KR100676058B1 - Method to set up the present time of a broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

Receiving time information T1 transmitted by a broadcasting station as the broadcast signal receiving device switches a channel; Comparing the T1 with current time information T2 counted by the broadcast signal receiving device; Setting T1 to a current time if T1 is a future time than T2; Determining whether the time difference is within a preset error range when T1 is a time earlier than T2; Setting T1 to the current time if the determination result is within an error range; As a result of the determination, if the error range is exceeded, T2 is maintained at the current time.

After setting a criterion for determining a time error or an error time between each broadcasting station, it is effective to provide accurate current time information to the user by ignoring wrong time information transmitted from the broadcasting station and setting the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device.

Broadcast signal receiving device, current time, broadcasting station, channel switching

Description

{METHOD TO SET UP THE PRESENT TIME OF A BROADCAST RECEIVER}             

1 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a general EPG is displayed on a screen;

2 is an embodiment for explaining a process in which reservation recording is abnormally performed;

3 is an internal block diagram of a broadcast signal receiving apparatus to which the present invention is applied;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a current time setting method of a broadcast signal receiving device according to the present invention;

5 is a diagram for describing a process in which reservation recording is normally performed by applying a method for setting a current time of a broadcast signal receiving device according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

310: antenna 320: tuner / demodulator

330: demultiplexer 340: memory

350: decoder 360: central processing unit

370: user interface

The present invention relates to a method for setting a current time of a broadcast signal receiving device, and more particularly, to a method for setting a current time of a broadcast signal receiving device in consideration of an error or error in time information transmitted from each broadcasting station.

Digital broadcasting is a digital form that encodes and records information signals, and refers to multimedia broadcasting that can enjoy various additional services as well as high-definition picture quality without any signal damage because the whole process of program production, transmission, and reception is digitally processed. . Such digital broadcasting can not only carry several video signals or audio signals on one frequency but also compress information without degrading the quality.

In addition, it is easy to control the information using a computer, and the interactive ability to export the information ordered from the viewer side becomes possible. Digital broadcasting compresses video and audio, modulates various signals, and uses such compression and multimodulation techniques in communications and computers. Therefore, digital broadcasting is a core technology of the multimedia age where broadcasting, communication, and computer are combined.

In addition, unlike conventional analog broadcasting, digital broadcasting provides various services by providing various additional information through a program and system information protocol (PSIP). The PSIP consists of six types of tables, such as STT, RRT, MGT, VCT, EIT and ETT.

To describe each table in detail, first, the system time table (STT) transmits information on time and date, and a time difference between a global positioning system (GPS) time and a universal coordinated time (UTC) time.

In addition, the RRT (Rating Region Table) transmits information about the region and the applied grade because the viewing age restriction of TV reception varies depending on the region.

The MGT (Master Guide Table) forms a relationship with other tables constituting the PSIP and allocates the size of memory required for the PSIP while the receiver decodes the data. The PID of the EIT-x table is transmitted to provide information about EIT-x that delivers the guide information of individual programs in time. In addition, the MGT provides a link to EIT-0, EIT-1, EIT-2, and the like. The MGT will increase the version number if it changes its content.

The Virtual Channel Table (VCT) is also called a Territerial VCT (TVCT) and includes information on various channels delivered from a physical terrestrial broadcasting channel. In addition, the name of the channel and the type of the broadcast program configured in the channel, channel transfer modulation scheme, frequency and source_id information corresponding to the individual broadcast program is delivered. In addition, the receiver obtains program guide information by referring to the program guide table EIT-x using source_id for program guide.

The EIT (Event Information Table) is configured for each time zone and one EIT has guide information for three hours. Up to 128 EITs can be used, and broadcasters can use them to advertise up to 16 days of program guide information. Assuming that EIT-0 transmits guide information up to 3 hours from now, EIT-1 includes guide information for the next 3 hours.

The EIT also specifies that each transport packet contains at least four EITs. That is, EIT-0, EIT-1, and EIT-2 each display time zone guide tables, and each EIT-x table uses Source_id containing guide information for each broadcast program or individual element stream. Refer to EIT-0, EIT-1, and EIT-2 for each broadcast program that you want to find.

The Extended Time Table (ETT) adds some text information to the VCT and EIT for transmitting channel information or program guide information, thereby enhancing the contents of delivery. For example, when the cost for receiving a channel and a guide for the next pro are inserted in the VCT, and a program guide for the movie is included in the EIT, a short description of the movie may enrich the program guide.

Meanwhile, the user may receive an electronic program guide (EPG: Electronic Program Guide) according to the PSIP as shown in FIG. 1 to store, ie, record any broadcast program on a disc, DVD, VCR tape, or the like and view it later. .

Here, referring to a method of recording a broadcast program, a user may immediately record a program currently being viewed or reserve a specific program scheduled to be broadcast by referring to program information provided by the EPG.

