JP2023153198A - terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a receiver and a terminal device that allow the terminal device side to grasp the status of broadcast reception by the receiver before an application is started on the receiver side.SOLUTION: A terminal device includes a terminal device-side application execution unit that determines identification information on broadcast media that can be used by a receiver, by transmitting an application startup instruction that includes application identification information for identifying an application program and tuning information for tuning a broadcast signal to the receiver that receives broadcast signals of the TS (Transport Stream) method and the MMT (MPEG Media Transport) method, and by the receiver inquiring identification information on available broadcast media and receiving a reply to the inquiry.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a receiver and a terminal device.

For digital terrestrial television broadcasting, BS digital broadcasting, and wideband CS digital broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as "digital broadcasting"), broadcasting and communication cooperation services using hybrid cast are already provided. Non-patent Document 1 states that even in advanced BS digital broadcasting, which started service in December 2018, it is possible to operate multimedia services equivalent to Hybridcast, similar to the digital broadcasting described above. Are listed. In Non-Patent Document 1, as a device for receiving advanced BS digital broadcasting, in addition to a receiver exclusively for advanced BS digital broadcasting, a receiver compatible with both digital broadcasting (conventional) and advanced BS digital broadcasting is disclosed. (hereinafter referred to as a "common receiver") is regulated. Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 1 defines a hasCapability method that can be called from a Hybridcast application program (also referred to as an "application"). This hasCapability method is a method for checking whether the receiver on which the application is running is a shared receiver and which broadcast media can be used.

In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses that in addition to launching the HybridCast application starting from conventional TV broadcasts, it is possible to start and use the HybridCast application from a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. technology is described. In other words, cooperative operation is possible between the application on the terminal device and the application on the receiver.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-146478

“Multimedia Coding System (2nd Generation) Standard for Digital Broadcasting”, ARIB STD-B62, 1.9 edition, Volume 2, April 12, 2018, Radio Industries Association “Advanced Wideband Satellite Digital Broadcasting Operation Regulations Technical Data”, ARIB TR-B39, 1.7 edition, Volume 1, April 12, 2018, Radio Industries Association

Hybridcast applications, especially broadcast managed applications, must be started while the receiver is receiving the specified broadcast media programming service. Therefore, in order to start a hybrid cast application from a terminal device as described in Patent Document 1, the terminal device must select the broadcasting system, broadcasting media, and programming service that can be received by the cooperating receiver. need to be understood in advance.

“3.3.10 Capabilities Object” (page 23) of Non-Patent Document 1 and “10.7.11 Capabilities Object” (pages 3-166 to 167) of Non-Patent Document 2 contain information that the receiver has. Describes the Capabilities object and its hasCapability method. The Capabilities object holds information about the capabilities provided by the application engine and receiver platform. Furthermore, the hasCapability method returns as a function value whether or not the application engine or the receiver platform is equipped with a specific function (specified by the method argument). By calling this method, an application can determine which broadcast media are available to the operating receiver.
However, this means shown in Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2 can only be called after starting the application. Therefore, there is a problem in that the terminal device cannot acquire information regarding receivable broadcasts before starting the application.

In addition, in a receiver (common receiver) that supports multiple broadcasting systems and broadcast media, when an application activation command is received from a terminal device, the activation command also contains information about the programming service that should be activated on the receiver side. Even with this, it was difficult to reliably select the correct broadcast system and broadcast media programming service and launch the app.

The present invention was made based on the above-mentioned problem recognition, and in a system in which a receiver that receives broadcasts and an external terminal device cooperate, the terminal device It is an object of the present invention to provide a receiver and a terminal device that allow the receiver to grasp the status of broadcast reception by the receiver.

[A1] In order to solve the above problems, a receiver according to one aspect of the present invention includes a tuner unit that selects a broadcast signal, an application execution unit that executes an application program for broadcast communication cooperation, and an external terminal device. a terminal linking unit that receives an application activation command including application identification information for identifying an application program and tuning information for tuning a broadcast signal; and a broadcast media included in the tuning information. a tuner control unit that controls the tuner unit to select a specific broadcast signal based on information on a broadcast system and a programming service; and a tuner control unit that causes the application execution unit to execute the application program specified by the application specifying information. and an application control unit that launches the application.

[A2] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned receiver, the terminal cooperation unit identifies the application using the application specific information by transmitting the received application startup command to an application startup permission determination server device. The application controller is inquired as to whether the application program to be executed is executable, and the application control unit is controlled to launch the application program only when the response from the application launchability determination server device is "launchable". If the response from the propriety determination server device is "unable to start", the application control section is controlled so as not to start the application program, and information indicating "unable to start" is transmitted to the terminal device.

[A3] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned receiver, the application execution unit executes the application program started based on the received application start command, thereby executing the application program on the terminal device side. A process of transmitting a second activation command for starting a second application program to the terminal device is performed.

[A4] Furthermore, in the above receiver, the application execution unit executes the application program started based on the received application start command, thereby providing communication with the terminal device. It performs the process of transmitting and receiving data bidirectionally between the two.

[A5] Furthermore, in the above receiver, the tuner control unit may transmit identification information of programming services that can be selected for each broadcast system or in response to an inquiry from the terminal device. The information is output for each broadcast media, and the terminal cooperation section transmits identification information of a programmable service that can be selected, which is passed from the tuner control section, to the terminal device.

