KR20110024857A - Method for searching channal and rf signal processing device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for searching a channel and an RF signal processing device are provided to reduce a channel searching time specially in searching both analog and digital channels. CONSTITUTION: A method for searching a channel and an RF signal processing device comprise a first tuner for searching channels in a first frequency band of an available band, a second tuner for searching a second frequency band which is the rest of the first frequency band, and a memory for searching an analog channel list searched by the first tuner, and a digital channel list which is searched by the second tuner.

Description

RF signal processing apparatus using channel search method and the channel search method {METHOD FOR SEARCHING CHANNAL AND RF SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICE USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a method for searching a channel, and more particularly, to a method for searching a digital channel and an analog channel more effectively.

In general, a television set is an apparatus for receiving an external input signal such as a radio signal transmitted from a broadcasting station and displaying a corresponding image for each channel. Users can select and watch a desired channel among the channels.

There are many ways to change channels on television. One of the most commonly used methods is to directly press the channel number using the remote control, and the other is to search all channels using the auto setup function and then change the channel using the channel up / down buttons. It is a way. Another way is to use the previous channel memory function to change to the previously watched channel. Such methods are very useful when the number of channels is less than 10.

Recently, with the spread of CATV and digital satellite broadcasting, various types of broadcasting have been provided, leading to a significant increase in the number of channels of television, reaching dozens. As such, when the number of channels reaches several tens, users may spend a lot of time searching for a desired channel. In addition, when searching for both digital and analog channels in one television set, searching for a channel takes a lot of time, making the user uncomfortable.

The present invention provides a channel search method that can reduce the channel search time by effectively searching a channel of a device having two tuners and an RF signal processing apparatus using the method.

The present invention includes a first tuner for searching for a channel in a first range of available frequency bands; a second tuner for searching for a channel in a second range that is the remaining range of the available frequency bands; And a memory for storing the analog channel list searched by the first tuner and the digital channel searched by the second tuner.

The channel of the first range is an analog channel, and the channel of the second range is a digital channel. The channel of the first range is a channel for VHF broadcasting, and the channel of the second range is a channel for broadcasting. The channel of the first range is a channel in a range of 1/2 of the available frequency range, and the channel of the second range is a channel in the other half of the available frequency range.

The present invention also provides a channel search method for a device including a first tuner and a second tuner, the method comprising: searching for a digital channel using the first tuner; Storing the retrieved digital channel list in a memory device; Searching for an analog channel using the second tuner; And storing the found analog channel in the memory device.

In addition, searching for the digital channel may include selecting a channel; Monitoring the selected channel and storing it as a digital channel if there is a broadcast signal; Checking whether the selected channel is the last channel to search for; And selecting the channel to be searched next if it is not the last channel.

In addition, searching for the analog channel may include selecting a channel; Monitoring the selected channel and storing an analog channel if there is a broadcast signal; Checking whether the selected channel is the last channel to search for; And selecting the channel to be searched next if it is not the last channel.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a channel search method for a device including a first tuner and a second tuner, the method comprising: searching for a channel in a first range of available frequency bands in the first tuner; Searching for channels of a second range, the remaining range of which is inclusive; And storing the analog channel list searched by the first tuner and the digital channel searched by the second tuner in a memory.

The first range and the second range of the available frequency bands may vary according to an operating state searched by the first tuner and the second tuner.

In addition, searching for a channel in a first range of available frequency bands in the first tuner may include selecting an N channel in the first range; Checking whether there is a broadcast signal in the N channel; If there is a broadcast signal, registering it in a channel list; Determining whether the N channel is the last search channel of the available frequency bands; If not the last search channel, selecting N + 1 channels; Checking whether the N + 1 channel is a channel searched by the second tuner; And checking whether there is a broadcast signal when the N + 1 channel is not a channel searched by the second tuner.

The searching of the second range of channels, which is the remaining range of the available frequency bands, by the second tuner may include selecting an M channel of the second range; Checking whether there is a broadcast signal in the M channel; If there is a broadcast signal, registering it in a channel list; Confirming whether the M channel is the lowest channel to be searched among the available frequency bands; If not the last search channel, selecting as the M-1 channel; Checking whether the M-1 channel is a channel searched by the second tuner; And checking whether there is a broadcast signal when the M-1 channel is not a channel searched by the second tuner.

According to the present invention, when two tuners are provided, the channel can be effectively searched and the search time can be reduced. In particular, the channel search time can be reduced when the channel of the device providing the analog channel and the digital channel must be searched. Therefore, the user can feel the convenience in using the television set adopting the present invention can contribute to the increase in market share.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in order to facilitate a person skilled in the art to easily carry out the technical idea of the present invention. do.

When setting up a television set, the channel is searched. In the past, there weren't many channels to search, so the process of searching for and registering channels didn't take much time. However, since there are so many channels recently, the process of searching and registering all channels takes a lot of time. In addition, since digital broadcasting has recently been implemented, it takes much time to search for and register both analog broadcasting and digital broadcasting.

