WO1995008243A1 - Systeme d'alarme video et audio pour reseau cable de television - Google Patents

Systeme d'alarme video et audio pour reseau cable de television Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1995008243A1
WO1995008243A1 PCT/CA1994/000506 CA9400506W WO9508243A1 WO 1995008243 A1 WO1995008243 A1 WO 1995008243A1 CA 9400506 W CA9400506 W CA 9400506W WO 9508243 A1 WO9508243 A1 WO 9508243A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
alerting
cable
message
channel
signal
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA1994/000506
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Russell D. N. Mackinnon
Jean-Pierre M. Boulanger
Original Assignee
Meteomedia/The Weather Network
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Meteomedia/The Weather Network filed Critical Meteomedia/The Weather Network
Priority to AU76496/94A priority Critical patent/AU7649694A/en
Publication of WO1995008243A1 publication Critical patent/WO1995008243A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B27/00—Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
    • G08B27/008—Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/10—Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an emergency broadcast system which is suitable for cable television network use. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system which allows the video and/ or audio programming to be automatically interrupted for emergency announcements.
  • Cable television has become the primary delivery system to the home in modern television infrastructures.
  • the cable distributor usually supplies both distant and local television signals to the home. Emergencies, however, are usually of a local nature.
  • the scheduled programming is typically manually interrupted by the local broadcaster using a combined audio and visual warning announcing the emergency information.
  • the broadcaster receives notification of an emergency or warning from an emergency or national authority (e.g. tornado watch from the National Weather Service). It will be appreciated this emergency warning procedure can be a slow process.
  • an emergency announcement system which can be integrated, in a cost effective manner, with a television network to provide priority warning announcements to the public on a timely basis, while at the same time minimizing disruptions to the commercial operations of the television network.
  • the present invention provides a system for weather and emergency organizations to alert cable television viewers of impending dangers, e.g. weather warnings, chemical spills.
  • the system can include the capability for placing text messages on selected channels; for an override video to be switched onto desired channels; and for an override audio to be switched onto desired channels.
  • the system can include the capability to provide the emergency notifications with varying degrees of interruption to the scheduled programming.
  • the present provides a system for alerting viewers on a cable television network having a plurality of cable channels available to the viewers, said system comprising: (a) receiving means for receiving alerting information messages; (b) processing means for decoding said alerting information messages;
  • said processing means including insertion means for inserting an alerting information field on one or more of said cable channels and for inserting an alerting information page on another selected cable channel, said alerting information page containing more alerting information than does said alerting information field;
  • said alerting information field including a direction to direct the viewers to said other selected cable channel for viewing said alerting information page, so that said alerting information page provides a detailed message on said selected cable channel with minimal disruption to said other cable channels.
  • the present invention provides a method for alerting viewers of a cable television network having one or more cable channels available to the viewers, the method comprising the steps of: (a) causing the display of an alerting message on one or more of said cable channels so that the viewers are alerted; (b) including a direction in said alerting message to direct the viewers to another selected cable channel for additional details; (c) displaying the additional details on said other selected cable channel.
  • the present invention provides a system for receiving alerting information messages from a remote agency and inserting alerting information on selected channels of a cable television network in order to provide a warning system for viewers of the cable television network having one or more cable channels, said system comprising: (a) communication interface means for receiving the alerting information messages from the remote agency; (b) processing means for decoding and responding to the alerting information messages; (c) channel scheduling means coupled to said processing means, said channel scheduling means having means for providing to said processing means an alerting message blocking signal for each of the cable channels in the cable television network; (d) said processing means including routing means responsive to said alerting message blocking signal for blocking routing of said alerting information message; and (e) said processing means further including means for producing an alerting information field and means for inserting said alerting information field on one or more signals of the cable channels for notifying the viewers of the cable television network.
  • the present invention provides a method for alerting the viewers of a cable television network having one or more cable channels available to the viewers, said method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving an alerting information message from a central agency; (b) processing said alerting information message to determine a cable channel destination for said alerting information message; (c) using a channel scheduling signal to determine if said cable channel destinations can be interrupted by said alerting information message; and (d) routing said alerting information message to said cable channel destinations which can be interrupted as determined in step (c).
  • Figure 1 shows in block diagram form a system according to the present invention in relation to a cable television network and an emergency broadcast agency;
  • Figure 2 shows in diagrammatic form a typical cable television network which is suited for use with the system of Figure 1;
  • FIG 3 is a detailed block diagram of an alert unit for the system shown in Figure 1;
  • FIG 4 is a flow chart which shows the emergency broadcast modes available for the system of Figure 1;
  • Figure 5 shows the format of the message packets used by the system of Figure 2.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart which shows a commercial blocking and day-parting feature for the system of Figure 1.
  • Figure 1 shows in block diagram form an overview of a video and audio alerting system according to the present invention.
  • the purpose of the system 10 is to distribute emergency messages and warnings to various regions which are serviced by a television or other form of communication network.
  • the alerting system 10 is integrated with a cable television network 11 as shown in Figure 2.
  • the cable network provides the link between the alerting system 10 and the final home viewer.
  • the alerting system 10 is located at a "cable head-end" 20 for each region which is to be serviced.
  • the alerting system 10 according to the present invention has the capability to place (in a number of different ways) emergency messages on any or all the channels carried by the cable television network 11.
  • the video and audio alerting system 10 is configured to receive emergency alerting information from one or more message originators 12 via a satellite communication link 14.
  • the message originators 12 are typically a government emergency or other official warning agency.
