KR101276111B1 - Application data update system in digital cable boroadcast and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An application data update system in digital cable broadcasting and a method thereof are provided to transmit valid update data of an application by service unit by grouping and transmitting update target application data by service unit. CONSTITUTION: A data management unit(133) of a data agent server(130) manages application data used in an application within a set top box. A service definition unit(135) classifies and manages a service unit provided from the set top box according to a predetermined standard. A group configuration unit(132) groups the application data by the classified service unit. A data transmission unit(134,136) transmits the grouped application data, identifier and update version of the corresponding service unit by service unit. [Reference numerals] (131) Metadata management unit; (132) Group setting unit; (133) Data management unit; (134) IB data transmission unit; (135) Service definition unit; (136) OOB data transmission unit

Description

Application data update system and method in digital cable broadcasting {APPLICATION DATA UPDATE SYSTEM IN DIGITAL CABLE BOROADCAST AND METHOD THEREOF}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system and method for updating application data in digital cable broadcasting, and more particularly, to a digital cable broadcasting in which a headend system groups and transmits application data for each service unit to apply effective update data for each service unit of an application. Application data update system and method.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional general digital cable broadcasting system, the head end system 100 of a broadcasting station transmits a digital broadcasting signal and is connected to a cable network 300 through a cable modem termination system 200 (CMTS). The digital television 500 or the set top box 400 receives the digital broadcast signal and provides the viewer with the video and audio.

In the conventional digital cable broadcasting system, there is an interface system in the headend system that receives data used by an application in a set-top box from a data generation server and transmits the data to a transmission server.

However, the interface system only had a function of simply transmitting the received application data file to the delivery server without any distinction.

Therefore, in the conventional digital cable broadcasting system, when the application data is transmitted from the set-top box, whenever a single update data is received, the set-top box generates an update event to check the received update data and apply the updated data. When there is a plurality of update data, the update application efficiency of the corresponding service is reduced.

In addition, due to the configuration of the individual application data transmission, it is not easy to apply and confirm the batch update of application data for a certain service of the corresponding application, and thus an operation error or a display error of the corresponding service is frequent.

Korean Unexamined Patent No. 10-2007-0111225

An object of the present invention for improving the above-mentioned problem is to provide a system and method for updating application data in digital cable broadcasting to transmit the effective update data of the application for each service unit by transmitting the application data to be updated in a group by service unit. It is.

Another object of the present invention for improving the above-described problem is that the middleware of the set-top box generates an event according to the preset update version identifier after the batch transmission of the update target application data is completed, so that the services of the corresponding application are collectively according to the middleware event. The present invention provides a system and method for updating application data in digital cable broadcasting, which is adapted for update.

Another object of the present invention for improving the above-mentioned problem is to provide a digital cable broadcasting to selectively transmit the application data in or out of band, respectively or in accordance with the property of the service or the property of the application data. An application data update system and method are provided.

Application data update system for digital cable broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is located in the head-end system, the data management unit for managing the application data used in the application in the set-top box, set-top box A service defining unit which classifies and manages a service unit provided according to a predetermined criterion, a group setting unit which groups the application data by the classified service unit, and an identifier and an updated version of the grouped application data and the corresponding service unit. It includes a data agent server having a data transmission unit for transmitting in units.

The application data update system may include a data request unit requesting the latest update data of an application to the headend system, a data receiver to receive the application data for each service unit, and update data of the corresponding service unit when the update version is changed. The apparatus may further include a set-top box including an event generator generating an event for application and an update data applying unit configured to collectively apply application data of a corresponding service unit as the latest update data according to the event.

On the other hand, the data transmission unit of the data agent server to the in-band data transmission unit for transmitting the grouped application data to the in-band transmission server and the out of band data transmission unit for transmitting the grouped application data to the out of band transmission server. It is preferably configured to transmit to the in-band delivery server and the out-of-band delivery server, or simultaneously, according to the transmission attribute of the application data.