In particular, it is not possible to know which frequency is present in a place different from Korea, for example, PAL / SECAM. Therefore, in order to search a channel of a television set in a PAL / SECAM method, it is necessary to check whether there is a broadcast signal at a very narrow frequency. For example, changing channels at intervals of 1MHz from 45.25MHz to 855.25MHz should be checked for broadcast signals. Moreover, in order to search for digital broadcasts and to search for all analog broadcasts, there is a problem that a lot of search time is required because the available frequency band has to be searched twice.

The PAL / SECAM method refers to a method of television broadcasting. Currently, NTSC (color TV broadcasting method of Korea, Japan, USA, Latin America), PAL (color TV broadcasting method of Germany, China, Europe, Asia), SECAM (color TV broadcasting method of France, Soviet Union and former communist countries) 9 different broadcasting methods are used.

NTSC stands for National Television System Committee and is a method of broadcasting based on a series of standard protocols for transmitting and receiving TV broadcasts established in December 1953. However, since NTSC method requires high performance of transmission circuit for high band compression, Germany proposed PAL (Phase Alternation Line) method, and France proposed SECAM (Squentiel Couleur Mmoire) method.

The present invention provides a channel search method that can reduce the time to search a channel in the case of a device having two channels. Recently, televisions have two tuners, one for the main screen, and the other for the sub-screen arranged on one side of the main screen. In general, even if there are two tuners, one tuner will search for channels in all frequency ranges. However, the channel search method according to the present embodiment can reduce channel search time by searching channels by dividing a range of two tuners.

1 is a flowchart showing a channel searching method according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the channel search method according to the present embodiment is characterized in that two tuners divide the digital channel and the analog channel search respectively. The left side of Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing searching for a digital channel with tuner 1, and the right side of Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing searching for an analog channel using tuner 2.

First, referring to the tuner 1 channel search method, a channel is selected (S1), and then monitoring whether there is a broadcast signal (S2). If there is a channel signal, the channel is locked (S3) and stored as a digital channel (S4). Subsequently, the digital channel list is registered (S5). If there is no channel signal, check whether the channel searched is the last channel (S6). If not the last channel (S6), select the next channel (S7). Subsequently, it is monitored whether there is a broadcast signal on the channel again (S2). If the last channel (S6), digital channel tuning is terminated (S8).

Subsequently, the channel search method of the tuner 2 is selected, and then a channel is selected (S9), and the channel signal is monitored (S10). If there is a channel signal, the channel is locked (S11) and stored as an analog channel (S12). Subsequently, an analog channel list is registered (S13). If there is no channel signal, check whether the searched channel is the last channel (S14). If not the last channel (S14), the next channel is selected (S15). Subsequently, it is monitored whether there is a broadcast signal on the channel again (S10). If the last channel (S14), the analog channel tuning is terminated (S16).

In addition, the memory device 10 stores the digital channel list and the analog channel list searched by the tuner 1 and the tuner 2, and the tuner 1 and the tuner 2 commonly use the digital channel list and the analog channel list stored in the memory device.

As described above, in the search method according to the present embodiment, when there are two tuners, one tuner searches for digital channels to create a channel list, and the other tuners search for analog channels to create a channel list, and then generates these channel lists. To share. This greatly reduces the search time for searching analog and digital channels on devices with two tuners.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a channel searching method according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, in the channel searching method according to the present embodiment, when there are two tuners, a channel is searched in a range of 1/2 of the available frequencies with one tuner, and 1/2 of the remaining frequencies in the remaining tuners. It is characterized by searching channels in range. Although the two tuners each search in the range of 1/2 of the available frequencies, the frequency range in which the channel is searched can be adjusted in some cases.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a channel search method of tuner 1, and a flowchart of a channel search method of tuner 2 is shown on the right side of FIG. 2. The channel list searched by each tuner is shared with each other (see S24).

First, referring to the search method of tuner 1, the N channel is selected (S20), and then the channel is monitored whether there is a broadcast signal (S21). If there is a channel signal, the channel is locked (S22) and stored as a digital channel (S23). Subsequently, it is registered as a digital channel list (S24). If there is no channel signal, check whether the searched channel is the last channel (S25). If it is not the last channel, N + 1 channel is selected (S26). Then check if the channel is greater than the channel that Tuner 2 is searching for. If the value is large, digital channel tuning is terminated because the channel is already found by tuner 2 (S27). If the value is small, the channel is not yet searched by the tuner 2, and the channel is monitored again to check whether there is a broadcast signal (S21). In addition, if the searched channel is the last channel, and if the last channel (S25), digital channel tuning is terminated (S27).