  • the emergency information is first received and processed by a control center 16.
  • the control center 16 verifies and then processes the information and oversees the administration and control of the systems 10 located at the cable head-ends 12.
  • the message originators 12 can be coupled to the control center 16 using a variety of communication conduits, for example, the Data
  • Pac network the AMOS link, or a conventional telephone line.
  • the emergency warning agency 12 can be any agency which provides emergency warnings, e.g. a government weather agency or the Department of Defense.
  • the role of the agency 12 in the context of the present invention is to provide emergency messages for distribution to the regions of the state, province or country which are serviced by the alerting systems 10.
  • the emergency warnings and messages from the agency 12 can be designated for a particular region or at a certain priority, and as will be explained below, the system 10 according to the present invention has the capability to provide various levels of messaging and distribution.
  • the control center 16 is the pre-processor of the emergency information and the master over the remote alerting systems 10.
  • the control center 16 uses the satellite communication
  • the control center 16 includes a central computer 18 which is used to validate emergency information from government agency 12 and ensure that it meets the required standards and formats.
  • the central computer 18 also controls addressing of the remote alerting systems 16. Once the emergency information from the agency 12 has been validated, the central computer 18 formats and transmits the information according to the protocol utilized by the alerting system 10.
  • the cable head-end 20 includes a known system for providing the cable television programming to the cable subscribers, which primarily involves retransmitting programs broadcast by the television networks.
  • the cable television programming system is represented by block 26.
  • the alerting system 10 located at the "cable head-end" 20 comprises a controller /demodulator 22, one to three alert units 24 and a local override video and audio signals source 25.
  • the cable television signals (video and audio) from a number of sources 21, e.g. satellite receiver, microwave receiver or fiber cable receiver as shown in Figure 1, are also coupled to and routed through the alert unit 24.
  • the controller /demodulator 22 receives the emergency information and converts it to the required format in order to display the information as static or scrolling text on any or all of the channels with a minimum of visual degradation to the original cable signal.
  • the system 10 also has the capability of substituting the override video and /audio signals 25 for the original cable signal as will be explained below. In the absence of any emergency messages or conditions, the alert unit 24 does not alter the video and audio signals received from the cable television sources 21.
  • the controller /demodulator 22 is also coupled to a programming/ commercial scheduling manager 26.
  • the scheduling manager 26 comprises a channel profile data base 27 and a controller which can be a computer 29.
  • the channel profile database 27 includes a schedule of the programming and commercial time-slots for the programming which is being broadcast by the cable television station or cable head-end 20.
  • the manager 26 can use the channel profile data base 27 to support the following features: (1) day parting; (2) commercial spot schedules; (3) priority; (4) postal codes; (5) authorization check; and (6) traffic logging.
  • the channel profile database 27 is preferably organized on a channel by channel basis.
  • the channel profile database 27 can be administered through a data channel from the controller 22 or locally through the computer 29.
  • the day-parting and commercial spot schedules are used by the manager 26 to "lock-out"emergency warnings or announcements based on the requirements of the cable television station.
  • the day-parting and commercial play schedules prescribe periods when a channel is not available to the warning system. As shown in Figure 1, this decision is made upstream of the unit 24 in order to block the input of the emergency video and audio into the unit 24 in order to prevent pre-emption by the emergency announcement.
  • the blocking can be affected through the manager 26 interrupting the emergency video and audio feed to the unit through a switch for example.
  • the scheduling manager 26 can use the commercial schedule to block low priority emergency warnings or announcements during the airing of a commercial to avoid pre-empting of the commercial and the consequent loss of advertising revenue.
  • the scheduling manager 26 can use the "day-parting" schedule to block emergency warnings or announcements for a specified period, for example, during normal business hours when the cable station's newsroom is working.
  • the priority and associated response data allows individual broadcasters to define their level of participation within the warning system 10.
  • the priority and associated response data can be entered through a local input terminal, for example, the controller 29.
  • the broadcaster may wish to have priority for their own response.
  • a low priority emergency notification cannot pre-empt a commercial spot having a higher priority.
  • distant signal originators e.g. signal receivers 21 in Figure 1
  • the channel profile database 27 can also be used distant broadcasters to provide a configurable participation level in the emergency alerting system 10 as specified by the schedules in the channel profile database 27.
  • the postal code data in channel profile database 27 can be used in conjunction with a postal code field imbedded in the command structure to validate traffic to alerting unit 24 on a channel by channel basis. See command structure below.
  • the authorization data in the channel profile database 27 is used to confirm the validity of the user in a local application, for example, configuring the database 27 using a local terminal 29.
  • the authorization data is typically downloaded from the controller
  • the traffic log feature can also be implemented in the channel profile database 27 to provide a 30-day traffic log, for example.
  • the traffic log can be used to generate an activity report which details the pre-emption of the cable station on a channel by channel basis.
  • the controller 22 is designed in known manner to receive a base-band signal with a data subcarrier via a satellite dish 15 (and receiver).
  • the controller 22 decodes the received data and determines if the data is applicable to the cable head-end 20 and outputs it on a data line 31 (shown as a broken line) which is coupled to an interface board 30 in the unit 24.
  • the alert unit 24 determines to which channel(s) the data will be applied. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this arrangement provides considerable flexibility for displaying emergency messages and information.
  • the alert unit 24 receives commands and data messages (or packets) from the controller 22.
