JP2001186485A - Program information transmitting device and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program information transmitting device by which mismatching between the contents of a program being broadcast at present with those of program information is prevented even when the contents or the broadcasting time of the program is suddenly changed. SOLUTION: The program information transmitting device is one for repeatedly transmitting program information at a fixed period, which includes information concerning the program being broadcast at present and information concerning a succeeding program to be broadcast after the present one. The device is characterized by providing a program change-over signal receiving part 102 for receiving a change-over signal which indicates that the present program is changed into the succeeding one and a TS packet processing part 104 for changing-over program information being transmitted till that time into program information for permitting the succeeding program to be the present one linked with the received change-over signal and for transmitting it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program information transmitting apparatus for transmitting program information in digital television broadcasting and the like, and more particularly to a program information transmitting apparatus for quickly providing program information to a viewer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the start of digital broadcasting,
Multi-channel broadcasting has become possible with one broadcast wave.
In such a broadcasting system, as one of the services provided to the viewer, program information, that is, broadcast start time and end time, program title, program title, and program Content introduction, or
Ancillary information such as emergency information that is not directly related to the contents of the program, such as earthquake information, is provided by being superimposed on the program. Broadcasting equipment having a program information transmitting device as described below can provide such a service.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram schematically showing such a broadcasting facility. The broadcast facility 1000 creates program information of a plurality of programs and outputs the packet information as a broadcast editing apparatus 1101, and receives and stores program information from the broadcast editing apparatus 1101 and stores the program information, and repeatedly transmits the program information at a predetermined cycle. An information transmission device 1102, program information output from the program information transmission device 1102, and compressed video data and compressed audio data output from the broadcast editing device 1101 are received, and these three data are transferred to a transport stream (TS). T multiplexed and output
The S multiplexing device 1103 and the TS multiplexing device 1103
And a transmitting apparatus 1104 for transmitting the trim information output from the broadcast signal by broadcast radio waves.

FIG. 10 shows the program information transmitting device 1102.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed configuration of FIG. The program information transmitting apparatus 1102 receives data (hereinafter, referred to as “period information”) indicating a transmission cycle (for example, 6 seconds) when the program information and the program information are repeatedly transmitted from the program information editing unit 1101. A management unit 1001, a period information storage unit 1002 that receives and stores period information from the data reception management unit 1001, and a program information storage unit 100 that receives and stores program information from the data reception management unit 1001.
And a timer management unit that receives the cycle information from the cycle information storage unit 1002 and outputs a trigger signal for starting transmission of the program information from the program information transmitting apparatus 1102 according to the transmission cycle of the program information indicated in the cycle information. 1004,
A data write control unit 1005 for receiving program information from the program information storage unit 1003 and the trigger signal from the timer management unit 1004 and repeatedly outputting the program information at the cycle indicated by the cycle information;
5 includes a transmission queue buffer 1006 for temporarily storing the program information output from the transmission queue buffer 5, and a data reading unit 1007 for reading data from the transmission queue buffer 1006 and sending the data to the transport multiplexing unit 1103.

With such a configuration, according to the broadcasting equipment having the conventional program information transmitting apparatus, not only the program but also the program,
Since the program information attached thereto is also transmitted at a fixed transmission cycle, even if the receiving apparatus starts reception asynchronously with the transmission cycle, the reception of the complete program information can be continued by at least one cycle. Can be obtained.

[0006]

However, the above prior art has the following problems. Even if the conventional program information transmitting apparatus switches the program information that had been transmitted so far to new program information and transmits it, the program information can be switched only at the end of the transmission cycle. Has ended and the program has been switched to the next program, but the program information to be switched has not yet been switched correspondingly, resulting in inconsistency.

[0007] For example, the program information includes information on a program currently being broadcast (program name, cast, etc.) and information on a program scheduled to be broadcast following the program. Is 6 seconds. And 1
At 0:10:15, it is assumed that the broadcasting of a certain program ends and the next program is switched. However, the break point of the above 6 seconds is 10:10:12, 10:10
If the time is 18 minutes, the program information is not updated until 10:10:18. Therefore, 10
In three seconds from 10:10:18 to 10:10:18, there is an inconsistency that the program being broadcast does not match the content indicated by the program information.

