KR20030025176A - Digital broadcast signal multiplex transmitting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To efficiently multiplex data broadcasting signals to television broadcasting signals. CONSTITUTION: TS for television broadcasting is separated into TS packets for the television broadcasting and null packets in a packet filter part 131 and only the TS packets for the television broadcasting are held in buffers 1341-134n. The TS for data broadcasting is separated into the TS packets for the data broadcasting, DII section packets and event message section packets in the packet filter part 133 and held in the buffers 1361-136p separately for the respective packets. In a multiplex processing part 139, the TS packets for the television broadcasting are successively read from the buffers 1341-134n at a transmission rate of the TS for the television broadcasting and the TS packets for the data broadcasting are read from the buffers 1361-136p in a descending order of priority in a period to insert the null packet.

Description

Digital broadcast signal multicasting device {DIGITAL BROADCAST SIGNAL MULTIPLEX TRANSMITTING APPARATUS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital broadcasting signal multiplexing device for performing data broadcasting in digital broadcasting systems such as satellite broadcasting and terrestrial broadcasting.

In recent years, with the establishment of digital broadcasting technology, digital broadcasting is started in satellite broadcasting systems using communication satellites and broadcasting satellites, and the transition to digital broadcasting is also planned in terrestrial broadcasting systems.

In addition to the television broadcasting, the broadcasting station of the digital broadcasting also performs data broadcasting such as text broadcasting. In data broadcasting, various information programs are broadcast, among which information linked to a television broadcast program, information independent of the television broadcast program, and the like are provided. An example of data broadcasting is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-111969.

By the way, in order to absorb the difference between the transmission rate of a television broadcast signal and the transmission rate of a multiplex signal, the said broadcasting station inserts an invalid NULL packet between material packets which show the television broadcast program in a television broadcast signal, When multiplexing the data broadcast signal to the broadcast signal, the NULL packet is replaced with a raw packet of the data broadcast program.

However, the transmission rate of the television broadcast signal varies depending on the program and the video scene, and in some cases, the band available for data broadcasting is narrowed. However, even in this case, the material packet of the data broadcast is replaced with the NULL packet under the same condition. Therefore, it is difficult to efficiently carry out data transmission of meticulous data broadcasting in accordance with the priority.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and even in the case of fluctuating broadcast bands, a digital broadcast signal multiplexing device is capable of flexibly and efficiently multiplexing and broadcasting data of high priority data broadcasting to a television broadcasting signal. To provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the digital broadcast signal multiplexing device according to the present invention is configured as follows.

(1) A first service broadcast of a first transmission rate in which a plurality of first information packets including information about a first service broadcast program are arranged with a constant data amount, and an invalid dummy packet is inserted between the first information packets. A second service of a second transmission rate including a signal and a plurality of second location information packets indicating the location of the second service broadcast program each of which priority is set, and a period information packet including control information about the second service broadcast program; A digital broadcast signal multiplexing device, which is used in a digital broadcasting system for broadcasting a broadcast signal, generates a transmission signal of a first transmission rate by multiplexing a second service broadcasting signal to a first service broadcasting signal.

Separating means for separating the input first and second service broadcast signals into a plurality of first information packets, a plurality of second material information packets and a period information packet, and a plurality of first information packets separated by the separating means. And a plurality of buffers each storing a plurality of second material information packets and a period information packet for each piece of information by a predetermined number of packets, multiplexing means for selectively multiplexing outputs of the plurality of buffers, and a plurality of buffers. Reads the first information packet sequentially and assigns it to the multiplexing means, and reads the periodic information packet from the plurality of buffers to give the multiplexing means in the dummy packet insertion period of the transmitted signal, and supplies the plurality of second service material information packets. It is to provide a multiple control means for selectively giving to the multiplexing means according to the priority.

According to the present invention, the first service broadcast signal and the second service broadcast signal are divided into a plurality of first information packets, a plurality of second service location information packets, and a period information packet, and stored in a plurality of buffers prepared for each information. The dummy packet included in the first service broadcast signal is not stored in the buffer. Then, the plurality of first information packets are sequentially read out from the plurality of buffers at the sending rate of the first service broadcast signal and multiplexed into the outgoing signals, and in the dummy packet insertion period, the period information packets and the plurality of first information packets are stored in the dummy packet insertion period. 2 Service location information packets are read in order of high priority and multiplexed to the outgoing signal.