  • the alert unit 24 interprets the commands and data messages to display the emergency messages on the desired cable channels in the required format as will be discussed in more detail below. If the programming/commercial scheduling manager
  • the data line 31 is coupled to the controller 29, and the computer 29 has an output data line 33 which is coupled to the input on the alerting unit 24.
  • the controller 29 includes runs a computer program which "screens" the incoming emergency notifications according to the content of the channel profile database 27 as will be described below. For example, in the commercial pre-empting block feature, the manager 26 will block the command /data messages from reaching the alert unit 24 (on data line 33) until the commercial has played.
  • the alert unit 24 comprises nine channel boards 28, and the interface board 30.
  • Each channel board 28 is designed to process four cable channels, giving the unit 24 a thirty-six channel capacity.
  • up to three units 24 can be daisy-chained with controller 22 for a total capacity of 108 cable channels, which is sufficient capacity for a typical cable head-end.
  • the following describes the circuitry for the first cable channel (indicated generally by reference 29) on channel board 28.
  • the circuitry for remaining 35 channels (which can be configured in a unit 24) is virtually identical to the circuitry shown in Figure 3 for the first cable channel 29.
  • the alert unit 24 is housed in a rack-mount chassis or cabinet (not shown).
  • the channel boards 28 and interface board 30 are coupled to a main backplane 32.
  • the alert unit 24 also includes a power supply (not shown).
  • the main backplane 32 has slots for each of the channel boards 28 and the interface board 30.
  • the backplane 32 is mounted across the back of the chassis (not shown) and includes connectors (e.g. BNC type and terminal strips) for coupling the alert unit 24 to the controller 22 and the cable television signal sources 21.
  • Each channel card slot in the backplane 32 includes a hardwired slot number 34.
  • the slot number 34 comprises four hardwired pins that define the number (i.e. 1 through 9) of the channel board 28 which is mounted in the slot on the backplane 32.
  • the backplane 32 also includes a unit identifier 36 which identifies the alert unit 24.
  • the unit identifier 36 comprises two lines which can be set by jumpers or a DIP switch (not shown) on the backplane 32.
  • the channel card 28 identifies and decodes messages which have a tag corresponding to the unit identifier 36 and slot (or channel board) number 34. This arrangement allows the controller 22 to access channel boards 28 both on a board level (i.e. slot number 34) and on a chassis level (i.e. unit identifier 36).
  • the backplane has a video signal input 38 for each cable channel (comprising a BNC connector) and an audio signal input 40 for each cable channel.
  • the video signal input 38 is coupled to the channel board 28 and in an emergency situation, the video signal for that channel will be processed by the channel board 28 according to the emergency notification data and command messages which are received from the controller 22 as will be discussed below.
  • the backplane 32 includes a video signal by-pass relay 42 and an audio signal by ⁇ pass relay 44.
  • the by-pass relays 40,42 have normally closed contacts which are controlled by the channel board 28. If the channel board 28 is defective or unplugged, then these contacts will be closed and the video signal input 38 and audio signal input 40 will be routed to the channel video signal output 39 and channel audio signal output 41. When a channel board 28 is unplugged, the associated by-pass relays (42 and 44) will connect the video signal input 38 and the audio signal input 40 to the respective outputs 39 and 41 to provide uninterrupted cable programming.
  • the backplane 32 also includes a replacement video signal feed 46, a replacement audio signal feed 48, an internal bidirectional control/data bus 52, a power and ground feed (not shown), a reset line 54, and a hardware failure line 56.
  • the replacement video signal feed 46 is coupled to a override video signal input 60 and override video signal source 61
  • the replacement audio feed 50 is coupled to an override audio signal input 64 (and override audio signal source 65 - shown as block 25 in Figure 1).
  • the replacement audio feed 50 is connected to the respective by ⁇ pass relays 44.
  • the audio by-pass relays 44 are controlled by the respective channel board 28.
  • the bidirectional control/data bus 52 provides the communication link between the channel boards 28 and the interface board 30, as will be explained in more detail below.
  • the interface board 30 drives the reset line 54, which provides a hardware reset to the channel boards 28.
  • the interface board 30 also monitors the failure line 56 to detect any defective channel boards 28.
  • the alert unit 24 also includes a power supply (not shown).
  • a switching type power supply is preferred and the selected supply must be stable over a wide range of current consumption, as the number of installed channel boards 28 can vary from unit to unit.
  • the primary functions of the interface board 30 are to buffer the replacement video and audio signals and drive the replacement video and audio signal feeds 46 and 48 on the backplane 32, and to provide an interface between the controller/demodulator 22 and the channel boards 28, via the data line 31 or 33.
  • the interface board 30 includes a high impedance video buffer 58 which couples a replacement video signal input 60 to the replacement video signal feed 46 on the backplane 32.
  • the video signal feed 46 appears as a transmission line terminated by an impedance of 75 ohms at each end. Therefore, the video buffer 60 must be capable of driving a 37.5 ohm resistive load.
  • the audio signal feed 48 is handled differently.
  • the board 30 includes a high power driver 62 which is coupled to a replacement audio signal input 64 and to each of the by-pass relays 44 (through a resistor network (not shown)).
  • the interface board 30 also includes an interface microcontroller (and firmware) 66.
  • the interface microcontroller 66 can be implemented using the Intel MCS-52 family of microcontrollers which can include on-chip read ⁇ only program memory (ROM) or an external EPROM, random access memory (RAM), and other on-chip resources such as input/output ports, and timers /counters.
  • the microcontroller 66 can include the capability to run software programs which are downloaded from the central computer 18.
