JP2007208384A - Digital broadcast reception terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital broadcast reception terminal capable of making disturbance in video and audio inconspicuous when a radio wave state is bad and providing information for the improvement to a user. <P>SOLUTION: The digital broadcast reception terminal includes: a signal reception section for receiving a broadcast radio wave including a broadcast signal; a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the received broadcast signal to produce stream signals; a decoder section for decoding the produced stream signals; an error detection means for detecting whether or not the received broadcast signal includes errors; an error discrimination section for discriminating a degree of the errors detected by the error detection means; and an output section for outputting video and audio and also displaying information for improving the state of the errors depending on a result of the discrimination by the error discrimination section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus capable of receiving digital broadcasting.

  Digital broadcasting that provides content composed of video, audio, text, management information and the like as a digital stream has been put into practical use. For example, in addition to BS digital broadcasting and CS digital broadcasting, terrestrial digital broadcasting has been started. In addition, one-segment broadcasting with a limited band has been started as a dedicated broadcast for reception by a portable terminal in the near future, and fusion with a cellular phone is particularly expected.

In digital broadcasting, an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) modulation method is employed which is less likely to cause deterioration in reproduction of video and audio than analog broadcasting, and is expected to be able to be received stably.
However, radio waves worsen in vehicles of public institutions, valleys of high-rise buildings, and reception areas, and both video and audio may deteriorate accordingly. I remember.

Therefore, a technique called a gap filler that re-transmits radio waves toward areas where radio waves are weak and a method of transmitting the signals into the vehicle via an antenna provided on the vehicle is disclosed.
However, since it is necessary to improve the facilities over a wide area, it is a principle that the broadcasters should make efforts by self-help, and cost problems and cooperation with local governments and residents are necessary. It is.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-68683

  Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a user with convenient and secure use by presenting information for improving or avoiding the situation when the radio wave condition deteriorates without placing a burden on the broadcaster. . Another object of the present invention is to alleviate the user's discomfort by making video and audio deterioration inconspicuous when radio wave conditions deteriorate.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a signal receiving unit that receives broadcast radio waves including a broadcast signal, an error detection unit that detects whether or not the received broadcast signal has an error, and the error detection unit. An error determination unit that determines the degree of detected error, and an output unit that displays information for improving the situation according to the determination result of the error determination unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when a radio wave condition deteriorates, a user can use it conveniently and safely by presenting the information for improving or avoiding a situation. In addition, when the radio wave condition deteriorates, the user's discomfort can be eased by making the deterioration of video and audio inconspicuous.

  A digital broadcast receiving terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a digital broadcast receiving terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving antenna 50, a signal receiving unit 101, a demultiplexer 102, a decoder unit 103, an error detecting unit 104, an error determining unit 105, data The processing unit 106, the output unit 107, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 150, and a timer 160 are included.

  First, the flow from reception of radio waves to video and audio output is shown. The digital broadcast wave is received by the receiving antenna 50, and the received digital broadcast wave is decoded by the signal receiving unit 101. The transport stream decoded from the digital broadcast wave is divided into video and audio streams by the demultiplexer 102. The divided video and audio streams are decoded by the decoder unit 103, and the decoded video and audio data are processed by the data processing unit 106. Examples of the processing content include adjusting the size in accordance with the standard of a video output device such as a liquid crystal in the case of video, and adjusting the volume adjustment value by the user in the case of audio. The processed video data is combined with an OSD (On Screen Display) screen such as a menu screen by the output unit 107 and output to a video output device such as a liquid crystal, and the audio data is also output to an audio output device such as a speaker or headphones by the output unit 108. Output. The output of video and audio will be described below in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a digital broadcast receiving terminal according to the first embodiment of the present specification will be described using a flow F1 in FIG. 2 as a video output method when the radio wave condition deteriorates. When an error is first detected by the error detection means 104, first, the timer 160 is activated and set to t = 0 seconds (step S200). Next, it is confirmed whether or not n seconds have elapsed since the timer was started (step S201). n is arbitrary, but when n = 0, it becomes “Yes” immediately. If “Yes” in step S201, the error determination unit 105 selects useful advice for improving the video and audio disturbance for each type of error detected by the error detection unit 104 (step S202). Then, it is synthesized and presented by the output unit 107 (step S203). If “NO” in step S201 (that is, if it has not exceeded n seconds since the timer was started), only the video is output (step S205). Thereafter, if an error is detected again by the error detection means 104, the process returns to step S201 (step S206). If not detected, the timer is ended (step S207), and the process returns to the process when the radio wave condition is good. When the information presentation and the image output are completed in step S203, the timer is ended (step S204), and the process proceeds to the flow F2 shown in FIG. 3 (step S208).

