KR101347125B1 - Interactive cable broadcasting system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a two-way cable broadcasting system and method, the system according to the present invention, a broadcasting headend for outputting a downlink RF broadcast signal as an electrical signal, an optical transmitter for converting the downlink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal, the optical An optical communication network unit which converts the signal to a downlink RF broadcast signal transmitted through an optical cable network, converts the signal into an electrical signal and transmits the signal to a set-top box via a coaxial cable; and processes the downlink RF broadcast signal transmitted from the optical communication network unit. And a set-top box for outputting to a video reproducing apparatus, outputting a bidirectional broadcast service request message requested from a user through an Ethernet port as an uplink internet signal, and a bidirectional service unit for providing a bidirectional broadcast service corresponding to the bidirectional broadcast service request message. Include. According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden of investing and managing the broadcasting network and the communication network twice. More specifically, there is no need to install a cable modem in the set-top box, and there is no need to build a CTMS device at the head end for transmitting and receiving data with the cable modem. In addition, there is an advantage in that a two-way cable broadcasting service is possible without including an expensive RFoG uplink optical transmission module for converting an uplink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal and transmitting upward.

Description

Two-way cable broadcasting system and method {INTERACTIVE CABLE BROADCASTING SYSTEM AND METHOD}

The present invention relates to a bidirectional cable broadcasting system and method, and more particularly, provides a cable broadcasting signal as a downlink RF broadcast signal through an optical cable network, and an uplink signal for a bidirectional service request uses an Internet data signal instead of an uplink RF signal. A bidirectional cable broadcast system and method.

Conventional cable operators have built HFC networks to provide analog and digital cable broadcasting and high-speed Internet services based on DOCSIS technology. However, in recent new houses and apartments, optical cables have been installed to houses, and FTTH-type high-speed Internet has been spreading using optical cables, and in order to provide the same services as conventional ones, an optical fiber mixed network (HFC network) has to be separately installed or an optical cable is used. Use RFoG technology.

3 is a view provided to explain a conventional RFoG based two-way cable broadcasting system.

Referring to FIG. 3, in a conventional RFoG based bidirectional cable broadcasting system, a broadcasting headend transmits a downlink RF signal through an optical transmission / reception module (OTX / ORX), and the CMTS transmits an uplink RF signal transmitted from a subscriber side to an optical transmission / reception module ( Received through OTX / ORX), converted to Internet data signals, and delivered to an internal server providing interactive services. On the other hand, an optical line terminal (OLT) is provided for the Internet communication service, and uplink and downlink signals are transmitted and received with the subscriber.

Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is a wavelength division multiplexing optical transmission method for uplink RF signals, downlink RF signals, uplink Internet signals, and downlink Internet signals. ) Sent and received.

The micro node transmits the uplink RF signal and the downlink RF signal transmitted to the optical signal through the optical cable to the set top box (STB), and the uplink internet signal and the downlink internet signal to the information communication terminal device such as a PC. It was.

Since RFoG technology uses only one optical cable, the construction cost is low and the maintenance cost is low, but the RFoG terminal is expensive, making it difficult to commercialize. In particular, the uplink optical module used in RFoG terminals has to transmit analog optical signals over a long distance, which is a very expensive component. And set-top box (STB) also needed a cable modem to communicate with the CMTS installed on the operator side. As a result, there has been a redundant investment in providing dual subscribers with both optical and cable modem-based Internet.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable broadcasting signal as a downlink RF broadcast signal through an optical cable network, and an uplink signal for a bidirectional service request uses an internet data signal instead of an uplink RF signal and a bidirectional cable broadcasting system and method. It is.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bidirectional cable broadcasting service system including a broadcasting headend configured to output a downlink RF broadcast signal as an electrical signal, an optical transmitter converting the downlink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal; An optical communication network unit which receives the downlink RF broadcast signal converted into the optical signal and transmitted through an optical cable network, converts it into an electrical signal and transmits the signal to a set-top box via a coaxial cable; and the downlink RF broadcast signal transmitted from the optical communication network unit Processing to output to a video reproducing apparatus, a set-top box for outputting a bidirectional broadcast service request message requested by a user through an Ethernet port as an uplink internet signal, and a bidirectional broadcast service corresponding to the bidirectional broadcast service request message. It includes a service department.