[0008] Such a shift increases the probability of expanding as the transmission cycle of the program information becomes longer. Therefore, depending on the length of the set transmission cycle, for example, a problem occurs in which the program information of the finished program is continuously displayed for several minutes, which gives a great deal of trouble to the viewer. Further, when the broadcast time is suddenly extended as in a baseball broadcast or the like, the broadcast program and the program information become inconsistent even when the transmission time of the program information cannot be corrected in time.

Conventionally, the broadcasting schedule of each channel has been managed collectively in a broadcasting station, and when changing the broadcasting schedule, it takes a considerable period of time to adjust the schedule of the entire channel. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing need to quickly change the schedule individually for each channel, and the conventional program information transmission device has dealt with sudden changes in program contents and changes in program information due to changes in broadcast time. Can not.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and even if a sudden change in the contents of a program or a change in the broadcast time occurs, the presently broadcasted program can be reproduced. Provided is a program information transmitting device that easily eliminates inconsistency between the contents and the contents of program information.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a program information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention relates to information relating to a current program currently being broadcast and a subsequent program broadcast following the current program. A program information transmitting apparatus for repeatedly transmitting program information including information at a constant cycle, a receiving means for receiving a switching signal indicating that a current program is switched to a subsequent program, and performing the switching in accordance with the received switching signal. A program information switching means for switching the program information that has been transmitted up to the time point indicated by the signal to the program information in which the program that was the succeeding program up to that point as the current program and transmits the program information.

[0012] Also, the program information sending method according to the present invention comprises:
A method of repeatedly transmitting program information including information on a current program currently being broadcast and information on a subsequent program to be broadcast subsequent to the current program at a constant cycle, and indicating that the current program is switched to a subsequent program. A receiving step of receiving a switching signal, and switching, according to the received switching signal, the program information that has been transmitted up to the time point indicated by the switching signal to the program information in which the program that was the succeeding program up to that point is the current program And a program information switching step to be transmitted.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a program information transmitting device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The program information transmitting device 100 is a conventional program information transmitting device 1 shown in FIG.
102 and replaces three component groups:
First component group for receiving signals (data reception management unit 1)
01, a program switching signal receiving unit 102 and an operation instruction signal receiving unit 113), and a second component group for storing and storing data (a program information storage unit 107, a program information buffer 10).
8, the TS packet buffer 109, the transmission queue buffer 110, the immediate transmission queue buffer 111, and the period information storage unit 112), and a third group of components (timer management unit 103, TS packet processing unit 1) for controlling data transmission
04, write control unit 105 and read control unit 10
6).

The data reception management unit 101 receives unpacketized program information and cycle information from a broadcast editing device (not shown) and stores the program information in the program information storage unit 10.
7 and extracts the cycle information, and stores the cycle information storage unit 112
To be stored. The broadcast editing apparatus is different from the conventional broadcast editing apparatus 1101 shown in FIG. 9 in that, in addition to the program information and the cycle information, the current program being broadcast is switched to the succeeding program to be broadcast next. A switching signal indicating the switching time and an operation instruction signal described later are output to the broadcast program information transmitting device.

The case where program information is input from the broadcast editing apparatus to the data reception management unit 101 is the case where program information for an arbitrary period of all channels is input collectively at the beginning of a broadcast program broadcast. In some cases, every time a change occurs in each program of each channel, update data of program information relating to the program in which the change occurs may be individually input. FIG. 2 shows the structure of the program information data received by the data reception management unit 101 from the broadcast editing device.

The program information finally transmitted from the broadcasting station includes an information table (Present-EIT) of program information of the current program currently being broadcast and an information table (Following-EIT) of program information of a succeeding program to be broadcast next. EI
T) (hereinafter referred to as "PF program information")
The data of the program information that the data reception management unit 101 receives from a broadcast editing device (not shown) is
It is composed of schedule information 201 which is a preliminary table for creating the PF program information, and program detailed information 202 which is a table in which actual data of the program information constituting the PF program information is described.

The schedule information 201 is index information indicating the actual information of the program information in the detailed program information 202. The schedule information 201 includes, in a table prepared for each of the broadcast channels A to n, a time at which the transmission of the PF program information is started. A number indicating a certain transmission start time 203 and actual information of two programs related to PF program information (hereinafter referred to as “program number”), that is, a program number 204 of a program being broadcast and a program number of a program to be broadcast next 205 is shown, and these data are arranged in order of the transmission start time 203 of the PF program information.

