JP7313972B2 - Receiver and terminal equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to receivers and terminal devices.

In terrestrial digital television broadcasting, BS digital broadcasting, and broadband CS digital broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as "digital broadcasting"), hybridcast-based broadcasting and communication cooperation services have already been provided. Non-Patent Document 1 describes that even in the advanced BS digital broadcasting service started in December 2018, it is possible to operate a multimedia service equivalent to Hybridcast, as in the above digital broadcasting. In Non-Patent Document 1, as a device for receiving advanced BS digital broadcasting, in addition to a receiver dedicated to advanced BS digital broadcasting, the operation of a receiver compatible with both digital broadcasting (conventional) and advanced BS digital broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as "common receiver") is specified. In addition, Non-Patent Document 1 defines a hasCapability method that can be called from a Hybridcast application program (also called an "app"). This hasCapability method is a method for confirming whether or not the receiver on which the application is running is a shared receiver, and which broadcast media can be used.

In addition, Patent Document 1 describes a technology for starting and using a Hybridcast application starting from a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet, in addition to starting a Hybridcast application starting from a conventional TV broadcast. In other words, cooperative operation between the application of the terminal device and the application of the receiver is possible.

JP 2015-146478 A

"Digital Broadcasting Multimedia Coding Method (Second Generation) Standard", ARIB STD-B62, Version 1.9, Volume 2, April 12, 2018, Association of Radio Industries and Businesses "Advanced Broadband Satellite Digital Broadcasting Operational Regulations Technical Data", ARIB TR-B39, Version 1.7, Volume 1, April 12, 2018, Association of Radio Industries and Businesses

Hybridcast apps, especially broadcast managed apps, need to be launched while the receiver is receiving the organization service for the specified broadcast media. Therefore, in order to start the Hybridcast application starting from the terminal device as described in Patent Document 1, the terminal device needs to know in advance the broadcasting schemes, broadcasting media, and programming services that can be received by the receivers with which it is linked.

"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 describe the Capabilities object possessed by the receiver and its hasCapability method. The Capabilities object holds information about the capabilities provided by the application engine and receiver platform. The hasCapability method returns as a function value whether the application engine or receiver platform has a specific capability (specified by the method argument). By calling this method, an application can learn what broadcast media is available to the receiver it is working on.
However, this means shown in Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2 can only be called after the application is started. Therefore, there is a problem that the terminal device cannot acquire information about receivable broadcasts before starting the application.

In addition, in a receiver (common receiver) compatible with multiple broadcasting systems and broadcasting media, when an application activation command is received from a terminal device, even if the activation command includes information on the programming service to be activated on the receiver side, it is difficult to reliably select the correct broadcasting system and broadcasting media programming service and activate the application.

The present invention has been made based on the recognition of the above problem, and in a system in which a receiver that receives broadcasts and an external terminal device cooperate, it is an object of the present invention to provide a receiver and a terminal device that allow the terminal device to grasp the status of broadcast reception by the receiver before an application is started on the receiver side.

[A1] In order to solve the above problems, a receiver according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a tuner unit that selects a broadcast signal; an application execution unit that executes an application program for cooperation with broadcast communication; a terminal cooperation unit that receives an application activation command from an external terminal device including application specific information for identifying an application program and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal; It comprises a tuner control section for controlling tuning, and an application control section for activating the application program specified by the application specifying information so that the application execution section executes the application program.

[A2] In one aspect of the present invention, in the above-described receiver, the terminal linking unit inquires whether or not the application program specified by the application specifying information can be executed by transmitting the received application activation command to the application activation determination server device, and controls the application control unit to activate the application program only when the response from the application activation determination server device is "activation is permitted", and when the response from the application activation determination server device is "activation is not permitted", the application program is activated. It controls the application control unit so as not to start and transmits information indicating "startup not possible" to the terminal device.

[A3] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above-described receiver, the application execution unit executes the application program started based on the received application start instruction, thereby performing a process of transmitting a second start instruction for starting a second application program on the terminal device side to the terminal device.

[A4] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the receiver described above, the application execution unit executes the application program activated based on the received application activation instruction, thereby performing a process of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from the terminal device.

[A5] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above-described receiver, the tuner control unit outputs identification information of selectable organizing services for each broadcasting system or each broadcasting medium in response to an inquiry from the terminal device, and the terminal linking unit transmits identification information of selectable organizing services passed from the tuner control unit to the terminal device.

