JP4187767B2 - Digital communication system and method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

  The present invention relates to digital communications such as satellite broadcasting, and more particularly to speeding up the process of acquiring long-term program information.

Conventional technology

  FIG. 22 schematically shows a transmission state of radio waves in satellite broadcasting. Radio waves from the ground station 2 are transmitted to the ground via the broadcasting satellite 4. A plurality of transport streams (transmission paths determined by frequency, polarization plane, etc.) TS1, TS2, TS3 are transmitted from the broadcasting satellite 4. Furthermore, a plurality of services (corresponding to terrestrial broadcast channels) SV11, SV12, SV13, and SV14 are packetized and multiplexed by time division in the transport stream TS1. Similarly, services SV21, SV22, SV23, SV24 are multiplexed on the transport stream TS2, and services SV31, SV32, SV33, SV34 are multiplexed on the transport stream TS3. In addition to the image data and audio data of each service, program information, control data associated with packetization, and the like are transmitted to the transport stream. Further, in FIG. 22, only three transport streams are shown, but actually, more transport streams are transmitted. Furthermore, in FIG. 22, four services are multiplexed for each transport stream, but in reality, more services are multiplexed.

  FIG. 23 shows image data, audio data, control data, and program information multiplexed in the transport streams TS1, TS2, and TS3. The transport stream TS1 includes audio data ES (A) 11 of service SV11, image data ES (V) 11, audio data ES (A) 12 of service SV12, image data ES (V) 12,... Service SV14. Audio data ES (A) 14 and image data ES (V) 14 are multiplexed. Also, for each service SV11, SV12, SV13, SV14, information P_EIT11, P_EIT12, P_EIT13, P_EIT14 of the program currently being broadcast and information F_EIT11, F_EIT12, F_EIT13, F_EIT14 of the program to be broadcast next are multiplexed. Yes. Further, SDT1 describing details of services multiplexed in the transport stream TS1, SDT2 describing details of services multiplexed in the transport stream TS2, and services multiplexed in the transport stream TS3. SDT3 describing details is also multiplexed and transmitted.

  In the other transport streams TS2 and TS3, audio data, image data, program information, and the like are multiplexed similarly. However, since the long-term program information S_EIT11, S_EIT12, S_EIT14, SEIT21, S_EIT22, S_EIT24, S_EIT31, S_EIT32, S_EIT41, S_EIT41, S_EIT42, S_EIT44 of each service is large, It is multiplexed only in the transport stream TS2.

  Depending on the service, long-term program information may not be broadcast because the same content is always broadcast. Therefore, the control data SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 of the transport stream TS2 also describe whether long-term program information S_EIT exists for the services SV11 to SV14, services SV21 to SV24, and services SV31 to SV34, respectively. Has been. However, the presence / absence information is described only in the control data SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 of the transport stream TS2 in which the long-term program information S_EIT is multiplexed. The control data SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 of the other transport streams TS1 and TS3 are provided with areas for describing the presence / absence information, but the contents are all “none”, and the substantial presence / absence information is provided. Is not described.

  Further, each of the above information is packetized and transmitted as indicated by 60a in FIG. That is, image data and audio data of each service are multiplexed and transmitted by packets. When the transmission by 60a is completed, the transmission by 60b is continued. A packet ID is added to each packetized ES of each service. The packet ID of each service ES can be recognized by the control data PAT and PMT. Thereby, ES about each service can be acquired selectively. Although FIG. 24 shows the transport stream TS1, the same applies to the other transport streams TS2 and TS3.

  Further, control data NIT is multiplexed in each transport stream TS1, TS2, TS3. In the control data NIT, transmission specifications (frequency, etc.) of each transport stream TS1, TS2, TS3 and a service ID included in the transport stream are described. Thereby, it is possible to know what services are included in each transport stream. The control data NIT also describes information indicating in which transport stream the long-term program information is multiplexed.

  FIG. 25 shows an outline of the satellite broadcast receiving apparatus. A transport stream is selected by the tuner 8 and a desired service is separated by the decoder 10. The selected audio / image data is output from the decoder 10. The microprocessor (MPU) 12 sets the ES packet ID of the desired service in the decoder 10. Thereby, the decoder 10 outputs the ES of the service. When the packet ID of the control data is set in the decoder 10, the separated control data is given to the MPU 12.

  The operation when the MPU 12 is instructed to switch to the service SV12 of the transport stream TS1 on the assumption that the service SV33 of the transport stream TS3 is currently received will be described below. First, the MPU 12 takes in the control data NIT (see FIG. 23) by controlling the decoder 10 (that is, setting the packet ID of the control data NIT). From the description of the control data, it is known that the service SV12 desired to be received is multiplexed in the transport stream TS1. Next, the tuner 8 is controlled to receive the transport stream TS1. Further, the decoder 10 is controlled to obtain the control data PAT1 and PMT12, and obtain the packet IDs of the image data ES (A) 12 and audio data ES (V) 12 of the desired service SV12. Next, this packet ID is set in the decoder 10, and the image data ES (A) 12 and audio data ES (V) 12 of the desired service SV 12 are output from the decoder 10. As described above, the service to be received is switched.

  By the way, by acquiring long-term program information S_EIT for each service, it is possible to know the future broadcast schedule of the service. The long-term program information SEIT also includes genre information of each event (so-called program) broadcast in each service. Therefore, if the long-term program information S_EIT is acquired, it is possible to search for and display a broadcast schedule for a specific genre.

  A process when acquiring the long-term program information S_EIT on the assumption that the service SV12 is currently received will be described. First, the MPU 12 controls the decoder 10 to separate and acquire the control data NIT. From this description of the control data NIT, it is known which transport stream is multiplexed with the long-term program information S_EIT, and the tuner 8 is controlled to receive the transport stream TS2. Further, the decoder 10 is controlled to separate and acquire the control data SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3, and the presence / absence information of the long-term program information is obtained for each service.