[A6] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned receiver, the tuner control unit outputs information specifying a currently tuned programming service in response to an inquiry from the terminal device; The terminal cooperation unit is configured to transmit information specifying a currently tuned programming service, which is passed from the tuner control unit, to the terminal device.

[B1] In addition, the receiver according to one aspect of the present invention includes a tuner unit that selects broadcast signals, an application execution unit that executes an application program for broadcast communication cooperation, and a receiver that specifies an application program from an external terminal device. a terminal linking unit that receives an application activation command including application specific information for selecting a broadcast signal, and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal, and a broadcast media, a broadcast method, and a programming service included in the channel selection information. a tuner control unit that controls the tuner unit to select a specific broadcast signal based on information about the application; and an application control unit that starts the application program specified by the application specific information so that the application execution unit executes the application program. and, the tuner control unit is configured to control, based on the tuning information included in the application activation command, the broadcast media specified by the tuning information to be receivable by the receiver. If the tuner control unit determines that the broadcast media cannot be received by the receiver, the terminal cooperation unit discards the received application activation command, and Information indicating that the broadcast media specified by the channel selection information cannot be received is transmitted to the terminal device.

[B2] In addition, the receiver according to one aspect of the present invention includes a tuner unit that selects a broadcast signal, an application execution unit that executes an application program for broadcast communication cooperation, and a receiver that specifies an application program from an external terminal device. a terminal linking unit that receives an application activation command including application specific information for selecting a broadcast signal, and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal, and a broadcast media, a broadcast method, and a programming service included in the channel selection information. a tuner control unit that controls the tuner unit to select a specific broadcast signal based on information about the application; and an application control unit that starts the application program specified by the application specific information so that the application execution unit executes the application program. and, in response to an inquiry from the terminal device, the tuner control unit transmits at least one of identification information of available broadcast media or information representing available broadcasting systems. and the terminal cooperation unit transmits to the terminal device at least either identification information of available broadcast media or information representing available broadcasting methods, which is passed from the tuner control unit. .

[B3] Further, one aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that provides application specifying information for specifying an application program and selection for selecting a broadcast signal to the receiver of [B2] above. transmitting an application activation command including station information, inquiring at least one of identification information of broadcast media available to the receiver or information representing available broadcasting methods, and receiving a reply to the inquiry; The apparatus further includes a terminal device-side application execution unit that determines at least one of identification information of broadcast media available to the receiver or information representing available broadcasting systems.

[B4] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is that in the above terminal device, the terminal device side application execution unit executes an application program executed on the receiver side based on the transmitted application startup command. , which performs the process of transmitting and receiving data in both directions.

According to the present invention, when starting a broadcast communication collaboration (hybrid cast) application of a receiver from a terminal device, it is possible to reliably select a broadcast system and broadcast media compatible with the receiver and control channel selection.

1 is an equipment configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a system (broadcast viewing system) including a receiver and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of a receiver according to the same embodiment. It is a functional block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of a terminal device according to the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process on the terminal device side when starting the hybrid cast application of a receiver starting from the application running on the terminal device according to the same embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange between devices and functional units until a hybrid cast application is started in a receiver in response to a start command from a terminal device according to the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data representing a list of available broadcast media, which is a response returned by the receiver to the terminal device according to the same embodiment. This is a response returned by a shared receiver, and shows an example of data when all broadcast media can be used. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data representing a list of available broadcast media, which is a response returned by the receiver to the terminal device according to the same embodiment. This is a response returned by a shared receiver, and shows an example of data when only some broadcast media can be used. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data representing a list of available broadcast media, which is a response returned by the receiver to the terminal device according to the same embodiment. This is an example of a response returned by a digital broadcast receiver, and shows an example of data when all broadcast media are available. This is an example of an application activation command (when the broadcast signal is in the TS format) that the terminal device according to the embodiment transmits to the receiver. This is an example of an application activation command (when the broadcast signal is in the MMT format) that the terminal device according to the embodiment transmits to the receiver.

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an equipment configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a system (broadcast viewing system) including a receiver and a terminal device according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, this system includes a receiver 1, a terminal device 2, a server device 3 for determining whether an application can be launched, a service server device 4, a broadcast transmitter 7, a broadcast transmitter 8, and the Internet 9. It consists of:
Note that a plurality of devices such as the receiver 1, the terminal device 2, the server device 3 for determining whether or not an application can be launched, and the service server device 4 may exist in the system.

The receiver 1 is a device that receives a broadcast signal, decodes video and audio included in the broadcast signal, and presents the decoded video and audio to the outside. Further, the receiver 1 has a function compatible with hybrid cast (broadcast communication cooperation). That is, the receiver 1 has a function of communicating using Internet Protocol (IP). Further, the receiver 1 has a function of executing an application program (referred to as an "application", which also includes a hybrid cast application). Thereby, the receiver 1 can present content that combines broadcasting and communication. The receiver 1 also communicates with the terminal device 2 . Thereby, the application running on the receiver 1 performs cooperative operations such as exchanging data with the application running on the terminal device 2.
The receiver 1 can communicate with the application startup permission determination server device 3 and the service server device 4 via the Internet 9.

The terminal device 2 is a device mainly used by an individual user, such as a smartphone, a tablet, a watch type terminal, or a PC (personal computer). The terminal device 2 has a communication function and can communicate with the receiver 1 via a network such as a wireless LAN (local area network) using, for example, IP. Applications can be executed on the terminal device 2. Further, the application executed on the terminal device 2 cooperates with the application executed on the receiver 1 by exchanging data with the application.
The terminal device 2 can communicate with the service server device 4 via the Internet 9.