The system converts a destination address of an authorized IP of the uplink internet signal into a private IP address of an internal server that is included in the bidirectional service unit to provide a positive service, and the source IP of the uplink internet signal or The server may further include a gateway server that finds an ID of the set-top box using a MAC address and delivers the ID to the internal server.

The uplink internet signal may be transmitted from the set top box to the gateway server through an internet network managed by a broadcast service provider and another operating entity operating the broadcasting headend and the interactive service unit.

The system is an optical line terminal for transmitting the downlink Internet signal transmitted from the bidirectional service unit as an optical signal, and receiving the uplink internet signal transmitted as the optical signal and transmitting it as an electrical signal to the bidirectional service unit, the downlink Internet A wavelength division multiplexing device for transmitting and receiving a signal, the downlink RF broadcast signal and the uplink internet signal through the optical fiber network in a wavelength division multiplexing optical transmission method, and receiving the downlink internet signal transmitted through the optical fiber network from an optical communication network unit. The apparatus may further include an optical network terminator that converts an electrical signal to the set top box and converts an uplink internet signal output as an electrical signal through an Ethernet port of the set top box into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal to the optical network unit. have.

The optical cable network may be a passive optical network (PON).

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a two-way cable broadcasting service method, wherein the set-top box outputs a two-way broadcasting service request message requested by a user through an Ethernet port as an uplink Internet signal, and a two-way service unit. Transmitting a service corresponding to a bidirectional broadcast service request message transmitted through the uplink Internet signal as a downlink RF broadcast signal through a broadcasting headend; converting the downlink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal and optical fiber network through an optical cable network And transmitting the downlink RF broadcast signal to an electrical signal by the optical communication network unit to the set top box through a coaxial cable.

The method includes the steps of: a gateway server converting a destination address of a public IP of the uplink internet signal to a private IP address of an internal server included in the bidirectional service unit to provide a positive service; and The method may further include finding an ID of the set-top box using a source IP or MAC address of the signal and transmitting the ID of the set-top box to the internal server.

The method includes transmitting an uplink internet signal output as an electrical signal through an Ethernet port of the set top box to an optical network terminator, transmitting the uplink internet signal to the optical network unit by the optical network terminator; The optical communication network unit transmitting the uplink internet signal to the optical line terminal through the optical cable network, and converting the uplink internet signal into an electrical signal and transmitting the electrical signal to the bidirectional service unit Can be.

A computer-readable medium according to another embodiment of the present invention records a program for causing a computer to execute any one of the above methods.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden of investing and managing the broadcasting network and the communication network twice. More specifically, there is no need to install a cable modem in the set-top box, and there is no need to build a CTMS device at the head end for transmitting and receiving data with the cable modem. In addition, there is an advantage in that a two-way cable broadcasting service is possible without including an expensive RFoG uplink optical transmission module for converting an uplink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal and transmitting upward.

1 is a view provided to explain a two-way cable broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view provided to explain a two-way cable broadcasting system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view provided to explain a two-way cable broadcasting system according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention.

1 is a view provided to explain a two-way cable broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the bidirectional cable broadcasting system according to the present invention includes a broadcasting headend 110, an optical transmitter (OTX) 115, an interactive service unit 120, and an optical line terminal (OLT). 130, Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) 140, Optical Network Unit (ONU) 150, Optical Network Terminal (ONT) 160 and Set Top It may include a box 170.