  Based on the presence / absence information, the MPU 12 controls the decoder 10 only for services for which long-term program information exists, and acquires long-term program information.

  As described above, long-term program information for each service can be acquired. It is possible to display the acquired long-term program information as it is or to display only program information of a specific genre by searching according to genre information.

  However, in the prior art as described above, in order to acquire long-term program information, (1) switching to receive a transport stream in which presence / absence information of long-term program information is multiplexed, (2) switching The presence / absence information is acquired in the transport stream, and (3) long-term program information about the required service is acquired based on the presence / absence information. For this reason, there is a problem that it takes a long time for the long-term program information to be displayed on the screen after the listener operates the receiver to display the long-term program information.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a digital communication system that solves the above-described problems and can quickly acquire long-term program information.

  In the present invention, at the transmission side, at least one transport stream is used as a specific transport stream, long-term program information of each service is multiplexed on the specific transport stream, and long-term program information is stored for each service. Each service that is multiplexed on all transport streams including at least one service and whether or not multiplexed on a specific transport stream is multiplexed on a transport stream that is being received on the receiving side. If there is a need to obtain and retain information about whether or not long-term program information exists for a service, the long-term program information for the service exists based on the presence / absence information held in advance. It is characterized by judging whether or not to do

  Since the presence / absence information of the long-term program information is multiplexed in a transport stream other than the specific transport stream, the presence / absence information can be acquired even when a stream other than the specific transport stream is received. it can. In particular, if multiplexing is performed for all transport streams, presence / absence information can be acquired and held in advance even when any transport stream is received. Therefore, when long-term program information is required, long-term program information can be acquired immediately based on the stored presence / absence information after switching the transport stream. Therefore, long-term program information can be obtained quickly.

  Further, by multiplexing the presence / absence information in all transport streams not including the service, the presence / absence information can be acquired even when such a transport stream is received.

  In the present invention, presence / absence information is described in a service description table (SDT). In any transport stream, the service description table has an area for describing all services of all transport streams. Therefore, presence / absence information about each service can be easily described.

  In the present invention, presence / absence information is described in a network information table (NIT). In any transport stream, the network information table has an area (description loop for each transport stream) describing all services of all transport streams. Therefore, presence / absence information about each service can be easily described.

  In this invention, the receiving side acquires and holds the presence / absence information for all services at predetermined intervals during the receiving operation. Therefore, the presence / absence information can be updated to the latest information every predetermined time.

  In this invention, the receiving side acquires and holds the presence / absence information for all services when the power is turned off. Since it is time for the listener to turn off the power to stop listening, it can take time to acquire presence / absence information.

  In the present invention, the acquired long-term program information is searched on the receiving side. Therefore, it is possible to quickly display long-term program information with a limited genre.

  In the present invention, “long-term program information multiplexing means” means means for multiplexing long-term program information in a transport stream. In the embodiment, the SI generation unit SG2 and the multiplexing unit MX2 in FIG. 1 correspond to this.

  “Long-term program information” refers to information including information on at least a program scheduled to be broadcast in the future after a program scheduled to be broadcast next to the current program. In the embodiment, S_EIT in FIG. 20 corresponds to this. Here, “program” refers to index information of contents transmitted in broadcasting. Broadcast schedules such as when computer programs and data are broadcast with a schedule are also included in the concept of programs described here.

  “Presence / absence information multiplexing means” refers to means for multiplexing presence / absence information in a transport stream. In the embodiment, the SI generation unit SG1 and the SG3 multiplexing unit MX1 and MX3 in FIG. 1 correspond to this.

  “Presence / absence information” is information indicating whether or not long-term program information about a service is multiplexed in a specific transport stream. In the embodiment, the descriptors () of FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 correspond to this. The EITSchedule Flag in FIG. 15 also corresponds to this.

  “Specific transport stream” refers to a transport stream in which long-term program information is multiplexed. In the embodiment, this is the transport stream TS2. In the embodiment, there is only one specific transport stream, but a plurality of specific transport streams may exist.

  “Presence / absence information holding means” refers to means for acquiring and holding presence / absence information. In the embodiment, the CPU 847 (particularly steps S34, S35, S36) and the service information management memory 842 in FIG. 8 correspond to this.

  “Long-term program information acquisition means” refers to means for determining the presence or absence of long-term program information for a service based on the presence / absence information and acquiring long-term program information only for a service for which long-term program information exists. In the embodiment, the CPU 847 (particularly steps S47 and S48) in FIG. 8 corresponds to this.

  “Receiving device” means a device that can selectively receive a desired transport stream and service from a plurality of transport streams, and includes a so-called set top box, a receiver including a CRT, and the like. It is.

  The “recording medium on which a program is recorded” refers to a recording medium such as a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a flexible disk, and a CD-ROM on which a program executable by the CPU is recorded. The program includes not only a program that can be directly executed by the CPU but also a program that needs to be installed once, a program that is compressed, and a program that is encrypted.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

  1. Overall Configuration of System (1) Transmitting Device FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a transmitting device in a digital broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, video / audio data SVD11 is the content of service SV11. Similarly, the video / audio data SVD12, SVD13, SVD14, SVD21, SVD22, SVD23, SVD24, SVD31, SVD32, SVD33, SVD34 are services SV12, SV13, SV14, SV21, SV22, SV23, SV31, SV31, SV31, SV31, SV31, SV31, SV31, SV31, , SV33, SV34 content. Depending on the service, only audio data may be content, and only video may be content.