By the way, reservation recording uses time information transmitted from a broadcasting station (KBPS for analog broadcasting and STT for digital broadcasting). However, at the present time when analog broadcasting and digital broadcasting coexist, different broadcasting information is transmitted for each broadcasting station or randomly. It is frequently happening that the time information is transmitted as it is while rebroadcasting the program.

2 is a diagram for describing a process in which reservation recording is abnormally performed. Referring to FIG. 2, a user watches a program received on a predetermined channel k while a user sets a reserved recording of a program broadcasting on a predetermined channel k from 2004/08/24 09:00 to 10:00 at a predetermined broadcasting station. When switching to predetermined channel i of a predetermined station at / 08/24 08:00, if the predetermined station transmits wrong time information of 2004/01/01 00:00, the broadcast signal receiving device reflects the received time information to reflect the current time. Set to 2004/01/01 00:00.

In this case, even if a predetermined broadcast station detects an error after transmitting a channel and transmits correct time information (2004/08/24 08:30 in the drawing), the broadcast signal receiving device receives the time information only when switching channels. This makes it impossible to recognize this at all. Therefore, since the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device is incorrectly set to 2004/01/01, reservation recording of a program broadcasted on a predetermined channel k of a predetermined broadcasting station cannot be performed normally.

Some broadcast signal receiving devices add a mode that operates only for a user-specified time without referring to time information transmitted from a broadcasting station, but it cannot be a fundamental solution. As a result, when there is an error or error in time information transmitted from a broadcasting station, there is a problem in that a function such as reservation recording or reservation viewing using the current time information is not correctly performed because the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device is set incorrectly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for setting the current time of a broadcast signal receiving device by ignoring this when it is out of a setting range in consideration of an error or an error of time information transmitted from each broadcasting station.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for setting a current time of a broadcast signal receiving device, the method comprising: receiving time information T1 transmitted by a broadcasting station as the broadcast signal receiving device switches channels; Comparing the T1 with current time information T2 counted by the broadcast signal receiving device; Setting T1 to a current time if T1 is a future time than T2; Determining whether the time difference is within a preset error range when T1 is a time earlier than T2; Setting T1 to the current time if the determination result is within an error range; As a result of the determination, if the error range is exceeded, T2 is maintained at the current time.

In this case, the error range may be set based on a range that can be recognized as a time error between broadcasting stations or a range that can be determined by an error time, and the broadcast signal receiving device receives an analog broadcast signal and receives the received analog broadcast. The time information T1 may be extracted from the KBPS included in the signal, the digital broadcast signal may be received, and the time information T1 may be extracted from the STT in the PSIP included in the received digital broadcast signal.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

3 is an internal block diagram of a broadcast signal receiving apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and includes an antenna 310, a tuner / demodulator 320, a demultiplexer 330, a memory 340, a decoder 350, and a central processing unit 360. ), And a user interface 370 and the like.

That is, a tuner / demodulator 320 that tunes and demodulates a broadcast signal of a predetermined channel among broadcast signals received through the antenna 310, and an AV stream and an EPG in an output signal of the tuner / demodulator 320. A demultiplexer 330 for separating side information, a memory 340 for storing the side information separated from the demultiplexer 330, and control of the entire operation of a broadcast signal receiving device and controlling the additional information stored in the memory 340. Decodes the AV stream separated by the central processing unit 360 for controlling the display, the user interface 370 for inputting an operation command according to a user's operation to the central processing unit 360, and the demultiplexer 330 And a decoder 350 for generating an audio signal and a video signal.

If the user commands display of the EPG through the user interface 370, the CPU 360 reads the EPG information from the memory 340 and generates an OSD signal of the EPG according to the read EPG information. The generated OSD signal is output and displayed on a display panel (not shown). Therefore, the user can reserve or record an arbitrary broadcast program using the EPG displayed on the display panel.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of setting a current time of a broadcast signal receiving device according to the present invention, in which a broadcast signal is ignored if it is out of a predetermined range in consideration of an error or an error of time information transmitted by each broadcasting station. A method of setting the current time of a receiving device is shown.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the broadcast signal reception device switches a channel while using a broadcast program of a predetermined broadcast station predetermined channel, time information T1 transmitted by the broadcast station is received (S411 and S412). Here, the broadcast signal receiving device may include both an analog broadcast signal receiving device and a digital broadcast signal receiving device. In the case of an analog broadcast signal receiving device, KBPS is received to extract time information included therein, and digital broadcasting is performed. In the case of the receiving device, the PSIP is received to extract time information included in the STT.

In detail, the KBPS will be described in detail. The information of the KBPS provided by the analog television broadcast is inserted after being NRZ coded into the 16th line of the odd field of the analog video signal. The analog video signal consists of 30 screens per second. And, one packet of KBPS is composed of 2 bytes, and one packet is extracted from one line, so that 30 packets, that is, 60 bytes of data exist in one second as a whole.

