JP2009211269A - Broadcast receiver, and program update method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a broadcast receiver for preventing a user from being aware of the download or update of a program as much as possible, and to provide a broadcast receiver for controlling program update including forced update according to the importance of a program. <P>SOLUTION: The broadcast receiver acquires program priority being an index of the necessity of update processing from a broadcast signal prior to the update of the program and an update due date showing a date to complete the update processing. Afterwards, the broadcast receiver controls program update including forced update according to the update due date (S101), the state of the broadcast receiver (S102) and program priority (S104). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus that executes program download and program update processing, and a program update method for the broadcast receiving apparatus.

  A conventional example of a broadcast receiving apparatus that executes program update processing using an update program downloaded from a broadcast signal will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional example of a broadcast receiving apparatus. Reference numeral 501 denotes a broadcast signal receiving unit that receives a transport stream that is a multiplexed digital broadcast signal, and 502 denotes a demultiplexing unit that separates the transport stream received by the broadcast signal receiving unit 501. A B-CAS card control unit 503 acquires ID information of the inserted B-CAS card and an encryption key for viewing the broadcast. Reference numeral 504 denotes an audio decoding unit that decodes an audio stream of the broadcast signal separated by the demax unit 502 using the encryption key, and reference numeral 505 denotes an audio output unit that outputs the audio stream. Reference numeral 506 denotes a video decoding unit that decodes the video stream of the broadcast signal separated by the demax unit 502 using the encryption key. Reference numeral 507 denotes a video synthesis / display unit that combines and outputs the video stream and a data broadcast described later. . A data broadcast analysis unit 508 performs semantic analysis on the data broadcast signal among the broadcast signals separated by the demux unit 502, and 509 draws graphics corresponding to the data broadcast signal and outputs the graphics to the video composition / display unit 507. A graphics drawing unit.

  Reference numeral 510 denotes a download distribution schedule analysis unit that processes distribution schedule information of an update program among broadcast signals separated by the demax unit 502. Reference numeral 511 denotes a download program storage / update control unit that downloads an update program from a broadcast signal, updates the program, and notifies the user that download and update processing are to be performed. A program storage unit 512 stores an update program acquired by the download program storage / update control unit 511. Reference numeral 513 denotes a time management unit that has means for acquiring the current time and notifies the download program storage / update control unit 511 of the current time. Reference numeral 514 denotes a user notification unit that notifies the graphics drawing unit 509 of notification contents from the download program storage / update control unit 511 to the user.

  The broadcast signal receiving unit 501 receives and demodulates a digital broadcast signal and converts it into a transport stream. The B-CAS card control unit 503 acquires an encryption key. The demux unit 502 decrypts the transport stream and demultiplexes the transport stream. The audio decoding unit 504 decodes the demultiplexed audio stream, and the audio output unit 505 outputs the audio. The video decoding unit 506 decodes the demultiplexed video stream, and the video composition / display unit 507 synthesizes and outputs the graphics image. The data broadcast analysis unit 508 performs semantic analysis on the demultiplexed data broadcast signal, the graphics drawing unit 509 performs drawing corresponding to the analysis result, and the video composition / display unit 507 synthesizes and outputs the video signal.

  The download distribution schedule analysis unit 510 analyzes the download distribution schedule information distributed prior to downloading, and acquires the download distribution schedule of the own model. The download program accumulation / update control unit 511 checks the current time information notified from the time management unit 513, and notifies the user that download and program update are to be started through the user notification unit 514 as soon as the distribution time is reached, and approves it. Prompt. When the user's approval is obtained, the update program is downloaded, the result is stored in the program storage unit 512, and then activated by a new program.

  Here, in the update process of the program, it is desirable not to make the user aware of download or update, and it is desirable to control the update flexibly according to the importance of the program, but in the case of this conventional example, the following two problems was there.

  The first problem is that the user must be aware of downloads and updates in order to always notify the user prior to downloads and updates and prompt approval.

  The second problem is that it is impossible to perform update control according to the importance of the program, and forced update cannot be performed.

  As an example corresponding to the problem of the conventional example, Patent Document 1 will be described below.

  FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a broadcast receiving apparatus in Patent Document 1. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 715 denotes a program priority acquisition unit that processes the program priority among the broadcast signals separated by the demax unit 502. Note that parts that perform the same processing as in the conventional example of FIG.