  The video / audio data SVD11 is compressed by MPEG or the like in the encoder unit E11. Similarly, the video / audio data SVD12, SVD13, SVD14 are also compressed in the encoder units E12, E13, E14, respectively. These compressed data are packetized and multiplexed in the multiplexing unit MX1 to form a transport stream TS1. The transport stream TS1 is modulated and transmitted by the modulation unit MD1. In the case of satellite broadcasting, it is sent to the receiver via an artificial satellite.

  Similarly, the video / audio data SVD21, SVD22, SVD23, and SVD24 are compressed by the encoder unit E2, multiplexed by the multiplexing unit MX2, then modulated by the modulation unit MD2, and transmitted as the transport stream TS2. Similarly, the video / audio data SVD31, SVD32, SVD33, and SVD34 are transmitted as the transport stream TS3.

  Note that the SI generation unit SG1 has information about the network (frequency of each transport stream, information on polarization plane, service name multiplexed on each transport stream, etc.) and services multiplexed on each transport stream. Information (such as presence / absence information of long-term program information and service names) and program information (such as program names scheduled to be broadcast in each service) are received, and control data is generated based on these information. When multiplexing the video / audio data, the multiplexing unit MX1 also multiplexes the control data generated by the SI generation unit SG1. Similarly, the multiplexing units MX2 and MX3 also multiplex the control data generated by the SI generation units SG2 and SG3, respectively.

  The SI generation unit SG2 generates long-term program information S_EIT (Schedule Event information Table) for each service based on the given program information. However, this is not generated for services that do not require long-term program information.

  The long-term program information S_EIT (Schedule Event Information Table) is generated only in the SI generation unit SG2, and is not generated in the SI generation units SG1 and SG3. Accordingly, long-term program information S_EIT (Schedule Event information Table) of each service is multiplexed only in the transport stream TS2. That is, in this embodiment, the transport stream TS2 is a specific transport stream.

  Further, when the long-term program information S_EIT is generated, the SI generation unit SG2 generates presence / absence information as to whether or not the long-term program information S_EIT exists for each service. This presence / absence information is also multiplexed in the multiplexing unit MX2 as part of the control data.

  Further, the presence / absence information generated in the SI generation unit SG2 is given to the SI generation units SG1 and SG3. The SI generation units SG1 and SG3 multiplex the presence / absence information as part of the control data in the multiplexing units MX1 and MX3. In this way, presence / absence information is multiplexed in all transport streams.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the SI generation unit SG2 and the multiplexing unit MX2 constitute long-term program information multiplexing means, and the SI generation units SG1 and SG3 and the multiplexing units MX1 and MX3 constitute presence / absence information multiplexing means. ing. In FIG. 1, four services are multiplexed in one transport stream, but may be three or less and five or more. Also, although three transport streams TS1, TS2, and TS3 are shown, more (for example, about several tens to hundreds) transport streams are generated in satellite broadcasting.

  (2) Receiving Device FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a receiving device in the digital broadcasting system according to one embodiment of the present invention. A radio wave transmitted from the transmitter as a ground wave or via a satellite is captured by the antenna 18. The transport stream selection unit 20 selects a frequency and selectively receives one transport stream. The service selection unit 22 selects one service from a plurality of services multiplexed in the transport stream and provides the selected service to the output unit 24. The output unit 24 decompresses (decompresses) the compressed data and outputs video / audio of the selected service.

  The presence / absence information holding unit 26 separates / acquires / holds the presence / absence information indicating the presence / absence of the long-term program information S_EIT multiplexed in the transport stream, and holds it. Thereby, it is possible to know whether or not the long-term program information S_EIT is multiplexed in the specific transport stream (here, the transport stream TS2) for each of the services. As described above, the presence / absence information is multiplexed in all the transport streams, so that the presence / absence information can be acquired and held regardless of which service is received.

  The long-term program information acquisition unit 28 determines whether or not there is long-term program information for each service based on the presence / absence information held in the presence / absence information holding unit 26 in advance. After that, the specific transport stream is received, and processing for obtaining long-term program information is performed only for a service in which long-term program information S_EIT exists. The obtained long-term program information is displayed on the output unit 24 after processing such as search.

  As described above, in the communication system according to this embodiment, the presence / absence information of long-term program information for each service is multiplexed in all transport streams, and the presence / absence information is held in advance in the receiving apparatus. Therefore, the long-term program information acquisition process can be performed quickly.

  In this embodiment, presence / absence information holding means is configured by the presence / absence information holding unit 26, and long-term program information acquisition unit is configured by the long-term program information acquisition unit 28.

  2. Details of Transmitting Device FIG. 3 shows details of a part that generates the transport stream TS1 of the transmitting device of FIG. The video data SVD11 (V) of the service SV11 is compressed by the video encoder 30. The compressed video data is given as an ES (elementary stream) to a FIFO memory (first-in first-out memory) 34 at a variable rate. The FIFO memory 34 outputs the video data ES to the packetizing circuit 38 at a fixed rate.

  The packetizing circuit 38 divides the video data ES into fixed-length packets (for example, a packet having a length of 188 bytes), and writes it into the memory 42 as PES (packetized ES). At this time, each PES is written with a packet identifier (PID).

  The audio data SVD 11 (A) of the service SV 11 is compressed by the audio encoder 32 and supplied to the FIFO memory 36 in the same manner as the video data. Further, the packetizing circuit 40 converts the packet into a fixed-length packet, adds the PID, and writes the packet in the memory 44.

  The packet multiplexing controller 46 reads the video data and audio data PES stored in the memories 42 and 44 in accordance with the encoding speed. Also, the PID attached to the PES of the video data and the audio data is given to the PMT generation circuit 48. In response to this, the PMT generation circuit 48 generates control data PMT (Program Map Table). In the control data PMT, the PID attached to the PES of the video data and audio data of the service is described. The packet multiplexing controller 46 time-division-multiplexes the read video data, audio data PES, and their control data PMT and writes them in the memory 50.