  The error detection unit 104 is included in the signal receiving unit 101 and can be detected as a CN ratio (Carrier to Noise Ratio) or BER (Bit Error Rate) value, for example. The error detection means 104 may be included in the decoder unit 103 and detected as error information such as a decoding failure.

  For example, the error determination unit 105 may determine the degree of error by setting a threshold value for the obtained CN ratio or BER value, or may determine the value based on the duration of the value. If the error content is information from the decoder unit 103, it is conceivable to determine the degree of error according to the decoding failure location, and it is also possible to determine by combining the CN value and the decoding status.

  Next, processing during information presentation (flow F2) will be described with reference to FIG. If an error is continuously detected by the error detection means 104, “error is present”, and if no error is detected, “no error” is determined (step S250). If “error exists” in step S250, the error determination unit 105 determines improvement advice (S251), and if there is a change from the previous information, the changed information is continued if there is no change. The advice is presented together with the video (step S252). If “no error”, only the video is output (step S254), and the process returns to the case where the radio wave condition is good.

  Next, an example of information presentation and video output by the output unit 107 is shown in FIG. The digital broadcast receiving terminal 300 is an external view of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 100, and shows a video output device 301, a receiving antenna 302, and operation keys 303. The video 304 at this time is adjusted to the same size as the video output device 301 by the data processing unit 106. Information to be presented is shown on the information panel 305. FIG. 4 is an example in which a message such as “Please move to a place with a good view” is displayed.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving terminal of the present invention, the user can present the information for improving or avoiding the situation when the radio wave situation deteriorates without placing a burden on the broadcaster. It can be used conveniently and safely.

(Second Embodiment)
A digital broadcast receiving terminal according to the second embodiment of the present specification will be described below using a flow F1 in FIG. 2 as a video output method when the radio wave condition deteriorates.

  As the video output size when the radio wave condition deteriorates, in the first embodiment, the decoded video is adjusted to the size according to the standard of the video output device by the data processing unit 106. In the embodiment, the error determination unit 105 selects useful video or advice for improving audio disturbance for each type of error detected by the error detection unit 104 (step S202) and outputs video to be output. Determine the size. For example, if the video contains some errors, the video is reduced to a small size. If the error rate is high, the video is reduced to a very small size so that the disturbance is not noticeable. Regarding audio, for example, it may be possible to reduce the volume or to completely mute the sound.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of information presentation and video output by the output unit 107 when the error determination unit 105 determines that the radio wave condition is slightly poor for the type of error detected by the error detection unit 104. . In this case, the video 404 is adjusted to a size smaller than that of the video output device 301 by the data processing unit 106 and output, and the audio is output with a volume smaller than that when the sound is good. At this time, if the receiving antenna 302 is in a closed state, a message such as “Please extend the antenna” is displayed on the information panel 405. If the receiving antenna 302 is already extended, an advice such as “move to a place with a good view” is presented.

  In FIG. 6, when the error determination unit 105 determines that the radio wave condition is not better than that in FIG. 5 for the type of error detected by the error detection unit 104, information presentation and video output by the output unit 107 are performed. An example is shown. In this case, the video 504 is adjusted by the data processing unit 106 to be smaller than the video 404 in FIG. 5 and output, and the audio is completely muted. At this time, the information panel 505 displays a message such as “It is difficult to receive. Are you sure you want to search for another channel after continuing for m minutes?”. At this time, when the corresponding part of the key 303 is pressed, the user's consent is obtained, and when there is no error for m minutes and no improvement is expected, another good channel is automatically searched.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of information presentation and video output by the output unit 107 when the error determination unit 105 determines that the CN ratio or BER value detected by the error detection unit 104 is very bad. At this time, since almost no signal enters the signal receiving unit 101, the video 604 is a blacked-out image, and is adjusted to a size smaller than the video 504 in FIG. 6 by the data processing unit 106. At this time, a message such as “Cannot receive. Do you want to search for another channel?” Is displayed on the information panel 605 and proposes to search for another channel immediately. At this time, when the corresponding part of the key 303 is pressed, the user's consent is obtained, and another good channel is searched.

  As described above, according to the digital broadcast receiving terminal of the present invention, when the radio wave condition deteriorates, the user can use it conveniently and safely by presenting information for improving or avoiding the situation. At the same time, discomfort can be eased by making the deterioration inconspicuous by processing and outputting video and audio.

