JP3922110B2 - Television signal receiver - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
The present invention relates to a television signal receiving apparatus , and in particular, processes a signal multiplexed with additional data such as a video signal, an audio signal, a data signal, and program information, and includes additional data in a multiplexed signal. All or part of the service information is recorded, and necessary information is read from the recorded information in response to the user's request, thereby speeding up the processing and responsiveness to the operation requested by the user. The present invention relates to an apparatus with improved performance.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there has been a teletext broadcast as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-15676 as a broadcast system for multiplexing video and data. However, since the character information is transmitted only on a specific line within the vertical blanking period of the television signal, the amount of data is not so large, and therefore advanced data broadcasting is difficult.
[0003]
As broadcasts related to video content, conversation content is transmitted as data, and the receiver side may decode this and add subtitles for the hearing impaired, and broadcasts that are not directly related to video content In some cases, news, weather forecasts, program guides, stock price information, and the like were displayed. In any case, it was not a type of information whose contents changed greatly within an extremely short time.
[0004]
As described above, the conventional data broadcasting represented by the text broadcasting has a problem that the amount of data is limited and the advanced broadcasting cannot be performed. This is one factor, and the digital broadcasting system is currently being studied. . Here, not only data signals but also video signals, audio signals, and service information are all converted into digital data. However, if digital technology is used, these signals can be greatly compressed. 4-6 channel signals can be multiplexed in the bandwidth of 1 channel.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a digital broadcasting system, since signals of 4 to 6 channels can be multiplexed with the current bandwidth of one channel, it is possible to increase the number of channels to several hundred channels. In addition, digital technology brings a variety of new features. For example, you can search for a program you want to see from the program list displayed on the screen and select it directly, obtain home shopping information, apply for a product, participate in a quiz program, or conduct a questionnaire survey on a discussion program, etc. Participation and near-on-demand services. In such digital broadcasting, viewers access more scenes and the receiver is required to respond quickly to user operations. However, the more information that is sent, the more time it takes to retrieve and acquire the necessary information. After the user requests, the information that is sent is searched and the information is retrieved. If acquired, there is a problem that the quick response to the user's request is lacking.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a channel decoder that performs channel selection, digital demodulation, and error correction processing, and multiplexing in which a video signal, an audio signal, a data signal, and additional data are multiplexed and transmitted The signal is separated into respective encoded data, and a demultiplexer that extracts service information that is one of the additional data, a storage device that stores the service information extracted by the demultiplexer, and writing to the storage device A write control device for controlling; a read control device for controlling reading of the storage device; and a source decoder for decoding encoded data which is an output of the demultiplexer and outputting a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal. , Record service information to be transmitted, and read the recorded information according to the viewer's request More, processing speeds, and is to perform the responsiveness to viewer operation at high speed.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0008]
Before that, some explanation is added about the outline of the digital broadcasting system. FIG. 2 shows the processing of the digital broadcasting system. In FIG. 2, 201 is an encoder, 202 is a multiplexing device, 203 is a transmission path coding device, and 204 is a modulation device.
[0009]
On the broadcast station side, the video signal, the audio signal, and the data signal are converted into digital signals, and then compressed by the encoder 201. As a compression method, there are a method using DPCM (DIFFERENTIAL PULSE CODE MODULATION), a method using DCT (DISCRETE COSINE TRANSFORM), and a method using MPEG2 (MOVING PICTURE EXPERTS GROUP PHASE 2). The data thus compressed is converted into a packet by adding a header and error correction check bits together with the additional data by the multiplexer 202. The structure of this packet is shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, such packets are arranged and multiplexed in order such as a video packet, an audio packet, an additional data packet, and a video packet again. Multiple positions are arbitrary, and each packet can be identified by data included in the header. The multiplexed signal thus obtained is encoded by the transmission path encoding device 203 using a technique such as convolutional encoding such as Viterbi code or block encoding such as Reed-Solomon code. Encoded data digital modulation such as more OFDM or QPSK to the modulation device 204 is subjected is transmitted in a broadcast wave forms.
[0010]
The above is the outline of the digital broadcasting system.
[0011]
Examples of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, in which 101 is a signal input terminal, 102 is a tuner, 103 is a demodulator, 104 is an error correction circuit, 106 is a demultiplexer, and 107 is a source. Decoder, 108 is a channel selection processing circuit, 109 is a storage device, 110 is a write control device, 111 is a read control device, and 112 is a user command input terminal.
[0012]
A digital broadcast signal is input to the signal input terminal 101, tuned and detected by the tuner 102, converted into digital information, and output to the demodulator 103. The demodulator 103 demodulates the digitally modulated signal and outputs it to the error correction circuit 104. The error correction circuit 104 performs an operation of correcting an error due to the influence of noise or the like generated in the transmission path, and outputs it to the demultiplexer 106. The demultiplexer 106 separates a multiplexed signal in which a video signal, an audio signal, and the like are multiplexed on the transmission side, outputs the separated signal to the source decoder 107, extracts service information that is one of the additional data, and stores the storage device 109 And supplied to the write controller 110. The source decoder 107 decodes the encoded data output from the demultiplexer 106 and outputs a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal.
