KR100785300B1 - Apparatus and method of management state information in digital broadcasting system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention manages broadcast status data or viewing status data according to data received from a headend, and transmits a status information request message to a set-top box and a set-top box that provides corresponding status data according to the type of requested status data. By starting a digital broadcasting system including a management server for managing broadcast state information or viewing state information of the set-top box according to the received state data, the administrator can manage the state information of the set-top box in real time, as well as in real time. It is to be able to handle viewership surveys and viewing type statistics surveys.

Description

Method of managing status information of digital broadcasting system and apparatus therefor {APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANAGEMENT STATE INFORMATION IN DIGITAL BROADCASTING SYSTEM}

1 is a block diagram illustrating a digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a set-top box according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a state information management method of a digital broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

100: head end 110: management server

120: service information server 130: broadcast server

200: set-top box 210: cable modem processor

211: state management unit 220, 240: table

230: broadcast data processing unit 300: CMTS

400; Digital TV

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing state information of a digital broadcasting system.

Digital broadcasting systems include digital terrestrial broadcasting, digital satellite broadcasting, and cable digital broadcasting, depending on the transmission medium of broadcasting data.

The digital broadcasting service compresses program information for each channel according to a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) encoding standard, and multiplexes and transmits a program corresponding to a plurality of channels according to a digital modulation scheme for each transmission medium.

Accordingly, the digital broadcast data can transmit program information through tens to hundreds of channels without using a large amount of repeaters like analog broadcast signals.

In general, a digital broadcasting system for providing a cable digital broadcasting service includes a head end which processes data uploaded from a subscriber while transmitting broadcast related digital broadcasting data, and broadcasts digital broadcasting data transmitted from the head end. It includes a set-top box, which is a digital broadcasting receiver that converts a signal into a original video and audio signal and provides it to a digital TV.

Headend refers to a main coordination center with technical facilities for receiving, producing and retransmitting program information in a cable digital broadcasting system.

In addition, the set-top box refers to a home communication terminal for providing a subscriber with a two-way multimedia communication service such as video on demand.

In addition, the cable digital broadcasting system adopts the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) -2 protocol for the compression of audio and video data, and the signal modulation method uses amplitude and amplitude according to the quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) method. The phase is modulated.

In a digital broadcasting system, a set-top box, which is a digital broadcasting receiver, mainly decodes digitized broadcast data, management data, and control data transmitted from a head end and provides them to a digital TV.

In general, the technology for managing the state information of the set-top box in a digital broadcasting system is a one-way technology, and a provider providing a broadcasting service through the headend is equipped with a separate survey equipment in the house to perform an audience rating survey or a viewer type statistics survey. In order to check the status information of the set-top box, the administrator must visit the home and check the status information of the set-top box.

Therefore, the present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and it is possible to manage the state information of the set-top box in real time, as well as to manage the state information of the set-top box through the bidirectional communication of the set-top box without additional equipment It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for managing state information of a digital broadcasting system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital broadcasting system for managing broadcasting state data or viewing state data according to data received from a headend, and providing corresponding state data according to types of state data requested. And a management server configured to transmit the status information request message to the set top box, and to manage the broadcast status information or the viewing status information of the set top box according to the received status data.

The management server according to the present invention transmits a status information request message to the set-top box according to the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

The set-top box according to the present invention includes a cable modem processor for managing broadcast state data according to service data received from a headend, and a broadcast for decoding broadcast data received from the headend and managing viewing state data according to broadcast data. And a data processing unit and a plurality of tables for storing respective state data.

The cable modem processor according to the present invention includes a state management unit for managing broadcast state data in a MIB form in a table according to SNMP.

If the type of the request status data of the status information request message is broadcast status data, the cable modem processor transmits a response message including broadcast status data stored in a table to the management server.

The cable modem processor according to the present invention, if the type of the request status data of the status information request message is the viewing status data, requests the viewing status data to the broadcast data processing unit, and sends a response message including the received viewing status data to the management server. send.

The broadcast state data according to the present invention is at least one or more of configuration information, program information, subscriber information, viewing authority information, or abnormal information.

The viewing state data according to the present invention is at least one or more pieces of viewing history information, channel state information, or viewing channel information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing status information of a digital broadcasting system including a management server and a set-top box, the set-top box managing broadcast state data or viewing state data according to data received from a headend, and Transmitting a response message including broadcast status data or viewing status data according to the status information request message received from the server, and managing status information and viewing information of the set-top box according to the broadcasting status data received by the management server; It includes.

The status information request message according to the present invention is transmitted by the management server to the set-top box according to SNMP.