  The download distribution schedule analysis unit 510 analyzes the download distribution schedule information distributed prior to downloading, and acquires the download distribution schedule of the own model. The program priority acquisition unit 715 acquires the program priority from the download distribution schedule information. The download program storage / update control unit 511 notifies the user that download and program update are to be started through the user notification unit 514 according to the acquired program priority, and prompts for approval. If the user's approval is obtained, the download program storage / update control unit 511 checks the current time information notified from the time management unit 513, and downloads the program as soon as the distribution time comes. When the download is completed, the program is stored in the program storage unit 512 and then started with a new program.

As described above, in Patent Document 1, since the user must always be aware of downloading and program updating, the first problem described above is not solved. Regarding the second problem, although update control according to the program priority is possible, there remains a problem that forced update cannot be performed.
JP 2006-287406 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast receiving apparatus and a program updating method that reduce the necessity of the user to be aware of downloading and updating programs as much as possible. There is to do. Another object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast receiving apparatus and a program update method capable of controlling program update including forced update according to the importance of the program.

In order to solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is,
A broadcast receiving apparatus that performs an update process of a program using an update program acquired from a broadcast signal,
A program priority acquisition unit that acquires a program priority that is an index of the necessity of the update process from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
An update deadline acquisition unit for obtaining an update deadline that is a deadline for completing the update process from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
A download program acquisition unit that acquires the update program from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
An update control unit that automatically and forcibly executes the update process before the update deadline when the program priority is higher than a predetermined reference;
A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising:

The second aspect of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is,
A program update method for performing update processing of a program of a broadcast receiving apparatus using an update program acquired from a broadcast signal,
Prior to the update process, a program priority acquisition step for acquiring a program priority that is an indicator of the necessity of the update process from the broadcast signal;
An update deadline acquisition step for obtaining an update deadline that is a deadline for completing the update process from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
A download program acquisition step of acquiring the update program from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
An update control step of automatically and forcibly executing the update process before the update deadline when the program priority is higher than a predetermined reference;
A program update method characterized by comprising:

  In the present invention, by performing the program update according to the program priority and the update deadline, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the necessity for the user to be aware of the program download and update. In addition, it is possible to control program update including forced update according to the importance of the update program.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

  Here, the program to be subjected to the update process refers to embedded software such as firmware for controlling the device when the broadcast receiving apparatus operates. The program is incorporated in the apparatus, and when a bug correction or function expansion is required, an update program can be installed and electronically updated.

  In the embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a digital television is shown. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applied to a hard disk recorder, a DVD recorder, and an STB (Set Top Box). It can be used suitably.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a broadcast receiving apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  It is assumed that the distribution method of the update program of the broadcast receiving apparatus using the digital broadcast signal is defined in advance. That is, the manufacturer of the broadcast receiving apparatus creates an update program necessary for the target model, and then transmits download distribution schedule information as update control information using a digital broadcast signal. Thereafter, the update program is transmitted according to the schedule.

  In this embodiment, the download distribution schedule information includes a distribution time at which the update program can be downloaded, a program priority that is an indicator of the necessity of the program update process, and an update deadline that is the time limit for completing the update process. Are listed. These distribution time, program priority, and update deadline may be transmitted simultaneously or separately.

  101 is a broadcast signal receiving unit that receives a transport stream that is a multiplexed digital broadcast signal, and 102 is a demultiplexing unit that separates the transport stream received by the broadcast signal receiving unit 101. Reference numeral 103 denotes a B-CAS card control unit that acquires ID information of the inserted B-CAS card and an encryption key for viewing the broadcast. Reference numeral 104 denotes an audio decoding unit that decodes an audio stream of the broadcast signal separated by the demax unit 102 using the encryption key, and reference numeral 105 denotes an audio output unit that outputs the audio stream. Reference numeral 106 denotes a video decoding unit that decodes the video stream of the broadcast signal separated by the demux unit 102 using the encryption key. Reference numeral 107 denotes a video synthesis / display unit that synthesizes and outputs the video stream and a data broadcast described later. . Reference numeral 108 denotes a data broadcast analysis unit that semantically analyzes data broadcast signals among the broadcast signals separated by the demax unit 102, and 109 draws graphics corresponding to the data broadcast signals and outputs the graphics to the video composition / display unit 107. A graphics drawing unit.

  Reference numeral 110 denotes a download distribution schedule analysis unit that processes distribution schedule information of an update program among broadcast signals separated by the demax unit 102. A download program accumulation control unit 111 downloads an update program from a broadcast signal. A program storage unit 112 stores the update program acquired by the download program storage control unit 111. Reference numeral 113 denotes a time management unit that has means for acquiring the current time and notifies the download program storage control unit 111 and the update control unit 117 of the current time. Reference numeral 114 denotes a user notification unit that notifies the graphics drawing unit 109 of a request for drawing graphics from the update control unit 117 to the user.

