method, which should be the next generation of terrestrial television in the United States. The ATSC channel system is the technical standard for next generation digital terrestrial television in the United States.

Referring to Figure 1, Channel 1 (CH 1, 10) and Channel 2 (CH 2, 12) are interleaved in frames 14. This means that information from these channels is transmitted in radio frequency (RF) frames. Therefore, it is not possible to selectively control the power of the RF device with respect to a particular service provided by the channel.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an ATSC channel system improved in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 2, in a system according to this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, channel 1 (CH 1, 20 and 24) and channel 2 (CH 2, 22) are divided into each frame to be transmitted. In Figure 2, channel 1 (20 and 24) is transmitted using frames 30 and 34 and channel 2 (22) is transmitted using frames 32. Thus, if the desired service of the receiving device matches channel 1, frames 32 which are frames corresponding to channel 2 are not received, and thus, the power consumption of the RF device can be reduced.

Figure 3 is a schematic view of service focus groups according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the power consumption of the receiving device can be reduced by using these service frame groups.

In Figure 3, the channel comprises three services 40 including services 1-3.

In the method of transmitting digital television transmission information according to the present exemplary embodiment, a service frame group 50 comprising all services to be transmitted is formed. Each service corresponds to at least one RF frame 54. The RF frame corresponding to each service is called a service frame.

In Figure 3, service 1 corresponds to service frames 1 to 4, service 2 corresponds to service frames 5 to 8 and service 3 corresponds to service frames 9 to 12, as shown in the service configuration information 52.

Figure 3 shows that service 1 is received on the receiving side.

In accordance with the receiving device operating time 60, the receiving device should receive service frames 1-4 corresponding to service 1. Thus, when transmitting service frames 5-12, the receiving device is off. In this exemplary embodiment, the RF device included in the receiving device is turned off.

When the service frames 1 to 12 are transmitted, the next service frame group is transmitted. When the service frame 1 belonging to the new service frame group is transmitted, power is supplied to the RF device of the receiving device so that the service frames can be received. Thus, the RF device power-off time is predetermined to switch off the RF device during a predetermined power-off time. In order to determine the shutdown time of the RF device, a service configuration information is generated which is transmitted from the transmitting device to the receiving device. The service configuration information indicates the correspondence between the services offered and the channel frames. In other words, the service configuration information indicates which channel service each service frame corresponds to. With the service configuration information, the receiving side learns that the service 1 corresponds to the service frames 1 to 4 of all the service frames, since all the service frames comprise the service frames 1 to 12, the service frames 5 to 12 correspond to the RF device shutdown time. Accordingly, the RF shutdown time can be determined by equation 1 below. Depending on the circumstances, the shutdown time can be reduced by a. This means that when the RF device needs preparation time to receive RF power or if the terminal clock is inaccurate and error occurs , which occurs earlier than a predetermined cut-off time. This preparation time is indicated by a.

Equation 1 RF Device Off Time = (Number of all service frames in a service frame group - Number of service frames corresponding to the desired service) * One frame length - a

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a device for transmitting digital television transmission information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 4, the device for transmitting digital television transmission information 400 comprises a service frame set up unit 410, a frame number assignment unit 420, a service frame set set up unit 430 and a transmit unit 450.

The service frame forming unit 410 forms at least one service frame associated with each service contained in the channel.

The frame number assignment unit 430 determines the frame numbers of the formed service frames.

Service Frame Set Generation Unit 430 generates service frame sets that include all service frames formed by the service frame set up unit 410. The service frame group generation unit 430 may further comprise a service configuration information generation unit 440, which generates the service configuration information to be added to each service frame. The service configuration information indicates which channel service each service frame contained in the service frame groups corresponds to. The transmission unit 450 transmits service frame groups.

As an example, the frame number assignment unit 420 assigns a frame number 1 to the first service frame of a service frame group and increments the frame number by 1 to the next service frame number.

Figure 5 is a block diagram of a device for receiving digital television transmission information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 5, the device for receiving digital television transmission information 500 comprises a service configuration information interpreting unit 510, an RF receiving unit 520, and an RF power management unit 530.

The Service Configuration Information Interpretation Unit 510 interprets the service configuration information of the service frame groups and obtains at least one frame number of the service frames corresponding to the desired service. The RF receiving unit 520 receives service frames from the service frames included in the service frame groups having a frame number obtained from the service configuration information interpretation unit 510.