The broadcast headend 110 transmits a downlink RF broadcast signal to the set top box 160 of a broadcast service subscriber. In this case, the downlink RF broadcast signal may be not only for broadcast content that is arranged in real time by a broadcast service provider but also for VoD content that is requested for service through VoD method through the set-top box 160.

The OTX 115 converts a downlink RF broadcast signal output as an electrical signal from the broadcasting headend 110 into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal to the WDM 140.

The bidirectional service unit 120 performs a function of providing a bidirectional broadcast service according to the bidirectional service request message transmitted from the set top box 160. Here, the interactive broadcast service may include various services such as VoD service, Internet search, online game, home banking, and local data broadcasting.

The interactive service unit 120 may include an internal server (not shown) for providing the interactive service described above for each interactive broadcast service. For example, the internal server may include a VoD server for providing a VoD service and a local data broadcast service server for providing a local data broadcast service.

The bidirectional service request message may be transmitted as an uplink internet signal from the set-top box 160 and transmitted to the bidirectional service unit 120. The bidirectional service request message may be exchanged between the bidirectional service unit 120 and the set top box 170 through the IP protocol.

The bidirectional service unit 120 may provide a service through a downlink Internet signal or a downlink RF broadcast signal according to the type of the bidirectional service requested from the set-top box 160. For example, a data service such as an internet search service may provide a bidirectional service through a downlink internet signal. The downlink internet signal may be exchanged between the bidirectional service unit 120 and the set-top box 170 through the IP protocol. Meanwhile, in the case of VoD service, VoD content may be provided to the set top box 170 as a downlink RF broadcast signal through the broadcast headend 110.

According to the embodiment described in FIG. 1, the uplink internet signal and the downlink internet signal are bidirectional services as optical signals through the OLT 130, the WDM 140, the optical cable network 10, the ONU 150, and the ONT 160. It may be exchanged between the unit 120 and the set top box 170. The bidirectional service unit 120 and the OLT 130, and the ONT 160 and the set-top box 170 may be exchanged with an electrical signal.

The OLT 130 is a device that transmits and receives an optical signal to a subscriber side in a passive optical network (PON) system, and manages the ONU 150 and the ONT 160. In detail, the OLT 130 transmits the downlink Internet signal transmitted from the bidirectional service unit 120 to the WDM 140, and transmits the uplink internet signal transmitted from the WDM 140 to the bidirectional service unit 120.

PON (Passive Optical Network) is an optical subscriber construction method that provides high-speed services based on fiber optics to businesses and homes. One optical line termination (OLT) can connect multiple ONUs using a splitter to the optical cable. There are TDM (A) -PON using time division multiplexing and WDM (A) -PON of wavelength division multiplexing. Time-division multiplexing includes ATM-based ATM-PON, Ethernet-based (G) E-PON, G-PON using common frame protocols, and WDM-PON for wavelength-division multiplexing, and others. Can be.

The WDM 140 transmits and receives different optical wavelength signals such as a downlink RF broadcast signal, a downlink internet signal, and an uplink internet signal to the ONU 150 through the optical cable network 10 in a wavelength division multiplexed optical transmission method. For example, the downlink RF broadcast signal and the downlink internet signal transmitted from the broadcasting headend 110 and the OLT 130 are multiplexed or transmitted, or the uplink Internet signal transmitted through the optical cable network 10 is demultiplexed to the OLT 130. It can perform the function of transmitting.

The ONU 150 converts the downlink RF broadcast signal transmitted through the optical cable network 10 into an electrical signal and transmits it to the set top box 170 through the coaxial cable 20, and the downlink internet data signal is transmitted through the optical cable. Transmit to ONT 160. In addition, the ONU 150 transmits the uplink Internet signal transmitted from the ONT 160 to the WDM 140 through the optical cable network 10.

The ONT 160 transmits and receives data using light to an optical communication terminal installed at a subscriber side in a PON system. In particular, according to the present invention, the downlink Internet signal is converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the set-top box 170, and conversely, the uplink Internet signal transmitted from the set-top box 170 is converted into an optical signal and transmitted to the ONU 150.