The data agent server may further include a metadata management unit including one or more of a format, an attribute, and a classification of the application data, and managing the metadata with the set top box.

The data transmitter of the data agent server may transmit the application data as data in a format including an identifier and an updated version of the service unit.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of updating application data in a digital cable broadcast, the method in which a headend system manages application data used by an application in a set top box, and the headend system manages the application data. Classifying and managing a service unit provided by a box according to a predetermined criterion, and grouping the application data by the classified service unit, requesting a set-top box to request the latest update data of an application to the headend system, the head An end system transmitting the grouped application data, an identifier and an updated version of the corresponding service unit to a set top box for each service unit, wherein the set top box receives the application data for each service unit and updates the updated version The change includes generating an event for applying the update data of the corresponding service unit and applying the application data of the corresponding service unit to the latest update data according to the event.

The system and method for updating application data in digital cable broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits effective update data of an application for each service unit by transmitting the application data to be updated by grouping it for each service unit. It is effective to greatly improve the service application efficiency of the data file.

The system and method for updating application data in digital cable broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention correspond to the event of the middleware by generating the event by the middleware of the set-top box according to the preset update version identifier after the completion of the batch transmission of the update target application data. By applying the service of the application in a batch update, there is an effect to prevent the error operation or error display of the service according to the individual application data transmission in advance.

The system and method for updating application data in digital cable broadcasting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention selectively transmits application data in or out of band, respectively, according to an attribute of a service or an attribute of application data. There is an effect of improving the data transmission efficiency and service application efficiency at the same time.

1 is a block diagram of a general digital cable broadcasting system.
2 is a block diagram of an application data update system in digital cable broadcasting according to one embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a block diagram of a data agent server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of a set-top box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a data flowchart of a method of updating application data in a digital cable broadcast according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram of an application data update system for digital cable broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the application data update system is located in the headend system 100 and the data agent server 130 classifies and manages a group of update data transmitted to the set-top box 400 by service unit. It includes.

As an example of the update data, a poster image provided by the VOD poster image server 110 to be used for the VOD application 401 in the set-top box, metadata related thereto, or user interface data provided by the user interface server 120 or the same. Related metadata.

The data agent server 130 receives the update data of the application from the VOD poster image server 110 or the user interface server 120 and transmits the updated data to the iTV headend server 140 or the OOB encoder server 150.

In this case, the data agent server 130 updates the corresponding data to the iTV headend server 140 or the OOB encoder server 150, respectively, according to a data transmission method of in-band or out-of-band. Send it.

On the other hand, the VOD poster image server 110 or the user interface server 120 is only an embodiment of the present invention, the application 401 is used according to the type or classification of services provided by the application 401 of the set-top box Note that the update data may be provided from various servers that generate data and provide the data to the data agent server 130.

In addition, the iTV head-end server 140 or OOB encoder server 150 is also an embodiment of the application data transmission server, it is noted that the main configuration of the present invention is the data agent server 130.

The iTV headend server 140 or the OOB encoder server 150 receiving the update data from the data agent server 130 is connected to a TV (300) via a cable network 300 through a cable modem end system 200 (CMTS). The update data is transmitted to the set-top box 400 connected to the 500 or the like.

In this case, the iTV headend server 140 encodes the update data of the application delivered by the data agent server 130 according to a preset criterion and transmits the updated data in an in-band.

In addition, the OOB encoder server 150 receives the update data necessary for the operation of the service application from the data agent server 130, encodes it and sends it out of band (Out Of Band).

In the conventional application data interface system, there is only a function of simply transmitting the transmitted application data file to the sending server without any distinction, and thus, it is not easy to apply and confirm the batch of application data for a certain service of the corresponding application, and thus the operation error of the corresponding service. Or a display error was frequent.

In addition, conventionally, each time an individual update data is received, the set-top box generates an update event every time, and the received update data has to be checked and applied individually, so that a plurality of update data for a single service is updated. Application efficiency fell.