  As described above, time division multiplexed data for the service SV 11 is generated and stored in the memory 50.

  Similarly for the other services SV12, SV13, SV14, the video data SVD12 (V), the audio data SVD12 (A), the video data SVD13 (V), the audio data SVD13 (A), by the encoders E12, E13, E14. The video data SVD14 (V) and audio data SVD14 (A) are compressed. The compressed ES is packetized by the packetizing units PT12, PT13, and PT14 to form a PES, and time-division multiplexed by the video / audio multiplexing units AVMX12, AVMX13, and AVMX14. The time division multiplexed data for the services SV12, SV13, SV14 are stored in the memories 52, 54, 56, respectively.

  The configurations of the encoders E12, E13, E14 are the same as the encoder E11. The configurations of the packetizing units PT12, PT13, and PT14 are the same as those of the packetizing unit PT11. The configuration of the video / audio multiplexing unit AVMX12, AVMX13, and AVMX14 is the same as that of the video / audio multiplexing unit AVMX11.

  The SI generation circuit SG1 receives network information, service information, program information, and the like, and generates control data NIT, SDT, P_EIT, F_EIT, and the like. Control data P_EIT (Present EIT) is information indicating a program that is currently being broadcast, and is generated for each service. The control data F_EIT (Following EIT) is information indicating a program scheduled to be broadcast next to the program currently being broadcast, and is generated for each service. The SI generation circuit SG1 generates control data P_EIT11 to PEIT14 and F_EIT11 to F_EIT14 for the services SV11 to SV14 multiplexed in the transport stream TS1.

  Control data SDT (Service Description Table) is information describing the details of each service multiplexed in each transport stream, and is generated for each transport stream. That is, the SI generation circuit SG1 generates control data SDT1 for the transport stream TS1, control data SDT2 for the transport stream TS2, and control data SDT3 for the transport stream TS3. Control data SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 are also generated in other SI generation circuits SG2 and SG3 (see FIG. 1).

  The control data NIT (Network Information Table) describes information such as the frequency and polarization plane of each transport stream TS1 to TS3 and information such as service IDs multiplexed in each transport stream. ing. With the control data NIT, it is possible to know which service is multiplexed in which transport stream. The control NIT also describes which transport stream is a specific transport stream (a transport stream in which long-term program information is multiplexed).

  These control data NIT, SDT, P_EIT, and F_EIT are packetized in the packetizing circuit PTS. Further, the PID is added and stored in the memory 58.

  The general packet multiplexing controller 60 reads the PES and control data packets stored in the memories 50, 52, 54, 56, and 58. Further, the PID attached to each packet is given to the PAT generation circuit 62. In response to this, the PAT generation circuit 62 generates control data PAT (Program Association Table). In the control data PAT, the PID of the control data PMT (see the PMT generation circuit 48) describing the packet identifier (PID) of the PES of each service is described. The general packet multiplexing controller 60 time-division-multiplexes the read PES of each service and their control data PAT and outputs them from the terminal 64.

  The transport stream TS1 is generated as described above. Note that the transport streams TS2 and TS3 are also generated by the same configuration as in FIG. However, since the transport stream TS2 is a specific transport stream that multiplexes long-term program information, the SI generation circuit SG2 generates long-term program information S_EIT for necessary services. The description of the control data SDT generated by the SI generation circuit SG2 is partially different from the description of the control data generated by the other SI generation circuits SG1 and SG3. This point will be described later.

  FIG. 4 shows data multiplexed in each of the transport streams TS1, TS2, and TS3 generated as described above. ES (A) is audio data, and ES (V) is video data. NIT, PAT, PMT, SDT, P_EIT, F_EIT, and S_EIT are the control data described above. Of these, it is clear from the figure that the long-term program information S_EIT is multiplexed only in the specific transport stream TS2.

  FIG. 5 shows a data structure of the control data NIT generated by the SI generation circuit. In order to describe the data shown in the upper row 302, the number of bits shown in the lower row 303 is allocated. “Table id” 304 describes an identifier for identifying that the control data is NIT. “Network id” 305 is an identifier for identifying this network. In “descriptor tag”, “descriptor length”, and “descriptor ()” 306, the area 307 describes which specific transport stream is multiplexed with the long-term program information S_EIT. The “description for each transport stream” 308 is repeated by the number of transport streams K (here, 3) to secure a description area. i = 0: i <K: i ++ represents this. The “description for each transport stream” 308 includes a service ID (identifier, for specifying an effective service) multiplexed in each transport stream in a service list descriptor area (not shown). Information is described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control data NIT is transmitted with the same contents multiplexed in the transports TS1, TS2, and TS3.

  FIG. 6 shows the data structure of the control data SDT generated by the SI generation circuit. In order to describe the data shown in the upper stage 202, the number of bits shown in the lower stage 203 is assigned. In “table id” 204, an identifier for indicating that the control data is SDT is described. The control data SDT is generated as SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 for each of the transport streams TS1, TS2, and TS3. In each transport stream, not only SDTs related to its own transport stream but also SDTs related to other transport streams are multiplexed (see FIG. 4). In “table id” 204, “0x42” is described in the case of SDT related to its own transport stream, and “0x46” is described in the case of SDT related to another transport stream.

  In “transport stream id” 205, an identifier of a transport stream in which the service described in this SDT is multiplexed is described. The identifier of the transport stream TS1 is described for the control data SDT1, the identifier of the transport stream TS2 is described for the control data SDT2, and the identifier of the transport stream TS3 is described for the control data SDT3. The description of “service id” 206 to “descripters ()” 209 is repeated for the number N of services (here, 4). The description of i = 0: i <N: i ++ represents this.