The ONU 150 and the ONT 160 may be integrally implemented or may be separately implemented.

The set-top box 170 performs a function of processing and outputting a downlink RF broadcast signal converted into an electrical signal from the ONU 150 through the coaxial cable 20 in a form usable by an image reproducing apparatus (not shown). do. In addition, the set-top box 170 performs a function of processing the downlink Internet signal transmitted through the ONT 160 to output to the image playback device, and also according to the command input from the user through a remote control (not shown), etc. The data service request is transmitted to the ONT 160 as an uplink internet signal. The uplink and downlink signals may be transmitted and received through an Ethernet port (not shown) of the set top box 170.

The CPE 180 is a customer premises device connected to the optical cable network 10 through the ONT 160 and may include various information communication terminals such as a PC and a notebook, and may use or support an Internet service.

According to such a configuration, the set-top box 170 does not need a cable modem for transmitting an uplink signal for a bidirectional broadcast service request to a broadcast service provider, and the ONU 150 also transmits an uplink RF signal to a broadcast service provider. It does not require an RF uplink optical transmission module. In addition, a broadcast service provider can provide a two-way cable broadcasting service without including a cable modem termination system (CMTS) at the head end.

2 is a view provided to explain a two-way cable broadcasting system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Among the components of the bidirectional cable broadcasting system illustrated in FIG. 2, components that perform the same functions as those illustrated in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2, the downlink RF broadcast signal is output from the broadcasting headend 110 and converted into an optical signal in the OTX 115, as shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, through the optical cable network 10. 150). The downlink RF broadcast signal is converted into an electrical signal in the ONU 150 and transmitted to the set top box 170 through the coaxial cable 20.

The set top box 170 may output a bidirectional broadcast service request message as an uplink internet signal through an Ethernet port and transmit the broadcast message to a broadcast service provider through a third party internet network 30. Here, the third-party Internet network 30 may mean an internet network managed by a broadcast service provider and another operating entity operating the broadcasting headend 110 and the interactive service unit 120, and may include xDSL, FTTH, and LAN. have.

In addition, the set-top box 170 may receive a downlink Internet signal for providing a two-way broadcast service through a third-party Internet network 30, process it, and output the processed signal to an image reproducing apparatus.

The gateway server 190 includes the destination address of the authorized IP (IP) of the uplink Internet data signal transmitted from the set-top box 170 through the third-party Internet network 30 to provide the bidirectional service. Convert to the private IP address of the internal server to be, and finds the ID (ID) of the set-top box 170 using the source IP and MAC address and delivers to the bidirectional service unit 120. To this end, the gateway server 190 may store a table in which the set top box ID is mapped to the source IP or MAC address of the set top box 170 in advance.

The interactive service unit 120 may process the interactive service request based on the set top box ID. For example, in the case where the bidirectional service request is a VoD service request, the gateway server 190 uses a public IP address of a VoD server (not shown) as a public IP address of an uplink Internet signal transmitted through a third-party Internet network 30. And then pass it to the VoD server with the set-top box ID.

Then, the VoD server may transmit the requested VoD content based on the set top box ID as a downlink RF broadcast signal of a frequency band allocated to the set top box.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment of FIG. 1, the up / down Internet signal has been described as being transmitted and received through the optical cable network 10 of the cable broadcast service provider. However, as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. It is also possible to implement to transmit and receive by connecting to the Internet network (30). In this case, the embodiment of FIG. 1 may further include the gateway server 190 of FIG. 2, and the ONT 160 may not be separately provided.

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-readable medium having program instructions for performing various computer-implemented operations. This medium records a program for executing the above-mentioned bidirectional cable broadcast service method. The medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., alone or in combination. Examples of such media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape, optical recording media such as CD and DVD, programmed instructions such as floptical disk and magneto-optical media, ROM, RAM, And a hardware device configured to store and execute the program. Or such medium may be a transmission medium, such as optical or metal lines, waveguides, etc., including a carrier wave that transmits a signal specifying a program command, data structure, or the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of right.