[A6] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above receiver, the tuner control unit outputs information specifying the currently selected organizing service in response to an inquiry from the terminal device, and the terminal linking unit transmits information specifying the currently selected organizing service, which is passed from the tuner control unit, to the terminal device.

[B1] Further, 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 cooperation with broadcasting and communication, a terminal cooperation unit that receives an application start command containing application specifying information for specifying an application program and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal from an external terminal device, and controls such that the tuner unit selects a specific broadcast signal based on information about a broadcast medium, a broadcasting system, and a programming service included in the channel selection information. A receiver comprising: a tuner control unit; and an application control unit that activates such that the application program specified by the application specifying information is executed by the application execution unit, wherein the tuner control unit determines whether or not the broadcast media specified by the channel selection information is receivable by the receiver based on the channel selection information included in the application activation command. The command is discarded, and information indicating that the broadcast media specified by the channel selection information is unreceivable is transmitted to the terminal device.

[B2] 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 cooperation with broadcast communication; a terminal cooperation unit that receives an application start command that includes application specifying information for specifying an application program and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal from an external terminal device; and an application control unit that activates the application program specified by the application specifying information to be executed by the application execution unit, wherein the tuner control unit outputs at least one of identification information of available broadcast media and information representing an available broadcast format in response to an inquiry from the terminal device, and the terminal cooperation unit transmits at least one of identification information of available broadcast media and information representing an available broadcast format passed from the tuner control unit to the terminal device. It is.

[B3] One aspect of the present invention is a terminal device, which transmits to the receiver of [B2] an application activation command containing application specifying information for specifying an application program and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal, inquires about at least one of the identification information of broadcasting media available to the receiver and information representing the broadcasting system available to the receiver, and receives a reply to the inquiry, thereby obtaining at least one of the identification information of the broadcasting media available to the receiver and information representing the broadcasting system available to the receiver. and a terminal device side application execution unit for determining.

[B4] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device described above, the terminal device side application execution unit performs a process of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from an application program activated on the receiver side based on the transmitted application activation command.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when starting the broadcasting-communication cooperation (Hybridcast) application of a receiver from a terminal device, it becomes possible to select the broadcasting system and broadcasting media which a receiver corresponds reliably, and to control tuning.

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 an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It 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 the terminal device according to the same embodiment. 10 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing on the terminal device side when starting the Hybridcast application of the receiver from the application running on the terminal device according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing exchanges between devices and functional units until a Hybridcast application is activated in a receiver according to an activation command from a terminal device according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data representing a list of available broadcast media, which is a response returned from the receiver to the terminal device according to the same embodiment. This is a response returned by the common receiver, and shows an example of data when all broadcast media are available. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data representing a list of available broadcast media, which is a response returned from the receiver to the terminal device according to the same embodiment. This is a response returned by the shared receiver, and shows an example of data when only part of the broadcast media is available. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data representing a list of available broadcast media, which is a response returned from the receiver to the terminal device according to the same embodiment. This is an example of a response returned by a digital broadcast receiver, showing an example of data when all broadcast media are available. It is an example of the application activation command (when the broadcast signal is TS system) which the terminal device according to the same embodiment transmits to the receiver. It is an example of the application activation command (when the broadcast signal is the MMT system) transmitted to the receiver by the terminal device according to the same embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will now 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 this embodiment. As shown, the system includes a receiver 1, a terminal device 2, an application activation determination server device 3, a service server device 4, a broadcast transmission device 7, a broadcast transmission device 8, and the Internet 9.
A plurality of devices such as the receiver 1, the terminal device 2, the application activation determination server device 3, 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 contained in the broadcast signal, and presents them to the outside. Further, the receiver 1 has a function corresponding to Hybridcast (broadcast and communication cooperation). That is, the receiver 1 has a function of performing communication using the Internet Protocol (IP). The receiver 1 also has a function of executing an application program (referred to as an "application", including a Hybridcast application). As a result, the receiver 1 can present content that integrates broadcasting and communication. Also, the receiver 1 communicates with the terminal device 2 . As a result, 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 activation 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 smart phone (smartphone), a tablet, a watch-type terminal, or a PC (personal computer). The terminal device 2 has a communication function, and can perform IP communication with the receiver 1 via a network such as a wireless LAN (local area network). An application can be executed on the terminal device 2 . Also, the application executed on the terminal device 2 cooperates with the application executed on the receiver 1, such as exchanging data.
The terminal device 2 can communicate with the service server device 4 via the Internet 9 .