  “Service id” 206 is an identifier of a service. The “EIT schedule flag” 208 includes a flag (presence / absence information) indicating the presence / absence of long-term program information for each service if the transport stream to which this SDT is multiplexed is a specific transport stream (here, TS2). Described. That is, in SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 multiplexed in the transport stream TS2, when there is long-term program information (multiplexed), there is no “1” in the “EIT schedule flag” 208 (multiplexing) If not, “0” is described in “EIT schedule flag” 208 for each service.

  If the transport stream on which this SDT is multiplexed is not a specific transport stream (here, TS1, TS3), the “EIT schedule flag” 208 includes all services regardless of the presence of long-term program information. “0” is described. That is, in SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 multiplexed in the transport streams TS1 and TS3, “0” is described in the “EIT schedule flag” 208.

  Note that the SI generation circuit SG2 of the specific transport stream TS2 sends a flag indicating the presence or absence of long-term program information for each service to the other SI generation circuits SG1 and SG3. In response to this, the SI generation circuits SG1 and SG3 describe this flag in “descripters ()” 209 of the control data SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3. Therefore, also in SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 of transport streams TS1 and TS3, the presence or absence of long-term program information for each service can be known by looking at the description of “descripters ()” 209.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control data SDT generation process by the SI generation circuit SG. First, in step S1, an SDT section of the transport stream is generated based on the input service information. Next, the presence information of long-term program information is acquired about a service (step S2). The acquired presence / absence information is described in “descriptors ()” (step S3).

  Next, it is determined whether steps S2 and S3 have been executed for all the services in the transport stream (step S4). If there is an unprocessed service, the next service is targeted (step S5), and step S2 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed.

  When the processing is completed for all the services in the transport stream, generation of one SDT for the transport stream is completed. Next, proceeding to step S6, it is determined whether or not SDT has been generated for all transport streams. If there is an unprocessed transport stream, step S1 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed for the next transport stream.

  As described above, an SDT corresponding to each transport stream is generated.

  14, 15, and 16 show the description of the SDT generated by the above processing in the case of multiplexing as shown in FIG. 4. 14 shows SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 multiplexed on the transport stream TS1, FIG. 15 shows SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 multiplexed on the transport stream TS2, and FIG. 16 shows the transport stream TS3. Shows SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 to be multiplexed.

  In the above embodiment, the presence / absence information is generated by the SI generation circuit SG2 and given to the other SI generation circuits SG1 and SG3. However, the presence / absence information is generated by other circuits and software, and the SI generation circuit SG1, You may make it give to SG2 and SG3.

  Note that the presence / absence information does not have to be described in “descripters ()” 209 of SDT1, SDT2, and SDT3 multiplexed in the specific transport stream TS2, but these are considered if simplification of reception processing is considered. It is also preferable to describe presence / absence information.

  In the above embodiment, the presence / absence information is described in “descripters ()” 209, but may be described in another area as long as the area can be described in association with the service. For example, “reserved future use” 207 may be described. Alternatively, it may be described in “descriptors ()” 309 in the area 308 of the control data NIT shown in FIG. Area 308 is an area that is repeatedly described for each transport stream (description loop for each transport), and “descriptors ()” 309 is an area that is repeatedly described for each service.

  FIG. 20 shows a data structure of long-term program information S_EIT generated by the SI generation circuit SG2. In order to describe the data shown in the upper stage 2002, the number of bits shown in the lower stage 2003 is allocated. In “table id” 2004, an identifier for indicating that the control data is S_EIT is described. Since S_EIT is generated for each service, “service id” 2005 describes the ID of the service in which long-term program information is described by this S_EIT. From “event id” 2006 to “descriptor ()” 2009, an area is secured repeatedly for each event (that is, program). Therefore, for each program identified by the event ID (event id), the start time “start time” 2007, the duration “duration” 2008, and the details “descriptor ()” 2009 are described. Note that “descriptor ()” 2009 also describes the genre of the program (eg, Western, Japanese, sports, etc.).

  In this embodiment, program information for four days is described in one S_EIT. In addition, for one service, up to one week ahead of program information is described in S_EIT. Therefore, a plurality of S_EITs are generated for one service, such as S_EIT describing program information for four days including today and S_EIT for four days thereafter. These S_EITs are assigned different table IDs (table ids) so that they can be distinguished.

  In FIG. 4, only one S_EIT is shown for one service, but actually, a plurality of S_EITs having different table IDs (table ids) are multiplexed.

  In the above embodiment, presence / absence information is multiplexed in all transport streams including services. However, the presence / absence information may be multiplexed on one or more transport streams other than the specific transport stream, not all the transport streams. Further, presence / absence information may be multiplexed not only for all transport streams including services but also for all transport streams not including services (for example, transport streams including only control data).

  3. Details of Receiving Device FIG. 8 shows a hardware configuration when the receiving device of FIG. 2 is implemented using a CPU. The antenna 831 captures radio waves from the transmission device and supplies the radio waves to the tuner 832. The tuner 832 selectively receives one transport stream in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 847. Further, tuner 832 performs demodulation processing, error correction processing, and the like, and outputs the result to TS decoder 841.

  The TS decoder 841 separates video / audio data of a desired service from a plurality of services (video and audio data) multiplexed in the transport stream according to a packet identifier (PID) set by the CPU 847. The separated video data is given to the video decoder 837 via the FIFO memory 836 and decompressed (decompressed or expanded). The video data is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 838, and displayed on a monitor 840 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT through a screen synthesis circuit 839. Note that the character data written in the video RAM (VRAM) 846 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 845 and is supplied to the screen composition circuit 839. As a result, characters and the like can be displayed over the video.

  The separated audio data is given to the audio decoder via the FIFO memory 833, and the compression is released (expanded). The sound data is output as sound at the speaker 835.

  The service information management memory 842 stores a list of services and presence / absence information on long-term program information for each service. In the program information memory 843, the acquired long-term program information is recorded.