Therefore, even if the transmission rate of the first service broadcast signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, the second service material information packet and the periodic information packet of at least the highest priority are multiplexed and transmitted to the transmission signal in a relatively flexible manner. The optimal second service broadcast signal can be transmitted in accordance with the band change. In addition, it is possible to efficiently transmit the second priority service material information packet having a high priority by effectively using the limited second service broadcasting band among the broadcasting bands.

(2) In the above invention, when the first service broadcast signal is a television broadcast signal and the second service broadcast signal is a data broadcast signal, the multiple control means separately includes program information including control information about the television broadcast program. In the case where a packet is provided, the program information packet is provided to the multiplexing means in the dummy packet insertion period of the outgoing signal.

In this way, since the program information packet provided separately can also be multiplexed to the television broadcast signal efficiently, it does not affect the fluctuation of the broadcast band, and replaces or changes the program, for example, when an information change or a program change occurs. Can be transmitted by multiplexing the program information packet according to the television broadcast signal.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a domestic system configuration to which a digital broadcast signal multiplexing device according to the present invention is applied;

2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the multiplexer shown in FIG.

3 is a timing chart showing a band relationship between a television broadcast signal and a data broadcast signal in the embodiment;

4 is a timing diagram for explaining a processing operation in the embodiment;

<Symbols of the main parts of the drawings>

11: Encoder

12: Encoder (ENC)

13: Multiplexer (MUX)

14: encoding multiple control unit (EMC)

15; Data broadcasting transmitter

16: automatic program delivery control unit (APC)

17: domestic clock

18: Data Server (DS)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described with reference to drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a domestic system to which the apparatus for multiplexing digital broadcast signals according to the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the system according to the present invention includes an encoder (ENC) 11 and 12, a multiplexer (MUX) 13, an encoding multiple control unit (EMC) 14, a data broadcast transmitter 15, and an automatic program transmitter. A control unit (APC) 16, a domestic clock 17, and a data server DS 18 are provided.

The encoder 11 compresses and encodes a video signal of a television broadcast program by MPEG2 encoding to generate a transport stream TS for television broadcasting, and outputs it to the multiplexer 13. The encoder 12 compresses and encodes the audio signal of the television broadcast program by AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) encoding to generate a transport stream, and outputs the transport stream to the multiplexer 13.

The multiplexer 13 multiplexes the outputs of the respective encoders 11 and 12 and the data broadcast transport stream output from the data broadcast transmitter 15, and sends it as a transport transport stream TS. Further, data such as a program map table (PMT), a program association table (PAT), and the like are generated based on the information output from the encoding multiplex controller 14, and multiplexed to a transport stream for transmission.

The encoding multiplexer 14 controls the encoders 11 and 12 and the multiplexer 13 based on the instruction information provided from the automatic program delivery control unit 16, the broadcast schedule data, and the knitting time measured by the domestic clock 17. To control. In addition, the PMT and the PAT include information on a program or information indicating whether or not data for data broadcasting is included in a transport stream.

The data broadcast transmitting unit 15 transmits the data broadcasting TS of the packet structure to the multiplexer 13 based on the instruction information provided from the automatic program sending control unit 16.

The automatic program delivery control unit 16 instructs the coded multiple control unit 14 and the data broadcast delivery unit 15 in accordance with the broadcast schedule data provided from the data server 18 and the program organization time measured by the domestic clock 17. By sending the information, the encoding multiplexing control of the encoding multiplexing control unit 14 is controlled, and the sending processing of the data broadcasting transmitting unit 15 is controlled.

2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the multiplexer 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the multiplexer 13 includes packet filter units 131, 132, and 133, buffers 1321 to 134n, 1351 to 135m, and 1361 to 136p, selectors 137, counters 138, and multiplexers. A processing unit 139, a multiple determination unit 140, a transmission cycle management unit 141, a TS generation buffer 142, and a buffer monitoring unit 143 are provided.

The packet filter unit 131 separates the TS packet streams output from the encoders 11 and 12, and stores the predetermined number of buffers in the buffers 1341 to 134n, respectively.

The packet filter unit 132 stores a program specific information (PSI) / specific information (SI) packet sequence including control information about a television broadcast program that is transmitted separately from the TS packet sequence output from the encoders 11 and 12. 18 are separated according to the packet priority notified from 18), and each buffer 1351 to 135m is stored in a predetermined number.

The packet filter unit 133 separates the data broadcasting TS packet sequence output from the data broadcasting transmitting unit 15 according to the packet priority notified from the data server 18, and stores the data broadcasting TS packet sequence in each buffer 1351 to 135m for each information. Memory is kept for a predetermined number.