  • a "bootstrap" routine in the read-only memory and random access memory in the program space of the microcontroller, as will be understood by one skilled in the art.
  • the interface microcontroller 66 when the interface microcontroller 66 is first powered-on it will execute the bootstrap routine until a update or downloaded program is received from the central computer 18. In this way, the software for each remote alert unit 24 can be upgraded or administered from a central location.
  • the primary function of the interface microcontroller 66 involves receiving command/data packets on data input line 33 (or 31) from the controller and demodulator 22 and translating these packets into the binary protocol used by the channels boards
  • the interface microcontroller 66 uses a serial communication link 68 (e.g. RS-232 type) to receive and transmit command/data packets from and to the controller/ demodulator 22. For downstream communication, the interface microcontroller 66 converts the packets received from the controller/demodulator 22 into the known HDLC/SDLC protocol for communication on the internal bus 52. In the upstream direction, the interface microcontroller 66 converts the packets received from the channel boards 28 into the RS-232 format required by the controller/demodulator 22.
  • the communication link 68 includes hardware flow control, i.e. a request to send line (RTS) and a clear to send line (CTS) to administer communication.
  • RTS request to send line
  • CTS clear to send line
  • the flow control can be implemented in the firmware of the microcontroller 66.
  • the commands received by the interface controller 66 are listed in the attached Appendix.
  • the interface microcontroller 66 also monitors the hardware fault line 56, which indicates if a channel board 28 has failed. If a channel board 28 has failed the interface microcontroller 66 will send a fault message (see Appendix) to the controller/demodulator 22.
  • the interface controller 66 can also affect a reset (via the hardware reset line 54 on the backplane 32) to the channel boards 28. The reset can be used to restart the channel board microcontroller and firmware (see below), and to put the channel board 28 into a known state, which can be confirmed by a status inquiry command (see Appendix).
  • Each channel board 28 supports four cable channels (video 38 and audio 40).
  • the channel board 28 includes a microcontroller 70, four character generator circuits or chips 72 (one for each video channel 38), a video buffer 74 for the cable video input signal 40, a video buffer 76 for the replacement video input signal feed 46, and a video buffer 78 for the video output signal.
  • the character chip 72 is used by the alert unit 24 to generate the text characters for emergency or warning messages which are to be displayed on the cable video channels. (This will be explained in more detail below.)
  • the input of the character chip 72 is coupled to a video switch 80 which is used to select the video input signal, i.e. cable video 38 or replacement video 46, under the control of the microcontroller 70.
  • the channel board 28 microcontroller 70 can also comprise a monolithic integrated microcomputer which has on- chip programmable read-only memory (PROM) or external EPROM, and random access memory (RAM), a communication port (which couples to the bi-directional bus 52).
  • PROM programmable read-only memory
  • RAM random access memory
  • the channel board microcontroller 70 includes random access memory in the program space to allow downloading of software via the serial communication link 68 and internal bus 52.
  • the microcontroller 70 includes a bootstrap routine in PROM and can also include the operating program which is executed until a software download is detected or received.
  • the microcontroller 70 includes a software (firmware) program which is stored in the read-only memory and random access memory (which is mapped to the program space of the microcontroller 70).
  • the primary functions of the firmware is to receive and execute the control/data messages which are transmitted by the interface microcontroller 66 on the control/data bus 52.
  • the firmware includes a command interpreter routine which receives and executes the command /data packets from the bus 52, which is within the understanding of one skilled in microprocessor programming. For the purposes of this discussion, the command/data packets transmitted to the microcontrollers 70 on the channel boards 28 will have the same format as those listed in the Appendix.
  • the firmware also includes routines or drivers for communicating directly with the four character generator chips 72 on each channel board 28.
  • the firmware uses the random access memory as a buffer for the text which is downloaded by the central computer 18 via the controller 22 and interface board 30.
  • the character generator chip 72 is the BU2801S On
  • the microcontroller 70 uses a serial link to load character and control data into the on-chip RAM on the character generator chip 72.
  • the channel board 28 can include an additional bypass switch 82 which allows the selected input video (i.e. cable 38 or replacement video feed 46) to bypass the character generator 72. This function can also be implemented in the character generator chip itself.
  • the microcontroller 70 also has an input port 84 which is coupled to a vertical synchronization pulse circuit 86.
  • the input port 84 is configured as an interrupt.
  • the vertical synchronization circuit 86 provides the microcontroller (and firmware) 70 with sync pulses for the four video channels. The sync pulses are required by the firmware to properly manage the display tasks. It is important that the microcontroller 70 insure synchronization with each video channel so that the emergency message can be displayed without too much disruption to the underlying video signal.
  • the microcontroller 70 also has an input port 88 for reading the unit identifier 36 and the slot address 34.
  • the firmware uses the address information to identify messages on the bus 52 which are to be decoded and executed.
  • the microcontroller 70 has a reset input 90 which is coupled to the hardware reset line 54 on the backplane 32.
  • Each channel board 32 includes a failure indicator 92, which can be a red light-emitting diode (LED).
  • the indicator 92 can be coupled to microcontroller 70 to signify error conditions arising under the inspection of the microcontroller 70.
  • the signal to the indicator 92 can be logically "ANDed" with the reset signal 54 to reset only the channel board 28 which is reporting a failure.
  • the microcontroller 70 receives command and data packets from the bi-directional bus 52.
  • the microcontroller 70 (firmware) selects or deselects the packets (defined in the Appendix) according to the tag identifier which corresponds to the unit and slot addresses 36,34 or which corresponds to a dynamic identifier i.e. stored in memory and referenced to the tag identifer.