  Note that the present invention does not limit the location of the error detection unit 104. Further, the means of the error determination unit 105 is not limited.

  Note that the timer 160 may be included in the CPU 150 or may be software controlled by the CPU 150. Further, the timer 160 may be a counter indicating how many times it has occurred instead of time, or may be a combination of time and counter.

  Note that the decoder unit 103, the data processing unit 106, and the output unit 107 may be different for video and audio.

  Note that the decoder unit 103, the data processing unit 106, and the output unit 107 may be integrated.

  The character strings of the information panels 305, 405, 505, and 605 do not limit the wording.

  In addition, when the expansion / contraction state of the receiving antenna 302 cannot be confirmed, “Please check the antenna and the receiving area” may be presented.

  Note that m minutes is an example, and a search may be performed immediately, or a searched channel list may be presented instead of a message.

  Note that although television broadcasting is assumed in the embodiment, moving image distribution via a communication network such as a wireless LAN, a PHS, or a mobile phone may be used. Further, instead of the receiving antenna 50, a wired LAN input may be used.

  The digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention can be used for a portable terminal or a small player equipped with a digital broadcast receiving function.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiving terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention A flowchart showing an output method to the output unit 107 when an error is detected by the error detection means 104 The flowchart which shows the output method to the output part 107 when the error determination part 105 determines an error Example of video output by output unit 107 and external view of digital broadcast receiving terminal 100 when radio wave condition is slightly poor in the first embodiment Example of video output by output unit 107 and external view of digital broadcast receiving terminal 100 when radio wave condition is slightly poor in the second embodiment Example of video output by output unit 107 and external view of digital broadcast receiving terminal 100 when radio wave condition is not good in the second embodiment Example of video output by output unit 107 and external view of digital broadcast receiving terminal 100 when radio waves cannot be received in the second embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Reception antenna 100 Digital broadcast receiving terminal 101 Signal receiving part 102 Demultiplexer 103 Decoder part 104 Error detection means 105 Error determination part 106 Data processing part 107 Output part 150 CPU
160 timer 300 digital broadcast receiving terminal 301 video output device 302 receiving antenna 303 operation key 304 video 305 information panel 404 video 405 information panel 504 video 505 information panel 604 video 605 information panel

Claims (9)

A signal receiver for receiving broadcast radio waves including broadcast signals;
A demultiplexer that separates the received broadcast signal to generate a stream signal;
A decoder unit for decoding the generated stream signal;
Error detection means for detecting whether or not the received broadcast signal has an error;
An error determination unit for determining the degree of error detected by the error detection means;
Along with video and audio, according to the determination result in the error determination unit, an output unit that displays information for improving the situation,
A digital broadcast receiving terminal. The error detection means is included in the decoder unit and detects an error that occurs when the stream signal is decoded.
The digital broadcast receiving terminal according to claim 1. The error detection means is included in the signal receiving unit, and acquires as an error rate or a bit error rate of the received broadcast signal.
The digital receiving terminal according to claim 1. The error detection unit includes an error determination unit that is included in the decoder unit and the signal reception unit and determines the degree of error detected by the error detection unit in combination.
The digital receiving terminal according to claim 1. According to the determination result in the error determination unit, the size of the image data acquired from the received broadcast signal is reduced, and displayed on the output unit.
The digital receiving terminal in any one of Claims 1-4. In accordance with the determination result in the error determination unit, the volume of the audio data acquired from the received broadcast signal is reduced, and output to the output unit.
The digital receiving terminal in any one of Claims 1-5. The signal receiving unit includes a whip antenna,
The output unit displays information prompting the extension of the whip antenna according to the determination result in the error determination unit when the whip antenna is stored.
The digital receiving terminal in any one of Claims 1-6. Channel selection of the broadcast signal received by the signal receiving unit, further comprising a channel selection means having a channel search function,
The output unit displays information that prompts the channel selection unit to perform a channel search according to the determination result in the error determination unit.
The digital receiving terminal in any one of Claims 1-6. Channel selection of the broadcast signal received by the signal receiving unit, further comprising a channel selection means having a channel search function,
The signal receiving unit includes a whip antenna,
When the whip antenna is in the retracted state, the output unit displays information that prompts the user to extend the whip antenna when the determination result in the error determination unit indicates a minor error state. When the determination result indicates a serious error condition, information for prompting a channel search by the channel selection unit is displayed.
The digital receiving terminal in any one of Claims 1-6.