The application activation permission determination server device 3 is a server device that has a function of determining whether the hybrid cast application on the receiver 1 can be activated. Specifically, in response to an inquiry about an application launch command transmitted from the receiver 1, the application launchability determination server device 3 determines whether the application can be launched based on the application launch command (whether it is launchable or not launchable). determine if there is one) and respond. Specifically, the application startability determination server device 3 stores in advance a white list of pairs of information for identifying an application and broadcast selection information (identification information of a broadcast programming service, etc.). Then, depending on whether the pair included in the received application activation command exists in this white list, it is determined whether or not the application can be activated.

The service server device 4 distributes various data to the receiver 1 and the terminal device 2 via the Internet 9. Specifically, the service server device 4 distributes the AIT (Application Information Table) of the Hybrid Cast application, the code body of the Hybrid Cast application, and the content used by the Hybrid Cast application. The service server device 4 may be configured using a plurality of server computers.

The broadcast sending device 7 is a device that sends out broadcast signals multiplexed using a predetermined multiplexing method.
The broadcast sending device 8 is a device that sends out broadcast signals multiplexed using a different multiplexing method from that of the broadcast sending device 7.
The broadcast sending device 7 sends out a broadcast signal multiplexed using the TS (Transport Stream) system of digital broadcasting. Further, the broadcast transmitting device 8 transmits a broadcast signal multiplexed using the MMT (MPEG Media Transport) system of advanced BS digital broadcasting. Both broadcast transmitting devices (7, 8) transmit broadcast signals containing at least video and audio. Broadcast signals sent from the broadcast transmitting devices 7 and 8 are transmitted as radio waves or as electrical signals on a cable television cable.

The Internet 9 is a network that can perform communication using IP.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of the receiver 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the receiver 1 includes a tuner section 21, a tuner section 22, a tuner control section 23, a separation section 26, a separation section 27, a video decoding section 31, a video synthesis section 32, and a display section. 33, a voice decoding section 36, a voice synthesis section 37, a speaker section 38, a communication input/output section 41, a terminal cooperation section 42, an application control section 51, and an application execution section 52. .
The detailed functions of each of these parts are as follows.

The tuner section 21 is a tuner that receives broadcast signals based on the TS system.
The tuner unit 22 is a tuner that receives broadcast signals based on the MMT system.
Tuner sections 21 and 22 receive broadcast signals sent from broadcast sending devices 7 and 8, respectively.
The tuner control unit 23 controls the broadcast signal reception operation by the tuner units 21 and 22. Specifically, the tuner control unit 23 controls the tuner units 21 and 22 to execute the specified broadcast media organization service. Further, the tuner control unit 23 monitors the states of the tuner units 21 and 22 to ascertain the programming service of the broadcast media currently being tuned. Further, when the tuner control unit 23 receives an application startup command from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 selects an appropriate tuner (either the tuner unit 21 or 22) based on the information on the programming service included in the startup command. and control the selected tuner. Further, in response to a request from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 returns information on compatible broadcast media and programming services, and information on broadcast media and programming services currently being selected.
Note that when the tuner control section 23 exchanges data with the terminal device 2, the tuner control section 23 exchanges data via the communication input/output section 41 and the terminal cooperation section 42.

The separation unit 26 separates media such as video, audio, and data from the TS broadcast signal received by the tuner unit 21. This data includes the application (or control information regarding the application, its location information, etc.), SI (service information), event messages, and the like.
The separation unit 27 separates media such as video, audio, and data from the MMT broadcast signal received by the tuner unit 22. This data includes the application (or control information regarding the application, its location information, etc.), SI (service information), event messages, and the like.

The video decoding section 31 receives the broadcast video separated by the separation section 26 or the separation section 27, decodes the broadcast video, and passes it to the video composition section 32.
The video synthesis unit 32 synthesizes the broadcast video passed from the video decoding unit 31 and the display video (image) of the hybrid cast application passed from the application execution unit 52. The video composition unit 32 may perform video composition by overlaying one video on the other video, for example. Alternatively, the video synthesizing unit 32 may synthesize the videos so that each video fits into each partial area, for example, by appropriately dividing the screen area. The video synthesis unit 32 passes the combined video to the display unit 33.
The display section 33 outputs the video passed from the video composition section 32. The display unit 33 may include a display screen using, for example, liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence (EL). Alternatively, the display section 33 may output the video signal to an external device.

The audio decoding unit 36 receives the broadcast audio separated by the separating unit 26 and the separating unit 27, decodes the broadcast audio, and passes it to the audio synthesizing unit 37.
The audio synthesis unit 37 synthesizes the broadcast audio passed from the audio decoding unit 36 and the output audio of the hybrid cast application passed from the application execution unit 52. The speech synthesis section 37 passes the synthesized speech to the speaker section 38.
The speaker section 38 outputs the sound passed from the speech synthesis section 37. The speaker section 38 may include a speaker, earphones, or the like. Alternatively, the speaker section may output the audio signal to an external speaker, earphone, or the like.