When transmitting service frames that do not have a frame number obtained from the service configuration information interpreting unit 510, the RF power management unit 530 turns off the RF receiving unit 520. Thus, a service frame corresponding to the unwanted service is not received, and the power consumption of the RF receiving unit 520 can be reduced.

In Figure 5, the RF power management unit 530 comprises a power off time counting unit 540 and a power off timer unit 550.

The off time calculation unit 540 obtains from the service frames included in the service frame groups the number of service frames which do not correspond to the desired service, multiplies the length of one frame by the number of service frames and calculates the power off time of the RF receiving unit 520. This is the same as the RF device off time shown in equation 1.

The off time timer unit 550 receives the last service frame from the set of service frames corresponding to the desired service and turns off the RF receiving unit 520 during the RF device off time determined by the off service calculator 540. Thus, when all service frames corresponding to the desired service are received, the power to the RF receiving device 520 is turned off and the time in equation 1 expires, and the power to the RF receiving device 520 is turned on again to receive service frames corresponding to the desired service.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a device for transmitting digital television transmission information according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 6, the device for transmitting digital television transmission information comprises service components 100-1 and 100-2, packers 110-1 and 110-2, multiplexers 120-1 and 120-2, a frame generator 130, a transmitter 140, and a frame splitter information seter 150.

The service component 100-1 forms the base current (ES) which forms each service. For example, if the service is an A / V service, the component corresponds to the audio component / video component.

The packer 110-1 generates a packet from each ES stream. For example, the ES current is reconstructed into a transport current (TS) packet.

The multiplexer 120-1 multiplexes each packet. In the case of a TS packet, each packet is made into one TS packet.

Frame generator 130 generates frames based on received multiplexed packets. In the case of the ATSC standard, the interleaving process is performed to form the last frame. The transmitter 140 transmits the generated frames with a new RF frequency.

The frame splitter information setter 150 adds to the packet information to split the frame. Frame pil contact information is, for example, information containing frame numbering information and a frame splitting table.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a device for receiving digital television transmission information according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 7, the device for receiving digital television transmission information comprises an RF receiving device 200, a frame bypass 210, a de-multiplexer 220, a decoder 230, a service processor 240, a system information processor 250 and a control device 260. The RF receiving device 200 receives knowledge.

The frame override 210 overrides the frame corresponding to a service not selected by the user.

The multiplexer 220 receives the frame information and classifies it into each packet stream.

The decompressor 230 analyzes the packet according to its header information and sends the data to an available decoder.

Service processor 240 is one of the ES decoders and provides the service to the user by decoding the information received from decoder 230. In this exemplary embodiment, the service processor 240 is an ES decoder. The system information processor 250 receives the system information and sends it to the control unit 260. Examples of system information include frame splitting information, etc.

The control device 260 receives frame pilot information to bypass the frame or to control the RF device so that it is out of operation for a certain time.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for receiving digital television transmission information according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 does not show the process performed by the RF terminal. Instead, it illustrates an RF frame receiving process and a receiving device generating available packet information.

First, information is received in operation S100 and it is determined in operation SU0 whether the information contains service configuration information. If there is no existing service configuration information and the received information is not a service configuration information, the information is received until the service configuration information is received.

If the service configuration information is included in the received information, it is determined in operation S120 whether this information is updated relative to the existing setup information. If the service configuration information is updated, it is analyzed in operation S130 so that it corresponds only to the required information.

The frame number assigned to the service frame is identified in operation S140, and operation S150 determines whether the service frame corresponds to the desired service.

If the service frame contains the desired service, the service information is printed in operation S160. Operation S170 determines whether a service termination instruction exists and the above process is repeated until the service termination instruction is determined to exist.

If the service frame does not contain the desired service, the service frame is bypassed in operation S180 and the RF device cannot be used for a specified time. To accomplish this, Operation S190 turns off the RF device and sets a timer. The time set in the timer is the cut-off time according to equation 1.

Operation S200 detects whether the timer will reach the set time. If the timer has not reached the set time, the time must pass in operation S210 until the timer reaches the set time.

