JP2017199955A - Broadcast reception state acquisition device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save a power consumption and suppress the use of a computer resource in a device for acquiring information of a reception state of a broadcast signal.SOLUTION: A broadcast reception state acquisition device comprises: a tuner part; a demodulation part; a decoding part; a reception state acquisition part; a device-state acquisition part; and a control part. The tuner part receives broadcast signals. The demodulation part demodulates the received broadcast signals. The decoding part decodes content data from broadcast signals demodulated by the demodulation part. The reception state acquisition part acquires information of a reception state from at least any of the tuner part, the demodulation part and the decoding part. The device-state acquisition part acquires information of a device state as the state of its own device. The control part performs control so as to restrict a process for state acquisition in regard to at least any of the tuner part, the demodulation part, the decoding part and the device-state acquisition part based on the reception state information and the device state information if a degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast reception state acquisition device and a program.

  Portable terminal devices (smartphones, tablet terminals, wearable terminals, and the like) are usually driven by a battery, and thus are desired to save power.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus for reducing power consumption. The digital broadcast receiver described in Patent Document 1 includes a control unit that controls (limits) the power supply of at least a part of the digital broadcast receiver based on the reception state of the broadcast signal. More specifically, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus described in Patent Document 1 controls (limits) the power supply of at least a part of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus within a period in which error correction is possible during demodulation. A control unit is provided.

JP 2006-066959 A

However, when the functions of the apparatus become rich, for example, a function for receiving a television broadcast is incorporated, further power saving is required.
Also, when the content transmitted on the broadcast signal (broadcast wave) is distributed via a communication line (Internet etc.), the reception status of both is monitored so that the content data can be received in a better situation. It is expected to be used to incorporate the function to do. However, for example, in a situation where content is received by communication, there is a problem that power consumption increases if a function of receiving a broadcast signal for monitoring is always operated. Also, when many computer programs (so-called “apps”, etc.) are run on the device, programs related to the function of receiving broadcast signals use a lot of computer resources (CPU, etc.) and pass resources to other programs. There was also the problem of becoming difficult.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above problem recognition, and can save power consumption or suppress the use of computer resources in an apparatus that acquires broadcast signal reception state information. A broadcast reception state acquisition device and a program are provided.

  [1] In order to solve the above-described problem, a broadcast reception state acquisition device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a tuner unit that receives a broadcast signal, a demodulation unit that demodulates the broadcast signal received by the tuner unit, A decoding unit that decodes content data from the broadcast signal demodulated by a demodulation unit, a reception state acquisition unit that acquires reception state information from at least one of the tuner unit, the demodulation unit, and the decoding unit; A device state acquisition unit that acquires device state information that is a device state; a state change based on the reception state information passed from the reception state acquisition unit and the device state information passed from the device state acquisition unit When the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the tuner unit, the demodulator unit, the decoder unit, and the device state acquisition unit Characterized by a control unit for controlling so as to limit the process of acquiring the status with respect to at least one of.

  [2] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the broadcast reception state acquisition device, the control unit determines that the state change degree is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination on the state change degree. Is controlled so as not to perform the composite processing of the content data by the decryption unit.

  [3] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the broadcast reception state acquisition device, the control unit determines that the state change degree is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination on the state change degree. Is characterized in that control is made to wait for processing at intervals when the state is repeatedly acquired.

  [4] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the broadcast reception state acquisition device, when the control unit determines that the state change degree is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination on the state change degree. Is controlled to reduce the types of information to be acquired.

  [5] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the broadcast reception state acquisition device, the reception state information passed from the reception state acquisition unit, and the device state information passed from the device state acquisition unit, Is further provided with an information providing unit for providing the information to an external device.

  [6] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, a computer including a tuner unit that receives a broadcast signal is caused to function as the broadcast reception state acquisition device according to any one of [1] to [5]. Program.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the apparatus which acquires the reception state and apparatus state of a broadcast signal, it becomes possible to suppress power consumption or the usage-amount of computer resources. In particular, the above effect is significant in a battery-driven device.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic function structure of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus by the embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structural example of the data which the information acquisition part by the embodiment acquires. It is a block diagram which shows schematic function structure of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus by 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus and broadcast reception status utilization apparatus by the embodiment.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of a broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus according to the first embodiment. As illustrated, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 includes a tuner unit 11, a demodulation unit 12, a decoding unit 13, a reception state acquisition unit 21, a device state acquisition unit 22, an information acquisition unit 26, and a control unit. 30. Further, as shown in the figure, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 can supply content information (video signal or audio signal) to the content presentation device 2.