The managing of the state data according to the present invention includes managing broadcast state data according to service data received from the headend, decoding broadcast data received from the headend, and viewing viewing state data according to the broadcast data. Managing.

The managing of the broadcast state data according to the present invention manages at least one or more of configuration information, program information, subscriber information, viewing authority information, or abnormal information.

In the managing of the viewing status data according to the present invention, at least one or more of viewing history information, channel status information, and viewing channel information is managed.

Hereinafter, a method and apparatus for managing status information of a digital broadcasting system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the digital broadcasting system according to the present invention includes a head end 100, a cable modem termination system (CMTS) 300, a set top box 200, and a digital TV 400, and the head end 100. Includes a management server 110, a service information server 120, and a broadcast server 130.

The CMTS 300 converts the IP packet received from the headend 100 through the packet network to the cable data and transmits the cable data to the set top box 200, and converts the cable data received from the set top box 200 into the IP packet. Send to headend 100.

The service information server 120 transmits service data including program information (PID: program ID) and event information of the digital broadcasting service provided by the head end 100 to the set-top box 200 through the CMTS 300. do.

The broadcast server 140 transmits broadcast data including video data and audio data to the set-top box 200 through a broadcast channel according to a frequency.

In this case, the broadcast server 140 may encrypt the broadcast data to prevent malicious leakage of the broadcast data, and may compress and transmit the video data and the audio data according to the MPEG method.

The set top box 200 processes the service data transmitted from the service information server 120 and the broadcast data transmitted from the broadcast server 140 as a broadcast signal and transmits the same to the digital TV 400.

And, if there is a status information request from the management server 110 while managing the status information, the set-top box 200 transmits a response message including the corresponding status data to the management server.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a set-top box according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2, the set-top box 200 according to the present invention includes a cable modem processor 210, a broadcast data processor 230, and a plurality of tables 220 and 240, and the cable modem processor 210 is provided. And a state manager 211.

The cable modem processor 210 manages program information (PID) and event information, subscriber information of the set-top box 200, viewing authority information, error information, and the like according to service data received through the CMTS 300. .

That is, the state management unit 211 of the cable modem processing unit 210 displays the broadcast state information of the set-top box 200, that is, configuration information, program information, subscriber information, viewing authority information, abnormal information, and the like. Manage with.

In this case, the state manager 211 stores and manages broadcast state information of the set-top box 200 in the first table 220 in the form of a management information base (MIB) according to the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

When the information request message is received from the management server 110, a response message including broadcast state information managed in the first table 220 is transmitted to the management server 110.

Here, the management server 110 may correspond to an SNMP manager, the cable modem processing unit 210 may correspond to an SNMP agent, and the information request message and the response message may be exchanged according to SNMP.

The broadcast data processor 230 decompresses the broadcast data provided from the broadcast server of the head end 100 according to the MPEG method, converts the broadcast data into a broadcast signal, and transmits the converted broadcast signal to the digital TV 400.

The broadcast data processor 230 manages viewing state information, that is, viewing history information, channel state information, viewing channel information selected by the viewer, and the like as the second table 240. Here, the channel state information in digital broadcasting means a state of a channel for decoding digital broadcasting in a set top box.

When the request signal for requesting viewing status information is received from the cable modem processing unit 210, the broadcast data processing unit 230 provides a response signal including the viewing status information managed by the second table 240.

The cable modem processing unit 210 analyzes the information request message received from the management server 110, grasps the type of the requested status information, and if the information request message requests the broadcast status information, goes to the first table 220. A response message including the managed broadcast status information is provided, and if the information request message requests the viewing status information, a response message including the viewing status information provided from the broadcast data processor 230 is provided.

In this case, the communication method between the cable modem processor 210 and the broadcast data processor 230 may use an IPC communication method or a master / slave communication method.

The management server 110 transmits an information request message for requesting broadcast status information to the set-top box 200 according to a manager's selection, and uses the broadcast status information included in the received response message to control each of the set-top boxes 200. Manage broadcast status information.

In addition, the management server 110 transmits an information request message for requesting viewing status information to the set-top box 200 according to a manager's selection, and uses the viewing status information included in the received response message to investigate and watch the viewing rate. Viewing status information, such as type statistical research, can be managed.

That is, the management server 110 checks the abnormal state in real time while managing the state information and configuration information according to the broadcasting state of each set-top box 200, and performs the viewing rate survey and the viewing type statistics survey for each channel according to the viewing state in real time. It can be done with

In addition, the management server 110 may manage an abnormal type state of each set-top box 200 when an abnormality occurs in the set-top box 200, and can quickly cope with it when an abnormality occurs. have.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a state information management method of a digital broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the set-top box 200 manages state information according to service data and broadcast data received from the headend 100 (S100).