  The remote control operation unit 849 accepts a viewer's viewing start, service designation, a long-term program information display instruction, a program information genre search instruction, and the like, and outputs them to the microcomputer 848 of the receiving apparatus main body.

  The CPU 847 controls the tuner 832, the TS decoder 841, and the like. A control program is recorded in the memory 844. The control program may be a program that functions alone, or may function on the premise of an operating system (such as Microsoft Windows CE). Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the memory 844 is provided with areas as various buffers.

  FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the basic reception processing program recorded in the memory 844. In the following description, it is assumed that a command to switch to the service SV12 of the transport stream TS1 is issued from the remote control operation unit 849, assuming that the service SV33 of the transport stream TS3 is received. Note that, as shown in FIG. 4, control data and image / audio data are multiplexed in each transport stream TS1, TS2, TS3.

  A service switching command from the remote control operation unit 849 is given to the microcomputer 848 and held in the remote control input buffer 906 (see FIG. 9) of the memory 844. This command is given to the CPU 847.

  First, the CPU 847 sets the PID of the control data PAT3 in the TS decoder 841, acquires the PAT3 of the currently received transport stream, and holds it in the PAT reception buffer 902 of the memory 844 (step S11). Next, it is determined whether the desired service SV12 is described in the acquired PAT3. That is, it is determined whether or not the desired service SV12 is multiplexed in the currently received transport stream TS3 (step S12). Here, since the service SV12 is not multiplexed in the transport stream TS3, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the NIT PID is obtained based on the acquired description of PAT3. Next, the CPU 847 sets the NIT PID in the TS decoder 841, takes in the control data NIT multiplexed in the transport stream TS3, and records it in the NIT reception buffer 901 of the memory 844 (step S14). In the control data NIT, a service ID multiplexed in each transport stream is described. In response to this, the CPU 847 knows that the service SV12 desired to be received is multiplexed in the transport stream TS1 (step S15).

  Next, the CPU 847 controls the tuner 832 to receive the transport stream TS1 (step S16). Further, the packet ID of the control data PAT1 (see FIG. 4) is set in the TS decoder 841, and the control data PAT1 is fetched and recorded in the PAT reception buffer of the memory 844 (step S17). The control data PAT1 further describes packet IDs of the control data PMT11, PMT12, PMT13, and PMT14.

  The CPU 847 obtains the packet ID of the control data PMT12 of the service SV12 desired to be received from the fetched control data PAT1 (step S18). Next, the CPU 847 sets this packet ID in the TS decoder 841 and takes in the control data PMT12 (step S19). Further, the CPU 847 obtains the packet IDs of the image data ES (A) 12 and the audio data ES (V) 12 of the service SV 12 that are desired to be received from the control data PMT 12 (step S20).

  Next, the CPU 847 sets this packet ID in the TS decoder 841. As a result, the image data ES (A) 12 and audio data ES (V) 12 of the service SV 12 are output from the TS decoder 841 and given to the FIFO memories 836 and 833. As described above, the service to be received is switched.

  FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the presence / absence information recording processing program recorded in the memory 844. This presence / absence information recording processing program is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals (for example, every two hours) by a timer interrupt or the like during the basic reception processing.

  Here, the description will be made assuming that the service SV12 of the transport stream TS1 is currently received. First, the CPU 847 analyzes the control data PAT recorded in the PAT reception buffer 902 of the memory 844, and recognizes that the currently received transport stream is TS1. That is, the transport stream ID is recognized (step S31). Since the presence / absence information recording process is performed during the basic reception process, control data PAT and NIT are recorded in the memory 844.

  Next, the CPU 847 analyzes the control data NIT recorded in the NIT reception buffer 901 of the memory 844, and uses the service information management memory as a service information management table with a list of services and a transport stream in which the service is multiplexed. Recorded in 842. FIG. 12 shows a service information management table. The ID is recorded for both the service and the transport stream.

  Next, the CPU 847 acquires the transport stream ID that appears first in the service information management table (here, 0x0001, that is, TS1), and determines whether this is equal to the currently received transport stream ID (step S33). . Currently, the transport stream TS1 is being received, and since both are equal, the process proceeds to step S34.

  In step S34, the PID of the SDT is set in the TS decoder 841, and table id = “0x42” and service ID (service id) = “0x0011” are set in the TS decoder 841. As a result, SDT1 of the transport stream TS1 can be acquired and recorded in the SDT reception buffer 904 of the memory 844. Next, the CPU 847 analyzes the “descriptors ()” area of the acquired control data SDT1 (see FIG. 14), and acquires presence / absence information. In the “descriptors ()” area, presence / absence information of services SV11 to SV14 multiplexed in the transport stream TS1 is described. This is recorded in the presence / absence information column of the services SV11 to SV14 in the service information management table (step S36).

  Next, it is determined whether or not processing has been performed for all transport streams (that is, all services) (step S37). If not, step S33 and subsequent steps are repeated for the next transport stream (step S38).

  If the transport stream ID (transport stream id) of the target service is not equal to the currently received transport stream ID (transport stream id), the table ID (table id) is “ 0x46 ". Thereby, SDT can be acquired.

  When the process is completed for all the transport streams, the presence / absence information recording process is terminated. The service information management table obtained in this way is shown in FIG.

  In the above description, the recording process is performed for each transport stream. However, the recording process may be performed for each service.

  In this embodiment, the presence / absence information recording process is performed every predetermined time, but the presence / absence information recording process may be performed every time specific control data is received. Further, the presence / absence information recording process may be performed when there is a margin in the processing of the CPU.

  Further, the presence / absence information recording process may be performed before the power is turned off when a command to turn off the power of the receiving apparatus is given from the remote control operation unit 849.

  FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of the genre search processing program recorded in the memory 844. Here, the genre search process is a process of selecting and displaying a program of a desired genre based on genre information included in long-term program information. In the following description, it is assumed that a genre search is performed in a state where the service SV12 of the transport stream TS1 is currently received.

  When a genre search command is issued from the remote control unit 849, the microcomputer 848 notifies the CPU 847 of this. In response to this, the CPU 847 starts the genre search process of FIG.

  First, the CPU 847 writes the data of the genre search screen in the VRAM 846 in step S41. Thereby, the genre search screen as shown in FIG. 18 is displayed on the monitor 840. The listener can select a genre to be searched by operating the cursor key (arrow key) of the remote control operation unit 849. In FIG. 18, the movie is selected as a genre. In this state, when a determination button (search execution command) on the remote control operation unit 849 is pressed, a search execution command for a program belonging to the genre of the Western movie is given to the microcomputer 848. In response to the search execution instruction from the microcomputer 848, the CPU 847 proceeds to step S43 and subsequent steps.

  The CPU 847 analyzes the NIT stored in the NIT reception buffer 901 of the memory 844 and recognizes in which transport stream the long-term program information S_EIT is multiplexed. Next, the CPU 847 determines whether or not the currently received transport stream (here, TS1) matches the specific transport stream (here, TS2) in which the long-term program information S_EIT is multiplexed (step S44). ). Here, since they do not match, the tuner 832 is controlled and the specific transport stream TS2 is received (step S45).

  Next, the content of the presence / absence information is acquired for the service on the first line of the service information management table (FIG. 13) (step S46). The first line is a description of the service SV11, and the presence / absence information is “present”. Thereby, it can be known that the long-term program information S_EIT for this service SV11 is multiplexed.

  In this embodiment, since the presence / absence information is recorded in the service information management table in advance, it can be immediately read from the memory 842 and used when necessary. Therefore, processing can be speeded up.

  When the presence / absence information is “present”, the process proceeds from step S47 to step S48, and the S_EIT PID is set in the TS decoder 841, and the table ID (table id) and the service ID (service id) are set in the TS decoder 841. To do. As a result, the TS decoder 84 acquires only S_EIT in which the table id and serviceid match among the S_EITs.

  As the service id, the service ID (service id) of the current service SV11, that is, “0x0011” is set. Further, one S_EIT 11 describes long-term program information for four days. By sending a plurality of pieces of long-term program information, one week of long-term program information can be acquired. Therefore, the table ID (table id) of the plurality of S_EITs 11 is set to obtain long-term program information for one week.

  The CPU 847 analyzes the acquired description of the S_EIT and writes program information about the service in the program information table as shown in FIG. In the program information table, service ID, event ID, broadcast date, broadcast time, program name, genre, and the like are described and stored in the program information memory 843.

  As described above, for the service having presence / absence information “present”, in step S48, S_EIT is acquired and the content is recorded in the program information table. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S49.

  For a service with presence / absence information “none”, the process proceeds to step S49 without performing the acquisition process of step S48.

  In step S49, it is determined whether or not all services have been processed. If an unprocessed service remains in the service information management table, step S46 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed for the service on the next row (step S50).

  When the above processing is repeated and the processing for all services is completed, a program information table as shown in FIG. 21 is recorded in the program information memory 843. Next, the CPU 847 searches for the genre information in the program information table in accordance with the search content instruction. Here, only programs whose genre is a Western movie are extracted. The CPU 847 writes the program information extracted in this way into the VRAM 846 and displays it on the monitor 840.

  FIG. 19 shows a search result display screen. The listener can reserve the reception of the program by selecting the program with the remote control operation unit 849 on the search result display screen. In other words, the CPU 847 stores the service ID, event ID, broadcast date, broadcast start time, and the like of the selected program in the memory 844, thereby referring to the calendar and clock of the receiving device and displaying the program at the time. Receive automatically.

  In the above description, genre search has been described as an example where presence information or long-term program information is required. However, in addition to the genre search, it is generally applicable when searching based on the description content of the S_EIT, such as search by broadcast date, search by broadcast time, search by service, and the like.

  In addition, it can be applied not only to search but also to display long-term program information for all services, and the processing can be speeded up. In any case, according to this embodiment, it is possible to speed up the processing when the presence / absence information is required.

  In the above embodiment, every time a genre search command is issued from the remote control operation unit 849, the presence / absence information is referred to, S_EIT is acquired, and the program information table is recorded in the program information memory 843. However, when a genre search command is issued from the remote control operation unit 849 after storing the program information table, the search result is obtained by searching using the program information already recorded in the program information memory 843. Display can be made quickly. In this case, for example, every time a command to turn off the power of the receiving apparatus is given, the S_EIT acquisition process is performed to update the program information table. Alternatively, when a transport stream in which S_EIT is multiplexed is received, S_EIT acquisition processing is performed at a predetermined timing (for example, periodically) to update the program information table. Also good.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to unidirectional radio broadcasting has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to bidirectional broadcast. Further, the present invention can be similarly applied not only to wireless broadcasting but also to cable broadcasting such as cable television.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the video / audio data is broadcast has been described. However, even when the computer program or data is broadcast, the present invention can be applied to a program concept.

  In the above embodiment, the function of each block in FIG. 2 is realized using a CPU. However, part or all of the function may be configured by hardware logic.

It is a block diagram of the transmitting apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the receiver by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of a transmitter. It is a figure which shows the video / audio data and control data multiplexed by each transport stream. It is a figure which shows the data structure of control data NIT. It is a figure which shows the data structure of control data SDT. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation process of control data SDT. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a receiver. 4 is a diagram illustrating a buffer provided in a memory 844. FIG. It is a flowchart of a reception basic process. It is a flowchart of a presence information recording process. It is a figure which shows a service information management table. It is a figure which shows a service information management table. It is a figure which shows the description content of SDT multiplexed by transport stream TS1. It is a figure which shows the description content of SDT multiplexed by transport stream TS2. It is a figure which shows the description content of SDT multiplexed by transport stream TS3. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a genre search process. It is a figure which shows a genre search screen. It is a screen which shows a search result. It is a figure which shows the data structure of long-term program information S_EIT. It is a figure which shows a program information table. It is a figure which shows the concept of satellite broadcasting. It is a figure which shows the data multiplexed by each transport stream. It is a figure which shows packetization typically. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a receiver.