The application activation determination server device 3 is a server device having a function of determining whether or not the Hybridcast application can be activated on the receiver 1 . Specifically, the application activation determination server device 3 determines whether or not the application can be activated based on the application activation command (whether activation is possible or not) in response to an inquiry about the application activation command transmitted from the receiver 1, and responds. Specifically, the application activation permission/inhibition determination server device 3 stores in advance a white list of pairs of information specifying an application and broadcast channel selection information (identification information of a broadcast scheduling service, etc.). Then, whether or not the application can be activated is determined according to whether the pair included in the received application activation instruction exists in the whitelist.

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

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

The Internet 9 is a network capable of IP communication.

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

The tuner unit 21 is a tuner for receiving broadcast signals according to the TS system.
The tuner unit 22 is a tuner that receives broadcast signals according to the MMT system.
Tuner units 21 and 22 receive broadcast signals transmitted from broadcast transmitters 7 and 8, respectively.
The tuner control section 23 controls the reception operation of the broadcast signal by the tuner sections 21 and 22 . Specifically, the tuner control unit 23 controls the tuner units 21 and 22 to execute the organization service of the designated broadcast media. Also, the tuner control unit 23 monitors the states of the tuner units 21 and 22 to grasp the organization service of the currently selected broadcast media. Further, when receiving an application start 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 of the organization service included in the start command, and controls the selected tuner. In response to a request from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 returns information on broadcast media and programming services that can be handled, and information on broadcasting media and programming services currently selected.
When exchanging 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 an application (or control information about the application, its location information, etc.), SI (service information), an event message, and the like.
The separating unit 27 separates media such as video, audio, and data from the MMT broadcast signal received by the tuner unit 22 . This data includes an application (or control information about the application, its location information, etc.), SI (service information), an event message, and the like.

The video decoding unit 31 receives the broadcast video separated by the separating unit 26 and the separating unit 27 , decodes the broadcast video, and transfers the decoded broadcast video to the video synthesizing unit 32 .
The video synthesizing unit 32 synthesizes the broadcast video passed from the video decoding unit 31 and the display video (image) of the Hybridcast application passed from the application executing unit 52 . The video synthesizing unit 32 may synthesize the video by, for example, overlaying one video on the other video. Alternatively, the video synthesizing unit 32 may, for example, divide the screen area as appropriate, and synthesize the video so that each video is fitted into each partial area. The video synthesizing unit 32 passes the synthesized video to the display unit 33 .
The display unit 33 outputs the video transferred from the video synthesizing unit 32 . The display unit 33 may include a display screen using liquid crystal, organic electroluminescence (EL), or the like. Alternatively, the display unit 33 may output video signals 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 transfers the decoded broadcast audio to the audio synthesizing unit 37 .
The voice synthesizing unit 37 synthesizes the broadcast voice passed from the voice decoding unit 36 and the output voice of the Hybridcast application passed from the application executing unit 52 . The speech synthesizing unit 37 passes the synthesized speech to the speaker unit 38 .
The speaker section 38 outputs the voice passed from the voice synthesizing section 37 . The speaker unit 38 may include speakers, earphones, and the like. Alternatively, the speaker section may output audio signals 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 unit 41 functions as an interface between each unit in the receiver 1 and the communication network. Specifically, the communication input/output unit 41 transmits and receives data to and from the application activation determination server device 3 and the service server device 4 via the Internet 9 . Also, 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 unit 41 passes data received from the outside to the terminal cooperation unit 42 and the application execution unit 52 . Further, the communication input/output unit 41 transmits data received from the terminal cooperation unit 42 and the application execution unit 52 to the outside.

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

The application control unit 51 has a function of controlling the Hybridcast application. That is, the application control unit 51 activates the Hybridcast application on the application execution unit 52 and terminates the Hybridcast application being executed on the application execution unit 52 .
Application execution unit 52 has a function of executing a Hybridcast application. As a specific example, the Hybridcast application is given as an HTML5 file containing Javascript (registered trademark) code. That is, as a specific example of a method for implementing the application execution unit 52, a function of a web browser provided with a JavaScript (registered trademark) execution environment can be used.
By executing the Hybridcast application, application execution unit 52 may output video and audio. The application executing unit 52 passes this video to the video synthesizing unit 32 . Also, the application executing unit 52 passes this voice to the voice synthesizing unit 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 executing section 61 , a terminal linking section 62 , and a communication input/output section 63 .
Detailed functions of these units are as follows.

