KR20110138516A - Network device and method for setting-up network configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A network apparatus and network environment establishment method are provided to selectively change network environment by receiving data through a network. CONSTITUTION: A first network unit(16) perform a communication through a first network. A second network unit(17) perform a data communication through a second network. A control unit(23) perform the data communication using the first or the second network based on the data communication state of the first and the second network. A network selection unit(18) selects one or more network units between the first and the second network unit according to the control signal of the control unit.

Description

Network device and method for setting-up network configuration}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network device, and more particularly, to a network device and a network environment setting method thereof for selectively changing a network use environment according to a communication state of a network module.

Recently, due to the development of network technology such as the Internet, the range of computer usage is increasing. In particular, along with the proliferation of portable computers such as laptop computers, PDAs, and tablet computers, the construction of an Internet connection environment through a wireless network such as a wireless LAN has progressed dramatically. In the meantime, various information and services can be provided through a wireless network.

The conventional network configuration using a wired LAN includes a plurality of subgroups including a host and a plurality of gateways connected by wire through the wired LAN with the subgroups, and one gateway is configured to communicate with the plurality of gateways. The gateway functions as a kind of interface for communicating information or data between groups.

The wired LAN network system allocates a public IP address to each computer such as a subgroup, that is, a PC, and connects a wired LAN card and a gateway installed in each subgroup by wire, thereby providing information between each group or data such as the Internet. Communication takes place.

In addition, wireless LAN has been developed in recent years due to the rapid development of Internet service and wireless communication technology. Its use is soaring due to its simplicity. In general, a wireless LAN refers to a wireless LAN that transmits and receives data between a computer and a computer or between a computer and other communication systems by using radio frequency (RF) or light.

In order to configure the WLAN network, a user terminal equipped with a WLAN card and an access point (hereinafter referred to as an AP) for allowing the user terminal to wirelessly access the network should be provided.

Here, the AP means to perform a role of sharing a wireless Internet or a role of a wireless hub, whereby a user terminal such as an existing PC can receive a service such as the Internet without using a wired LAN.

However, such a network system may have a different network environment depending on the usage environment such as each country and house structure. Therefore, a scheme for improving user convenience by setting up a network environment more efficiently is sought.

An embodiment according to the present invention provides a network device and a method for setting a network environment thereof, which can selectively change the network environment according to a state of data received through a network.

 Technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned above are clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments proposed from the following description belong. Could be.

Network environment setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of checking the data communication state of the first network environment; Confirming a data communication state of a second network environment; Selecting one of the first and second network environments based on the checked data communication state; And performing data communication based on the selected network environment.

In addition, the network device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first network unit for performing data communication through the first network; A second network unit for performing data communication via a second network; A control unit for controlling data communication to be performed using any one of the first and second networks based on the data communication state of the first and second network units; And a network selecting unit which selects any one of the first and second network units according to a control signal of the controller.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wired / wireless networks are simultaneously connected and actively perform a network function through a network environment having a high transmission rate according to the network environment, thereby not only receiving a large amount of data in a short time, but also a network connection rate. There is also an effect that can be increased.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of a network TV system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing the configuration of a network TV according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart for explaining a network type setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention step by step.
4 is a diagram illustrating a network type selection screen displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart for explaining a network environment setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention step by step.
6 is a diagram illustrating connection state information provided by an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating network information provided by an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a step-by-step method of changing a network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The proposed embodiment will be described.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and other inventions which are further deteriorated by addition, change, deletion, etc. of other components, or other embodiments included within the scope of the present invention can be easily made. I can suggest.

The term used in the present invention was selected as a general term widely used as possible, but in some cases, the term is arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case the meaning is described in detail in the description of the invention, the name of a simple term It should be clear that the present invention is to be understood as a meaning of terms.

In other words, in the following description, the word 'comprising' does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of a network TV system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system of a network TV according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a first network TV 110, a second network TV 120, an N-th network TV 130, a network service server 300, and the above. It is configured to include a network 200 connecting the network TV and the network service server 300.

The network service server 300 may provide the base software necessary for normal operation of the network service on each network TV or the software necessary for the network TV to operate.

In addition, the network service server 300 may store state information about viewers of each network TV, and the stored state information may include login information, recently uploaded content information, and recently posted information of each viewer. And the like.

For example, the network service server 300 is connected to a social network site (SNS), a blog, a micro blog, an instant massenger, or the like. The server may store the uploaded content.

Meanwhile, the state information stored in the network service server 300 may be various types such as texts or uploaded images made by a viewer on a web site corresponding to the network service server 300, for example, a social network site (SNS). More specifically, the viewer may include all kinds of information indicating the current state of the viewer, such as the current state, the emotional state, the location information, the photo, and the like most recently uploaded by the viewer. .