That is, in the line direction 208, the transmission start time of the program information, the program number of the program being broadcast, and the program number of the program to be broadcast next are indicated in time series in units of the transmission time of the program information. Have been. On the other hand, the program detailed information 202, which is another table, is for storing actual information of the program information, and has tables of An to N for the number of channels to be broadcast. The table of each channel shows actual information 212 including a program number 209, a size 210, and program information 211 for all programs scheduled to be broadcast on that channel.

Here, the program number 209 serves as a key for associating the schedule information 201 with the detailed program information 202, and the size 210 indicates the data size of the program information 211 expressed in bytes.
Is, for example, a program name such as “11 o'clock news” or “19
99/10/14/11: 00 "and the like,
This is a fixed text such as "temporary news" or "program suspended".

FIG. 3 shows the data structure of the period information received by the data reception management unit 101 from the broadcast editing device. The cycle schedule information 301 includes information for specifying a transmission period and a transmission cycle. In FIG. 3, 00:00 on October 14, 1999 to 0 on October 14, 2000.
An example of the cycle information that the program information is repeatedly transmitted at a transmission cycle of 3 seconds during the period of 0:00 and transmitted at a transmission cycle of 6 seconds after 00:00 on October 14, 2000 is shown. It is shown.

The program information storage unit 107 and the period information storage unit 112 are RAMs and the like, and record the program information and the period information output from the data reception management unit 101, respectively. The program switching signal receiving section 102 updates the contents of the program information buffer 108 by reading new program information to be transmitted by the broadcast program information transmitting apparatus 100 from the program information storage section 107 and storing the new program information in the program information buffer 108. And has two types of update modes corresponding to the type of cause (trigger) for starting the operation, namely, a “schedule update mode” and an “asynchronous update mode”.

The schedule update mode is a conventional update mode. In this mode, the program switching signal receiving unit 102 stores the transmission start time column 203 of the schedule information 201 stored in the program information storage unit 107. When the current time reaches the transmission start time, the PF program information to be transmitted at the transmission start time and the PF to be transmitted next are referred to.
The program information is read out and written into the program information buffer 108 (hereinafter, referred to as “schedule update”).

The asynchronous update mode is a unique operation mode according to the present invention.
The program not shown includes a switching signal indicating that the current program currently being broadcast is switched to another program, and a program information update signal indicating that updated program information has been sent to the data reception management unit 101. When received from the broadcast editing apparatus, the corresponding PF program information and the PF program information to be transmitted next are read from the program information storage unit 107 and written into the program information buffer 108 in conjunction with these signals.

The timing at which the program switching signal receiving section 102 receives the switching signal is usually at the same time as the timing at which the program is switched, but may be before or after the program is switched. Including the time when the program switches and the program number of the program after the switch,
The program information update signal includes the program number of the changed program, the transmission start time of the program information of the program, the changed contents of the program, and the updated broadcast time.

The expression "linked with the switching signal" includes not only a case linked with the generation of the switching signal but also a case where the operation is performed in accordance with the content of the information specified by the switching signal, for example, the time at which the program is switched. . In the asynchronous update mode, more specifically, the program switching signal receiving unit 1
02 is the program number of the program after switching indicated by the switching signal, and the program number stored in the program number column 204 of the program being broadcast in the schedule information 201 of FIG. Find rows that match.

For example, when the program number of the program after the switching indicated by the switching signal is “A2”, the line 20 where “A2” is stored in the program number column 204 of the program being broadcast.
6, the search is made for "A2" in the program number column of the program being broadcast with the program number, and "A3" in the program number column of the program scheduled to be broadcast next to the program number. The program number “A2” is set using the program number as a key from the detailed program information 202.
And the program information "News at 12:15" corresponding to the program information "Drama at 11:00" and the program number "A3".

Then, the program switching signal receiving section 102 rewrites the program start time of the switched program specified in the program switching signal to the transmission start time of the program information corresponding to the program number of the program being broadcast. For example, assuming that the program start time specified in the program switching signal is earlier than the original program switching time by one minute and becomes “1999/10/14 11:29”, the program switching signal receiving unit 102 sets this time to The transmission start time "1999/10/14 11:" in the program information of the program number "A2" which is the program number of the program being broadcast.
30 is rewritten to “1999/10/14 11:29” to change the transmission start time, output a program switching signal to the TS packet processing unit 104, and output PF program information to the program information buffer 108. Adjust the transmission start time to the actual broadcast time.