The selector 137 selectively derives the output of each of the buffers 1341 to 134n, 1351 to 135m, and 1361 to 136p.

The counter 138 counts the number of packets output from the selector 137, and inserts NULL packets into the transport stream and outputs them when the predetermined number is not satisfied.

The multiple processing unit 139 monitors the packet contents of each of the buffers 1341 to 134n, 1351 to 135m, and 1361 to 136p, sends the monitoring result to the multiple judging unit 140, and sends it to the multiple judging unit 140. The read control of the packets stored in each of the buffers 1341 to 134n, 1351 to 135m, and 1361 to 136p is performed based on the determination result. In addition, the determination result includes the transmission rate of the television broadcast transport stream TS.

The TS generation buffer 142 stores, for example, a predetermined number of packet sequences arriving via the LAN from the encoding multiplex controller 14 and outputs them to the selector 137 under control by the multiplexer 139. . The number of packets and packet contents stored in the TS generation buffer 142 is managed by the delivery cycle management unit 141.

The buffer monitoring unit 143 monitors the number of packets stored in each of the buffers 1341 to 134n, 1351 to 135m, and 1361 to 136p.

Next, in the above configuration, the processing operation will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, the basic concept of transmission is to use the remaining band among the bands used for video / audio of a television broadcast program. Since video / audio in digital broadcasting adopts the compression encoding technique defined by MPEG2, the video broadcasting band fluctuates depending on the video scene.

Currently, since the data broadcasting TS is transmitted at a fixed bit rate by setting a target of the remaining bands from the maximum code amount of video / audio in advance, a band where nothing is multiplexed even when the code amount of video / audio decreases is wasteful. to be.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the data broadcast TS packet sequence output from the data broadcast transmitting unit 15 is directly input to the multiplexer 13, and the multiplexer 13 performs control of the transmission of the data broadcast TS packet sequence according to the band variation. . The state of delivery control in this case is shown to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.

4A shows the outputs of the encoders 11 and 12, FIG. 4B shows the output of the data broadcast transmitter 15, FIG. 4C shows the output of the multiplexer 13, and FIG. In the figure, A is a TV broadcasting TS packet, B is an unnecessary NULL packet, C is a data broadcasting TS packet showing the highest priority, D is a data broadcasting TS packet having a lower priority than C, and E is a TS packet which is efficiently multiplexed. It shows that

Here, in the multiplexer 13, the TV broadcasting TS packet strings from the encoders 11 and 12 are input to the packet filter unit 131, and separated into a TV broadcasting TS packet and a NULL packet, and then only the TV broadcasting TS packets are recorded. The buffers 1341 to 134n are sequentially stored in a predetermined number. The packets stored in each of the buffers 1341 to 134n are monitored by the multiple processing unit 139, respectively, and the monitoring result is notified to the multiple determination unit 140.

Further, in the multiplexer 13, the TS packet string for data broadcasting from the data broadcasting transmitting unit 15 is input to the packet filter unit 133, for example, the first data broadcasting TS packet and the television broadcasting program linked to the television broadcasting program. Is separated into a second data broadcast TS packet, a DII section packet, and an event message section packet, which are independent of each other, and a predetermined number of packets are sequentially placed in each of the buffers 1361 to 136p according to the priority notified from the data server 18. Keep it in memory. The packets stored in each of the buffers 1361 to 136p are monitored by the multiple processing unit 139, respectively, and the monitoring result is notified to the multiple determination unit 140.

In the multiple processing unit 139, if a determination result from the multiple determination unit 140 is given, the transmission rate of the television broadcasting TS is determined from this determination result, and from each of the output buffers 1341 to 134n based on this determination result. The television broadcast TS packets are read out sequentially and given to the selector 137.

In the multiprocessing unit 139, the TS packet including the PSI / SI is read out from each of the buffers 1351 to 135m in the period in which the NULL packet is to be read out, and the first packet from the buffers 1361 to 136p is read. The data broadcast TS packet and the second data broadcast TS packet are selectively read out in order of priority, and the DII section packet and the event message section packet are read and given to the selector 137. By doing so, the packet sequence as shown in Fig. 4C is output from the multiplex 135.

Accordingly, for example, transmitting data of a high-priority data broadcasting program accompanying a video scene such as a quiz problem or a scene of a drama so as not to affect transmission even when the amount of video / audio code of the television broadcasting program is maximized. It is possible.