  • the microcontroller 70 (and firmware) has the capability to send acknowledgement messages and status messages in response to an inquiry packet, for example.
  • the primary function of the microcontroller 70 (and firmware) is to store and display text messages via the character generators 72 on the channel cable video signals 38 for selected cable channels.
  • the microcontroller 70 processes control/data commands received on the bus 52 and updates and manages the video signals (and audio signals) according to the command directions. For example, the central computer 18 can instruct a static text display on cable channel 1 and a scrolling horizontal text line on cable channel 3. Once the text has "scrolled" for the selected time or iterations, the channel returns to normal video. In response to a power-on reset, the microcontroller 70 executes the firmware program from EPROM.
  • the alert unit 24 can be explained as follows. Under normal conditions, the alert unit 24 is a passive device which is transparent to cable video and audio signals 38,40 ( Figure 3), i.e. the channel video signal 38 and channel audio signal 40 are passed through the channel board 28 undisturbed, (or through the closed by-pass relays 42,44 if the channel board 28 is unplugged from the backplane 32). Under active conditions, e.g. emergency notification, the alert unit 24 implements certain operations in response to commands and data which are received from the control centre 16 via the satellite 14 and controller/ demodulator 22.
  • the alert unit 24 supports the following modes of operation: (1) superimpose text as a crawl message on the cable video channel; (2) superimpose text as a static text window on the cable video channel; (3) replace the cable video signal 38 with the override video signal 60; (4) superimpose text as a crawl message onto the override video signal 60; (5) superimpose text as a full text page onto the override video signal 60; and (6) replace both channels of the cable audio signal 40 with the override audio signal 64.
  • the modes of operation provide the alert unit 24 with the capability to display emergency messages with varying degrees of disruption to the cable television viewer.
  • the least disruptive mode of operation is (1) which involves displaying a crawl text message, and the most disruptive is (5) which replaces the cable video with the override video and superimposes a full text page.
  • the modes of operation are implemented by the firmware (resident in the program memory of each channel board microcontroller 70) in response to a sequence of control and data commands (Appendix) which are received from the controller /demodulator 22 via the interface controller 66.
  • FIG. 4 shows in flow chart form the modes in which the alert unit 24 can operate.
  • the alert unit 24 operates under the control of the central computer
  • the controller/ demodulator 22 demodulates and decodes the commands and data (received from the control centre 16 via the satellite 14) and transmits the command and data packets in a serial stream to the interface controller 66.
  • the interface controller 66 translates the command and data packets from RS-232 format into the HDLC/SDLC binary protocol for transmission on the bi-directional bus 52.
  • the communications protocol implements a "tag" concept which allows: (1) command and data packets to be broadcast to all channels in the alert unit 24; (2) commands and data packets to be directed to a group of one or more channels; and (3) a command or data packet to be sent to a channel based on its physical location (i.e. unit number 36 and board slot 34 and channel number 1 to 4).
  • the tag is contained in a tag byte in each command and data packet. To broadcast a command or data packet, the tag byte has a value of zero, which is accepted and executed for all channels.
  • the protocol has a "Tag Setup" command (Appendix). The "Tag Setup" command assigns any group of channels with a logical or dynamic identifier.
  • the channel can then be accessed according to its logical identifier, physical tag or by a broadcast.
  • a channel will only respond to one dynamic tag value at a time.
  • a tag assigned to a channel will overwrite the previous tag assigned to that channel.
  • the format of a command or data packet utilized in the present invention is shown in Figure 5.
  • the "tag" for the packet is contained in the second byte.
  • the interface controller 66 puts the message packet on the bus 52 and the packet is accepted by one (or more) channel microcontroller 70 based on the value in the tag byte of the packet
  • the central computer 16 uses the control command via the controller/demodulator 22 (Appendix) to control the type and content of the emergency announcement. If it is desired to substitute override audio (block 302), then the central computer 16 will transmit a control message which specifies that the bypass relays 42,44 ( Figure 3) be switched to substitute the override audio and/or video. In response, the channel microcontroller 70 will activate the bypass relays 42,44 ( Figure 3) through output line 43 ( Figure 3), as indicated at block 304. If the emergency announcement does not include an audible notification, then block 304 is skipped, a command to substitute override audio is not issued to the unit 24.
  • the emergency announcement does not include an audible notification, then block 304 is skipped, a command to substitute override audio is not issued to the unit 24.
  • An emergency announcement which includes a text message can be presented to the viewer in a number of ways. If the text message is to be superimposed on the override video signal (at block 308), the central computer 16 will transmit a control message which directs the selected channel microcontroller 70 to substitute the override video signal 60 ( Figure 3) by switching the video by-pass relay 44, indicated at block 310. Once the override video decision has been made, the text display format is determined at block 312. The text message can be displayed in one of four ways: (1) a static line; (2) a static page; (3) a line of text crawling horizontally at a fixed rate; or (4) a text page which scrolls vertically at a fixed rate.
  • the microcontroller 70 can store and display up to 240 lines of text.
  • the microcontroller can display the text as a line, a partial or full page of characters displayed statically at any one of 10 line positions, or as up to 240 lines of contiguous text scrolling vertically.
  • the text can be downloaded by the central computer 18.
  • both the crawl and scroll rates have been fixed, and approximately 12 seconds is required to traverse the screen.
  • the central computer 18 transmits a control packet with the fourth byte set to display the text as either a static page or a scrolling page (see format for control packet in Appendix), at block 314.