When the program switching signal receiving section 102 receives the program information update signal, the program switching signal receiving section 102 refers to the transmission start time of the program information indicated by the program information update signal, and has already output the program information to the program information buffer 108. If the information is the information, the data obtained by updating the program information before the program switching and the program information after the program switching indicated by the program information update signal from the program information storage unit 107 are obtained.
08.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the data structure of the program information after the program switching signal receiving section 102 selects and extracts the program information to be transmitted from the program information storage section 107 and stores it in the program information buffer 108. . The program switching signal receiving unit 102 stores an address in the program information buffer 108 in which the actual information of the currently transmitted PF program information is placed in each of the tables for the number of channels A to n, and a next scheduled transmission. Transmitting program information index 4 indicating the address in the program information buffer 108 where the actual information of the PF program information is placed
01 is created.

Further, the program switching signal receiving section 102 stores the program information, the transmission start time of the program information, the actual information of the next scheduled program information, and the transmission start time of the program information in each of the addresses. Shown transmission standby program information 402
Create In the schedule update mode, the program switching signal receiving unit 102 updates the value of the storage address column 403 of the program information being transmitted in the program information index 401 being transmitted, and stores the updated address in the transmission standby program information 402. The PF program information for starting transmission is stored. Then, the storage address column 404 of program information to be transmitted next
Is updated, and the PF program information to be transmitted next is stored in the updated address in the transmission standby program information 402.

In the asynchronous update mode, when the program switching signal receiving section 102 obtains a new program information transmission time from the switching signal, it updates the data in the transmission standby program information 402. More specifically, the program number A2 of the switched program is referred to the transmitting program information index 401, and the data located at the reference destination address 402, that is, the line 405
Overwrite and update. As a result, the program switching signal receiving unit 102 updates the transmission start time earlier by one minute, so that the column 404 has a transmission start time different from the initial one. When the program broadcast time is included in the program information, the program broadcast time in the program information is updated.

The program information buffer 108 receives and stores the program information sent from the program switching signal receiving unit 102. The operation instruction signal receiving unit 113 receives an operation instruction signal that specifies a transmission mode of program information by the broadcast program information transmission device 100, that is, an operation instruction signal that specifies one of a periodic transmission mode and an interlocked transmission mode, This is notified to the TS packet processing unit 104.

Here, the periodic transmission mode is a transmission operation similar to the conventional one, in which the broadcast program information transmitting apparatus 100 repeatedly transmits program information at a constant transmission cycle. This is a transmission operation unique to the present invention, in which, in addition to transmission in the periodic transmission mode, transmission of program information linked to the program switching signal input to the program switching signal receiving unit 102 (asynchronous with the transmission cycle) It is.

The timer management unit 103 includes a preset timer circuit and the like. In the periodic transmission mode, it detects a break time in the transmission cycle. In the linked transmission mode, in addition to the above detection, the timer management unit 103 is designated by a program switching signal. The specified time is detected. In the case of the periodic transmission mode, the timer management unit 103 acquires the transmission period of the program information recorded in the period information accumulation unit 112 and the period information indicating the time at which the transmission of the program information is started in this period,
A write start trigger signal for transmission execution is output to the write control unit 105 at a period designated by the transmission start time.

On the other hand, in the case of the linked transmission mode,
A time for converting program information into packet data and outputting the packet information in conjunction with the program switching signal (hereinafter, referred to as “packetizing execution time”) is received from the S packet processing unit 104. Packet processing unit 1
A signal for starting conversion of program information into packet data at 04 (hereinafter, referred to as a “packetization request signal”) is output to the TS packet processing unit 104.

The TS packet processing unit 104 receives the transmission mode signal from the operation instruction signal receiving unit 113,
Is the interlocking transmission mode in which the program information is transmitted in conjunction with the program switching time specified in the program switching signal received by the program switching signal receiving unit 102, or the period information storage unit 1
It is determined whether or not the transmission mode is the periodic transmission mode for transmitting the program information in accordance with the already-scheduled cycle indicated in the cycle information stored in step S12.