In conclusion, the network service server 300 stores various content information and the like together with identification information of each network TV 110, 120, 130 in a database.

The network TV may be equipped with dedicated firmware for playing, searching, and displaying a list of services provided by the network service server 300. The firmware may be installed in the network TV during the manufacturing process of the network TV, or may be downloaded and installed by the viewer through the network service server 300 during use.

The firmware of the network TV may be referred to as a program for using a service provided by the network service server 300. The firmware may vary depending on the type of service provided by the network service server 300. For example, when the network service server 300 is a VOD provider, the firmware may be a VOD playback program. When the network service server 300 is an AOD or MOD service provider, the network service server 300 may be an AOD or MOD reproducing program. If the network service server 300 is a video telephone operator, it may be a video telephone program.

The network TV includes a TV equipped with a network module, a broadcast receiving device such as a set-top box, an arbitrary display device equipped with a network module, such as a network telephone. Here, the network module includes a wireless network module and a wired network module. Although the present specification describes a display apparatus having a broadcast receiving function as an example, embodiments of the present invention can be applied to any display apparatus capable of network connection, and all of them are included in the scope of the present invention.

The network TV may be operable to transmit the viewer's requirements in both directions while processing the multimedia data. In addition, it is preferable that buttons for controlling the network TV, that is, buttons for selecting various menus, are provided in the user input unit such as a remote controller or an operation button for controlling the network TV.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the above-described network TV will be described in detail. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a network TV according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the network TV according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a broadcast receiver 10, a demultiplexer 11, a video signal processor 12, a 3D formatter 13, a display 14, External signal input unit 15, the first network unit 16, the second network unit 17, the network selection unit 18, the user interface unit 19, the storage interface unit 20, the storage device 21, The OSD generator 22 and the controller 23 are included.

Among the above components, the broadcast receiving unit 10, the demultiplexing unit 11, and the image signal processing unit 12 receive one broadcast signal and process it in a form that can be output to the display unit 14 through various processes. Can be configured.

When the content is digital broadcast, the digital broadcast signal is transmitted in the form of a packetized transport stream by time division multiplexing the video signal, the audio signal and the additional data.

The broadcast receiving unit 10 may include an antenna for receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from the outside, and a tuner for tuning a broadcast signal having a frequency band corresponding thereto according to a tuning control signal of the controller 23 to be described later; It may include a demodulator (demodulator) for outputting the broadcast signal of the tuned specific channel in the form of a transport stream through a VSB (Vestigial Sideband) demodulation process and error correction process.

In addition, the broadcast signal received through the broadcast receiving unit 10 is divided into various types of additional data defined by the demultiplexer 11 as a video signal, an audio signal, and PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol) information, etc. Is output.

The video data separated by the demultiplexer 11 is processed by the image signal processor 12 and displayed on the display 14.

In this case, the video signal processor 12 includes an MPEG-2 decoder and a scaler for converting video data to match the vertical frequency, resolution, aspect ratio, etc., of the output standard of the display unit 14.

The display unit 14 may include a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, and a three-dimensional display. 3D display).

The audio signal is processed by a voice signal processor (not shown) and output to the speaker, which may include an AC-3 decoder.

Meanwhile, the additional data included in the additional data separated by the demultiplexer 11 is stored in the memory 21 through the storage interface 20 to be described later.

The memory unit 21 may be implemented by an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

The user interface unit 19 is a means for receiving a request command from a viewer, and generally includes an infrared receiver for receiving an infrared signal input through a remote controller or a local key input unit provided at one side of the panel.

The first network unit 16 and the second network unit 17 receive content or data from the network service server 300 via a network. That is, it accesses the network service server 300 through a network and receives contents such as broadcasts, games, VODs, broadcast signals, and the like and related information.

In addition, the first network unit 16 and the second network unit 17 also receive update information and update files of firmware provided by the network service server 300.

The first network unit 16 corresponds to a wired network module, and thus receives the above content through a wired network. In addition, the second network unit 17 corresponds to a wireless network module, and thus receives the above contents through the wireless network.

Here, the first network unit 16 may be implemented by a wired Ethernet controller performing a network function by a wired LAN. In addition, the second network unit 17 may be implemented by an access point including a wireless Ethernet controller and a switching hub that perform a network function by a wireless LAN.

Since the first network unit 16 performing the network function by the wired LAN and the second network unit 17 performing the network function by the wireless LAN are known in the art to which the present invention pertains, Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The network selecting unit 18 selects any one of the first network unit 16 and the second network unit 17 to perform an actual network function. Substantially, the network selector 18 is a switching unit, which receives and transmits data received through any one of the first network unit 16 and the second network unit 17 to a later stage.