  The broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 receives a broadcast signal from a television or the like, and demodulates and decodes the received broadcast signal. In this process, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 measures the reception state. The reception state is the strength of the received signal (radio wave), the code error rate calculated after decoding, and the like. Also, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 acquires a device state representing the state of the device itself. The device state includes position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 itself, speed and acceleration information of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 itself, and the like. Then, the broadcast reception status acquisition device 6 determines the reception status based on the reception status information and the device status information. This determination is a determination for selecting whether content data is received as a broadcast signal or received through communication. This selection will be further described later.

The broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 is provided inside the television receiver as an example. Each function of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 is realized by using an electric circuit / electronic circuit. Or you may make it implement | achieve part or all of the function of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus 6 as a program which the computer provided in the inside of a television receiver performs.
As an example, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 is provided inside an information device such as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone (smartphone), a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal. Or you may make it implement | achieve a part or all of the function of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus 6 as a program which the computer with which these information equipment is provided runs.

  The above television receivers and information devices receive broadcast data (radio waves, broadcast waves) and present broadcast content (video and audio), and receive content data via communication via a communication line (Internet, etc.) And the function to present. In the situation where the same content is distributed from the content distribution server device via the communication line at the same time (or almost at the same time) when the broadcast content is broadcast as a broadcast wave, the above-mentioned television receiver and information device are either You can choose whether to receive content with. In this television receiver or information device, the reception state of a broadcast signal can vary with time, and the communication state can also vary. In particular, when the television receiver or the information device is a portable terminal, the reception state of the broadcast signal and the communication state can vary greatly as the user carries and moves. Further, the cost for the user also changes depending on whether the content is received by the broadcast signal or the content is received by communication. Based on these factors, the television receiver and the information device appropriately select whether to receive content through broadcasting or to receive content through communication. The broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 acquires information (reception state information and device state information) that can be used as a basis for the selection determination.

  The content presentation device 2 shown in the figure presents data decoded by the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6. The data presented by the content presentation device 2 includes video (video of a television broadcast program), textual text (data broadcasting, subtitle text), and the like. Is appropriately displayed on the display screen. Further, the data presented by the content presentation device 2 includes audio (audio of a TV broadcast program), and the content presentation device 2 outputs this audio from a speaker, an earphone terminal, or the like.

Next, functions of each unit included in the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 will be described.
The tuner unit 11 receives a broadcast signal. Broadcast signals propagate in the air by radio waves. Note that the tuner unit 11 may receive a broadcast signal transmitted through a cable of a cable television, but the reception state is relatively easy to change in the case of propagation by radio waves. The tuner unit 11 appropriately performs a channel selection operation based on a user operation or the like, and receives a broadcast signal of a requested channel (frequency band). The tuner unit 11 passes the received broadcast signal to the demodulation unit 12.
In addition, the tuner unit 11 measures the reception strength and passes information related to the reception strength to the reception state acquisition unit 21. The information on the reception strength includes, for example, signal strength (signal strength), SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), CNR (carrier-to-noise ratio), and the like. Contains a value. In addition, the tuner unit 11 acquires information on a reception service identifier, a reception frequency, and a modulation parameter regarding the received broadcast signal, and passes these pieces of information to the reception state acquisition unit 21.

The demodulator 12 demodulates the broadcast signal received by the tuner unit 11. The demodulator 12 performs demodulation processing according to the broadcast signal standard. For example, the demodulator 12 performs OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) demodulation processing. The demodulator 12 passes the data obtained as a result of demodulation to the decoder 13.
Further, the demodulation unit 12 calculates a bit error rate (BER) at the time of demodulation processing, and passes the bit error rate information to the reception state acquisition unit 21 as part of the reception state information. .

The decoding unit 13 receives data from the demodulating unit 12 and decodes encoded video and audio content. The decryption unit 13 passes the video and audio data obtained by the decryption process to the content presentation device 2.
Also, the decoding unit 13 calculates an error rate during the decoding process, and passes this error rate information to the reception state acquisition unit 21 as a part of the reception state information.