Application execution unit 61 executes an application program (application). The application execution environment provided by the application execution unit 61 is, for example, a native function that depends on the OS (operating system) of the terminal device 2 . Also, when executing a web application, the application execution environment may be a web browser.

The terminal cooperation unit 62 performs pairing processing between the terminal device 2 and the receiver 1 . In addition, 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 linking unit 62 is paired with the terminal linking unit 42 on the receiver 1 side and operates cooperatively. When the application execution unit 61 is implemented as the native function described above, 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 . Also, 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 the Hybridcast application of the receiver 1 is started from the application running on the terminal device 2 .
Assume the following situation. That is, the target Hybridcast application is a broadcast managed application. In addition, the receiver 1 selects a designated programming service based on an instruction from the terminal device 2, and then activates a designated 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 S<b>11 , 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 proceeds to step S13. If pairing is not established (step S11: NO), the process proceeds to step S12.
When proceeding to step S<b>12 , the terminal cooperation unit 62 discovers the receiver 1 within the same network (eg, wireless LAN) and performs pairing processing with the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1 . After completing this step, the process returns to step S11.

When proceeding to step S<b>13 , 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 a number (the number is predetermined) representing 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 or not there is a broadcast media to be activated based on the information returned from the receiver 1 side in step S13.
If the broadcast media exists (step S14: YES), the process proceeds to the next step S15. If the broadcast media does not exist (step S14: NO), the process jumps to step S21.

When proceeding to step S<b>15 , the application execution unit 61 inquires of the tuner control unit 23 about a selectable programming service 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 organizing service.
In the case of TS system 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 information on the organization service returned from the receiver 1 .
The application executing unit 61 of the terminal device 2 checks the field value of the response, and determines that the connected receiver supports the MMT system if tlv_stream_id is included, and that the receiver supports the TS system if transport_stream_id is included.

In step S16, the application executing unit 61 determines whether or not there is a knitting service to be activated based on the information returned from the receiver 1 side in step S15.
If the knitting service exists (step S16: YES), the process proceeds to the next step S17. If the knitting 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 currently selected organization service. 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 the inquiry from the application execution unit 61, the tuner control unit 23 returns to the terminal device 2 side a character string representing the currently selected organization service.
In the case of TS system 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 information on the organization service returned from the receiver 1 . The application execution unit 61 of the terminal device 2 checks the field values 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. Also, when the field value includes transport_stream_id, the application execution unit 61 determines that the connected receiver 1 supports the TS system.

In step S<b>18 , the application execution unit 61 transmits a Hybridcast 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 Hybridcast application to be activated and a character string designating the organization service. The character string specifying the organization service is a combination of values of original_network_id (original network identification), transport_stream_id (transport stream identification), and service_id (service identification) in the case of the TS method, and a combination of values of original_network_id (original network identification), tlv_stream_id (TLV stream identification), and service_id (service identification) in the case of the MMT method.

On the receiver 1 side, the terminal cooperation unit 42 receives the instruction to start the Hybridcast application and passes this instruction 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 instruction. If the 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 receives the values required for channel selection from the tuner control section 23, executes the channel selection operation according to the instruction.
However, the tuner control unit 23 confirms the currently selected broadcasting media and the programming service, and if a character string designating the same programming service is included in the activation command from the terminal device 2, the tuning operation by the tuner unit 21 or 22 does not have to be executed again.