Claims (10)

A broadcast headend for outputting a downlink RF broadcast signal as an electrical signal;
An optical transmitter for converting the downlink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal;
An optical communication network unit which converts the downlink RF broadcast signal, which is converted into the optical signal and transmitted through an optical cable network, is converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the set top box through a coaxial cable;
A set-top box which processes the downlink RF broadcast signal transmitted from the optical communication network unit and outputs it to an image reproducing apparatus, and outputs a bidirectional broadcast service request message requested from a user through an Ethernet port as an uplink internet signal; and
An interactive service unit providing an interactive broadcast service corresponding to the interactive broadcast service request message.
Two-way cable broadcast service system comprising a. The method of claim 1,
Converts the destination address of the public IP of the uplink Internet signal into a private IP address of an internal server that is included in the bidirectional service unit to provide a positive service, and uses the source IP or MAC address of the uplink internet signal; And a gateway server that finds the ID of the set-top box and delivers the ID to the internal server. 3. The method of claim 2,
The uplink internet signal is transmitted from the set-top box to the gateway server through an internet network managed by a broadcasting service provider and another operating entity operating the broadcasting headend and the interactive service unit. . The method of claim 1,
The bidirectional service unit transmits the downlink internet signal transmitted for the bidirectional service as an optical signal according to the bidirectional broadcast service request message, receives the uplink internet signal transmitted as the optical signal, and transmits it as an electrical signal to the bidirectional service unit. Optical line terminal,
A wavelength division multiplexing device for transmitting and receiving the downlink Internet signal, the downlink RF broadcast signal, and the uplink Internet signal through the optical fiber network in a wavelength division multiplexing optical transmission scheme;
The downlink internet signal transmitted through the optical cable network is received from the optical communication network unit, converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the set top box, and the uplink internet signal output as an electrical signal through the Ethernet port of the set top box as an optical signal. Optical network terminator converting and transmitting to the optical network unit
The two-way cable broadcast service system further comprising. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The optical cable network is a two-way cable broadcasting service system, characterized in that the PON (Passive Optical Network). Set-top box outputting a bidirectional broadcast service request message requested by a user through an Ethernet port as an uplink internet signal;
Transmitting, by a bidirectional service unit, a service corresponding to a bidirectional broadcast service request message transmitted through the uplink Internet signal as a downlink RF broadcast signal through a broadcasting headend;
Converting the downlink RF broadcast signal into an optical signal and transmitting the optical signal to an optical communication network unit through an optical cable network; and
Converting the downlink RF broadcast signal into an electrical signal by the optical communication network unit and transmitting the electrical signal to the set top box through a coaxial cable;
Two-way cable broadcast service method comprising a. The method of claim 6,
Converting, by a gateway server, a destination address of an authorized IP of the uplink internet signal into a private IP address of an internal server included in the bidirectional service unit to provide a positive service; and
And searching for the ID of the set-top box using the source IP or MAC address of the uplink internet signal and transmitting the ID of the set-top box to the internal server. 8. The method of claim 7,
The uplink internet signal is transmitted from the set-top box to the gateway server through an internet network managed by a broadcasting service provider and another operating entity operating the broadcasting headend and the interactive service unit. . The method of claim 6,
Transmitting an uplink internet signal output as an electrical signal through an Ethernet port of the set top box to an optical network terminator;
Transmitting, by the optical network terminator, the uplink internet signal to the optical network unit;
Transmitting, by the optical communication network unit, the uplink internet signal to the optical line terminal through the optical cable network; and
The optical line terminal converting the uplink internet signal into an electrical signal and transmitting the electrical signal to the bidirectional service unit
Two-way cable broadcast service method comprising a. A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the method of any one of claims 6 to 8.

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