JP2006141015A - Reception apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the service property of a digital broadcast audio program by transmitting the program while multiplexing thereon information complementing contents of the audio program, such as characters or still pictures without considerably increasing the quantity of information to be transmitted. <P>SOLUTION: Audio information is transmitted while intermittently and asynchronously multiplexing character information, image information or other information thereon by a transmission means including a multiplexing means for adding and multiplexing a program number to a plurality of data streams to obtain a bit stream, and a reception means including a demultiplexing means for demultiplexing a desired data stream from the one bit stream, a decode means for restoring the data stream into audio, video and information signals respectively and a control CPU for controlling the demultiplexing means and the decode means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a digital broadcast transmission and reception system, and more particularly to a broadcast transmission and reception system for the purpose of viewing an audio program.

As a conventional method of multiplexing and transmitting image and sound data, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-1994.
As described in Japanese Patent No. 276508, a method is known in which continuous image data and audio data are always multiplexed and transmitted.

JP-A-6-276508

A feature of digital broadcasting is that various additional information such as digitized video, audio, and character information can be multiplexed and transmitted simultaneously. Further, there is a feature that high-quality images and sounds can be transmitted by applying an error correction technique peculiar to a digital system.
In the prior art described about such digital broadcasting, a case where video and audio are viewed as in television broadcasting is shown. On the other hand, the audio broadcasting service providing method whose main purpose is audio viewing is not described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcast transmission and reception system for improving serviceability in audio broadcasting in digital broadcasting.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, for example, an audio broadcast program, information supplementing the content of the audio broadcast program, and a packet header common to the audio broadcast program and the supplementary information are added and multiplexed. Receiving means for receiving the broadcast signal, demodulating means for demodulating the broadcast signal received by the receiving means, desired audio broadcast program and desired audio broadcast program from the broadcast signal demodulated by the demodulating means Separation means for separating the information supplementing the content using the common packet header, and character information or image information corresponding to the information supplementing the content of the desired audio broadcast program separated by the separation means. Character information or image corresponding to information for supplementing the contents of the desired audio program received intermittently when the storage means for storing and the information for supplementing the contents are intermittently received Broadcast a may be configured to include a control means for reading a predetermined period output from said memory means.
Thereby, when viewing an audio program, still images, characters, and other supplementary information can be displayed simultaneously, so that various services can be provided to the viewer.