  The reception state acquisition unit 21 receives data from the tuner unit 11, the demodulation unit 12, and the decoding unit 13 and passes the data to the information acquisition unit 26. Specifically, the reception state acquisition unit 21 passes information such as signal strength, SNR, CNR, reception service identifier, reception frequency, and modulation parameter received from the tuner unit 11 to the information acquisition unit 26 as reception state information. . The reception state acquisition unit 21 passes information such as an error rate (BER) in demodulation received from the demodulation unit 12 to the information acquisition unit 26 as reception state information. The reception state acquisition unit 21 passes information such as an error rate in decoding received from the decoding unit 13 to the information acquisition unit 26 as reception state information. The reception status acquisition unit 21 may receive only a part of the information listed here and pass it to the information acquisition unit 26. That is, the reception state acquisition unit 21 acquires reception state information from at least one of the tuner unit 11, the demodulation unit 12, and the decoding unit 13.

  The apparatus state acquisition unit 22 acquires information indicating the state of the apparatus (self apparatus), and passes the apparatus state information to the information acquisition unit 26. Here, the device state is, for example, the position of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6, the speed of movement, acceleration, the attitude of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6, the weather at the position of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6, or the like. is there. A specific method for the apparatus state acquisition unit 22 to acquire apparatus state information will be described below.

The device state acquisition unit 22 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite and acquires the position of the device itself based on the signal. “GPS” is an abbreviation for “Global Positioning System”. Moreover, the apparatus state acquisition part 22 may correct | amend the position calculated based on the GPS signal by integrating twice the acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor mentioned later as needed. Note that the position information is represented by latitude and longitude. Altitude information may be further included as position information. The altitude is the height from the average sea level.
The device state acquisition unit 22 acquires the speed by differentiating the position obtained by the GPS signal with respect to time. Note that the device state acquisition unit 22 may correct the speed based on information obtained by integrating the acceleration once. The speed is represented by a two-dimensional value in a plane corresponding to the horizon. Information on the velocity in the height direction may be further included as the velocity.
The apparatus state acquisition unit 22 includes a three-dimensional acceleration sensor, and acquires acceleration by the acceleration sensor. The acceleration information is represented by a three-dimensional numerical value.
The device state acquisition unit 22 acquires information on the posture of the own device based on the acceleration information obtained from the acceleration sensor. Here, the posture information is represented as a value of a rotation angle (from −180 degrees to +180 degrees) from the reference posture in each of the orthogonal three-dimensional axes.
The apparatus state acquisition unit 22 includes a thermometer and a barometer therein, and thereby acquires temperature and pressure information, respectively. Temperature and barometric pressure are part of the weather information. Furthermore, the apparatus state acquisition unit 22 acquires information on the latest weather at the position of the own apparatus from an external weather server apparatus by communication via the Internet or the like. Specifically, the device status acquisition unit 22 transmits the location information (latitude, longitude) of the device itself to the weather server device, and inquires about the weather at that location. And the apparatus state acquisition part 22 acquires the information of the weather sent from a weather server apparatus as a response to this inquiry. Information on the weather received by the device state acquisition unit 22 includes the latest weather (a distinction between clear, cloudy, rain, snow, etc.), the amount of rainfall in the last predetermined time in the case of rain, and the latest predetermined in the case of snow. Contains information on snowfall over time. Note that heavy rain and snow may greatly affect the reception status of television broadcasts (particularly satellite broadcasts).

  The information acquisition unit 26 receives information passed from the reception state acquisition unit 21 and the device state acquisition unit 22. This information can be used to determine whether to receive content data as a broadcast signal or to receive from a content distribution server device via a communication line.

  The control unit 30 controls the operation of the entire broadcast reception state acquisition device 6. In particular, the control unit 30 performs control so as to limit the operation of at least a part of the processing unit included in the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 in a situation where the change in the state acquired by the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 is small. Here, a specific example of the method for restricting the operation is to reduce the type of information in the acquired state or to stop the decoding process by the decoding unit 13. When the control unit 30 stops the decoding process of the decoding unit 13, the decoding unit 13 does not calculate an error rate (an error rate obtained as a result of the decoding process) and does not output decoded data. Furthermore, another example of the method for restricting the operation is that the control unit 30 performs control so as to wait for a predetermined time in an interval of processing repeatedly performed by the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6. The length of the waiting time is determined by either setting a fixed length in advance or changing according to the degree of state change. When changing according to the degree of state change, the standby time may be lengthened as the degree of state change is small. Conversely, when the degree of state change is not so small, the standby time is relatively shortened. As described above, the power consumption for driving the processing unit is restricted by restricting the operation of at least a part of the processing unit of the broadcast reception state acquiring device 6 in a situation where the control unit 30 acquires a small change in the state. Can be saved. Further, when the function of the processing unit is realized by a computer, it is possible to save computer resources (CPU (central processing unit), memory, etc.). Note that the length of the waiting time may be determined as appropriate within a range of, for example, 1 second to 1 hour, but may be outside this range.