When the transmission rate of the television broadcasting TS exceeds a predetermined threshold, for example, the low-priority data broadcasting TS packet is continuously stored in the buffer 1362. The accumulated amount of this buffer 1332 is always notified to the buffer monitoring unit 143. The buffer monitoring unit 143 monitors the accumulation amount of the buffer 1362, and notifies the data broadcasting transmission unit 15 of the buffer information for stopping the transmission of the data broadcasting TS packet when the predetermined amount is exceeded.

As described above, in the above embodiment, the packet filter units 131 to 133 and buffers 1341 to 134n, 1351 to 135m, and 1361 to 136p are provided, and the TV broadcasting TS is set by the packet filter unit 131 to the TV broadcasting TS. The packets are separated into NULL packets, and only the TS packets for television broadcasting are stored in the buffers 1341 to 134n. In addition, the data broadcasting TS is separated into a first data broadcasting TS packet, a second data broadcasting TS packet, a DII section packet, and an event message section packet by the packet filter unit 133, and the buffers 1361 to 136p for each packet. Keep it in memory. Then, the multi-processing unit 139 sequentially reads out the TV broadcasting TS packets from the buffers 1341 to 134n at the transmission rate of the television broadcasting TS, gives them to the selector 137, and inserts the NULL packets in a period during which the NULL packets should be inserted. The DII section packet and the event message section packet are read out and assigned to the selector 137 from 1361 to 136p, and the first and second data broadcasting TS packets are read out in the order of high priority to the selector 137. I'm trying to.

Therefore, even if the transmission rate of the television broadcasting TS exceeds a predetermined threshold, the data broadcasting TS packet, the DII section packet, and the event message section packet are transmitted to the transmitting TS in a manner that is relatively flexible. As can be seen, optimum data transfer can be performed in accordance with the variation in the sending rate. In addition, it is possible to effectively transmit a high-priority data broadcasting TS packet by effectively using a limited data broadcasting band in the broadcasting band.

In addition, when the TV broadcast band occupancy is the smallest, all programs can be transmitted within the transmittable band so that the user can quickly watch the data broadcasting program at any time when the user starts reception. Since the broadcasting band is fixed, no waste is caused in the band, and accordingly, optimal data transmission due to fluctuation of the band can be performed. That is, it is possible to increase the effective utilization rate of the whole broadcast band.

In addition, when the amount of storage of the output buffers 1341 to 1344 is monitored by the buffer monitoring unit 143 in a state where the television broadcasting band occupancy exceeds a predetermined threshold, the data broadcasting is performed when the amount of accumulation exceeds the predetermined amount. Since the stop control of the data broadcast packet is performed to the transmitting unit 15, there is no need to replace the output buffers 1341 to 1344 with a large capacity buffer, and the processing load of the multiplexer 13 is thus suppressed to a low level. The cost is also lower.

In the above embodiment, the multi-processing unit 139 reads out the PSI / SI packets stored in the buffers 1351 to 135m and gives them to the selector 137 in the period in which the NULL packet is to be inserted. Therefore, when a change such as an information exchange or a program change occurs, for example, without affecting the fluctuation of the broadcast band, the PSI / SI packet according to the exchange or program change can be multiplexed and transmitted to the transmitting TS.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the data broadcasting packet having a high priority, the DII section packet, and the event message section packet are transmitted when the broadcasting rate for television broadcasting exceeds a predetermined threshold, but the highest priority data broadcasting is transmitted. Only packet and DII section packet may be sufficient. The use of event messages depends on the content and is not necessary. In addition, the fixed band can be arbitrarily set, and depending on the setting, it is also possible to always transmit the data broadcast packets having the first, second and third priority.

Further, in the above embodiment, the packet filter unit 133, based on the organization information from the data server 18, the first data broadcast packet, the second data broadcast packet, the DII section packet, and the event from the data broadcast data. Message section packets were separated. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first data broadcast packet, the second data broadcast packet, the DII section packet, and the event message section packet are separated from the data broadcast data based on a predetermined control information packet included in the data broadcast data. Also good.

In the above embodiment, the description has been given of a television broadcasting system using a fixed reception service. However, the present embodiment can also be applied to a mobile broadcasting system or a portable broadcasting system using a portable receiving terminal. The present invention can also be applied to a computer system using a dedicated network or the Internet.

In addition, various modifications can be made to the configuration of the domestic system, the type and configuration of the multiplexer, the multiple control procedures of the TS packets in the multiplexer, the contents of the TS packets, and the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a digital broadcast signal multiplexing device is provided that enables data to be broadcast flexibly and efficiently to a television broadcast signal even when the broadcasting band is varied. Can provide.