  Reference numeral 115 denotes a program priority acquisition unit that processes the program priority among broadcast signals separated by the demax unit 102. Reference numeral 116 denotes a program update time acquisition unit that processes the update deadline of the broadcast signal separated by the demax unit 102. Reference numeral 117 denotes an update control unit that controls the update process based on the state of the broadcast receiving apparatus, the program priority, and the update deadline. An update time management unit 118 stores the update deadline acquired by the program update time acquisition unit 116.

  The program update time acquisition unit 116 in this embodiment corresponds to the update time limit acquisition unit in the present invention, and the download program accumulation control unit 111 in this embodiment corresponds to the download program acquisition unit in the present invention.

  The broadcast signal receiving unit 101 receives and demodulates a digital broadcast signal and converts it into a transport stream. The B-CAS card control unit 103 acquires the encryption key, and the demax unit 102 decrypts the encrypted data, and then demultiplexes the transport stream. The audio decoding unit 104 decodes the demultiplexed audio stream, and the audio output unit 105 outputs the audio. The video decoding unit 106 decodes the demultiplexed video stream, and the video composition / display unit 107 synthesizes and outputs the graphics image. The data broadcast analysis unit 108 performs semantic analysis on the demultiplexed data broadcast signal, the graphics drawing unit 109 performs drawing corresponding to the analysis result, and the video composition / display unit 107 synthesizes and outputs the video signal.

  The download distribution schedule analysis unit 110 analyzes the download distribution schedule information distributed prior to downloading, and acquires the download distribution schedule of its own model. The download program accumulation control unit 111 checks the current time information notified from the time management unit 113, downloads the update program as soon as the distribution time comes, and stores the result in the program accumulation unit 112. At this point, the program update process (installation of the update program) is not executed.

The program priority acquisition unit 115 acquires the priority of the program from the download distribution schedule information and notifies the update control unit 117 of the result. The program update time acquisition unit 116 acquires the update deadline from the download distribution schedule information, and notifies the update time control unit 118 of the result.

  As described above, prior to the program update process, the update program, the program priority of the update program, and the update deadline are acquired.

  The update control unit 117 uses the program priority information from the program priority acquisition unit 115, the current time information from the time management unit 113, and the update deadline from the update time management unit 118, to determine the status of the broadcast receiving device. Update processing according to

  Next, the operation of the update control unit 117 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the processing shown in the flow of FIG. 5 is executed with the acquisition of the program priority as a trigger or at regular intervals.

When this flow is executed, the update control unit 117 first compares the update deadline stored in the update time management unit 118 in S101 with the current time information from the time management unit 113, and becomes a predetermined time before the update deadline. Determine whether or not. If it is the time, the process proceeds to S102. In S102, if the power of the broadcast receiving apparatus is off, the process proceeds to S103, and a program update process is performed. This starts a new program the next time the power is turned on. On the other hand, if the power is on, the process proceeds to S104, and the following processing is performed according to the program priority.
When the program priority is 1, the process proceeds to S106 and the update process is forcibly performed. Proceeding to S107, a new program is started.
When the program priority is 2, in S105, the user is notified of the update process and prompted for approval. If approval is obtained, update processing is performed in S106, and a new program is started in S107.
When the program priority is 3, nothing is done.

  As described above, when the program priority is higher than the predetermined reference, the update control unit 117 always executes the update process automatically and forcibly before the update deadline (S103, S106). On the other hand, when the program priority is lower than a predetermined standard, it is determined whether or not to execute the update process automatically and forcibly according to the state of the power source. Specifically, if the power is off, the update process is automatically and forcibly executed (S103). If the power is on, the update process is executed after receiving user approval (S105). Do not execute.

  In this flow, it is assumed that the broadcast receiving apparatus has a main power source and a power source, and the main power source is on. That is, the power-off in this embodiment means a standby state in which the broadcast is not viewed. The predetermined time is a time that is in time for the update deadline when restarting after the update process. For example, it is set to several tens of seconds to several minutes. Further, when the program priority is 1, the necessity for updating is the highest, and the necessity becomes lower as the number increases.