That is, in summary, the control unit 30 determines the degree of state change based on the reception state information passed from the reception state acquisition unit 21 and the device state information passed from the device state acquisition unit 22, and the state change If the degree is less than a predetermined threshold value, control is performed so as to limit (suppress) the process of acquiring a state with respect to at least one of the tuner unit 11, the demodulation unit 12, the decoding unit 13, and the device state acquisition unit 22. .
Specifically, for example, when the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination on the degree of state change, the control unit 30 does not perform content data combination processing by the decryption unit 13. Control as follows. In addition, for example, when the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination on the degree of state change, the control unit 30 controls to wait for processing at an interval when the state is repeatedly acquired. To do. Further, for example, when the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination about the degree of state change, the control unit 30 controls to reduce the type of information to be acquired.

Next, the procedure of the broadcast reception state acquisition device process will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus. Hereinafter, it demonstrates along this flowchart.

  First, in step S <b> 11, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 controls the tuner unit 11. Thereby, the tuner unit 11 selects a channel designated by a user operation or the like, and starts receiving a broadcast signal. Thereafter, the tuner unit 11 continues to receive broadcast signals. The tuner unit 11 passes information on the reception strength to the reception state acquisition unit 21.

  Next, in step S12, the demodulator 12 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 demodulates the received broadcast signal. Note that the demodulation unit 12 passes the information on the bit error rate calculated at the time of demodulation to the reception state acquisition unit 21.

Next, in step S13, the control unit 30 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 determines whether or not the latest state change is large. Here, whether or not the state change is large is determined based on the most recent N times (N is an integer of 2 or more of measurement values included in the reception state or the device state, from the measurement interval at each measurement time, etc. The absolute value of the maximum change amount is determined based on whether or not the absolute value is larger than a predetermined threshold value. Specifically, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 uses, for example, the intensity (unit: decibel) of the received signal as an index value, and determines the absolute value of the difference between the minimum value and the maximum value in the latest N times. It is determined whether or not the state change is large depending on whether or not it is larger than the threshold value. Alternatively, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 changes the state depending on whether or not the position that is a part of the device state information fluctuates beyond a threshold value (distance) determined in the latest N times. Determine whether it is larger. Alternatively, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 uses the reception state or another value included in the device state as an index value, and determines whether or not the state change is large depending on whether or not the variation of the index value is greater than a threshold value. You may do it. Further, it may be determined whether or not the state change is large by using a composite condition for a plurality of index value fluctuations.
As a result of the determination in this step, if the state change is large (step S13: YES), the process proceeds to the next step S14. If the state change is not large (step S13: NO), the process jumps to step S15. That is, when the state change is not large, the next decoding process is not performed.

Next, when the process proceeds to step S14, in the same step, the decoding unit 13 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 performs decoding processing of video, audio, and the like based on the data demodulated by the demodulation unit 12. Note that the decoding unit 13 passes the error rate information calculated during the decoding process to the reception state acquisition unit 21.
If the determination result in step S13 is negative, the process proceeds to the next step S15 without performing the decoding process in step S14. In this case, the decoding process by the decoding unit 13 is not performed. This also prevents the acquisition of error rate information at the stage of the decoding process. Therefore, in this case, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 can save its own power consumption compared to the case where the decoding process is performed.

  Next, in step S15, the device state acquisition unit 22 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 acquires the state of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 at that time. The contents of the device status acquired here are as described above.

Next, in step S16, the control unit 30 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 determines whether or not the most recent state change is large. Note that the specific method of determination in this step is the same as the method described as the processing in step S13.
As a result of the determination in this step, when the state change is large (step S16: YES), the process returns to step S12 to repeat the process. If the state change is not large (step S16: NO), the process proceeds to the next step S17.

  Next, when progressing to step S17, the broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus 6 waits for a predetermined time. That is, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 does not perform processing for acquiring the reception state or device state while waiting in this step. Accordingly, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 can save its own power consumption as compared with the case of proceeding to acquisition of the next state information without waiting. The length of the waiting time in this step is determined in advance.