The OSD generator 22 generates a menu screen for receiving a viewer's determination signal in the form of an OSD.

The external signal input unit 15 is an interface capable of receiving input from another playback device such as a DVD player, a game machine, or the like. Another playback device may be connected to the external signal input unit 15 to output the multimedia stored in the playback device to the display unit 14.

The controller 23 performs overall operation control according to a command input from the user interface 19. The operation of the controller 23 will be described in detail later.

According to an embodiment, the network TV according to the present invention may output a 3D image. The menu screen of the network TV may be provided in 3D, and even when the content provided by the network service server is 3D content, the menu screen may be received and output.

Additional components are required to output 3D images.

That is, the 3D formatter 13 is disposed at the output terminal of the image signal processor 12. The 3D formatter 13 converts the image processed by the image signal processor 12 into a 3D image and transmits the image to the display unit 14. According to an embodiment, the OSD generator 22 may include a separate 3D formatter for converting the OSD output to 3D. Such a configuration is only an embodiment, and various known techniques may be used for 3D image processing.

3 to 8 are diagrams for explaining a network environment setting method of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention step by step. Hereinafter, the illustrated network environment setting method will be described in conjunction with the system shown in FIG. 1 and the network TV shown in FIG. 2.

3 is a flowchart for explaining a network type setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention step by step.

Referring to FIG. 3, the network type setting method first receives a network type from a user (step 100). That is, the OSD generator 22 generates a menu screen for selecting any one of a plurality of network types, and the menu screen generated through the OSD generator 22 is displayed through the display 14. Is displayed.

4 is a diagram illustrating a network type selection screen displayed through the display unit 14.

As shown in FIG. 4, the network type selection screen includes a network type selection area 410 for selecting any one of a plurality of network types, and a control command selection area 420 for receiving a user's control command. This includes.

The network type selection area 410 includes a first network type selection area 430 for selecting a first network type (wired) and a second network type selection area 440 for selecting a second network type (wireless). And a third network type selection area 450 for selecting both the first and second network types.

The controller 23 allows the network function to be executed based on the network type selected on the displayed network type selection screen 400.

In this case, the controller 23 determines whether the first network type is selected on the network type selection screen 400 (step 110).

If the first network type is selected above, the controller 23 controls the network function to be performed through the wired network environment (step 120).

 That is, the controller 23 drives the first network unit 16, and accordingly causes the network function to be performed by the first network unit 16. At this time, the control unit 23 cuts off the power supplied to the second network unit 17 so that the second network unit 17 is disabled.

In addition, the controller 23 determines whether a second network type is selected on the network type selection screen 400 (step 130).

If the second network type is selected above, the controller 23 controls the network function to be performed through the wireless network environment (step 140).

 That is, the controller 23 drives the second network unit 17, and accordingly, the network function is performed by the second network unit 17. At this time, the control unit 23 cuts off the power supplied to the first network unit 16 so that the first network unit 16 is disabled.

In addition, the controller 23 determines whether a third network type is selected on the network type selection screen 400 (step 150).

If the third network type is selected above, the controller 23 controls the network function to be performed through the wired / wireless network environment (step 160).

 That is, the controller 23 drives the first network unit 16 and the second network unit 17, and accordingly, the data communication state of the first network unit 16 and the second network unit 17 is reduced. Allow the network function to be performed by any preferred network portion. In this case, the controller 23 allows power to be supplied to both the first and second network units.

5 is a flowchart for explaining a network environment setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention step by step. FIG. 5 is a flowchart corresponding to the case in which the third network type is set, and is a flowchart for explaining step 160 in detail.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the network environment setting method, the controller 23 first checks a data communication state of a wired network environment (step 200). That is, the controller 23 checks the network connection state of the first network unit 16, and accordingly checks the transmission rate according to data communication in the wired network environment.

In addition, the controller 23 checks the data communication state of the wireless network environment (step 210). That is, the controller 23 checks the network connection state of the second network unit 17, and accordingly, checks the transmission rate in the wireless network environment according to data communication.

The control unit 23 compares the transmission rate in the wired network environment and the transmission rate in the wireless network environment. The controller 23 determines whether the transmission rate in the wired network environment is higher than the transmission rate in the wireless network environment (step 220).

The controller 23 outputs a control signal for selecting the first network unit 16 when the confirmed transmission rate in the wired network environment is higher than that in the wireless network environment. In operation 230, the network selector 18 selects the first network unit 16 according to the control signal of the controller 23.