  In this manner, in the first embodiment, the update process can be flexibly performed by dividing the process according to the program priority and the use state (power supply state). Moreover, the problem that the user must always be aware of the program update is solved by having an option that does not notify the user. Furthermore, the problem that forced update control cannot be performed is solved by having the option of forcibly starting with a new program.

In the present embodiment, the power-off state or the on-state is shown as the use state of the broadcast receiving apparatus, but the use state of the broadcast receiving apparatus is not limited to this. Another example is a state in which a recording reservation preset by the user is being executed. In this case, it is determined whether to perform the update process forcibly according to the program priority.

  In addition, although the program priority has been described as having three types, the program priority is not limited to this, and may be two or four or more. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a predetermined criterion for whether or not to perform the update process forcibly in the present invention is set between the program priorities 1 and 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the program priority is not limited to this. It may be provided between degrees 2 and 3.

  In this flow, the program priority determination (S104) may be performed before the power supply state determination (S102). In this case, if the program priority is 1, the update process is always automatically and forcibly executed a predetermined time before the update deadline. If the program priority is 2, select whether to execute the update process or request user approval depending on the power status, and if the program priority is 3, do anything to execute the update process according to the power status Select whether or not.

(Example 2)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the broadcast receiving apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 2, 319 is a card ID determination unit that determines whether the program priority is directed to the B-CAS card ID of the broadcast receiving apparatus itself. Reference numeral 320 denotes a program version information transmitting unit that transmits the program version of the broadcast receiving apparatus when the program update process is successful. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which performs the same process as the said Example 1, and description is simplified.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the program priority included in the download distribution schedule information is specified for each broadcast receiving apparatus by specifying individual B-CAS card IDs. . Furthermore, it is assumed that the program priority is set based on program version information transmitted by a program version transmission unit 320 described later.

  The download distribution schedule analysis unit 110 analyzes the download distribution schedule information distributed prior to downloading, and acquires the download distribution schedule of its own model. The download program accumulation control unit 111 checks the current time information notified from the time management unit 113, downloads the update program as soon as the distribution time comes, and stores the result in the program accumulation unit 112.

  The program priority acquisition unit 115 acquires the priority of the program from the download distribution schedule information and notifies the update control unit 117 of the result. The program update time acquisition unit 116 acquires the update deadline from the download distribution schedule information and notifies the update time management unit 118 of the result.

  The card ID determination unit 319 acquires a B-CAS card ID from the download distribution schedule information. The B-CAS card control unit 103 acquires the B-CAS card ID from the B-CAS card connected (inserted) to the broadcast receiving apparatus and notifies the card ID determination unit 319 of the B-CAS card ID. Upon receiving the notification, the card ID determination unit 319 determines whether or not they match, and notifies the update control unit 117 of the result. In this embodiment, the B-CAS card control unit 103 corresponds to the B-CAS card ID acquisition unit of the present invention.

  The update control unit 117 includes the program priority from the program priority acquisition unit 115, the current time information from the time management unit 113, the update deadline from the update time management unit 118, and the determination result from the card ID determination unit 319. Is used to perform update processing according to the state of the broadcast receiving apparatus.

Next, the operation during program update control will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When this flow is executed, first in S301, the card ID determination unit 319 determines whether or not the B-CAS card IDs match. If it is determined that they match, the program priority notified from the program priority acquisition unit 115 is for the broadcast receiving device itself being processed, and the processing is continued. If it is determined that they do not match, the process ends.

  Subsequently, in S302, the update control unit 117 executes update control according to the program priority, the update time limit, and the state of the broadcast receiving apparatus. Since this process has the same content as the update control shown in FIG.

  In step S303, the update control unit 317 determines whether the update process has been successful. If successful, the process proceeds to S304, where the program version information is transmitted by the program version information transmitting unit 320, and the process is terminated. If the update process is not successful, the process ends.

  In this way, in the second embodiment, the program update process corresponding to each broadcast receiving apparatus is enabled by dividing the process according to the program priority specific to the broadcast receiving apparatus. Furthermore, the problem that the user must always be aware of the program update is solved by having an option not to notify the user. Furthermore, the problem that forced update control cannot be performed is solved by having the option of forcibly starting with a new program.

  Furthermore, by setting and sending the program priority specific to the broadcast receiving device based on the program version information transmitted from the broadcast receiving device, the program update process is executed flexibly after grasping the status of the broadcast receiving device. it can.

  In this embodiment, the program version information is transmitted when the program update process is successful. However, the program version information is not necessarily limited to this. In fact, the program version information may be transmitted when the update process fails. In either case of success, it may be transmitted.