The set-top box 200 manages program information (PID), event information, subscriber information, viewing authority information, error information, and the like, which are broadcast state information according to service data received through the CMTS. .

In addition, the set-top box 200 decompresses the broadcast data provided from the broadcast server of the head end 100 according to the MPEG method and converts the broadcast data into a broadcast signal while viewing the viewing status information, the channel status information, the viewing channel information, etc. Manage.

The management server 110 of the head end 100 transmits an information request message for requesting broadcast status information to the set-top box 200 according to a manager's selection.

The set-top box 200 analyzes the information request message received from the management server 110 to determine the type of status information requested (S 110).

If the set-top box 200 is an information request message requesting broadcast status information, the set-top box 200 transmits a response message including managed broadcast status information to the management server 110, and if the set top box 200 is an information request message requesting viewing status information, The response message including the viewing status information is transmitted to the management server 110.

That is, the cable modem processing unit 210 of the set-top box 200 may include program information (PID) and event information according to the received service data, subscriber information of the set-top box 200, viewing authority information, and error information. The broadcast state information is managed, and the broadcast data processor 230 manages view state information such as view history information, channel state information, view channel information, and the like.

If the information request message received from the management server 110 is an information request message requesting broadcast status information, the cable modem processor 210 transmits a response message including the managed broadcast status information to the management server 110 ( S 120).

If the cable modem processor 210 is an information request message requesting the viewing status information, the cable modem processing unit 210 requests the viewing status information from the broadcast data processing unit 230 (S130).

The broadcast data processing unit 230 transmits managed viewing status information to the cable modem processing unit 210 (S 140).

The cable modem processor 210 transmits a response message including the viewing status information received from the broadcast data processor 230 to the management server 110 (S 150).

Here, the communication method between the management server 110 and the cable modem processing unit 210 may exchange messages according to SNMP, the management server 110 corresponds to an SNMP manager (manager), the cable modem processing unit 210 It may correspond to an SNMP agent.

In addition, the management server 110 may manage viewing status information, such as an audience rating survey, a viewing type statistics survey, and the like, by using the viewing status information included in the response message received from the set-top box 200.

That is, the management server 110 checks the abnormal state in real time while managing the state information and configuration information according to the broadcasting state of each set-top box 200, and performs the viewing rate survey and the viewing type statistics survey for each channel according to the viewing state in real time. It can be done with

In addition, the management server 110 may manage an abnormal type state of each set-top box 200 when an abnormality occurs in the set-top box 200, and can quickly cope with it when an abnormality occurs. have.

In the above detailed description of the present invention, for example, a case in which the status information is managed by exchanging messages between one processor (cable modem processor) and a management server in a set-top box of a digital broadcasting system has been described. The same applies to the case of managing the state information through the processor.

As described above, according to the present invention, the administrator of the digital broadcasting system may manage the state information of the set-top box in real time, and may process the viewer rating survey and the viewing type statistics survey in real time.

Claims (13)

In a digital broadcasting system, A cable modem processor for managing broadcast status data according to service data received from a headend, a broadcast data processor for decoding broadcast data received from the headend and managing viewing status data according to the broadcast data, A set top box including a plurality of tables storing state data, the set top box providing the broadcasting state data or the viewing state data according to the type of the state data requested from the headend; And a management server for transmitting a status information request message to the set-top box and managing broadcast state information or viewing state information of the set-top box according to the received state data. delete delete The method of claim 1, wherein the cable modem processor, And a status manager configured to manage the broadcast status data in the MIB form in the table according to SNMP. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable modem processor, And if the type of request status data of the status information request message is broadcast status data, transmitting a response message including broadcast status data stored in the table to the management server. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable modem processor, If the type of the request status data of the status information request message is the viewing status data, the digital broadcasting system requests the viewing status data to the broadcasting data processing unit and transmits a response message including the received viewing status data to the management server. . The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast state data, And at least one of program information, subscriber information, viewing authority information, or abnormal information. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing state data, And at least one of viewing history information, channel state information, and viewing channel information. In the state information management method of a digital broadcasting system including a management server and a set-top box, Managing broadcast status data according to service data received from the headend; Decoding broadcast data received from the headend, and managing viewing state data according to the broadcast data; Transmitting a response message including broadcast status data or viewing status data according to the status information request message received from the management server; And managing, by the management server, state information and viewing information of the set-top box according to the broadcast state data received. delete delete The method of claim 9, wherein managing the broadcast state data comprises: A status information management method of a digital broadcasting system managing at least one or more of program information, subscriber information, viewing authority information, or abnormal information. The method of claim 9, wherein the managing of the viewing state data comprises: And managing at least one of at least one of viewing history information, channel state information, and viewing channel information.

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