Accordingly, the first network unit 16 performs data communication with a server to receive content according to a viewer's request (step 240). In other words, the first network unit 16 performs a network function in a wired network environment.

In addition, the controller 23 outputs a control signal for selecting the second network unit 17 when the confirmed transmission rate in the wired network environment is lower than that in the wireless network environment. In operation 250, the network selector 18 selects the second network unit 17 according to a control signal of the controller 23.

Accordingly, the second network unit 17 performs data communication with the server to receive the content according to the viewer's request (step 260). In other words, the second network unit 17 performs a network function in a wireless network environment.

6 is a diagram illustrating connection state information provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the connection state information 600 includes wired network state information 610 corresponding to the first network unit 16 and wireless network state information 620 corresponding to the second network unit 17. Included.

That is, in the state where the third network type is set as described above, the first network unit 16 corresponding to the wired network environment is also connected to the network, and the second network unit 17 corresponding to the wireless network environment is also connected to the network. Since the connected state, the wired network state information and the wireless network state information are provided together as described above.

7 is a diagram illustrating network information provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, when the network function is executed while the third network type is set, the user may not know whether the network function is executed by the wired network environment or the network function is executed by the wireless network environment.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, information about a network environment that is currently connected for executing a network function is provided. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating information on a wired network environment, and a user may detect that a network function is currently executed in a wired network environment with reference to the provided information.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a step-by-step method of changing a network environment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the network environment is set, and accordingly, the network connection state may change from time to time even when the network environment is running. Accordingly, the controller 23 periodically checks the data communication state corresponding to the wired network environment and the data communication state corresponding to the wireless network environment, and changes the set network environment accordingly.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the controller 23 periodically checks the data communication state of the wired network environment and the data communication state of the wireless network environment (step 300).

The controller 23 identifies a network environment having a better data state among the wireless network environment and the wired network environment based on the checked communication state (step 310).

Subsequently, the controller 23 compares the checked network environment with the currently set network environment, and determines whether the two network environments are the same (step 320).

If the two network environments are the same, the controller 23 maintains the currently set network environment as is (step 330), or changes the currently set network environment to another network environment (step 340). That is, for example, if the checked network environment is a wireless network environment and the currently set network environment is a wireless network environment, the controller 23 maintains the set network environment as it is. However, if the set network environment is a wired network environment, the controller 23 changes the network environment to a wireless network environment.

As described above, the network device and its network environment setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected to a wired / wireless network at the same time, and actively performs a network function through a network environment having a high transmission rate according to the network environment, thereby providing a lot of data. Not only can you receive it in a short time, it can also increase your network connection rate.

Although a network device and an apparatus for providing the network method according to an embodiment of the present invention have been described above, a system for providing a network method including the essential contents of the present invention, and a program including the system to be executed on a computer The present invention can also be applied to a computer readable recording medium.

In addition, although embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the interpretation of the claims. Various modifications are possible to the above-described embodiments, and these modifications are all included in the scope of the present invention.

10: broadcast receiver 11: demultiplexer
12: video signal processor 13: 3D formatter
14: display unit 15: external signal input unit
16: first network portion 17: second network portion
18: network selection unit 19: user interface unit
20: storage interface unit 21: memory unit
22: OSD generation unit 23: control unit

Claims (10)

Confirming a data communication state of the first network environment;
Confirming a data communication state of a second network environment;
Selecting one of the first and second network environments based on the checked data communication state; And,
And performing data communication based on the selected network environment. The method of claim 1,
The first network environment is a wired network environment,
And the second network environment is a wireless network environment. The method of claim 1,
The data communication state is a data transfer rate,
The selected network environment is a network environment setting method, characterized in that the network environment having a high data rate of the confirmed data rate. The method of claim 1,
The network environment setting method further comprises the step of displaying the network information corresponding to the selected network environment. The method of claim 1,
And changing the selected network environment based on periodically confirmed data communication states of the first and second network environments. A first network unit for performing data communication via a first network;
A second network unit for performing data communication via a second network;
A control unit for controlling data communication to be performed using any one of the first and second networks based on the data communication state of the first and second network units; And,
And a network selector configured to select any one of the first and second network units according to a control signal of the controller. The method of claim 6,
The first network is a wired network,
And said second network is a wireless network. The method of claim 6,
The data communication state is a data transmission rate,
The control unit selects a network unit having a high data rate and controls the data communication to be performed. The method of claim 6,
A display unit for displaying data received through at least one of the network unit of the first and second network unit is further included,
And the display unit further displays network information corresponding to the selected network unit. The method of claim 6,
The control unit periodically checks the data communication states of the first and second network units, and changes the selected network unit.

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