The TS packet processing section 104 acquires program information from the program information buffer 108 and converts it into packet data, triggered by a packetization request signal from the timer management section 103 transmitted according to the transmission mode. And outputs the result to the TS packet buffer 109. When the transmission mode signal is the linked transmission mode, the TS packet processing unit 104 receives the program switching signal from the program switching signal receiving unit 102, and determines whether the transmission start time included in the program switching signal matches the current time or If the program is switched on channel A, for example, the TS packet processing unit 104 uses the input of the program switching signal as a trigger to trigger the program of the program information index 401 being transmitted in the program information buffer 108. Referring to the address where the actual information of the program information of the storage address A1 of the program information to be broadcast is stored next to the table of the channel A where the switching has occurred, the data of the row 405 stored at this address is read out. Convert to packet data,
Packet buffer 109 and immediate transmission queue buffer 1
11 is written instantaneously.

On the other hand, if the transmission start time included in the program switching signal has not reached the current time, it is necessary to delay the division of the PS program information into packets.
The S-packet processing unit 104 sets the transmission start time included in the program switching signal to the packetization execution time and the timer management unit 103
The packetization request signal output from the timer management unit 103 at the time is converted to packet data, and then written to the immediate transmission queue buffer 111 and the TS packet buffer 109. The reason why the division of the PS program information into packets is delayed is that even if the change of the PS program information occurs immediately before transmission, it can be easily changed.

The TS packet buffer 109 is a buffer for storing the program information of the currently broadcast program information and the program information to be broadcast next to the program information of all the channels to be broadcast. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the data structure of the program information stored in the TS packet buffer 109.

The TS packet buffer 109 stores, in the table for the number of broadcast channels, packet data indicating the address where the currently transmitted program information is stored and the address where the next program information to be transmitted is stored. The converted program information index 601 and the packetized program information 60 in which the actual information of the program information is converted into packet data and stored.
Consists of two.

The program information index 601 describes, in a table prepared for each broadcast channel, an address storing the currently transmitted PF program information and a storage address of the next PF program information to be transmitted. is there. In the packetized program information 602, the PF program information currently being transmitted and the PF program information to be transmitted next are divided into packet data and stored using the above storage address as the top address.

The write control unit 105 includes the timer management unit 1
When a write start trigger signal is received from the
PF of all channels stored in the packet buffer 109
The program information is read out and written into the transmission queue buffer 110. FIG. 6 shows the data transmission status of the transmission queue buffer 110 and the immediate transmission queue buffer 111.

The transmission queue buffer 110 receives PF program information of all channels from the writing control unit 105,
This buffer temporarily stores the packet data of the PF program information a1 to n1 in which the broadcast channel is divided for each of the channels A to N. The immediate transmission queue buffer 111 is a buffer that receives the PF program information of only the switched channel directly from the TS packet processing unit 104 when the program is switched, and temporarily stores the PF program information. When the current program is switched to the next program, the PF program information a2 to be broadcasted is replaced with the TS packet processing unit 104 in place of the currently broadcast PF program information a1 on channel A.
Receive directly from.

The read control unit 106 refers to the transmission queue buffer 110 and, if data remains in the transmission queue buffer 110, recognizes whether or not data is currently being transmitted. After the transmission of the data for one channel is completed, it is recognized whether or not there is data in the immediate transmission queue buffer 111 in which the packet data of only the PF program information of the channel related to the program switching is stored. If there is, all the data is transmitted, and after the transmission is completed, the data is deleted.

If the data in the transmission queue buffer 110 is not being transmitted, the transmission queue buffer 1 is immediately sent.
It is recognized whether or not there is data at 11 and if there is data, all the data is transmitted, and after the transmission is completed, the data is deleted. At this time, data updated by program switching or program information update is written into the transmission queue buffer 110 by the write control unit 105.