  Further, instead of setting the program priority based on the version information transmitted by the program version information transmitting unit 320, an appropriate program priority may be set for each broadcast receiving device based on the determination of the transmission source.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a broadcast receiving apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a broadcast receiving apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the broadcast receiver which concerns on a prior art example The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the broadcast receiver concerning patent document 1 The flowchart which shows the flow of the program update process which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the program update process which concerns on Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101, 501, Broadcast signal receiving unit 102, 502, Demax unit 103, 503, B-CAS card control unit 104, 504, Audio decoding unit 105, 505, Audio output unit 106, 506, Video decoding unit 107, 507, Video Composition / display unit 108, 508, data broadcast analysis unit 109, 509, graphics drawing unit 110, 510, download delivery schedule analysis unit 111, 511, download program storage control unit 112, 512, program storage unit 113, 513, time Management unit 114, 514, User notification unit 115, 715 Program priority acquisition unit 116, Program update time acquisition unit 117, Update control unit 118, Update time management unit
319 Card ID determination unit
320 Program version transmitter

Claims (10)

A broadcast receiving apparatus that performs an update process of a program using an update program acquired from a broadcast signal,
A program priority acquisition unit that acquires a program priority that is an index of the necessity of the update process from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
An update deadline acquisition unit for obtaining an update deadline that is a deadline for completing the update process from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
A download program acquisition unit that acquires the update program from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
An update control unit that automatically and forcibly executes the update process before the update deadline when the program priority is higher than a predetermined reference;
A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising: The update control unit determines whether to automatically and forcibly execute the update process according to a use state of the broadcast receiving device when the program priority is lower than the predetermined reference. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1. The usage state is either the power-off state or the power-on state of the broadcast receiving device,
When the program priority is lower than the predetermined reference and the broadcast receiving device is in a power-off state, the update control unit automatically and forcibly executes the update process,
When the program priority is lower than the predetermined reference and the broadcast receiving apparatus is in a power-on state, the update control unit executes the update process only when there is a user approval, or the update process The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the broadcast receiving apparatus is not executed. A B-CAS card ID acquisition unit for acquiring a B-CAS card ID from a B-CAS card connected to the broadcast receiving device;
The broadcast signal includes individual program priorities for each B-CAS card ID,
The program priority acquisition unit acquires a program priority corresponding to the B-CAS card ID acquired by the B-CAS card ID acquisition unit from the broadcast signal. 3. The broadcast receiving device according to 3. If the update process is successful or unsuccessful, it further comprises a program version transmission unit that transmits the version of the program of the broadcast receiving device to the transmission source of the broadcast signal,
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the program priority is specified according to a version of a program of the broadcast receiving apparatus transmitted by the program version transmitting unit. A program update method for performing update processing of a program of a broadcast receiving apparatus using an update program acquired from a broadcast signal,
Prior to the update process, a program priority acquisition step of acquiring a program priority that is an indicator of the necessity of the update process from the broadcast signal;
An update deadline acquisition step for obtaining an update deadline that is a deadline for completing the update process from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
A download program acquisition step of acquiring the update program from the broadcast signal prior to the update process;
An update control step of automatically and forcibly executing the update process before the update deadline when the program priority is higher than a predetermined reference;
A program update method comprising: In the update control step, when the program priority is lower than the predetermined reference, it is determined whether to automatically and forcibly execute the update process according to a use state of the broadcast receiving device. The program update method according to claim 6. The usage state is either the power-off state or the power-on state of the broadcast receiving device,
When the program priority is lower than the predetermined reference and the broadcast receiving apparatus is in a power-off state, the update process is automatically and forcibly executed.
When the program priority is lower than the predetermined reference and the broadcast receiving apparatus is in a power-on state, the update process is executed only when there is a user approval or the update process is not executed. The program update method according to claim 7. A B-CAS card ID obtaining step of obtaining a B-CAS card ID from a B-CAS card connected to the broadcast receiving device;
The broadcast signal includes individual program priorities for each B-CAS card ID,
In the program priority acquisition step, a program priority corresponding to the B-CAS card ID acquired in the B-CAS card ID acquisition step is acquired from the broadcast signal. Or the program update method of 8. If the update process is successful or unsuccessful, further comprising a program version transmission step of transmitting the program version of the broadcast receiving device to the transmission source of the broadcast signal,
The program update method according to claim 9, wherein the program priority is specified in accordance with a version of a program of the broadcast receiving device transmitted in the program version transmission step.

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