On the other hand, the data agent server 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits to the delivery server (140, 150) by grouping the application by the meaningful service unit in the application server (140, 150) and set-top box 400 The efficiency of data transmission and update application for a given service is greatly increased.

In addition, since the set-top box 400 generates an event for applying the update of the corresponding service after the grouped application data is completed, the operation error or display error of the service does not occur.

According to a preferred embodiment of the event generation, after the iTV headend server 140 or OOB encoder server 150 transmits the application data corresponding to a predetermined group, such as a VOD service in a separate private section (private section) The group includes update completion information of the corresponding group, and the middleware 402 or the corresponding program generates an event for applying the update of the application 401 or the service after receiving the update completion information.

3 is a configuration diagram of a data agent server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, the data agent server 130 is located in the headend system 100 and is provided by the data manager 133 and the set top box for managing application data used by an application in the set top box. A service defining unit 135 for classifying and managing a service in units according to a predetermined standard, a group setting unit 132 for grouping the application data by the classified service units, and the grouping of the application data and the corresponding service unit And data transmission units 134 and 136 for transmitting the identifier and the updated version of each service unit.

The data agent server 130 may further include a metadata management unit 131 including one or more of a format, an attribute, and a classification of the application data, and managing the metadata with the set-top box. .

Preferred examples of the service unit may be a recommended VOD service of the VOD application.

The data agent server 130 transmits the effective update data of the application by service unit by transmitting the application data to the delivery server by grouping the target application data for each service unit. Improve.

This is different from the conventional transmission server and the set-top box is configured to send and receive for each section of the individual file, by transmitting the application data separated and grouped in service units by the data agent server 130 of the present invention to the delivery server, The sending server and the set-top box are configured to send and receive application data for each group necessary for the service in the set-top box to prevent service failure.

On the other hand, the data transmission unit 134, 136 preferably transmits the application data to the delivery server in the form of data including the identifier and the updated version of the service unit.

Also, in another preferred embodiment, the data transmitters 134 and 136 transmit the grouped application data to the in-band transmitter server and the grouped application data to the out-of-band transmitter. The out-of-band data transmission unit 136 transmits to the server, and may be transmitted to the in-band transmission server and the out-of-band transmission server respectively or simultaneously according to the transmission attribute of the application data.

In this case, the in-band transmission server and the out-of-band transmission server may include an iTV headend server 140 or an OOB encoder server 150 of the DMC, as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

As an example of such transmission, the data transmitters 134 and 136 may set a predetermined item in the file data including the application data and transmit the predetermined item to the in-band and out-of-band servers according to the classification of the item. Send file data or simultaneously.

As such, the application data update system can selectively transmit application data in or out of band, respectively or simultaneously, according to the attributes of the service or the attributes of the application data, thereby simultaneously improving the transmission efficiency of the application data and the service application efficiency. There is an advantage.

4 is a block diagram of a set-top box according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 4, the set-top box 400 includes a data requesting unit 410 for requesting the latest update data of an application to the headend system, and a data receiving unit 420 for receiving the application data for each service unit. ), An event generator 440 for generating an event for applying update data of a corresponding service unit when the update version is changed, and an update data applying unit for collectively applying application data of a corresponding service unit as the latest update data according to the event. 430.

The occurrence of an event for application of the updated application data in the set-top box 400 generally occurs after receiving the corresponding application data from a middleware or a corresponding program. Renewal will be applied.

The event of the middleware is generated by the change of the preset update version identifier as described above with reference to FIG. 3 and occurs after the completion of the batch transfer of the update target application data. Accordingly, the service of the corresponding application may be collectively updated according to the event of the middleware. This prevents the error operation or error indication of the service due to individual application data transmission.

Meanwhile, referring back to FIG. 2 as a preferred embodiment, the VOD poster image server 110, the user interface server 120, and the data agent server 130 may communicate using an HTTP protocol.