  Note that the standby time in step S17 may be changed according to the degree of state change when determined in step S16. That is, the process proceeds to step S17 when the state change determined in step S16 is smaller than a predetermined threshold, but the length of the waiting time is changed according to the degree of the state change. May be. That is, the smaller the degree of state change when determined in step S16, the longer the standby time. Conversely, the greater the degree of state change when determined in step S16, the shorter the standby time.

  When the standby process in step S17 ends, the process of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 returns to step S12.

  As described above, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 simplifies the process for acquiring state (reception state and device state) information according to whether or not the state change is large. In other words, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 restricts at least a part of the operation of the processing unit for acquiring state information when the state change is small.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of data acquired by the information acquisition unit 26 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, this data is obtained by associating a combination of a reception state and a device state with date and time information. The data for one row in the figure is data acquired during one processing loop in the flowchart of FIG. In the figure, data exists in a time series every 1 second, but the time interval of the data can be changed. When waiting in step S17 of FIG. 2 occurs, the waiting time also affects the time interval of data. The information acquisition unit 26 may store the acquired data a plurality of times for a certain period of time.

In the figure, the reception state information includes signal strength, SNR, CNR, error rate in demodulation, error rate in decoding, reception service identifier, reception frequency, and modulation parameters. Note that only a part of the information listed here may be included as the reception state information. Moreover, information other than the information listed here may be included as the reception state information.
In the same figure, the information on the apparatus state includes position, speed, acceleration, posture, and weather. Note that only a part of the information listed here may be included as the device status information. Further, information other than the information listed here may be included as information on the device status.

  In the present embodiment, the decoding process may be omitted when the state change is small. Further, when the state change is small, the types of state information to be acquired can be reduced. Further, when the state change is small, it is possible to stand by without performing any processing between the acquisition of the state at a certain timing and the acquisition of the state at the next timing. As a result, it is possible to save power consumption of the broadcast reception status acquisition device and save computer resources (resources such as CPU and memory). If the broadcast reception status acquisition device 6 is realized as a portable information device, saving in this way can extend the battery life or allocate computer resources to other programs. Become. Note that resource allocation to programs is usually performed by an operating system.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, description will be focused on matters specific to the present embodiment, and description of matters common to the previous embodiment may be omitted.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic functional configuration of the broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment. As illustrated, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 includes a tuner unit 11, a demodulation unit 12, a decoding unit 13, a reception state acquisition unit 21, a device state acquisition unit 22, an information provision unit 24, and information acquisition. The unit 26 and the control unit 30 are included. Also, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 can supply content information (video signal or audio signal) to the content presentation device 2. The broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 receives a request for information from the external broadcast reception state utilization device 3, and provides the reception state information and the device state information to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 in response to the request. . Also, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 can provide the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 with demodulated data that is a result of demodulating a broadcast signal and decoded data that is a result of decoding.
Each function of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is realized by using an electric circuit / electronic circuit. Or you may make it implement | achieve part or all of the function of the broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus 7 as a program which the computer provided in the inside of a television receiver performs.

  In the figure, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7, the content presentation device 2, and the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 are shown as being included, but a plurality of these devices may exist. Good. In addition, the content presentation device 2 may not exist, and in this case, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 and the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 operate while communicating with each other.

The feature of this embodiment is that the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 includes an information providing unit 24.
The information providing unit 24 provides (transmits) the information (reception state information and device state information) passed from the information acquisition unit 26 to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3.
In this embodiment, the demodulator 12 may pass data obtained as a result of demodulation (hereinafter referred to as “demodulated data”) to the reception state acquisition unit 21. In the present embodiment, the decoding unit 13 may pass data obtained as a result of decoding (hereinafter referred to as “decoded data”) to the reception state acquisition unit 21. Note that the reception state acquisition unit 21 may receive only one of demodulated data and decoded data.
When receiving the demodulated data and the decoded data, the reception state acquisition unit 21 passes the data to the information acquisition unit 26. When receiving the demodulated data and the decoded data, the information acquiring unit 26 passes the data to the information providing unit 24. When receiving the demodulated data and the decoded data, the information providing unit 24 provides the data to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3.

In this embodiment, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 receives a broadcast signal from a television or the like based on a control signal from the broadcast reception state utilization device 3, and demodulates and decodes the received broadcast signal. In this process, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 measures the reception state. The reception state is the strength of the received signal (radio wave), the code error rate calculated after decoding, and the like. In addition, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 acquires a device state representing the state of the device itself. The device state is position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 itself, and information on the speed and acceleration of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 itself. Then, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 uses the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 to receive the reception state information, the device state information, and the reception data (demodulated data and decoded data) obtained from the received broadcast signal. To provide.
In the following description, the reception status information, the device status information, and the reception data may be collectively referred to as “provided information”. Details of the information provided from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 will be described later.

The broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 in this embodiment is provided inside a television receiver as an example. As an example, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is provided inside an information device such as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone (smartphone), a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal.
As an example, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is realized not as a form provided in another device but as an independent device. When configured as an independent device, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is placed in a building, for example, and provides the above-described provision information to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 in the building. The broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is installed in a public space, and provides the above-described provision information to the nearby broadcast reception state utilization device 3.

  As a specific example, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 is a device such as a television receiver, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal. The broadcast reception state utilization device 3 has a receiver function for receiving a television broadcast. The computer included in the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 may execute a program (sometimes referred to as an “app”) that realizes at least a part of functions of a receiver for receiving a television broadcast. . The broadcast reception state utilization device 3 has a function of communicating with an external device through a communication line (for example, the Internet) using a protocol such as the Internet protocol (IP). When a TV broadcast program is distributed from an external content distribution server device at the same time (or almost simultaneously) with the broadcast signal transmission, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 receives the program distributed by communication. Can do. That is, when simultaneous distribution from the content distribution server device is performed, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 can receive a program by a broadcast signal, and can also receive the program through communication. When the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 receives the provision information provided from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7, it is better to receive the program with a broadcast signal based on the provision information or to receive the program through communication. Can be determined.

  Note that bidirectional communication between the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 and the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 is performed using a wireless or wired medium, for example, using a protocol such as the Internet protocol.

Next, functions of each unit included in the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 will be described.
The tuner unit 11 receives a broadcast signal as in the first embodiment. The tuner unit 11 appropriately performs a channel selection operation based on an information request control signal from the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 so that a broadcast signal of a requested channel (frequency band) can be received. .
The demodulator 12 demodulates the broadcast signal received by the tuner unit 11 as in the first embodiment. As described above, the demodulation unit 12 may pass the demodulated data to the reception state acquisition unit 21.
Similarly to the first embodiment, the decoding unit 13 receives data from the demodulation unit 12 and decodes encoded video and audio content. As described above, the decoding unit 13 may pass the decoded data to the reception state acquisition unit 21.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the reception state acquisition unit 21 receives data from the tuner unit 11, the demodulation unit 12, and the decoding unit 13 and passes the data to the information acquisition unit 26. The reception state acquisition unit 21 passes the demodulated data received from the demodulation unit 12 and the decoded data received from the decoding unit 13 to the information acquisition unit 26.
The device state acquisition unit 22 acquires information indicating the state of the device, as in the first embodiment. Then, the device status acquisition unit 22 passes the device status information to the information acquisition unit 26.
The information acquisition unit 26 receives the data received from the reception state acquisition unit 21 (reception state information, demodulated data, and decoded data) and the data received from the device state acquisition unit 22 (device state information). Pass to 24.
As described above, the information providing unit 24 provides (transmits) the data received from the information acquisition unit 26 to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3.

  The control unit 30 controls the operation of the entire broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 as in the first embodiment. In particular, the control unit 30 performs control so as to limit the operation of at least a part of the processing unit included in the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 in a situation where the change in the state acquired by the broadcast reception state acquisition device 6 is small.

Next, the procedure of processing by the broadcast reception state acquisition device and the broadcast reception state utilization device will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure by the broadcast reception state acquisition device and the broadcast reception state utilization device. In the figure, steps S111 to S118 are processing by the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7, and steps S131 to S132 are processing by the broadcast reception state utilization device 3. Moreover, the broken line arrow in the figure shows the flow of information passed between these two devices. Hereinafter, it demonstrates along this flowchart.

First, in step S131, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 requests the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 for information. Therefore, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 transmits a “start control” control signal to the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7. This start control signal includes information for designating a television broadcast channel.
Next, in step S <b> 132, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 starts an operation of receiving a response from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7.

On the other hand, when receiving the control signal for the start control from the broadcast reception state utilization device 3, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 starts the processing after step S111.
First, in step S <b> 111, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 controls the tuner unit 11 based on the start control signal received from the broadcast reception state utilization device 3. Thereby, the tuner unit 11 selects a channel designated by the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 and starts receiving a broadcast signal. Thereafter, the tuner unit 11 continues to receive broadcast signals. The tuner unit 11 passes information on the reception strength to the reception state acquisition unit 21.