The communication input/output unit 41 inputs and outputs data through communication. That is, the communication input/output section 41 functions as an interface between each section within the receiver 1 and the communication network. Specifically, the communication input/output unit 41 transmits and receives data to and from the application startup permission determination server device 3 and the service server device 4 via the Internet 9. Furthermore, the communication input/output unit 41 transmits and receives data to and from the terminal device 2 via a wireless LAN or the like.
The communication input/output section 41 passes data received from the outside to the terminal cooperation section 42 and the application execution section 52. Furthermore, the communication input/output section 41 transmits data received from the terminal cooperation section 42 and the application execution section 52 to the outside.

The terminal cooperation unit 42 performs pairing processing between the receiver 1 and the terminal device 2. Further, the terminal cooperation unit 42 mediates communication between an application running on the receiver 1 and an application running on the terminal device 2. The terminal cooperation unit 42 operates in cooperation with a terminal cooperation unit 62 on the terminal device 2 side in FIG. 3, which will be described later.

The application control unit 51 has a function of controlling the hybrid cast application. That is, the application control unit 51 starts the HybridCast application on the application execution unit 52, or terminates the HybridCast application that is being executed on the application execution unit 52.
The application execution unit 52 has a function of executing a hybrid cast application. As a specific example, the HybridCast application is provided as an HTML5 file containing JacaScript (registered trademark) code. That is, as an example of a specific implementation method of the application execution unit 52, the function of a web browser equipped with a JavaScript (registered trademark) execution environment can be used.
By executing the hybrid cast application, the application execution unit 52 may output video and audio. The application execution unit 52 passes this video to the video composition unit 32. Further, the application execution section 52 passes this voice to the speech synthesis section 37.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of the terminal device 2. As shown in FIG. As illustrated, the terminal device 2 includes an application execution section 61, a terminal cooperation section 62, and a communication input/output section 63.
The detailed functions of each of these parts are as follows.

The application execution unit 61 executes an application program (app). The application execution environment provided in the application execution unit 61 is, for example, a native function dependent on the OS (operating system) of the terminal device 2. Further, when a web application is executed, the execution environment of the application may be a web browser.

The terminal cooperation unit 62 performs pairing processing between the terminal device 2 and the receiver 1. Further, the terminal cooperation unit 62 mediates communication between an application running on the terminal device 2 and an application running on the receiver 1. The terminal cooperation unit 62 operates in cooperation with the terminal cooperation unit 42 on the receiver 1 side. When the application execution unit 61 is implemented as the above native function, the terminal cooperation unit 62 may be included in the application execution unit 61.

The communication input/output unit 63 inputs and outputs data for communication. That is, the communication input/output unit 63 functions as an interface when the terminal device 2 exchanges data with the outside via the communication network. Specifically, the communication input/output unit 63 transmits and receives data to and from the service server device 4 via the Internet 9. Furthermore, the communication input/output unit 63 transmits and receives data to and from the receiver 1 via a wireless LAN or the like.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing on the terminal device 2 side when starting the hybrid cast application of the receiver 1 using the application running on the terminal device 2 as a starting point.
Here, we assume the following situation. That is, the target hybrid cast application is a broadcast managed application. Further, based on the instruction from the terminal device 2, the receiver 1 selects a specified programming service, and then activates the specified broadcast managed application.
Processing on both the terminal device 2 side and the receiver 1 side will be described below along with this flowchart.

In step S11, the terminal cooperation unit 62 of the terminal device 2 determines whether pairing with the receiver 1 has been completed. If pairing has been completed (step S11: YES), the process advances to step S13. If pairing is not performed (step S11: NO), the process advances to step S12.
When proceeding to step S12, the terminal cooperation unit 62 discovers the receiver 1 in the same network (for example, wireless LAN), and performs a pairing process with the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1. After this step ends, the process returns to step S11.

When proceeding to step S13, the application execution unit 61 inquires of the tuner control unit 23 about available broadcast media via the terminal cooperation unit 62 and the terminal cooperation unit 42 on the receiver 1 side. As a response to this inquiry, the receiver 1 returns to the terminal device 2 a character string or number (the number is determined in advance) representing the available broadcast media.
Table 1 below shows the broadcast media and their corresponding strings and numbers.

In step S14, the application execution unit 61 determines whether there is a broadcast media to be activated based on the information returned from the receiver 1 in step S13.
If the broadcast media exists (step S14: YES), the process advances to the next step S15. If the broadcast media does not exist (step S14: NO), the process jumps to step S21.

If the process proceeds to step S15, the application execution unit 61 inquires of the tuner control unit 23 about programming services that can be selected via the terminal cooperation unit 62 and the terminal cooperation unit 42 on the receiver 1 side. As a response to this inquiry, the receiver 1 returns to the terminal device 2 a character string representing a selectable programming service.
In the case of TS broadcasting, the receiver 1 returns a combination of values of original_network_id, transport_stream_id, and service_id to the terminal device 2 as a response. In the case of MMT broadcasting, the receiver 1 returns a combination of values of original_network_id, tlv_stream_id, and service_id as a response.
The terminal device 2 receives the information on the organization service returned from the receiver 1.
The application execution unit 61 of the terminal device 2 checks the field value of the response, and determines that the connected receiver supports the MMT method if it includes tlv_stream_id, and determines that the connected receiver supports the TS method if it includes transport_stream_id.

In step S16, the application execution unit 61 determines whether there is a composition service to be activated based on the information returned from the receiver 1 in step S15.
If the organization service exists (step S16: YES), the process advances to the next step S17. If the organization service does not exist (step S16: NO), the process jumps to step S21.