Subsequently, the search method of the tuner 2 is selected, and after selecting an M channel (S29), it is monitored whether there is a broadcast signal (S30). If there is a channel signal, the channel is locked (S31) and stored as a digital channel (S32). Subsequently, it is registered as a digital channel list (S24). If there is no channel signal, check whether the searched channel is the first channel to be searched (S33). If not the first channel, select the M-1 channel (S34). It then checks if the channel is less than the channel tuner 1 is searching for. If the value is small, digital channel tuning is terminated because the channel is already found by tuner 1 (S35). If the value is large, the channel is not yet searched by the tuner 1, and the channel is monitored again to check whether there is a broadcast signal (S30). In addition, if the searched channel is the last channel, and if the last channel (S33), digital channel tuning is terminated (S35).

In addition, the memory device 20 stores the digital channel list searched by the tuner 1 and the tuner 2, and the tuner 1 and the tuner 2 commonly use the digital channel list stored in the memory device.

In the above, the method of searching for a digital channel with two tuners has been described, but the analog channel is performed in the same manner. In addition, tuner 1 searches while increasing the channel value from N channel, and tuner 2 searches while decreasing the channel value from M channel. Where the M channel represents the starting channel value and the N channel represents the final channel value. In addition, as described above, the frequency ranges to be tuned by Tuner 1 and Tuner 2 are not fixed, but vary according to the operating states that Tuner 1 and Tuner 2 search.

As described above, the channel search time can be greatly reduced by tuning the range of each tuner using two tuners. For example, tuner 1 may search while increasing the channel value from the low value of the VHF broadcast, and tuner 2 may search while decreasing the channel value from the high value of the VHF broadcast. Tuner 1 may also be configured to search for VHF broadcasts, and tuner 2 may be configured to search for UHF broadcasts.

In addition, the above has been described in the case where there are two tuners, but in some cases, even if there are two or more tuners, the channel search time can be reduced by dividing channels by dividing each range as suggested by the present invention.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments above, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Will understand. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims, as well as the appended claims.

1 is a flowchart showing a channel searching method according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a channel searching method according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

S2: Channel Monitoring S3: Channel Locking

S4: Digital Channel Storage S5: Digital Channel Listing

Claims (11)

A first tuner for searching for channels in a first range of available frequency bands; A second tuner for searching for a channel in a second range, the remaining range of the available frequency bands; And A memory for storing an analog channel list retrieved by the first tuner and a digital channel retrieved by the second tuner RF signal processing apparatus comprising a. According to claim 1, And the channel of the first range is an analog channel, and the channel of the second range is a digital channel. The method of claim 1, The channel of the first range is a VHF broadcasting channel, the channel of the second range is a broadcasting channel RF signal processing apparatus. The method of claim 1, And the channel of the first range is a channel in a half range of the available frequency range, and the channel of the second range is a channel in the remaining half of the available frequency range. In the channel search method of a device comprising a first tuner and a second tuner, Searching for a digital channel using the first tuner; Storing the retrieved digital channel list in a memory device; Searching for an analog channel using the second tuner; And Storing the retrieved analog channel in the memory device Channel search method comprising a. The method of claim 5, Searching for the digital channel Channel selection; Monitoring the selected channel and storing it as a digital channel if there is a broadcast signal; Checking whether the selected channel is the last channel to search for; And If not the last channel, select the next channel to search Channel search method comprising a. The method of claim 5, Searching for the analog channel Channel selection; Monitoring the selected channel and storing an analog channel if there is a broadcast signal; Checking whether the selected channel is the last channel to search for; And If not the last channel, select the next channel to search Channel search method comprising a. In the channel search method of a device comprising a first tuner and a second tuner, Searching for a channel in a first range of available frequency bands by the first tuner; Searching for, by the second tuner, a channel of a second range that is the remaining range of the available frequency bands; And Storing the analog channel list searched by the first tuner and the digital channel searched by the second tuner in a memory Channel search method comprising a. The method of claim 8, And a first range and a second range of the available frequency bands vary according to operating states searched by the first tuner and the second tuner. The method of claim 8, Searching for a channel in a first range of available frequency bands by the first tuner, Selecting an N channel of the first range; Checking whether there is a broadcast signal in the N channel; If there is a broadcast signal, registering it in a channel list; Determining whether the N channel is the last search channel of the available frequency bands; If not the last search channel, selecting N + 1 channels; Checking whether the N + 1 channel is a channel searched by the second tuner; And And determining whether there is a broadcast signal when the N + 1 channel is not a channel searched by the second tuner. The method of claim 10, Searching for a channel in the second range that is the remaining range of the available frequency bands by the second tuner; Selecting an M channel in the second range; Checking whether there is a broadcast signal in the M channel; If there is a broadcast signal, registering it in a channel list; Confirming whether the M channel is the lowest channel to be searched among the available frequency bands; If not the last search channel, selecting as the M-1 channel; Checking whether the M-1 channel is a channel searched by the second tuner; And And determining whether there is a broadcast signal when the M-1 channel is not a channel searched by the second tuner.

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