  • the number of times a text page is to be scrolled can also be specified in the control packet (bytes 5 and 6).
  • the channel microcontroller 70 will execute the text page display as indicated by blocks 316 and 318 in Figure 3.
  • the selected channel can revert to normal programming until the alert unit 24 receives additional instructions from the central computer 16 (block 320).
  • the microcontroller 70 issues the appropriate instructions to the character generator to provide a line display (block 322). If the central computer 18 has requested a scrolling text line, then the microcontroller 70 will also the appropriate control commands according to the control packet contents, e.g. the number of scroll loops.
  • the present invention includes a number of features to provide maximum emergency notification without minimum interruption to the scheduled programming and/or commercial operation of a cable television station.
  • the first of these features allows the viewer, who is watching any channel (or a selected channel), to be alerted by a brief emergency announcement which directs the viewer to turn to a selected channel for full details of the emergency warning or announcement. For example, if there is a severe thunderstorm tracking into the viewing area of the cable station 20, the central computer 18 will download a single line text message which is to be displayed on all or selected cable channels (i.e. as specified in the tag byte of the command packet), other than one channel, which will be used to display a more detailed message ("the detailed message channel").
  • the detailed message channel can be, for example, a weather channel.
  • the microcontroller 70 will display the single line message across the bottom of the television screen on all the channels and the message will direct the viewer to turn to the detail message channel for more detail. If the message is short it can be displayed as a single static line of text, on channels other than the detailed message channel. If the message is several lines, but still relatively short, it can be displayed either as several lines or as one line using the horizontal crawl feature, on channels other than the detailed message channel. For the detailed message channel, the microcontroller 70 will display the full text of the emergency warning which was downloaded by the central computer 18. The degree of interruption can vary with the priority or seriousness of the emergency.
  • the central computer 18 instructs the channel microcontroller 70 to display a one line text message (static or crawling) on all or a selected group of channels.
  • the one line text message which is superimposed on the normal channel video signal 38 but otherwise preferably does not affect the normal channel video signal 38 or audio signal 40 on the cable channels in question, prompts the viewer to turn to detailed message channel for the emergency announcement and/or directions.
  • the central computer 18 instructs the channel microcontroller 70 to display a detailed message using the text page format.
  • the central computer 18 can instruct the microcontroller 70 to display the override video signal 60 on the detailed message channel in place of the normal video signal 38.
  • the override video signal 60 can simply be a blue or other background colour for the text message, which is supplied by a local override video source 61 ( Figure 3).
  • the central computer 18 can also instruct the channel microcontroller 70 to replace the channel audio signal 40 with the override audio signal 64 on the detailed message channel (or any other channel).
  • the override audio signal 64 is supplied by a local override audio source 65 ( Figure 3) and can include a simple beep or alerting tone or a series of pre-recorded voice messages.
  • the alert unit 24 provides the flexibility to have the viewer alerted by substituting (on channels other than the detailed message channel) the override audio signal 64 for a specified period, e.g. before or during the display of the one line message.
  • the scheduling manager 26 the display of emergency announcements by the alerting system 10 can be controlled on the basis of the channel profile database 27, for example, the programming schedule and requirements of the cable television station 20 which have been loaded or stored in the database 27.
  • the controller/ demodulator 22 is coupled to the scheduling manager 26.
  • the scheduling manager 26 comprises the database 27 and the controller 29.
  • the database 27 has a record for each of the cable channels being televised by the station 20.
  • Each record contains information pertaining to the programming or status of the corresponding cable channel. For example, if it is desired to block an emergency announcement during the playing of a commercial endorsement, the record can include a "commercial-in-progress" flag.
  • the controller 29 checks or polls the "commercial-in-progress" flag. If the flag is set, i.e. a commercial is being televised, the controller 29 will wait until the flag is reset before sending the message to alert unit 24. The commercial-in-progress flag will be reset once the commercial has ended.
  • a priority interrupt level can also be specified using the dynamic tag byte in the command packet ( Figure 5).
  • the scheduling manager 26 can also be used to implement the "day-parting" feature as introduced above.
  • the day- parting feature provides the ability to block the operation of the alert system 10 for a selected period of time on all or selected cable channels. This feature can be used, for example, to block the display of emergency announcements during regular business hours (or during a newscast) when the newsroom of the station 20 is operational and capable of televising the emergency announcement.
  • the day-parting feature can be implemented by specifying a day-parting record in the channel profile database 27 which is checked by the controller 29 when a command/data packet is received from the central computer 18.
  • the day-parting feature can also be combined with a priority hierarchy as discussed above.
  • the "commercial-in-progress" flag and "day-parting" feature is derived from programming schedule for each cable channel and in operation the channel profile database 27 which represents the programming schedule for each of the channels carried by the cable television station 20.
  • the programming schedule comprises the times for broadcasting the feature programs and the time slots for playing the commercial endorsements.
  • the programming schedule for a cable television station 20 is made up of feature programs which have been purchased from the major television networks and which will include some of the commercial endorsements that have already been sold by the television network.
  • the programming schedule can also include time slots for commercial endorsements which have been sold by the cable station 20. Since the programming schedule is known ahead of time, the channel profile database 27 can be updated ahead of time, e.g. loaded on a weekly or even monthly basis. It will be appreciated that this simplifies the administration of the database 27 without compromising the performance of the commercial blocking and day-parting features of the present invention.