When proceeding to step S17, the application execution unit 61 inquires of the connected receiver 1 about the programming service currently being selected. Specifically, the application execution unit 61 inquires of the tuner control unit 23 about the currently selected programming service via the terminal cooperation unit 62 and the terminal cooperation unit 42 on the receiver 1 side. In response to an inquiry from the application execution unit 61, the tuner control unit 23 returns a character string representing the currently selected programming service to the terminal device 2 side.
In the case of TS broadcasting, the receiver 1 returns a combination of values of original_network_id, transport_stream_id, and service_id to the terminal device 2 as a response. In the case of MMT broadcasting, the receiver 1 returns a combination of values of original_network_id, tlv_stream_id, and service_id to the terminal device 2 as a response. At this time, the receiver 1 may include character strings or numbers corresponding to the broadcast media shown in Table 1 above as field values.
The terminal device 2 receives the information on the organization service returned from the receiver 1. The application execution unit 61 of the terminal device 2 checks the field value of the response. If the field value includes tlv_stream_id, the application execution unit 61 determines that the connected receiver 1 supports the MMT system. Further, if the field value includes transport_stream_id, the application execution unit 61 determines that the connected receiver 1 supports the TS system.

In step S18, the application execution unit 61 transmits a hybrid cast application activation command to the connected receiver 1. This activation command includes a pair of a URL (uniform resource locator) indicating the location of the AIT of the hybrid cast application to be activated and a character string specifying the organization service. In the case of the TS method, the character string specifying the organization service is a combination of the values of original_network_id (original network identification), transport_stream_id (transport stream identification), and service_id (service identification), and in the case of the MMT method, it is the combination of the values of original_network_id (original network_id (original network identification), transport_stream_id (transport stream identification), and service_id (service identification). This is a combination of the values of (original network identification), tlv_stream_id (TLV stream identification), and service_id (service identification).

On the receiver 1 side, the terminal cooperation unit 42 receives a command to start the hybrid cast application, and passes this command to the tuner control unit 23. The tuner control unit 23 determines whether transport_stream_id or tlv_stream_id is included in the field value of the activation command. If transport_stream_id is included, the tuner control unit 23 passes the value included in the command to the tuner unit 21 for the TS system. If tlv_stream_id is included, the tuner control unit 23 passes the value included in the instruction to the MMT tuner unit 22. The tuner section 21 or 22, which is given the values necessary for tuning from the tuner control section 23, executes the tuning operation according to the instructions.
However, the tuner control unit 23 checks the currently selected broadcast media and programming service, and if the activation command from the terminal device 2 includes a character string specifying the same programming service, It is not necessary to perform the channel selection operation by the tuner section 21 or 22.

Furthermore, after the above-described channel selection operation is completed, the terminal cooperation unit 42 passes information on the URL of the Hybridcast AIT to the application control unit 51. The application control unit 51 acquires the AIT from the location specified by the URL, passes the URL of the hybrid cast application written in the AIT to the application execution unit 52, and starts the application. Note that if the Hybrid Cast application is already running when the application is started, the application is first terminated and then the specified application is started.

Note that the receiver 1 may inquire of the application activation permission determination server device 3 as to whether the application can be activated before the above-mentioned channel selection and application activation. In this case, the terminal cooperation unit 42 makes an inquiry to the server device 3 for determining whether or not the application can be activated. Specifically, the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1 transmits the activation command received from the terminal device 2 to the application activation permission determination server device 3. The application startup permission/disapproval determination server device 3 manages and maintains a white list indicating AIT URLs or domain information of applications whose startup is permitted for each organized service in advance. When the application launchability determination server device 3 receives the launch command from the receiver 1, it adds the pair of the AIT URL of the application included in the command and the character string specifying the organization service also included in the command to the above-mentioned white list. Please refer to to confirm. The application startability determination server device 3 determines that the application can be started if the pair is included in the held whitelist, and otherwise it is not allowed to start. The application startup permission determination server device 3 returns the determination result of the activation permission to the receiver 1 that made the inquiry. Receiver 1 executes the application startup process if the determination result is "launchable", and sends an error response without performing the app startup process if the determination result is "launchable" (fail). Return to the original terminal device 2.
By making this inquiry, the receiver 1 can confirm the validity of the application. In other words, the receiver 1 can prevent launching of an unauthorized application.

Up to this point, the explanation has been given for the case where all broadcast media are available. However, not all broadcast media is necessarily available. When the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1 receives from the terminal device 2 a command to start a hybrid cast application for broadcast media that cannot be used, the terminal cooperation unit 42 discards the start command. That is, the receiver 1 does not select the designated service or launch the Hybrid Cast application. Further, in this case, the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1 returns an error response (broadcast media is not available) to the terminal device 2.

In step S19, the terminal device 2 determines whether activation of the HybridCast application that has issued the activation instruction is permitted. As mentioned above, the case where startup is not permitted typically means that the broadcast media specified in the startup command is unavailable on the receiver 1 side, or when the broadcast media specified in the startup command is not available on the receiver 1 side, or when the broadcast media specified in the startup command is not received from the server device 3 for determining whether or not the application can be launched. This is a case where a response of "startup is not possible" is returned to machine 1. If activation is permitted (step S19: YES), the process advances to step S20. If activation is not permitted (step S19: NO), the process advances to step S21.