When the timer has reached the set time, the RF device is turned on and the process described above is repeated.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack of the Advanced-Vestigial Side Band (A-VSB) system. The A-VSB system supports the SRS (Supplementary Reference System) and turbo application. The SRS system 300 includes and transmits a training sequence, called an equalizer 302, capable of increasing the reception efficiency of the terminal.

Turbo application 310 provides a channel capable of transmitting additional information.

The data of the turbine application 310 is stored in the private data area 325 of the ATSC normal TS stream 320 adaptation field (AF) 325. The SRS system 300 and turbo application 310 information is transmitted (shown by arrow 340) via DFS element 330 (data field sync) status information 332. The ATSC transmission frame has two DFS elements 330. Status information refers to information transmitted through the DFS element 330.

The portion where the turbo application information is transmitted is divided into signaling information channel (SIC) 312 and data channels 314. Each data channel 314 is divided into subchannels. The information is imported into the subchannels via SIC 312.

Figure 10 shows an example in which the method for transmitting information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied to the A-VSB system of Figure 9.

Referring to FIG. 10, each A-VSB frame 70 corresponds to a service frame, the SIC channel corresponds to a service frame information, and split frames corresponding to services.

Referring to the example of Figure 10, the content of the Service Configuration Information (SIC) 80 will now be described.

The frame number of the corresponding frame is 25. The number of all frames is indicated by the last frame number of the service frame group and is 42.

The channel comprises two services. The coding rate for one service is H. Here, the start frame number is 1 and the length of all frames is 21. Thus, the service frames with frame numbers 1-21 correspond to the first service.

The coding rate for the second service is H. Here, the start frame number is 22 and the length of all frames is 21. Thus, the service frames with frame numbers 22 to 42 correspond to the other service.

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a format of SIC information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 11, the SIC information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes version assignment information, frame group information, turbo channel information, auxiliary service information, padding, flags indicating the existence of this information, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC).

Figure 12 shows in more detail the shape of Figure 11.

The smallest unit included in SIC information is the ServiceConfigurationlnformation (SCI) unit. A single frame SIC information contains only one SCI unit.

Each flag set has turbo_channel_information_flag, add_service_information_flag and padding_flag flags.

The turbo_channel_information_flag flag indicates the existence of the turbo_channel_information () element.

The additional_service_information flag indicates that an additional_service_information () element exists.

The Padding_flag flag indicates the existence of a fill area.

The frame_group_information element will be described in more detail below with reference to Figure 13.

The version_indicator_information element will be further described later with reference to Figure 14.

The Turbo_channel_information () element will be further described later with reference to Figure 16.

The AdditionalServiceDescriptor element will be further described later with reference to Figure 15. The CRC element indicates an error detection method of the SCI unit.

Figure 13 shows the contents of the phrase_group_information element.

The current_frame_number element indicates the current service frame number.

The Total_frame_number element indicates the total number of service frames in all service frame groups.

Because A-VSB is a single-carrier system, RF frames are formed as a basic configuration unit that provides a service to support burst transmission. The RF frame consists of serial lines. Therefore, the service allocation method cannot be used in the frame, and RF frames should be divided into subdivided groups. Frame grouping is a method of dividing serial lines of RF frames into divisible groups.

Examples of frame grouping may include combining a start frame flag and an end frame flag (method 1), including a start frame flag and length information (method 2), and assigning a frame number (method 3).

In Methods 1 and 2, when the middle frame is received, it is not known where the received frame is among all frame groups. In addition, when a frame group changes in size, it is hardly detectable. Method 3 can be used in the absence of such problems as described above.

The beginning of a frame group is defined by frame number 1. In addition, once the maximum frame number is reached, the number is re-assigned to frame number 1. This is referred to as "wrap up".

The size of the frame group and the length of each service frame can be changed by the system signaling procedure. If the frame group size changes, the time of the service to be played can be adjusted. For example, if the frame group size is 10 when the service starts, 10 frames are required from the first service frame of any service to the moment the first service frame of the service corresponding to the next service frame group begins. However, if the system information is updated to a frame group size of 20, then 20 frames are required from the moment the first service frame of the corresponding service begins, from the moment the first service frame of the service corresponding to the next service frame group is received.