  • the commercial block and day-parting features can be implemented by including a channel profile database 27 check after the command/data packet is received from the central computer 18 and translated or formatted by the controller 22 prior to the alert unit 24, so that the command can be blocked if necessary.
  • This processing loop is indicated by arrows 301 and 303 in Figure 4.
  • the check can implemented in a software program running on the controller 29 as a routine which queries the channel profile database 27 whenever a command/data packet is received from the central computer 18 for a channel, indicated generally by block 500 in Figure 4.
  • the other features associated with the channel profile database 27, e.g. priority, postal code check and traffic logging, can also be implemented in analogous fashion.
  • Figure 6 shows in flow chart form typical logical processing steps for the programming manager routine 500 for implementing the commercial block and day-parting features discussed above.
  • the routine looks up the record for the cable channel in the scheduling manager 27 at block 502.
  • the routine 500 checks the record for the commercial-in-progress flag. If the flag is set, then the routine 500 moves to block 506 which determines if the commercial can be interrupted by a high priority message. If the commercial cannot be pre-empted (at block 506), then the routine waits till the commercial has ended. If a commercial is not in progress (commercial blocking is not active), then the routine moves to block 508.
  • the routine checks the cable channel record in the scheduling manager 27 to determine if day- parting has been activated. If day-parting is active, i.e. programming cannot be interrupted, then the routine will wait for another command/data packet from the central computer 18. On the other hand, if day-parting is not active, i.e. emergency notification permitted, then the routine will proceed to block 512 which returns processing of the command/data packet to the alerting unit 2 (see Figure 4), as indicated by line 303.
  • the messages to be displayed have been referred to as being emergency warning messages, they can of course be any messages considered to be of over-riding public interest, for example, news flashes or messages concerning important sporting events such as the World Series.
  • This message specifies the Channel Dynamic Tag for 108 channels, which is the maximum number for an alert unit 24.
  • the first byte applies to the first channel on the first board of the addressed alert unit 24, while byte 36 applies to the fourth channel of the ninth board.
  • the tag assigned to any channel overwrites the previous Tag set for that channel. That is, a channel responds only one Dynamic Tag value at a time. Notwithstanding the above, a channel will always respond to a message containing a Tag equal to zero, which is used to broadcast messages to all channels in the system. A channel will also respond to the proper physical Tag.
  • Command Type Display Attributes
  • This message sends an image of the 16 bit data to be loaded into registers at addresses 240 through 243 of the Rohm character generator chip 72.
  • each channel board 28 has five sets of display characteristics; the first is the default setup, contained in the alert unit 24 software. It cannot be modified by the setup message. The four remaining sets must be loaded by individual messages.
  • the channel board software will not modify the Rohm chip's setup prior to or during a display operation. It is the responsibility of the command centre to use characteristics corresponding to what has been implemented in the firmware.
  • the alert unit 24 is capable of displaying static or scrolling lines and pages of text. To simplify the data management on the channel board 28, all of the data will be manipulated using the concept of lines of text.
  • a total of 240 lines of 24 characters are stored and available per channel board 28.
  • Each character requires two bytes of data, as described in the data sheet for the Rohm character generator 72, giving a total channel board requirement of just under 12 Kbytes.
  • the lines to be used in contiguous operations are always completely filled by the central computer 18, except for the last line, where an end-of-line/end-of- page will be indicated by the 16 bit value xx80.
  • Each alert unit 24 channel is uniquely controlled by this type of message.
  • a single message contains a complete definition of the data to act upon, the start and stop conditions, bypass switch 42,44 ( Figure 2) conditions, and the transition from the active operation to the next one.
  • One operation may be in progress, and another one may be waiting. If a control packet arrives while a prior one is waiting, then the waiting packet is replaced with the new one.
  • the operation in progress is not interrupted unless the new message so specifies.
  • One of the other bits will correspond to bit #C in the Rohm character generator 72 ( Figure 2) definition to be used with this operation.
  • the other bit can be defined during the alert unit 24 implementation.
  • This message is used to load a second version of operating software into the channel microcontrollers 70.
  • Each message contains a physical address, followed by a series of bytes to be loaded starting at the address.
  • This message is used to switch software execution to the previously loaded software. It contains only a physical address at which to start execution. This message may also be used to cause a soft reset by jumping to the firmware entry point.
  • This message is used with a Physical Tag, and requests a reply with the current status of the corresponding channel board;
  • the reply contains the status of the microcontroller 70 plus any other board /channel status which may be defined during the design stage.
  • controller 22 It is the responsibility of the controller 22 to regulate status requests, in order to avoid collisions due to multiple channels responding at the same time, or too close to each other.
  • the interface microcontroller 66 will generate a pulse of appropriate duration on the backplane Reset line 54 ( Figure 2).
  • This message is not forwarded to the channel boards.
  • the interface microcontroller On detection of a fault (via the backplane fault line), the interface microcontroller sends this predefined message to the external controller.
  • no data may be defined during the design implementation.