FIG. 7 is a diagram specifically showing the flow of packet data output from the read control unit 106 when new PF program information is transmitted in synchronization with the program switching timing. For example, it is assumed that packet data of three channels A, B, and C are transmitted during one cycle. Usually, the time of the one cycle is equal to the total time of transmitting the PF program information of channels A, B, and C. Long enough. For example, if packet data a11 to a1n, b11 to b1n, and c11 to c1n of B and C are sequentially transmitted from channel A, packet data b of channel B
If the packet data of the PF program information of channel A is updated during transmission of channel No. 12, after all the packet data of channel B is transmitted from the transmission queue buffer 110, the channel A stored in the immediate transmission queue buffer 111 is updated. The packet data a21 to a2n are transmitted. At this time, the output bus is switched from the transmission queue buffer 110 to the immediate transmission queue buffer 111, and while the data is being output from the immediate transmission queue buffer 111, the P queues of all the updated channels are stored in the transmission queue buffer 110.
The F program information is stored. After transmitting all the packet data a21 to a2n of the PF program information of the channel A, the packet data c11 to c1n of the channel C is transmitted from the transmission queue buffer 110 in which the updated data is stored.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program information transmitting apparatus 100 according to the present invention. The data reception management unit 101 receives program information from a broadcast editing device (not shown) and stores the program information in the program information storage unit 10.
7 (step S101). The program switching signal receiving unit 102 includes a switching signal indicating that the current program currently being broadcast is switched to another program, and a program information update signal indicating that updated program information has been sent to the data reception management unit 101. Is received from a program broadcast editing device (not shown) (step S102).

The TS packet processing unit 104 receives the transmission mode signal from the operation instruction signal receiving unit 113,
Linked transmission mode in which program information is transmitted in synchronization with the program switching time specified in the program switching signal received by program switching signal receiving section 102, or periodic transmission mode in which program information is transmitted in accordance with the conventional transmission cycle It is recognized whether it is (step S103).

When the current time reaches the transmission start time, the program switching signal receiving section 102 refers to the schedule information 201 stored in the program information storage section 107, and transmits the PF program information to be transmitted at the transmission start time and the next transmission. The PF program information to be output is read out, and the schedule is updated to be written in the program information buffer 108 (step S104). The timer management unit 103 is a circuit that inputs and outputs data to and from the timer, and normally operates in accordance with the periodic transmission mode.
When the instruction of the linked transmission mode is received from the S packet processing unit 104, the operation is performed according to the linked transmission mode.

In the case of the periodic transmission mode, the timer management unit 10
3 acquires the transmission information of the program information recorded in the period information storage unit 112 and the period information indicating the time at which the transmission of the program information is started in this period, and obtains the period designated by the transmission start time. A trigger signal for starting writing for sending is output to the writing control unit 105 (step S10).
5).

Then, the TS packet processing unit 104 acquires program information from the program information buffer 108 by using a packetization request signal from the timer management unit 103 transmitted according to the transmission mode, and converts the program information into packet data. And outputs it to the TS packet buffer 109 (step S106). Upon receiving the write start trigger signal from the timer management unit 103, the write control unit 105
The PF program information of all channels stored in the TS packet buffer 109 is read out and written into the transmission queue buffer 110 (step S107).

When recognizing that the program switching signal receiving section 102 has received the switching signal (step S108), the program information after the program switching indicated by the program switching signal and the program information to be broadcast next are displayed in the program information. The transmission start time is obtained from the storage unit 107, adjusted to the actual broadcast time, and stored in the program information buffer 108 (step S109).

A packetization execution time indicating a time for converting program information into packet data and outputting the packet information in synchronization with the program switching signal is received from the TS packet processing unit 104, and when the packetization execution time has arrived, the TS packet processing Part 1
04, a packetization request signal indicating a signal to start conversion of program information into packet data is transmitted to the TS packet processing unit 1.
04 (step S110).

The TS packet processing unit 104 receives the program switching signal from the program switching signal receiving unit 102, and if the transmission start time included in the program switching signal matches or has passed the current time, the program switching signal With the input of the switching signal as a trigger, the PF program information in the program information buffer 108 is read out, converted into packet data (step S113), and written instantaneously into both the TS packet buffer 109 and the immediate transmission queue buffer 111 (step S111). ).

On the other hand, if the transmission start time included in the program switching signal has not reached the current time, it is necessary to delay the packetization.
The transmission start time included in the program switching signal is output to the timer management unit 103 as the packetization execution time (step S11).
2), wait for a packetization request signal output from the timer management unit 103 at the time, convert the packet data into packet data, and write the packet data into the immediate transmission queue buffer 111 and the TS packet buffer 109 (step S113).

The read control unit 106 refers to the transmission queue buffer 110 (step S114). If data remains in the transmission queue buffer 110,
It is determined whether data is being transmitted (step S1).
15) If the data is being transmitted, the transmission of one channel of the data is completed (Step S116), and then the packet buffer of only the PF program information of the channel related to the program switching is stored. It is recognized whether there is data in 111 (step S117),
If there is data, all the data is transmitted, and after the transmission is completed, the data is deleted (step S118).