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

It should be noted that the receiver 1 may inquire of the application activation determination server device 3 whether the application can be activated before selecting the channel and activating the application. In this case, the terminal cooperation unit 42 makes an inquiry to the application startability determination server device 3 . Specifically, the terminal cooperation unit 42 of the receiver 1 transmits the activation instruction received from the terminal device 2 to the application activation determination server device 3 . The server apparatus 3 for judging whether or not to start an application preliminarily manages and retains a whitelist indicating the URL of the AIT or the domain information of the application whose activation is permitted for each organization service. When receiving an activation command from the receiver 1, the application activation propriety determination server device 3 checks the pair of the URL of the AIT of the application included in the command and the character string specifying the organization service also included in the command with reference to the whitelist. The server apparatus 3 for judging whether the application can be started allows the application to be started if the corresponding pair is included in the whitelist it holds, and disallows the application to be started if not. The application startability determination server device 3 returns the determination result of this startability determination to the receiver 1 which is the source of the inquiry. The receiver 1 executes application startup processing when the judgment result is ``startable'', and returns an error response to the terminal device 2 as the transmission source without executing the application startup processing when the judgment result is ``not startable'' (no).
By making this inquiry, the receiver 1 can confirm the validity of the application. That is, the receiver 1 can prevent activation of unauthorized applications.

So far, we have described the case where all broadcast media are available. However, not all broadcast media are available. When the terminal linking unit 42 of the receiver 1 receives from the terminal device 2 the instruction to activate the Hybridcast application for the unavailable broadcast media, the terminal linking unit 42 discards the activation instruction. That is, the receiver 1 does not select the designated service or start the Hybridcast application. Also, in this case, the terminal linking unit 42 of the receiver 1 returns an error (broadcast media unavailable) response to the terminal device 2 .

In step S19, the terminal device 2 determines whether or not activation of the Hybridcast application that issued the activation command is permitted. Typically, the case where activation is not permitted is, as described above, when the broadcast media specified in the activation command cannot be used on the receiver 1 side, or when the server device 3 for judging whether or not application activation is possible returns a response of "activation not permitted" to the receiver 1. If activation is permitted (step S19: YES), the process proceeds to step S20. If activation is not permitted (step S19: NO), the process proceeds to step S21.

When proceeding to step S20, after the Hybridcast application is activated on the receiver 1 side, bidirectional transmission and reception of text data may be executed between the Hybridcast application on the terminal device 2 side and the Hybridcast application on the receiver 1 side.
At this time, the Hybridcast application running on the receiver 1 may transmit an activation command to the terminal device 2 to activate the application on the terminal device 2 . In accordance with this activation instruction, the terminal device 2 activates an application that runs on the application execution unit 61 .
After the processing of this step ends, the terminal device 2 ends the processing of the entire flowchart.

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

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing exchanges between devices and functional units until the Hybridcast application is activated in the receiver 1 in response to an activation command from the terminal device 2. As shown in FIG. The series of processes illustrated here also correspond to the processes shown in FIG. Description will be made below along with 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 processing) 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 the two devices corresponds to the process of step S12 in FIG.

Processing 1, Processing 2, Processing 3: The terminal device 2 makes an inquiry to the receiver 1 in step S32. Process 1, process 2, and process 3 are separate queries. 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 a broadcasting media organization service 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 organization service of the broadcast media being selected. Process 3 corresponds to the process of step S17 in FIG.

The application executing unit 61 of the terminal device 2 confirms the response from the receiver 1 to the inquiry of the process 1. FIG. By checking the value indicating the broadcast media included in the response, the terminal device 2 side determines the broadcast system compatible with the receiver 1 as the connection partner. The terminal device 2 also determines the type of the receiver 1 (whether it is a digital broadcast receiver, a dedicated receiver for advanced BS digital broadcast, or a shared receiver having both functions).
Examples of responses from the receiver 1 to inquiries about broadcast media will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. FIG.

Also, the application executing unit 61 of the terminal device 2 confirms the response from the receiver 1 to the inquiry of the process 2 . By checking the response of the process 2, the terminal device 2 can determine which system of the broadcast signal the receiver 1, which is the connection partner, supports. Specifically, when 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, when 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.

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

Process 4: In step S<b>33 , the terminal device 2 transmits a Hybridcast application activation command to the receiver 1 . The Hybridcast application activation command includes information indicating the location of the AIT of the Hybridcast application to be activated, and a character string designating the organization service.
The transmission of the application activation command in process 4 corresponds to the process of step S18 in FIG.
Examples of wake-up instructions are described below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.
The receiver 1 controls the tuner to select a broadcast channel based on this activation command.
Also, the receiver 1 activates the application based on this activation command.
Further, the receiver 1 may inquire of the application activation propriety determination server device 3 whether or not the Hybridcast application can be activated, based on this activation command. The server device 3 determines whether or not the application can be started in combination with the organization service and AIT included in the start command by referring to a list held in advance. In this case, the receiver 1 selects a channel and activates the application when it receives a response of “activation possible” from the application activation determination server device 3 . When the receiver 1 receives a response of “cannot start” from the application startability determination server device 3, the receiver 1 does not start the above 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.
If the activation is permitted (OK), the terminal cooperation unit 42 passes an application activation instruction 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. Application control unit 51 also 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 (activation of the application).