According to the present invention, when an audio program for audio viewing is transmitted and reproduced by digital broadcasting, the serviceability of the audio program can be improved by efficiently multiplexing and transmitting character information, image information, and other information. Can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration on the transmission side, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a receiving means for receiving a signal, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a multiplexing format of data to be transmitted. In this embodiment, a satellite broadcasting system that broadcasts via an artificial satellite will be described. However, the use of the present invention is not limited to satellite broadcasting. For example, broadcasting using a cable or each reception from an antenna on a transmitting side is performed. You may apply to the terrestrial broadcast etc. which transmit directly to the antenna connected to the means.
In FIG. 1, 101, 102, and 103 are data supply means for supplying, for example, audio, image, and character data streams, 400 is a multiplexing means for multiplexing a plurality of types of input digital signals, and 500 is an error associated with transmission. An error correction code adding means 600 for correcting on the receiving side, 600 is a modulating means, and the output of the modulating means 600 is transmitted by a transmitting antenna (not shown).
Radio waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna are received by an antenna (not shown) connected to the receiving means of FIG. 2 via an artificial satellite (not shown). In FIG. 2, 1 is an antenna input terminal, 2 is demodulation means, 3 is error correction means, 5 is demultiplexing means for separating multiplexed signals, 6 is a control CPU, and 7 is a program storing a program for the control CPU. A storage ROM, 8 is a data processing RAM of the control CPU 6, 9 is a Kanji ROM storing character fonts, 10 is a display device such as a fluorescent display tube or a liquid crystal panel,
11 is a video decoder that decompresses compressed video information, 12 is an audio decoder that decompresses compressed audio information, 13 is an OSD (On Screen Display) circuit that adds character information to the output signal of the video decoder 11, Reference numeral 14 denotes a video encoder that converts a digital signal into an analog signal and adds synchronization information and the like. Reference numeral 15 denotes a D / A converter that converts digital audio information into an analog signal.
6 is an output terminal to video display means (not shown), 17 is audio output means (not shown)
Reference numeral 20 denotes a connection terminal to an IC card (not shown), and 21 denotes an IC card interface (I / F).
In FIG. 1, the data stream supplied from the data supply means 101, 102, 103 has a program number indicating that each data stream 701, 702, 703 is information of one program as shown in the example of FIG. Data stream 80 obtained by adding
1, 802 and 803 are multiplexed by the multiplexing means 400 to be converted into one bit stream 901. Next, an error correction code for correcting an error associated with transmission on the receiving side is added by the error correction code adding means 500, and the modulation means 600 modulates and sends it out.
Next, the operation of the receiving means shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The signal input from the antenna input terminal 1 is demodulated by the demodulation means 2. The signal demodulated by the demodulation means 2 is subjected to error correction based on the error correction code added to the signal by the error correction means 3. Next, the signal of the program to be viewed is separated and output by the demultiplexing means 5. The demultiplexing means 5 extracts CH information, viewing information, program information, time information, etc. from the signal and applies them to the control CPU 6. In FIG. 2, the control CPU 6 reads the program from the program storage ROM 7 and executes the program by processing data using the RAM 8. The kanji ROM 9 stores data necessary for displaying characters as images, and the control CPU 6 reads out character data corresponding to the character code obtained by separating or extracting from the bit stream 901.
The display device 10 displays the CH number and the like of the program that is currently viewed by a signal from the control CPU 6.
Of the signals separated by the demultiplexing means 5, the image information is the video decoder 1
1, the audio information is applied to the audio decoder 12. Each of the video decoder 11 and the audio decoder 12 decompresses the compressed data and reproduces the digital signal before compression. The output of the video decoder 11 is applied to a video encoder 14 for converting a digital signal into an analog video signal via an OSD means 10 for adding character information. On the other hand, the output digital signal of the audio decoder 12 is applied to the D / A converter 15 and converted into an analog audio signal. As a result, the analog video signal and the analog audio signal sent from the transmission side are reproduced and output to the display means 16 and the audio output means 17.
The case of transmitting and receiving a program for the purpose of viewing audio will be described in more detail. Since audio has a smaller amount of information than video, it is possible to transmit a larger number of programs within a certain band range, especially when transmitting a program in a television broadcast mainly composed of moving images. On the other hand, there may be situations where you want to know the name of the music you are currently viewing or the name of the composer, but you do not know immediately. In such a case, for example, as shown in the bit stream 902 of FIG. 4, character information other than audio and still images are intermittently multiplexed and transmitted with the same program number, and the reception side, for example, the tables of FIG. 5 and FIG. By displaying character information and still images as shown in the example for a predetermined period, it is possible to improve the serviceability of the program while suppressing an increase in the amount of information to be transmitted.
In the above, since the audio information and the character information or the image information do not need to be accurately synchronized like the video and audio of the television broadcast, the additional information as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is transmitted at an arbitrary timing. be able to. That is, for example, an operator on the transmission side (an announcer, a disc jockey for a music program, etc.) performs transmission of a still image at an arbitrary timing and transmits it.
Although FIG. 4 shows an example in which a data stream different from audio is multiplexed and transmitted and reproduced on the data stream of audio information, it may be transmitted by another method shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of the structure of a transport stream packet (TSP) defined by MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) -Systems.
In FIG. 7, reference numeral 903 denotes the TSP data contents and other headers that describe information defined in MPEG2-Systems, 904 denotes an extension header that can describe information determined by the sender, and 905 denotes audio or video. It is a payload composed of data. In the example shown in FIG. 7, when transmitting an audio program, audio data is transmitted using a payload 905, and character information that is additional information is transmitted using an extension header 904. By the method described above, supplementary information of an audio program can be transmitted without multiplexing a data stream different from the audio information.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, supplementary information such as characters and still images can be intermittently and asynchronously multiplexed and transmitted to an audio program in digital broadcasting to improve the serviceability of the audio program. Since the amount of information can be reduced, a large number of programs can be transmitted within a predetermined band.
FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows an example of transmitting software used for a so-called personal computer or the like as supplemental information to be multiplexed. In FIG.
Reference numeral 18 denotes a software processing CPU, and 19 denotes display processing means for converting the processing result of the software processing CPU 18 into a format that can be displayed on the display device 16.
In digital broadcasting, the content to be transmitted is all digital signals.
Similar to video, software such as a so-called personal computer can be transmitted. Here, a channel for transmitting software such as a personal computer is called a data channel. The contents of the data channel separated by the demultiplexing means 5 in FIG. 8 are applied to the software processing CPU 18.
The software processing CPU 18 performs predetermined processing according to the input software and applies the processing result to the display processing means 19. The display processing means 19 outputs the processing result of the software processing CPU 18 in a format that can be displayed on the display means 16. The content transmitted through the data channel may be, for example, a so-called computer graphics still image or moving image. Note that even a moving image is obtained by processing the transmitted software using the software processing CPU 18, so that a signal is always transmitted as in the case of transmitting a normal moving picture taken by a television camera, for example. There is no need. That is, once transmitted, a moving image by computer graphics or the like can be displayed by processing the software even if there is no signal to be transmitted.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously display still images, moving images, etc. by computer graphics that supplement the contents of the audio program without increasing the amount of information to be transmitted, thereby improving the serviceability of the audio program. Can do.

The block diagram which shows the Example of the transmission means of this invention. The block diagram which shows the Example of the receiving means of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the input data stream to the multiplexing means 4 of the Example of the transmission means of this invention, and the output bit stream of the multiplexing means 4. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the output bit stream of the multiplexing means 4 in the Example of the transmission means of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display screen in the Example of the receiving means of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display screen in the Example of the receiving means of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the bit stream in the Example of the transmission means of this invention. The block diagram which shows the Example of the receiving means of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101, 102, 103 ... information supply means, 400 ... multiplexing means, 500 ... error correction code addition means, 600 ... modulation means.

Claims (4)

An audio broadcast program and information for supplementing the content of the audio broadcast program; and a reception means for receiving a multiplexed broadcast signal by adding a common packet header to the audio broadcast program and the supplementary information;
Demodulation means for demodulating the broadcast signal received by the receiving means;
Separating means for separating a desired audio broadcast program and information supplementing the content of the desired audio broadcast program from the broadcast signal demodulated by the demodulation means using the common packet header;
Storage means for storing character information or image information corresponding to information supplementing the content of the desired audio broadcast program separated by the separation means;
When the information supplementing the content is intermittently received, character information or image information corresponding to the information supplemented with the content of the desired audio program received intermittently is read from the storage means, A receiving apparatus comprising control means for controlling to output for a period. The receiving device according to claim 1,
Comprising display means for displaying the character information or the image information;
The receiving device controls the character information or image information read from the storage device to be output to the display device at an arbitrary timing. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The receiving apparatus, wherein the image information is a still image. The receiving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Having processing means for software and / or program related data related to the program;
The receiving apparatus is characterized in that the control means instructs the processing means to process the software and / or the program related data, and outputs the processing result.

Images