If the process proceeds to step S20, after the HybridCast application is started on the receiver 1 side, text data is exchanged bidirectionally between the HybridCast application on the terminal device 2 side and the HybridCast application on the receiver 1 side. May be executed.
At this time, the HybridCast application running on the receiver 1 may transmit a startup command to the terminal device 2 to start the application on the terminal device 2 . In accordance with this activation command, the terminal device 2 activates the application running on the application execution unit 61.
After completing the process of this step, the terminal device 2 ends the process of this entire flowchart.

When proceeding to step S21 (from steps S14, S16, and S19), the terminal device 2 presents to the user that the service is not available. Specifically, the terminal device 2 displays, for example, a text message indicating that the service is unavailable on its own screen.
After completing the process of this step, the terminal device 2 ends the process of this entire flowchart.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange between each device and between each functional unit until the hybrid cast application is started in the receiver 1 in response to a start command from the terminal device 2. The series of processing shown here also corresponds to the processing shown in FIG. 4. The following will explain along this sequence diagram.

Process 0: In step S31, the terminal device 2 discovers the receiver 1 via the wireless LAN. When the terminal device 2 discovers the receiver 1, mutual connection (pairing process) between the terminal device 2 and the receiver 1 is performed. Specifically, pairing processing is performed between the terminal cooperation unit 62 of the terminal device 2 and the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1.
Note that the pairing process between both devices corresponds to the process of step S12 in FIG. 4.

Process 1, Process 2, Process 3: In step S32, the terminal device 2 makes an inquiry to the receiver 1. Process 1, process 2, and process 3 are each separate inquiries. In process 1, the terminal device 2 inquires of the receiver 1 about available broadcast media. Process 1 corresponds to the process of step S13 in FIG. In process 2, the terminal device 2 inquires of the receiver 1 about programming services for broadcast media that can be selected. Process 2 corresponds to the process of step S15 in FIG. In process 3, the terminal device 2 inquires of the receiver 1 about the programming service of the broadcast media currently being selected. Process 3 corresponds to the process of step S17 in FIG.

The application execution unit 61 of the terminal device 2 checks the response from the receiver 1 to the inquiry in process 1. By checking the value indicating the broadcast media included in the response, the terminal device 2 side determines the broadcasting system compatible with the receiver 1, which is the connection partner. The terminal device 2 also determines the type of the receiver 1 (whether it is a digital broadcast receiver, a receiver exclusively for advanced BS digital broadcasts, or a shared receiver that has both functions).
An example of a response from the receiver 1 to a broadcast media inquiry will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8.

Further, the application execution unit 61 of the terminal device 2 checks the response from the receiver 1 to the inquiry in process 2. By checking the response of process 2, the terminal device 2 can determine which broadcast signal system the receiver 1, which is the connection partner, supports. Specifically, if the field value of the response includes tlv_stream_id, the application execution unit 61 determines that the receiver 1 of the connection partner supports the MMT system. Further, if the field value of the response includes transport_stream_id, the application execution unit 61 determines that the receiver 1 of the connection partner supports the TS system.

Furthermore, the application execution unit 61 of the terminal device 2 identifies the currently selected programming service based on the response from the receiver 1 to the inquiry in process 3.

Process 4: In step S33, the terminal device 2 transmits a hybrid cast application activation command to the receiver 1. The hybrid cast application activation command includes information indicating the location of the AIT of the hybrid cast application to be activated and a character string specifying the organization service.
The transmission of the application startup command in process 4 corresponds to the process in step S18 in FIG.
Examples of activation instructions will be described later with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
Based on this activation command, the receiver 1 controls the tuner to select a broadcast station.
Furthermore, the receiver 1 starts the application based on this start command.
Furthermore, based on this activation command, the receiver 1 may inquire of the application activation permission determination server device 3 as to whether the hybrid cast application can be activated. The application activation permission determination server device 3 determines whether or not the application can be activated using the combination of the organization service and the AIT included in the activation command by referring to a list held in advance. In this case, if the receiver 1 receives a response of "startable" from the application startability determining server device 3, it performs the above-mentioned channel selection and starts the application. If the receiver 1 receives a response of "launch is not allowed" from the application launchability determining server device 3, the receiver 1 does not launch the above-mentioned application and returns an error to the terminal device 2 side.

In other words, if activation is not possible (NG), the terminal cooperation unit 42 on the receiver 1 side returns an error to the terminal cooperation unit 62 and the application execution unit 61 on the terminal device 2 side in step S34.
Further, if the activation is possible (OK), the terminal cooperation unit 42 passes an application activation command to the application control unit 51 in step S35. The application control unit 51 acquires the AIT based on the AIT location information (URL) included in the activation command. Further, the application control unit 51 refers to the acquired AIT, acquires the location information of the application, and acquires the code of the application. Further, the application control unit 51 causes the application execution unit 52 to execute the application (starting the application).

Process 5: When the Hybrid Cast application is started on the receiver 1 side in step S35 above, in step S36, the application running on the application execution unit 52 on the receiver 1 side and the application running on the application execution unit 61 on the terminal device 2 side are started. You can establish communication with the app you want to use. Once communication is established between the two applications, cooperative operation between the two applications on the receiver 1 and the terminal device 2 becomes possible. In other words, these two applications can mutually and bidirectionally send and receive data, and can perform processing based on such data exchange.