If the data in the transmission queue buffer 110 is not being transmitted, the transmission queue buffer 1 is immediately sent.
11 to determine whether there is data (step S1).
17) If there is data, all the data is transmitted, and after the transmission is completed, the data is deleted (step S11).
8). At this time, the data updated by the program switching or the program information update is written into the transmission queue buffer 110 by the write control unit 105 (step S).
119).

If there is no data in the immediate transmission queue buffer 111, steps S118 to S119 are skipped. The read control unit 106 further determines whether or not there is untransmitted channel data in the transmission queue buffer 110 (step S120). If there is untransmitted channel data, it should be transmitted next again. The steps after step S116 for transmitting the data of the channel are performed, and after the transmission of all the data in the transmission queue buffer 110 is completed, the data in the transmission queue buffer 110 is deleted (step S121).

When this step S121 is performed, new program information is received, and the process returns to the first step S101 for outputting the program information to the program information storage unit 107. As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is almost no difference between the timing of switching from the current program to the subsequent program and the timing of switching the program information corresponding to these programs,
The inconsistency between the program and the program information is eliminated, and the viewer does not feel uncomfortable. Further, even when the content of the subsequent program is suddenly changed, the program information corresponding to the changed subsequent program is promptly transmitted.

In the present embodiment, the read control unit 106 refers to the transmission queue buffer 110, and if data remains in the transmission queue buffer 110, recognizes whether data is currently being transmitted. If the data is being transmitted, it is assumed that the transmission of the data for one channel has been completed. However, the transmission of the data being transmitted is immediately suspended, and packet data of only the PF program information of the channel related to the program switching is stored. Immediate transmission queue buffer 1
It is also possible to recognize whether or not there is data in the data 11 and, if there is data, to transmit all the data and delete the data after the transmission is completed.

The switching signal includes the time at which the program is switched and the program number of the program after the switching, and the program information update signal includes the program number of the program to be changed, the transmission start time of the program information of the program, and the program start time. Although the content of the change and the updated broadcast time are included, the program may further include a program number of a subsequent program to be held next. In this case, for example, the program after the change is a long-time special program such as emergency news. Therefore, when the broadcast of the program that should be broadcasted after the program is stopped and a different program is set as the subsequent program, it is possible to promptly show the fact to the viewer.

The processing units 101 to 106 and 113 constituting the broadcast program information transmitting apparatus 100 can be realized not only by hardware using dedicated circuits but also by a general-purpose CPU and various functions. Needless to say, it can be realized by software using a control program or the like to be exerted by the CPU.

[0063]

As is apparent from the above description, the program information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention includes information on the current program currently being broadcast and information on the succeeding program broadcast following the current program. What is claimed is: 1. A program information transmitting apparatus for repeatedly transmitting program information at a constant cycle, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving a switching signal indicating that a current program is switched to a subsequent program; and a time point indicated by the switching signal according to the received switching signal. And a program information switching means for switching the program information which has been transmitted up to that point to the program information which makes the program which has been the succeeding program up to that point the current program, and transmits the program information.

As a result, the program information is not only transmitted periodically, but also transmitted in synchronization with the program currently being broadcast (switching of the program). It is easy to reduce the deviation from the timing at which the corresponding program information is switched, and it is possible to avoid the problem that the program and the program information are presented in an inconsistent manner.

The above-mentioned effect is also achieved by a method of repeatedly transmitting program information including information on a current program currently being broadcast and information on a succeeding program to be broadcast following the current program at a constant period. A receiving step of receiving a switching signal indicating that the program is switched to a subsequent program;
In accordance with the received switching signal, the program information that has been transmitted up to the time point indicated by the switching signal is switched to the program information in which the program that was the succeeding program up to that time is the current program,
A program information transmission method including a program information switching step to be transmitted, or program information including information on a current program currently being broadcasted and information on a succeeding program to be broadcast following the current program repeatedly transmitted at a constant cycle. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program used in a program information transmitting apparatus, the program comprising: a receiving step of receiving a switching signal indicating that a current program is switched to a subsequent program; and a received switching signal. Switching the program information that had been transmitted up to the time point indicated by the switching signal to the program information that sets the program that was the succeeding program up to that time as the current program, and causing the computer to execute the program information switching step to be transmitted. This is also achieved by a recording medium characterized by the following.