Similarly, if there is a change in the length of the service frame, the time of the service to be repeated can be adjusted. A change in the length of the service frame can affect the length of the service frame group. However, according to the second service frame length reduction method, the length of the current service frame cannot be changed. In this way, the power off portion of the RF device can be controlled.

Figure 14 shows a version_indicator_information element.

The version_indicator_information element contains information about whether the service configuration information has been updated and information indicating when the update is performed.

The resolution_flag element indicates the frame counter unit.

For example, if the value of the resolution_flag element is 1, then the frame counter is 20 frame units, and if the value of the resolution_flag element is 0, the frame counter is 1 frame unit.

The frame_counter element indicates the time at which the update is performed in 1 frame unit or 20 frame units. Exact unit conversions are performed according to the value of the resolution_flag element.

The version value increases by 1 each time the service configuration information is updated.

Figure 15 shows an addit_service_information element.

The additional_service_information element is used to send additional service information in addition to the channel description information.

The additional_service_information element can be divided into several blocks.

The current_index element represents the index of the current block of the graph.

The Last_index element represents the index of the last block of the graph.

The Length element represents the length of the current block.

The user_data element represents the true mapping information.

Figure 16 shows a tur boillanne l_inf ormation element.

The turbo_channel_information element represents configuration information for each channel when the information of the turbo application is divided into a plurality of channels to be transmitted.

The version element represents the version of the turbo channel information and its value increases by 1.

The turbo_channel_number element represents the total number of turbo channels.

The turbo_channel_ID element is information for sharing each turbo channel.

The turbo_fragment_bits element indicates the length of the turbo channel as an index value.

The Coding_rates element represents the coding rates of the turbo channel. The SD_VFG_flag element indicates whether the turbo channel uses the SD_VFG (Service Division in a Variable Frame Group) element. When the SD VFG flag element is set, the SD_VFG element is used. SD_VFG is a technique for dividing a turbo channel into a random number of frame units and for transmitting data, i.e., transmitting data by the method described in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The turbo_channel_index element represents the order of the turbo channel.

The current_frame_number element represents the number of start frames for the corresponding service.

The frame_block_number element represents the number of frames that make up the corresponding service.

As described above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a system capable of turning the RF device on / off regardless of whether the service can be independently established in a frame. Thus, the terminal may be used for a longer period than the prior art terminal. In addition, the RF device is continuously turned off during multiple frames so that the RF device can rest for a longer period of time, providing excellent power-saving efficiency.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may also be included as computer readable codes in a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium is any data storage medium that can store information which can then be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable storage media are ROM, ROM, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and optical data storage media.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with particular reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, one skilled in the art will appreciate that many changes may be made to its form and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (6)

A method for receiving transmission information, wherein transmission data is transmitted by dividing transmission data forming the broadcast service, at least into one channel, and by dividing each from at least one channel into at least one service frame, comprising: the received service configuration information indicating the corresponding the broadcast service in relation to each at least one service frame; the frame number was obtained from the service frame corresponding to the desired broadcast service on the basis of the service definition information; and only the service frame corresponding to the desirable broadcast service is processed using the frame number, wherein at least one service frame is included in the service frame groups, and the service configuration information comprises the information about the total number of service frames, which service frames correspond to at least one service included in the service frame groups. The method of claim 1, further comprising disconnecting the power of the RF device for receiving the service frame when transmitting service frames that do not correspond to the desired service. The method of claim 1, wherein the service configuration information has been added to at least one service frame and transmitted. An apparatus for receiving transmission information, wherein transmission data is transmitted by dividing transmission data forming the transmission service, at least into one channel, and by dividing each from at least one channel into at least one service frame, comprising: a receiver receiving service configuration information, indicating the corresponding broadcast service in relation to each at least one service frame; the service configuration information interpretation unit, which receives the frame number of the service frame corresponding to the desired broadcast service on the basis of the service definition information; and the RF power control unit processing only the service frame corresponding to the desired transmission service using the frame number, wherein at least one service frame is included in the service frame groups, and the service configuration information comprises the information on the total number of service frames, which service frames correspond to at least one service group included in the service frame. . Device according to claim 4, which switches off the power of the RF device for receiving the service frame when it transmits service frames that do not correspond to the desired service. The device of claim 4, wherein the service configuration information has been added to at least one service frame and transmitted.