Next, response data returned from the receiver 1 side when the terminal device 2 inquires of the receiver 1 about available broadcast media (processing in step S13 in FIG. 4) will be explained.
6, 7, and 8 are examples of responses returned by the receiver 1, and are schematic diagrams showing examples of data representing a list of available broadcast media. As shown in the figure, the receiver 1 returns response data configured as text data having a block structure. However, the data format is not limited to what is illustrated here. The response data only needs to include information indicating whether each broadcast media is available.

FIG. 6 is an example of a response returned by a shared receiver (a receiver that serves as both a digital broadcast receiver and an advanced BS digital broadcast receiver), and shows an example of data when all broadcast media can be used.
(A) of the same figure is an example of data when character strings corresponding to broadcast media are used. In this example, the block represented by the keyword "body" contains a string that identifies the broadcast media and indicates whether the broadcast media is available ("Available") or not ("NotAvailable"). A set of pairs with data representing the information is described. The meanings of the character strings "BS", "CS", "CS2", "TD", "ABS", and "ACS" used here are as already shown in Table 1. The data shown in FIG. 3A indicates that all of these six types of broadcast media are available.
FIG. 2B shows an example of data when numbers corresponding to broadcast media are used. The data structure using the keyword "body" and the data "Available" or "NotAvailable" indicating whether broadcast media is available or not are the same as in FIG. The meanings of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 used here are as already shown in Table 1. The data shown in FIG. 6B also indicates that all of these six types of broadcast media are available.

FIG. 7 is an example of a response returned by the shared receiver, and shows an example of data when some broadcast media can be used. Descriptions of matters already described in other figures will be omitted.
(A) of the same figure is an example of data when character strings corresponding to broadcast media are used. The data shown in FIG. 3A indicates that each broadcast media represented by the character strings "BS", "CS", and "TD" is available. It also represents that each broadcast media represented by the character strings "CS2", "ABS", and "ACS" is unavailable (NotAvailable).
FIG. 2B shows an example of data when numbers corresponding to broadcast media are used. The data shown in FIG. 3B indicates that the broadcast media corresponding to numbers 1, 2, and 4 are available. It also indicates that the broadcast media corresponding to numbers 3, 6, and 7 are unavailable (NotAvailable).

FIG. 8 is an example of a response returned by a digital broadcast receiver, and shows an example of data when all broadcast media are available. Descriptions of matters already described in other figures will be omitted.
(A) of the same figure is an example of data when character strings corresponding to broadcast media are used. This data indicates that all broadcast media of the character strings "BS", "CS", and "TD" are available.
FIG. 2B shows an example of data when numbers corresponding to broadcast media are used. This data indicates that the broadcast media corresponding to all numbers 1, 2, and 4 are available.

Next, the data structure of the application activation command (step S18 in FIG. 4) sent from the terminal device 2 to the receiver 1 will be explained.
9 and 10 are schematic diagrams illustrating data examples of application startup instructions.
FIG. 9 shows an example of an application activation command when the broadcast signal is in the TS format. FIG. 10 shows an example of an application activation command when the broadcast signal is in the MMT format. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the application startup command is configured as text data having a block structure. Specifically, the application startup command is composed of a block represented by the keyword "resource" and a block represented by the keyword "hybridcast." The block represented by the keyword "resource" includes information that identifies the orchestration service. Further, a block represented by the keyword "hybridcast" includes information specifying the AIT of the hybridcast application.

In FIG. 9 (in the case of the TS method), the organization service is specified by a combination of values of original_network_id, transport_stream_id, and service_id. In the illustrated example, the value of original_network_id is "10001", the value of transport_stream_id is "10001", and the value of service_id is "1001". Further, the information on the Hybrid Cast application to be started includes aiturl (AIT URL), orgid (organization identification), and appid (application identification). In the illustrated example, the value of aiturl is "https://example.com/ait.xml", the value of orgid is "1", and the value of appid is "2".

In FIG. 10 (in the case of MMT method), the organization service is specified by a combination of values of original_network_id, tlv_stream_id, and service_id. In the illustrated example, the value of original_network_id is "11111", the value of tlv_stream_id is "11111", and the value of service_id is "1111". Further, the information on the Hybrid Cast application to be started is the same as that shown in FIG. 9 .

Note that, according to this embodiment, the method of starting an application running on the receiver 1 from the terminal device 2 is also referred to as "external starting." External launch coexists with application launch sequences using other methods. The external activation sequence is as follows. First, an external device (an external launcher; for example, the terminal device 2 in this embodiment) issues an application launch instruction by external launch. Next, the external device determines whether activation is possible. In determining whether or not this activation is possible, the external device may make an inquiry to the receiver 1, another server device, or the like. Next, the external device transmits an application startup command (which may also be called an application startup request, startup request, startup instruction, etc.) to the receiver 1. Upon receiving the activation command from the external device, the receiver 1 acquires the AIT from the communication server. Note that the receiver 1 can acquire this AIT location information (eg, AIT_URI) by some means (eg, included in the above activation command). Then, based on the AIT, the receiver 1 acquires an application file (for example, an HTML file) and executes it as an HTML application within its own device.

It does not necessarily have to be implemented in a form that includes all the features of each functional unit of this embodiment. The features of each functional unit may be selected and implemented as appropriate.
Below, the features of each functional unit described in this embodiment will be explained again.