Process 5: When the Hybridcast application is activated on the receiver 1 side in step S35 above, in step S36, communication can be established between the application running in the application execution unit 52 on the receiver 1 side and the application running in the application execution unit 61 on the terminal device 2 side. When communication is established between both applications, cooperative operation between the applications of the receiver 1 and the terminal device 2 becomes possible. In other words, these two applications can transmit and receive data bi-directionally to and from each other, 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 (the process of step S13 in FIG. 4) will be described.
6, 7, and 8 are schematic diagrams showing examples of responses returned by the receiver 1 and examples of data representing a list of available broadcast media. As illustrated, the receiver 1 returns response data configured as text data having a block structure. However, the data format is not limited to the one illustrated here. The response data may contain information indicating whether or not each broadcast medium can be used.

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

FIG. 7 shows an example of a response returned by the shared receiver, showing an example of data when some broadcast media are available. Descriptions of items that have already been described in other figures are omitted.
FIG. 4A is an example of data when character strings corresponding to broadcast media are used. The data shown in FIG. 1A indicates that each broadcast media represented by character strings "BS", "CS", and "TD" is available. It also indicates that each broadcast media represented by character strings "CS2", "ABS", and "ACS" is not available (NotAvailable).
FIG. 4B is an example of data when numbers corresponding to broadcast media are used. The data shown in FIG. 2B indicates that each broadcast media corresponding to numbers 1, 2, and 4 is available. It also indicates that each broadcast media corresponding to numbers 3, 6, and 7 is unavailable (NotAvailable).

FIG. 8 shows an example of a response returned by a digital broadcast receiver, showing an example of data when all broadcast media are available. Descriptions of items that have already been described in other figures are omitted.
FIG. 4A 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. 4B is an example of data when numbers corresponding to broadcast media are used. This data indicates that broadcast media corresponding to all numbers 1, 2, and 4 are available.

Next, the data configuration of the application activation command (step S18 in FIG. 4) sent from the terminal device 2 to the receiver 1 will be described.
9 and 10 are schematic diagrams showing data examples of the application activation command.
FIG. 9 shows an example of an application activation command when the broadcast signal is of the TS system. FIG. 10 shows an example of an application activation command when the broadcast signal is of the MMT system. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the application activation command is configured as text data having a block structure. Specifically, the application activation instruction 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" contains information identifying the orchestration service. Also, the 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 identified 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". The information of the Hybridcast application to be activated includes aiturl (URL of AIT), 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 the MMT method), the organization service is identified 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". Information of the Hybridcast application to be activated is the same as that shown in FIG.

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

It is not necessary to implement the embodiment in a form that includes all the features of each functional unit of this embodiment. Features of each functional unit may be appropriately selected and implemented.
In the following, the features of each functional unit described in this embodiment will be described again.

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

The terminal cooperation unit 42 transmits the received application activation command to the application activation determination server device to inquire whether or not the application program specified by the application identification information can be executed, controls the application control unit to activate the application program only when the response from the application activation determination server device is "activation permitted" (permitted), and controls the application control unit not to activate the application program when the response from the application activation determination server device is "activation not permitted" (deny). In addition, the information indicating "cannot be activated" may be transmitted to the terminal device.

The application executing unit 52 may execute the application program started based on the received application start command, thereby transmitting a second start command for starting a second application program on the terminal device side to the terminal device.

The application execution unit 52 may execute the application program activated based on the received application activation instruction, thereby performing a process of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from the terminal device.

In response to an inquiry from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 may output identification information of a selectable programming service for each broadcasting system or each broadcasting medium.
At this time, the terminal linking unit 42 transmits the identification information of the selectable programming service passed from the tuner control unit to the terminal device 2 .

In response to an inquiry from the terminal device 2, the tuner control unit 23 may output information specifying the currently selected organization service.
At this time, the terminal linking unit 42 transmits to the terminal device information specifying the currently selected organizing service, which is passed from the tuner control unit.