  Next, in step S112, the demodulator 12 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 demodulates the received broadcast signal. Note that the demodulation unit 12 passes the information on the bit error rate calculated at the time of demodulation to the reception state acquisition unit 21. Further, the demodulation unit 12 passes the demodulated data to the reception state acquisition unit 21.

Next, in step S113, the control unit 30 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 determines whether or not the latest state change is large. This is because the method for determining whether or not the state change is large is the same as the method described in step S13 in FIG. 2 (first embodiment). Here, detailed description is omitted.
As a result of the determination in this step, if the state change is large (step S113: YES), the process proceeds to the next step S114. If the state change is not large (step S113: NO), the process jumps to step S115. That is, when the state change is not large, the next decoding process is not performed.

Next, when the process proceeds to step S114, in the same step, the decoding unit 13 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 performs decoding processing of video, audio, and the like based on the data demodulated by the demodulation unit 12. Note that the decoding unit 13 passes the error rate information calculated during the decoding process to the reception state acquisition unit 21.
If the determination result in step S113 is negative, the process proceeds to the next step S115 without performing the decoding process in step S114. In this case, the decoding process by the decoding unit 13 is not performed. Therefore, in this case, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 can save its own power consumption compared to the case where the decoding process is performed.

  Next, in step S115, the device state acquisition unit 22 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 acquires the state of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 at that time. The contents of the device status acquired here are as described above.

Next, in step S116, the information acquisition unit 26 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 receives data (reception state information, device state information, demodulated data, decoded data) from the reception state acquisition unit 21 and the device state acquisition unit 22. receive. The information acquisition unit 26 passes this data to the information providing unit 24. The information providing unit 24 transmits the reception state information, device state information, demodulated data, and decoded data to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3.
Information (reception state, device state, demodulated data, decoded data) transmitted from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 in step S116 is received on the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 side. The processing on the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 side that has received the data returns to step S132.

Next, in step S117, the control unit 30 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 determines whether or not the latest state change is large. Note that the specific method of determination in this step is the same as the method described as the processing in step S113.
As a result of the determination in this step, when the state change is large (step S117: YES), the process returns to step S112 to repeat the process. If the state change is not large (step S117: NO), the process proceeds to the next step S118.

Next, when progressing to step S118, the broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus 7 waits for a predetermined time. That is, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 does not perform processing for acquiring the reception state or device state while waiting in this step. Accordingly, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 can save its own power consumption as compared with the case of proceeding to acquisition of the next state information without waiting. Note that the processing in this step is the same as the processing in step S17 in FIG. 2, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.
When the standby process in step S118 ends, the process of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 returns to step S112.

  In addition, although the process from step S112 to S116 by the side of the broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus 7 was demonstrated as a sequential process here, some or all of these processes may be parallel. The information providing unit 24 of the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 repeats the operation of transmitting the reception state, device state, demodulated data, and decoded data after the previous transmission in step S116.

  In the present embodiment, the data acquired by the information acquiring unit 26 and provided by the information providing unit 24 includes demodulated data, decoded data, or demodulated data in addition to the data shown in FIG. 3 (first embodiment). And decrypted data.

  When accumulating data, the information providing unit 24 may analyze the data in time series and add the analysis result to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3. In addition, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 that has received the information analyzes the data in time series, and the analysis result is used to select a signal to be received (content data obtained from the broadcast signal is used or communication is performed). Or use content data obtained via the Internet).

According to this embodiment, the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 provides the reception state information, device state information, and reception data (demodulated data and / or decoded data) to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3.
Thereby, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 can acquire the reception state and device state information in the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7. Thereby, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 can determine which route should be used to present the acquired content. At this time, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 can make a determination in consideration of the data quality of the presented content and the cost for receiving the content.
In general, the cost of transmitting a broadcast signal including content as an airwave is relatively low, and the cost of transmitting content data over a WAN (wide area communication network, such as the Internet or a dedicated line) is relatively high. The cost for transmitting demodulated or decoded content data from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 is usually relatively low when using short-range communication between devices. That is, when the broadcast signal strength (absolute signal strength or the ratio of signal strength to noise) received by the broadcast reception status acquisition device 7 is stable above a predetermined level, the broadcast reception status acquisition is performed. It is reasonable to transmit the content data received as a broadcast signal by the device 7 to the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 and present it. On the other hand, when the intensity of the broadcast signal received by the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is insufficient or unstable, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 is connected via communication in order to ensure the quality of content data. It is more advantageous to receive content distribution.