The receiver 1 has the following functional characteristics.
The tuner section 21 or 22 selects a broadcast signal, respectively.
The application execution unit 52 (application execution unit) executes an application program for broadcast communication cooperation (for hybrid cast).
The terminal cooperation unit 42 receives application specific information for specifying an application program (for example, location information of the AIT of the application, etc.) and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal (broadcast media) from the external terminal device 2. , broadcasting system, and programming service identification information).
The tuner control unit 23 controls the tuner unit 21 or 22 to tune a specific broadcast signal based on information on broadcast media, broadcast system, and programming service included in the tuning information.
The application control unit 51 (application control unit) starts the application program specified by the application specifying information so that the application execution unit executes the application program.

The terminal cooperation unit 42 sends the received application startup command to the application startup permission determination server device to inquire as to whether the application program specified by the application specific information can be executed, and also sends the application startup instruction to the application startup permission determination server device. The application control unit is controlled to start the application program only when the response from the device is "launchable" (possible), and the response from the application launchability determination server device is "launchable" (no). In this case, the application control unit may be controlled so as not to start the application program, and information indicating that "startup is not possible" may be transmitted to the terminal device.

The application execution unit 52 executes the application program started based on the received application start command, thereby issuing the second start command for starting the second application program on the terminal device side. It is also possible to perform a process of transmitting data to a terminal device.

The application execution unit 52 may perform a process of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from the terminal device by executing the application program started based on the received application start command. .

In response to an inquiry from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 may output identification information of selectable programming services for each broadcast system or for each broadcast media.
At this time, the terminal cooperation section 42 transmits to the terminal device 2 the identification information of the programming service that can be selected, which is passed from the tuner control section.

The tuner control unit 23 may output information specifying the currently selected programming service in response to an inquiry from the terminal device 2.
At this time, the terminal cooperation unit 42 transmits information specifying the currently selected programming service, which is passed from the tuner control unit, to the terminal device.

The tuner control unit 23 may determine, based on the channel selection information included in the application startup command, whether the broadcast media specified by the channel selection information can be received by the receiver. .
As a result, if the tuner control unit 23 determines that the broadcast media cannot be received by the receiver, the terminal cooperation unit 42 discards the received application activation command and uses the channel selection information. Information (error information) indicating that the specified broadcast media cannot be received is transmitted (notified) to the terminal device.

In response to an inquiry from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 may output at least one of identification information of available broadcast media or information representing available broadcasting systems.
At this time, the terminal cooperation unit 42 transmits to the terminal device 2 at least one of the identification information of the available broadcast media or the information representing the available broadcasting methods, which is passed from the tuner control unit 23 .

The terminal device 2 transmits an application activation command to the receiver 1, which includes application specifying information for specifying an application program and tuning information for selecting a broadcast signal, and Identification of broadcast media available to the receiver by inquiring at least one of identification information of broadcast media available to the receiver or information representing available broadcasting methods, and receiving a response to the inquiry. It includes an application execution unit 61 (terminal device side application execution unit) that determines at least one of information and information representing available broadcasting systems.

The application execution unit 61 (terminal device side application execution unit) performs a process of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from the application program started on the receiver side based on the transmitted application start command. be.

As explained above, according to the present embodiment, when starting the hybrid cast application of the receiver 1 from the terminal device 2, it is possible to ensure that the receiver is compatible with the broadcasting method (for example, TS method or MMT method) or the broadcasting method. It becomes possible to select media and control channel selection. Further, when the receiver cannot receive the broadcast (cannot select the channel), it becomes possible to notify the terminal device 2 of this fact as error information. As a result, an easy-to-use user interface is provided on the terminal device side for users who wish to use the broadcasting and communication cooperation service (HybridCast) using the terminal device as a starting point. Further, the receiver 1 can request the application activation permission determination server device 3 to determine whether the application can be activated.

Note that at least some of the functions of devices such as a receiver, a terminal device, a server device for determining whether or not an application can be launched, a service server device, and a broadcast transmitting device in the above-described embodiments can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function 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. Note that the "computer system" herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and USB memory, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Say something.
Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a medium that temporarily and dynamically stores a program, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In that case, it may also include something that retains a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or client. Further, the program may be one for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions, or may be one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for a broadcast receiving system, for example. However, the scope of use of the present invention is not limited to what is exemplified here.

1 Receiver 2 Terminal device 3 Application startability determination server device 4 Service server device 7 Broadcast transmission device (TS)
8 Broadcast transmission device (MMT)
9 Internet 21 Tuner Department (TS)
22 Tuner section (MMT)
23 Tuner control section 26 Separation section (TS)
27 Separation section (MMT)
31 Video decoding section 32 Video synthesis section 33 Display section 36 Audio decoding section 37 Audio synthesis section 38 Speaker section 41 Communication input/output section 42 Terminal cooperation section 51 Application control section (application control section)
52 Application execution unit (Application execution unit)
61 Application execution unit (terminal device side application execution unit)
62 Terminal cooperation section 63 Communication input/output section

Claims (1)

For receivers that receive broadcast signals using the TS (Transport Stream) method and the MMT (MPEG Media Transport) method, application identification information for identifying application programs and selection information for selecting broadcast signals are provided. By transmitting an application activation command including station information, inquiring identification information of broadcast media available to the receiver, and receiving a reply to the inquiry, the receiver can determine the broadcast media available to the receiver. a terminal device side application execution unit that determines the identification information of the
A terminal device comprising:

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