The VOD poster image server 110 or the user interface server 120 generates file data to be updated among the files constituting the service application, and generates the XML data as an XML file according to preset criteria.

Thereafter, the VOD poster image server 110 or the user interface server 120 delivers the XML file to the data agent server 130 using the HTTP protocol.

In this case, the data agent server 130 may analyze the received XML file, perform an update procedure, and then transfer the result to the VOD poster image server 110 or the user interface server 120.

In addition, the data agent server 130 may request to transmit the latest update file information currently being sent to the VOD poster image server 110 or the user interface server 120 as necessary.

5 is a data flow diagram of an application data update method for digital cable broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the application data update method includes application data used by the headend system 100 in an application in the set-top box 400. In step S115, the headend system 100 classifies and manages the services provided by the set-top box 400 in units according to preset criteria, and groups the application data by the classified service units. In operation S120 and S130, the set-top box 400 requests the headend system 100 for the latest update data of an application (S140), and the application data and the corresponding service grouped by the headend system 100. Transmitting the identifier and the updated version of the unit to the set-top box 400 for each service unit (S145). When the set-top box 400 receives the application data for each service unit and the update version is changed, generating an event for applying update data of the corresponding service unit (S150, S160) and the set-top box 400 According to the event, the application data of the corresponding service unit is collectively applied as the latest update data (S170).

In addition, in the application data updating method, the headend system 100 manages the metadata including one or more of a format, an attribute, and a classification of the application data, and shares the same with the set-top box 400 (S110). It is preferable to further include.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

100: headend system 110: VOD poster image server
120: smart set-top box user interface server
130: data agent server 131: metadata management unit
132: group setting unit 133: data management unit
134: in-band data transmission unit 135: service management unit
136: out of band data transmission unit 140: iTV headend server
150: OOB Encoder Server 200: Cable Modem End System (CMTS)
300: cable network 400: set-top box
410: data request unit 420: data receiver
430: update data application unit 440: event generation unit
500: TV

Claims (6)

In the application data update system in digital cable broadcasting,
Located in the headend system,
Data management unit for managing the application data used by the applications in the set-top box,
A service defining unit for classifying and managing service units provided by the set-top box according to preset criteria;
A group setting unit for grouping the application data by the classified service units;
And a data agent server for transmitting the grouped application data, the identifier and the updated version of the corresponding service unit for each service unit.
The method of claim 1, wherein the set top box,
A data request unit requesting the headend system for the latest update data of an application;
A data receiver configured to receive the application data for each service unit;
An event generator for generating an event for applying update data of a corresponding service unit when the update version is changed; And
And a set-top box having an update data application unit for collectively applying the application data of the corresponding service unit as the latest update data according to the event.
The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmission unit
An in-band data transmission unit for transmitting the grouped application data to an in-band delivery server;
An out of band data transmission unit for transmitting the grouped application data to an out of band transmission server,
And transmitting to the in-band transmitting server and the out-of-band transmitting server respectively or simultaneously according to the transmission attribute of the application data.
The method of claim 1, wherein the data agent server
And a metadata management unit for managing the metadata as one of at least one of a format, an attribute, and a classification of the application data, and sharing the same with the set-top box.
The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmission unit
And transmitting the application data as data in a format including an identifier and an updated version of the service unit.
In the application data update method in digital cable broadcasting,
a) the headend system managing application data used by applications in the set top box;
b) classifying and managing the service units provided by the set-top box according to a predetermined criterion by the headend system and grouping the application data by the classified service units;
c) a set top box requesting the headend system for the latest update data of an application;
d) transmitting, by the headend system, the grouped application data, an identifier of the corresponding service unit, and an updated version to each set-top box;
e) the set-top box receiving the application data for each service unit and generating an event for application of update data of the corresponding service unit when the update version is changed; and
and f) applying, by the set-top box, application data of a corresponding service unit as the latest update data according to the event.

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