The tuner control unit 23 may determine whether or not the broadcast media specified by the channel selection information can be received by the receiver, based on the channel selection information included in the application activation command.
As a result, when 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 transmits (notifies) information (error information) to the terminal device indicating that the broadcast media specified by the channel selection information cannot be received.

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 and information representing available broadcast systems.
At this time, the terminal linking unit 42 transmits at least one of the identification information of the available broadcast media and the information representing the available broadcasting system passed from the tuner control unit 23 to the terminal device 2 .

The terminal device 2 transmits to the receiver 1 an application activation command containing application specifying information for specifying an application program and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal, inquires about at least one of the identification information of the broadcasting media available to the receiver and the information representing the broadcasting system that can be used by the receiver, and receives a reply to the inquiry. ,

The application execution unit 61 (terminal device side application execution unit) performs processing for bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from the application program activated on the receiver side based on the transmitted application activation instruction.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the Hybridcast application of the receiver 1 is started from the terminal device 2, it is possible to control channel selection by selecting a broadcasting system (for example, TS system, MMT system, etc.) or broadcasting media that the receiver can reliably support. Also, when the receiver cannot receive (cannot select a channel), it is possible to notify the terminal device 2 of this as error information. As a result, a user who intends to use the broadcast-communication cooperation service (Hybridcast) starting from the terminal device is provided with an easy-to-use user interface on the terminal device side. It is also possible for the receiver 1 to request the server device 3 for judging whether or not the application can be started.

At least part of the functions of the devices such as the receiver, the terminal device, the server device for judging whether or not the application can be started, the service server device, and the broadcast transmission device in the above-described embodiments can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in this recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. It should be noted that the "computer system" referred to here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible discs, magneto-optical discs, ROMs, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and USB memories, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems.
Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include media that temporarily and dynamically retain programs, such as communication lines for transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet and communication lines such as telephone lines, and media that retain programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or client in that case. Further, the program may be for realizing part of the functions described above, or may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design and the like are included within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used, for example, in a broadcast receiving system. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to those 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 equipment (MMT)
9 Internet 21 Tuner Department (TS)
22 tuner section (MMT)
23 tuner control unit 26 separation unit (TS)
27 separation unit (MMT)
31 video decoding unit 32 video synthesizing unit 33 display unit 36 audio decoding unit 37 audio synthesizing unit 38 speaker unit 41 communication input/output unit 42 terminal cooperation unit 51 application control unit (application control unit)
52 application execution unit (application execution unit)
61 application execution unit (terminal device side application execution unit)
62 terminal cooperation unit 63 communication input/output unit

Claims (6)

a tuner section that selects a broadcast signal;
an application execution unit that executes an application program for broadcasting and communication cooperation;
a terminal cooperation unit that receives an application activation command from an external terminal device, the application starting command including application specifying information for specifying an application program and channel selection information for selecting a broadcast signal;
a tuner control unit that controls the tuner unit to select a specific broadcast signal based on the information on the broadcast media, broadcasting system, and programming service included in the channel selection information;
an application control unit that activates the application program specified by the application specifying information so that the application program is executed by the application execution unit;
a receiver comprising The terminal linking unit transmits the received application activation instruction to the application activation determination server device to inquire whether or not the application program specified by the application identification information can be executed, controls the application control unit to activate the application program only when the response from the application activation determination server device is “activation is permitted”, and controls the application control unit not to activate the application program when the response from the application activation determination server device is “activation is not permitted” and indicates “activation is not permitted”. transmitting information to the terminal device;
2. Receiver according to claim 1. The application execution unit executes the application program activated based on the received application activation instruction, thereby transmitting a second activation instruction for activating a second application program on the terminal device side to the terminal device.
3. Receiver according to claim 1 or 2. The application execution unit performs a process of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving data to and from the terminal device by executing the application program activated based on the received application activation instruction.
4. A receiver as claimed in any one of claims 1-3. The tuner control unit outputs, in response to an inquiry from the terminal device, identification information of a selectable programming service for each broadcasting system or each broadcasting medium,
The terminal cooperation unit transmits, to the terminal device, identification information of a selectable programming service passed from the tuner control unit.
5. A receiver as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4. The tuner control unit, in response to an inquiry from the terminal device, outputs information specifying a currently selected programming service,
The terminal cooperation unit transmits to the terminal device information specifying the currently selected programming service, which is passed from the tuner control unit.
6. A receiver as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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