Explanation of symbols

E1, E2, E3 ... encoder units MX1, MX2, MX3 ... multiplexing units SG1, SG2, SG3 ... SI generating unit 20 ... transport stream selecting unit 22 ... service selecting unit 24 ..Output unit 26 ... Presence / absence information holding unit 28 ... Long-term program information acquisition unit

Claims (8)

Long-term program information including at least one transport stream as a specific transport stream, and the specific transport stream including at least information on a program broadcast in the future after a program broadcast next to the current program in the service For each of the services, the presence / absence information on whether or not the long-term program information is multiplexed on the specific transport stream is received and multiplexed on all the transport streams, A receiving device that selects and receives a service from a plurality of services included in a stream,
Presence / absence information holding means for acquiring and holding the presence / absence information related to each service multiplexed in the transport stream being received;
When it is necessary to obtain long-term program information for a service, it is determined whether or not the long-term program information for the service exists based on the presence / absence information held in the presence / absence information holding unit. Long-term program information acquisition means for performing acquisition processing of the long-term program information for information existing;
A receiving device. The receiving apparatus according to claim 1.
The long-term program information acquisition means acquires long-term program information without changing the transport stream to be received if the transport stream currently being received is a transport stream in which the presence / absence information is multiplexed,
If the currently received transport stream is not the transport stream multiplexed with the presence / absence information, the received transport stream is changed to the transport stream multiplexed with the presence / absence information, and then the long-term program information is changed. A receiving device characterized by acquiring the information. The receiving device according to claim 1 or 2,
The presence / absence information holding unit acquires and holds the presence / absence information regarding all services at predetermined time intervals during a reception operation. The receiving device according to claim 1 or 2,
The receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presence / absence information holding unit acquires and holds the presence / absence information regarding all services when a power-off operation is performed. The receiving device according to claim 1, further comprising:
The long-term program information storage means for storing the long-term program information acquired by the long-term program information acquisition means; and a search reception means for receiving a search instruction for the program information;
Search execution means for searching the long-term program information stored in the long-term program information storage means according to the search instruction, and outputting a search result,
The long-term program information acquisition means starts processing by accepting the search instruction, stores the long-term program information in the long-term program information storage means,
The search execution means starts processing after the long-term program information acquisition means stores the long-term program information in the long-term program information storage means. Long-term program information including at least one transport stream as a specific transport stream, and the specific transport stream including at least information on a program broadcast in the future after a program broadcast next to the current program in the service For each of the services, the presence / absence information on whether or not the long-term program information is multiplexed on the specific transport stream is received and multiplexed on all the transport streams. A receiving device that selects and receives a service from a plurality of services included in a stream,
A transport stream selection unit that selects and receives the transport stream according to an instruction of a processing unit;
A separation unit that separates and acquires desired data from the transport stream selected by the transport stream selection unit according to an instruction of the processing unit;
A processing unit that controls operations of the transport stream selection unit and the separation unit;
A program recording unit that records a program that defines the processing content of the processing unit;
A data recording unit for recording data,
The processing unit is executed by the program.
Wherein when receiving the desired transport stream in a separation unit, and recorded in the data recording unit acquires the presence information on each service multiplexed into the transport stream,
When receiving a long-term program information acquisition command for a desired service, the presence / absence information recorded in the data recording unit determines whether the long-term program information for the service exists,
For those for which the long-term program information does not exist, the acquisition process is not performed,
For those in which the long-term program information exists, the transport stream selection unit is controlled to receive the transport stream in which the long-term program information is multiplexed, and the separation unit is controlled to control the transport stream. A receiving apparatus that executes processing for separating and acquiring the long-term program information from a stream. Long-term program information including at least one transport stream as a specific transport stream, and the specific transport stream including at least information on a program broadcast in the future after a program broadcast next to the current program in the service For each of the services, the presence / absence information on whether or not the long-term program information is multiplexed on the specific transport stream is received and multiplexed on all the transport streams. A recording medium recording a program for controlling a process of selecting and receiving a service from a plurality of services included in a stream,
The program is
Wherein when receiving the desired transport stream in a separation unit, and recorded in the data recording unit acquires the presence information on each service multiplexed into the transport stream,
When receiving a long-term program information acquisition command for a desired service, the presence / absence information recorded in the data recording unit determines whether the long-term program information for the service exists,
For those for which the long-term program information does not exist, the acquisition process is not performed,
For those in which the long-term program information exists, the transport stream selection unit is controlled to receive a transport stream in which the long-term program information is multiplexed, and the separation unit is controlled to control the transport stream. A recording medium having recorded thereon a program for controlling to acquire the long-term program information separately from a stream. Long-term program information including at least one transport stream as a specific transport stream, and the specific transport stream including at least information on a program broadcast in the future after a program broadcast next to the current program in the service For each of the services, the presence / absence information on whether or not the long-term program information is multiplexed on the specific transport stream is received and multiplexed on all the transport streams. A communication method for selecting and receiving a service from a plurality of services included in a stream,
Acquiring and holding the presence / absence information for each of the services multiplexed in the transport stream being received;
When it is necessary to obtain long-term program information for a service, it is determined whether or not the long-term program information for the service exists based on the presence / absence information held in the presence / absence information holding unit. A long-term program information acquisition process is performed for information that exists.

Images