Abstract

Système de réception de messages d'alarme ou d'intérêt général provenant d'un organisme éloigné, et de transmission desdits messages sur un ou des canaux donnés d'un réseau câblé de télévision à un ou plusieurs canaux de façon à avertir les téléspectateurs dudit réseau. Le système comporte des interfaces de communication permettant la réception des messages d'alarme; un processeur de décodage des messages d'alarme et une unité de formatage et d'insertion des messages sur les canaux câblés. Lesdits messages peuvent être incorporés dans le signal vidéo câblé sous la forme d'une ligne ou d'une page de texte statique ou sous la forme de texte à déroulement horizontal ou vertical, et accompagnés d'un signal sonore. Le message d'alarme peut se superposer à un signal vidéo prioritaire substitué au signal vidéo câblé. Le système peut également présenter sur chacun des canaux câblés des messages d'alarme abrégés invitant les téléspectateurs à passer sur un autre canal diffusant le message d'alarme complet. Le système peut également comporter un gestionnaire de canaux couplé au processeur et contenant une liste de périodes bloquées prédéterminées correspondant à chacun des canaux, et pendant lesquelles la transmission des messages est interrompue, p. ex. pendant la transmission d'un endossement à caractère commercial.
PCT/CA1994/000506 1993-09-15 1994-09-15 Systeme d'alarme video et audio pour reseau cable de television WO1995008243A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU76496/94A AU7649694A (en) 1993-09-15 1994-09-15 A video and audio alerting system for a cable television network

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2106223 CA2106223C (fr) 1993-09-15 1993-09-15 Systeme d'avertissement video et audio pour reseau de television
CA2,106,223 1993-09-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1995008243A1 true WO1995008243A1 (fr) 1995-03-23

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AU (1) AU7649694A (fr)
CA (1) CA2106223C (fr)
WO (1) WO1995008243A1 (fr)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2757301A1 (fr) * 1996-11-20 1998-06-19 Sennheiser Electronic Dispositif d'avertissement de la presence d'un signal
EP1087353A1 (fr) * 1999-09-22 2001-03-28 Gregory Houlden Système d'avertissement par satellite
EP1561343A1 (fr) * 2002-11-15 2005-08-10 Thomson Licensing S.A. Procedes de commande d'appareils ayant une fonction d'alerte d'urgence
EP1582059A1 (fr) * 2002-11-12 2005-10-05 Thomson Licensing Conversion de messages d'alerte en vue de leur dissemination dans un reseau de diffusion de programmes
US7136498B1 (en) 1999-12-16 2006-11-14 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Loudspeaker having a dual chamber acoustical enclosure with two external vents and one internal vent
EP1838037A2 (fr) * 2006-02-17 2007-09-26 LG Electronics Inc. Méthode d'un système d'alerte d'urgence pour la diffusion numérique par câble, son signal correspondant et récepteur de diffusion par câble
US9641692B2 (en) 2013-06-25 2017-05-02 Siemens Schweiz Ag Incident-centric mass notification system
US10136276B2 (en) 2013-06-25 2018-11-20 Siemens Schweiz Ag Modality-centric mass notification system

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US3975583A (en) * 1974-10-07 1976-08-17 First National Bank Of Decatur, Alabama Emergency civil defense alarm and communications systems
US4656629A (en) * 1983-11-09 1987-04-07 Sony Corporation Digital signal transmitting and/or receiving system
US4724491A (en) * 1984-08-28 1988-02-09 Adams-Russell Co., Inc. Inserting television advertising spots automatically
US5216515A (en) * 1991-05-23 1993-06-01 Adexpress Company Addressable video feed system

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3975583A (en) * 1974-10-07 1976-08-17 First National Bank Of Decatur, Alabama Emergency civil defense alarm and communications systems
US4656629A (en) * 1983-11-09 1987-04-07 Sony Corporation Digital signal transmitting and/or receiving system
US4724491A (en) * 1984-08-28 1988-02-09 Adams-Russell Co., Inc. Inserting television advertising spots automatically
US5216515A (en) * 1991-05-23 1993-06-01 Adexpress Company Addressable video feed system

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2757301A1 (fr) * 1996-11-20 1998-06-19 Sennheiser Electronic Dispositif d'avertissement de la presence d'un signal
EP1087353A1 (fr) * 1999-09-22 2001-03-28 Gregory Houlden Système d'avertissement par satellite
US7136498B1 (en) 1999-12-16 2006-11-14 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Loudspeaker having a dual chamber acoustical enclosure with two external vents and one internal vent
EP1582059A1 (fr) * 2002-11-12 2005-10-05 Thomson Licensing Conversion de messages d'alerte en vue de leur dissemination dans un reseau de diffusion de programmes
EP1582059A4 (fr) * 2002-11-12 2009-02-25 Thomson Licensing Conversion de messages d'alerte en vue de leur dissemination dans un reseau de diffusion de programmes
EP1561343A1 (fr) * 2002-11-15 2005-08-10 Thomson Licensing S.A. Procedes de commande d'appareils ayant une fonction d'alerte d'urgence
EP1561343A4 (fr) * 2002-11-15 2007-03-21 Thomson Licensing Procedes de commande d'appareils ayant une fonction d'alerte d'urgence
EP1838037A2 (fr) * 2006-02-17 2007-09-26 LG Electronics Inc. Méthode d'un système d'alerte d'urgence pour la diffusion numérique par câble, son signal correspondant et récepteur de diffusion par câble
EP1838037A3 (fr) * 2006-02-17 2012-07-04 LG Electronics Inc. Méthode d'un système d'alerte d'urgence pour la diffusion numérique par câble, son signal correspondant et récepteur de diffusion par câble
US9641692B2 (en) 2013-06-25 2017-05-02 Siemens Schweiz Ag Incident-centric mass notification system
US10136276B2 (en) 2013-06-25 2018-11-20 Siemens Schweiz Ag Modality-centric mass notification system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2106223A1 (fr) 1995-03-16
CA2106223C (fr) 2000-06-20
AU7649694A (en) 1995-04-03

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