A packet type is created by a set of such packets. There are 10 packet types in KBPS. The types and characteristics of packet types are as follows. Packet type 1 indicates the current day and time, etc., which is composed of six packets and is essentially transmitted once per second. The packet type 2 represents a broadcast station name and the like, and the packet type 3 represents program data for one week based on the current day.

Packet type 4 represents program data for two weeks based on the current day, packet type 5 represents program data for three weeks from the current day, and packet type 6 represents program data for four weeks from the current day. . The packet type 7 indicates display data and program title data and the like, the packet type 8 indicates program deletion data and the like, the packet type 9 indicates program type classification data and the like, and the packet type 10 indicates program detailed guide data and the like.

On the other hand, the received time information T1 and the current time information T2 counted by the broadcast signal receiving device are compared with each other (S413). As a result of the comparison in step S413, if T1 is a future time than T2, T1 is set as the current time (S414, S415).

Here, the reason for distinguishing whether the time information T1 transmitted from the broadcasting station based on the current time information T2 is the future time or the past time is because the transmission of the past time information occupies almost all of the wrong time information. . That is, in reality, when rebroadcasting an arbitrary broadcast program, past time information based on the current time occupies almost all of the wrong time information and rarely transmits future time than the current time.

However, when the comparison result of step S413, if the T1 is a time earlier than the T2, it is determined whether the time difference is within a predetermined error range (S414, S416). In this case, the error range may be set based on a range that can be recognized as a time error between broadcasting stations or a range that can be determined as an error time.

As a result of the determination in step S416, if within the error range, T1 is set as the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device (S415). However, as a result of the determination in step S416, if the error range is exceeded, T2 is maintained as the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device (S417).

For example, assuming that the error range is set to 5 minutes, if the received T1 is past T2 and the time difference is less than 5 minutes, it is determined that the time error between broadcasting stations is set, and T1 is set as the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device. However, if there is a time difference of 5 minutes or more, it is determined that the wrong time information is ignored and is not set to the current time of the broadcast signal reception device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing a process in which reservation recording is normally performed by applying a method of setting a current time of a broadcast signal reception device according to the present invention. It is assumed that the set error range is 10 minutes.

Referring to FIG. 5, when a user watches a program received on a predetermined channel k of a predetermined broadcast station and then switches to a predetermined channel i of a predetermined broadcast station at 2004/08/24 08:00, the error of 2004/01/01 00:00 is incorrect. If the time information is sent, it is past time than the current time. Therefore, it is compared whether the time difference from the current time is within the error range of 10 minutes.

Then, since the time difference is about 7 months 24 days and exceeds the set error range, the time information transmitted from the broadcasting station is ignored and the set current time information is maintained as it is. That is, by ignoring the time information transmitted from the broadcasting station, the program is normally reserved and recorded by switching to the predetermined channel k of the predetermined broadcasting station at the scheduled recording time 2004/08/24 09:00.

However, since there is a time difference of 4 minutes between the predetermined channel i of the predetermined broadcasting station and the predetermined channel k of the predetermined broadcasting station, the time information of the predetermined channel k of the predetermined broadcasting station in 2004/08/24 09:00 at the time of the predetermined channel i of the predetermined broadcasting station. Since P is past than the set current time information and the time difference is smaller than the error range, the current time information is set as the time information of the predetermined channel k of the predetermined broadcasting station. Therefore, the recording can be accurately terminated at 10:00 on the basis of the time information of the predetermined channel k of the predetermined broadcasting station.

According to the present invention, after setting a criterion for determining a time error or an error time between each broadcasting station, disregarding wrong time information transmitted from the broadcasting station and setting the current time of the broadcast signal receiving device, the user is provided accurate current time information. It is effective. Therefore, it is possible to correctly perform a reservation recording or a reservation viewing function using current time information at a time designated by the user.

Claims (4)

Receiving time information T1 transmitted by a broadcasting station as the broadcast signal receiving device switches a channel; Comparing the T1 with current time information T2 counted by the broadcast signal receiving device; Setting T1 to a current time if T1 is a future time than T2; Determining whether the time difference is within a preset error range when T1 is a time earlier than T2; Setting T1 to the current time if the determination result is within an error range; And if the error range is exceeded, maintaining T2 as the current time. The method of claim 1, And the error range is a range that can be recognized as a time error between broadcasting stations. The method of claim 1, The broadcast signal receiving device receives an analog broadcast signal and extracts time information T1 from the KBPS included in the received analog broadcast signal. The method of claim 1, The broadcast signal receiving device receives a digital broadcast signal and extracts time information T1 from the STT in the PSIP included in the received digital broadcast signal.

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