[0013]
The service information includes information necessary for processing for viewing a program, such as channel frequency, modulation method, error correction method, conditional access contract information, and information related to display such as a program guide and program guide. .
[0014]
The write control device 110 acquires data unique to the service information from the service information output from the demultiplexer 106, and manages writing to the storage device 109 based on the unique data. As data unique to service information, for example, when the multiplexing method is a packet multiplexing method, the service information can be identified by a packet header.
[0015]
The storage device 109 records all service information output from the demultiplexer 106 based on the control signal from the write control device 110, but information with the same unique number as the information already recorded is transmitted. If the service information is updated on the transmission side, the recorded contents of the storage device 109 are updated and recorded. The read control device 111 outputs a control signal so as to read necessary information from the storage device 109 in response to a user command input to the user command input terminal 112. The storage device 109 outputs predetermined information to an appropriate device in accordance with a control signal from the read control device 111. For example, when channel selection is performed, physical channel information is read from service information recorded in advance in the storage device 109 and set in the channel selection processing circuit 108. The channel selection processing circuit 108 performs processing for setting the frequency of the designated channel to the tuner 102. In the example of FIG. 1, the case of channel selection has been described. However, the reading destination of the storage device 109 is to the demodulator 103 when setting the modulation method, and to the error correction circuit 104 when setting the error correction method. , And so on are arbitrary.
[0016]
As described above, rather than searching for and acquiring information necessary for processing each time, information is recorded in advance, and the processing is speeded up by reading out the recorded data when necessary. It can be, and even lead to improve the responsiveness to the operation by the user.
[0017]
FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the storage device 109. In this embodiment, a semiconductor memory will be described as an example. In the figure, 601 is a memory cell, 602 is a write address counter, 603 is a read address counter, 604 is a recording signal input terminal, and 605 is a read signal output terminal. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the component same as the above-mentioned.
[0018]
When a recording signal is input to the recording signal input terminal 604, the writing control device 110 operates to give a command to the writing address counter 602 and record it at a predetermined address of the memory cell 601. On the other hand, when a command from the viewer is received, the read control device 111 operates and the read address counter 603 selects a predetermined address of the memory cell 601 to read desired data. The read signal is output to the read signal output terminal 605.
[0019]
As described in the example of the semiconductor memory, the storage device 109 has two signal recording systems and signal reproduction systems independently, so that recording and reproduction can be performed simultaneously.
[0020]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the television signal receiving apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, all parts are the same parts as described above. Accordingly, the basic operation is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the operation of the write control device 110 is different. That is, the write control device 110 refers to information input from the user command input terminal 112 and predicts processing to be performed in the next step, thereby disposing necessary information from service information output from the demultiplexer 106. Select and control to write only necessary information to the storage device 109. Further, for convenience of describing an example of a control method of the writing control device 110 described later, the reading destination of the storage device 109 is described as being output to the demultiplexer 106 and the source decoder 107, but the reading destination of the storage device 109 is arbitrary. It is. Information for outputting a stream of the designated program is read from the storage device 109 to the demultiplexer 106, and information for instructing to perform decoding is read to the source decoder 107. Here, as an example of the control method of the writing control apparatus 110, processing when a channel selection command is received from the user will be described. FIG. 7 shows a general example of the process for viewing the selected program. First, in step 901, a desired knitting channel is designated by the user. Here, the organization channel corresponds to a conventional television channel. In step 902, a PAT (Program Association Table) of the current transport stream (hereinafter referred to as TS) is received. PAT is one of the tables in PSI (Program Specific Information) defined by MPEG-2 Systems, an international standard. In step 903, it is searched whether there is a desired formation channel from within the PAT received in step 902, and if there is, the process proceeds to step 907, and if not, the process proceeds to step 904. In step 904, an NIT (Network Information Table), which is one of the PSIs, is received, a desired organization channel is searched from the descriptor of the NIT, and a physical channel (frequency channel) having the desired organization channel is obtained. In step 905, the process moves to the physical channel acquired in step 904. The transition of the physical channel can be realized by setting the frequency of the physical channel in the tuner 102 via the channel selection processing circuit 108 (see FIG. 5). As described above, channel selection is performed by the processing from steps 901 to 905. Next, in step 906, the PAT of the TS after the transition is received. In step 907, the PID (Packet ID) of the PMT (Program Map Table) is acquired from the received PAT, and the PMT (Program Map Table) is received. The PID is a packet identifier included in the header of the packet, and the PMT is one of the PSI tables. Next, in step 908, the system management descriptor in the PMT is checked, and in step 909, it is determined whether the desired formation channel is broadcast or non-broadcast. In the case of non-broadcasting, the process returns to step 901 to change the designation of the desired knitting channel and perform the same process again. If it is broadcast, the process proceeds to the next step, and in step 910, processing related to the limited reception contract such as descrambling processing is performed.