When the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 does not have a broadcast reception function, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 receives the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 based on the reception state and device state information received from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7. The user selects whether to receive content data from the Internet or to receive content distribution data by communication.
When the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 has a broadcast reception function, in addition to the above selection, a broadcast signal received by the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 itself based on the reception state of the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 itself. There is also an option of obtaining and presenting content data from.
In a situation in which the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 can communicate with a plurality of broadcast reception state acquisition devices 7, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 further determines in which broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 the reception state is good. That is, it is possible to select from which broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 it is better to receive the content data.

For example, when the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 is installed in a living room, the broadcast reception state utilization device 3 receives and presents contenton data from the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 or broadcast reception state utilization device 3. It is possible to select whether the content data is received and presented from the distribution server device via the Internet or the like. When there are a plurality of broadcast reception state utilization devices 3 in the room, each of the broadcast reception state utilization devices 3 can make this selection.
Also, for example, there are a plurality of information devices such as smartphones in a vehicle (car, train, ship, etc.), and each of these information devices is used as the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7 or the broadcast reception state utilization device 3. When functioning, each information device can provide the reception state and device state to other information devices as the broadcast reception state acquisition device 7. As a result, an information device (for example, an information device having a good reception state) in the most advantageous state among the information devices is selected, and the information device provides content data to other information devices. Can be.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, content data can be acquired and used in a good state while cooperatively operating between devices.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the operation of the control unit 30 limits the operation of each unit in the apparatus when the state change is small. As a result, it is possible to save power consumption and use of computer resources.

  Note that some or all of the functions of the broadcast reception state acquisition device, content presentation device, and broadcast reception state utilization device in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, the program for realizing these functions may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, a “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time, like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or a client in that case may be included and a program held for a certain period of time. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-described functions, or may be a program that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

Although a plurality of embodiments have been described above, the present invention can also be implemented in the following modifications.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, processing is performed on a television broadcast signal, but similar processing may be performed on a radio broadcast signal (only audio) instead of a television broadcast.
Further, in the above-described embodiment (the processing procedure of FIGS. 2 and 5 and the like), when the state change is not large, the decoding process is omitted, and a predetermined time is waited. However, when the state change is not large, the decoding process may be omitted or only one of waiting for a predetermined time may be limited. In other words, when restricting the operation of the processing unit, only a part thereof may be restricted.

  The present invention can be used in a business (including a broadcasting business) for distributing content such as video and audio. The present invention can be used in an apparatus or a computer program used in a content distribution business.

2 Content presentation device 3 Broadcast reception state utilization device 6, 7 Broadcast reception state acquisition device 11 Tuner unit 12 Demodulation unit 13 Decoding unit 21 Reception state acquisition unit 22 Device state acquisition unit 24 Information provision unit 26 Information acquisition unit 30 Control unit

Claims (6)

A tuner for receiving broadcast signals;
A demodulator that demodulates the broadcast signal received by the tuner unit;
A decoding unit for decoding content data from the broadcast signal demodulated by the demodulation unit;
A reception state acquisition unit that acquires reception state information from at least one of the tuner unit, the demodulation unit, and the decoding unit;
A device state acquisition unit for acquiring device state information that is the state of the device itself;
Based on the information on the reception state passed from the reception state acquisition unit and the information on the device state passed from the device state acquisition unit, the degree of state change is determined, and the degree of state change is less than a predetermined threshold value. In the case of being small, a control unit that controls to limit a process of acquiring a state with respect to at least one of the tuner unit, the demodulating unit, the decoding unit, and the device state acquiring unit;
A broadcast reception state acquisition apparatus comprising: The control unit, when the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination about the degree of state change, controls not to perform the composite processing of content data by the decryption unit,
The broadcast reception state acquisition device according to claim 1. When the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination about the degree of state change, the control unit controls to wait for processing in an interval when repeatedly obtaining the state.
The broadcast reception state acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit controls to reduce the type of information to be acquired when the degree of state change is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the determination about the degree of state change.
The broadcast reception state acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein An information providing unit for providing the reception state information passed from the reception state acquisition unit and the device state information passed from the device state acquisition unit to an external device;
The broadcast reception state acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A computer with a tuner that receives broadcast signals
The program for functioning as a broadcast reception status acquisition apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1-5.

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