Claims (6)

A plurality of first information packets including the location of the first service broadcast program and control information relating to the program are arranged with a constant data amount, and the first transmission rate in which invalid dummy packets are inserted between the first information packets. A second transmission including a first service broadcast signal and a plurality of second material information packets each indicating a location of a second service broadcast program whose priority is set, and a cycle information packet including control information about the second service broadcast program; A digital broadcast signal multiplexing device for use in a digital broadcasting system for broadcasting a second service broadcast signal of a rate, wherein the second service broadcast signal is multiplexed with the first service broadcast signal to generate a transmission signal of a first transmission rate. , Separating means for separating the input first and second service broadcast signals into the plurality of first information packets, the plurality of second material information packets, and the period information packet; A plurality of buffers for storing the plurality of first information packets, the plurality of second material information packets, and the period information packet separated by the separating means for each piece of information by a predetermined number of packets; Multiplexing means for selectively multiplexing the outputs of the plurality of buffers; Read out the plurality of first information packets from the plurality of buffers sequentially and give them to the multiplexing means, and read the period information packets from the plurality of buffers during the dummy packet insertion period of the outgoing signal and give them to the multiplexing means. And multiple control means for selectively assigning the plurality of second service location information packets to the multiplexing means in accordance with priority. Television broadcasting of a first transmission rate in which a plurality of television broadcasting information packets including the location of a television broadcasting program and control information relating to the program are arranged in a constant data amount, and an invalid dummy packet is inserted between the television broadcasting information packets. Digital broadcasting a data broadcast signal of a second transmission rate including a signal and a plurality of data broadcast material packets each indicating a location of a data broadcast program whose priority is set and a period information packet including control information about the data broadcast program; A digital broadcast signal multiplexing device, which is used in a broadcasting system and generates a transmission signal of a first transmission rate by multiplexing the data broadcasting signal to the television broadcasting signal, Separating means for separating the input television broadcast signal and the data broadcast signal into the plurality of television broadcast information packets, the plurality of data broadcast material packets and the period information packet; A plurality of buffers for storing the plurality of television broadcast information packets, the plurality of data broadcasting material packets, and the period information packet separated by the separating means for each piece of information by a predetermined number of packets; Multiplexing means for selectively multiplexing the outputs of the plurality of buffers; The plurality of television broadcast information packets are sequentially read from the plurality of buffers and given to the multiplexing means, and the periodic information packets are read out from the plurality of buffers in the dummy packet insertion period of the outgoing signal, and the multiplexing means is read out to the multiplexing means. And multiple control means for selectively assigning the plurality of data broadcast material packets to the multiplexing means in accordance with the priority order. Television broadcasting of a first transmission rate in which a plurality of television broadcasting information packets including the location of a television broadcasting program and control information relating to the program are arranged in a constant data amount, and an invalid dummy packet is inserted between the television broadcasting information packets. A signal and a plurality of data broadcasting material packets each indicating a location of a data broadcasting program having a priority set, a period information packet including control information about the data broadcasting program, and an event message information packet including other additional information. A digital broadcast signal multiplexing device, which is used in a digital broadcasting system for broadcasting a data broadcasting signal of two transmission rates, wherein the data broadcasting signal is multiplexed with the television broadcasting signal to generate a transmission signal of a first transmission rate. Separating means for separating the input television broadcast signal and the data broadcast signal into the plurality of television broadcast information packets, the plurality of data broadcast material packets, the period information packet, and the event message information packet; A plurality of buffers for storing the plurality of television broadcast information packets separated by the separating means, the plurality of data broadcasting material packets, the periodic information packet, and the event message information packet by a predetermined number of packets for each information; , Multiplexing means for selectively multiplexing the outputs of the plurality of buffers; The plurality of television broadcast information packets are sequentially read out from the plurality of buffers and given to the multiplexing means, and the period information packet and the event message information packet are extracted from the plurality of buffers in a dummy packet insertion period of the outgoing signal. And multiple control means for reading out and giving the multiplexing means and selectively assigning the plurality of data broadcast material packets to the multiplexing means according to priority. 4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the multi-control means is further configured to add the program information packet to a dummy packet insertion period of the outgoing signal when a program information packet including control information about the television broadcast program is separately provided. An apparatus for multiplexing digital broadcast signals, characterized by having a function assigned to multiplexing means. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of data broadcasting material information, period information, and event message information stored in the plurality of buffers is monitored, and the number of packets respectively stored in the plurality of buffers exceeds a predetermined number. And buffer monitoring means for performing stop control on the transmission source of the data broadcast signal. 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said separating means has a function of separating said data broadcast signal under control from the outside.