Further, the switching signal includes information indicating a time at which the current program is switched to a subsequent program, and the program information switching means changes the program information at the time when the time indicated by the switching signal arrives. You may switch. As a result, the data processing of the program information to be transmitted is performed in accordance with the scheduled switching time from the current program to the succeeding program, and prompt transmission of the program information is realized, and inconsistency between the program and the program information is eliminated. Almost eliminated.

Further, the program information transmitting apparatus further includes a receiving means for receiving an instruction as to whether or not to permit the switching of the program information based on the switching signal. The program information may be switched in accordance with the switching signal only when an instruction to permit the program information is received. Thus, when the broadcast station continuously desires to periodically transmit the program information, the periodic transmission of the program information is not affected by the switching signal indicating that the current program is switched to the subsequent program. Is realized.

Further, the switching signal further includes information for designating a succeeding program, and the program information switching means designates the program information transmitted up to the time point indicated by the switching signal by the switching signal. Alternatively, the program that was the succeeding program up to that point may be switched to the program information to be the current program. Thereby, even if the content of the subsequent program is suddenly changed, the changed subsequent program can be specified, and the program information corresponding to the changed subsequent program is transmitted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a program information transmitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of data stored in a program information storage unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of data stored in a cycle information storage unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a storage state of program information in a program information buffer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a TS packet buffer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a transmission state of packet data in a transmission queue buffer and an immediate transmission queue buffer.

FIG. 7 is a diagram specifically illustrating a flow of packet data output from a read control unit when new PF program information is transmitted in synchronization with a program switching timing.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the program information transmitting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a conventional broadcast facility.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a conventional program information transmission device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 program information transmitting device 101 data reception management unit 102 program switching signal reception unit 103 timer management unit 104 TS packet processing unit 105 write control unit 106 read control unit 107 program information storage unit 108 program information buffer 109 TS packet buffer 110 transmission queue buffer 111 Immediate transmission queue buffer 112 Period information storage unit 113 Operation instruction signal receiving unit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Yoshikawa 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5C025 AA01 5C063 AA20 AB03 AB07 AC10 CA40

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A program information transmitting apparatus for repeatedly transmitting program information including information on a current program currently being broadcast and information on a subsequent program to be broadcast subsequent to the current program at a constant period, comprising: Receiving means for receiving a switching signal indicating that the program is switched to a subsequent program, and, in accordance with the received switching signal, the program information transmitted up to the time point indicated by the switching signal, Switch to the program information to be the current program,
A program information transmitting device comprising: a program information switching unit for transmitting. 2. The switching signal includes information indicating a time at which a current program is switched to a succeeding program. The program information switching means changes the program information when the time indicated by the switching signal arrives. 2. The program information transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein the program information is switched. 3. The program information transmitting apparatus further includes a receiving unit that receives an instruction as to whether to permit switching of the program information based on the switching signal, wherein the program information switching unit includes: 3. The program information transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the program information is switched in accordance with the switching signal only when an instruction to permit the program information is received. 4. The switching signal further includes information designating a succeeding program, and the program information switching means designates, by the switching signal, program information transmitted up to a time point indicated by the switching signal. 4. The program information transmitting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the program that has been a succeeding program up to that point is switched to program information to be a current program. 5. A method for repeatedly transmitting program information including information on a current program currently being broadcast and information on a subsequent program to be broadcast subsequent to the current program at a constant period, wherein the current program is a subsequent program. A receiving step of receiving a switching signal indicating that the switching is performed in accordance with the received switching signal. Switch to the program information
And a program information switching step for transmitting program information. 6. A program used in a program information transmitting apparatus for repeatedly transmitting program information including information on a current program currently being broadcast and information on a succeeding program to be broadcast following the current program at a constant cycle. A computer-readable recording medium, the program comprising: a receiving step of receiving a switching signal indicating that a current program is switched to a subsequent program; and transmitting the program up to a time point indicated by the switching signal according to the received switching signal. The program information that was being performed is switched to the program information that makes the program that was the subsequent program up to that time the current program,
A recording medium characterized by causing a computer to execute a program information switching step to be transmitted.