After the limited reception is cancelled, in step 911, the PID of the encoding method constituting the program of the desired organization channel is acquired from within the PMT. Then, the PID is set in the demultiplexer 106, and the stream is received. In step 912, the source decoder 107 is set to decode the encoded signal output from the demultiplexer 106 (see FIG. 5). In step 913, the current program of the desired organization channel is presented. The above is a general process for viewing a program. In the above-described example, in the process for viewing a program, the organization channel data in the PAT and the PID of the PMT, the organization channel data and the physical channel data in the NIT, the system management descriptor in the PMT, and the encoding constituting the program PSI information such as PID of the method is necessary. As described above, the writing control device 110 operates so as to record only necessary information of the transmitted service information in the storage device 109 when a channel selection command is issued by the user. As described above, if an operation to be performed next is predicted based on a user command and only necessary information is stored, the amount of information stored in the storage device 109 can be reduced and the memory capacity can be reduced. it can.
[0021]
In the above description, the process for viewing a program has been described as an example. However, since service information including program guide information is transmitted, the program guide information is recorded in advance in this case, and the user's request By reading the recorded information from time to time, it is possible to quickly present a program guide desired by the user. In this way, not only the channel selection process and the program guide presentation process but also the process using the service information can be speeded up, and desired contents can be presented quickly.
[0022]
FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the television signal receiving apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, all parts are the same as described above. The operation of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, but the write control device 110 predicts the next operation based on the output signal of the read control device 111 and The difference is that writing is controlled.
[0023]
The digital broadcast signal has been described above. However, even if it is an analog signal such as a current terrestrial broadcast, when the data for teletext broadcasting and the program guide information data are inserted and transmitted, these data are What is necessary is just to record as service information. Therefore, the present invention can be used also in the case of an analog signal, and the same effect as the above-described example of the digital signal can be obtained.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, service information that is one of additional data transmitted together with a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal is extracted, and all or part of the service information is extracted. Automatic recording or update recording in the storage device speeds up processing speed and responds to user operations in response to viewer requests such as channel selection, program guide presentation, and program content display. Can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a digital broadcasting transmission / reception system. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a packet structure and a frame structure. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is for viewing a desired program. Flow chart showing processing 【Explanation of symbols】
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Signal input terminal 102 ... Tuner 103 ... Demodulator 104 ... Error correction circuit 106 ... Demultiplexer 107 ... Source decoder 108 ... Channel selection processing Circuit 109, storage device 110, write control device 111, read control device 112, user command input terminal

Claims (5)

Receives a signal transmitted by multiplexing at least one of a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal and additional data including service information related to a service, and performs channel selection, demodulation, and error correction processing on the received signal Channel decoding means for performing
A demultiplexer that separates the multiplexed signal output from the channel decoding means, outputs at least one of a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal, and extracts service information that is one of the additional data When,
User instruction input means for inputting user instructions;
Information necessary for processing for viewing a program, such as stored channel frequency, modulation method, error correction method, conditional access contract information, etc. according to an input instruction input from the user instruction input means , Processing for outputting service information that is information related to display such as a program guide, or information necessary for reproducing at least one of a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal among the extracted service information is stored Storage means for performing any one of the processes ;
A source decoder that decodes encoded data output from the demultiplexer and outputs at least one of a video signal, an audio signal, and a data signal based on information output from the storage unit;
Using the necessary information stored in the storage means, the channel decoding means, the demultiplexer, or the source decoder is controlled to perform predetermined processing, and the received video signal, audio signal, data signal Control means for controlling to output at least one of them as a signal to be reproduced;
A television signal receiving apparatus comprising: The television signal receiver according to claim 1, wherein
The television signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs control to update information recorded in the storage means when service information output from the demultiplexer is updated. The television signal receiver according to claim 1 or 2,
The service information is information included in a PSI in MPEG-2 Systems. The television signal receiver according to claim 1 or 2,
The television signal receiving apparatus characterized in that the service information includes a program guide or a program guide. Input means for inputting program data and additional data related to the program data;
Demodulation means for demodulating the program data and the additional data input by the input means;
Error correction means for performing error correction processing of the program data and the additional data demodulated by the demodulation means;
Separation and extraction means for separating the program data and the additional data that have been error-corrected by the error correction means, and extracting information related to services included in the additional data;
Storage means for storing an output signal from the separation and extraction means;
User instruction input means for inputting user instructions;
In accordance with an input instruction input from the user instruction input means, information necessary for reproducing program data among the extracted service information is stored in the storage means, and the program is stored using the stored necessary information. A television signal receiving apparatus comprising: control means for controlling to perform data reproduction processing.

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