WO2016036421A1 - Sous-système d'antenne pour signaux de télévision à diffusion numérique - Google Patents

Sous-système d'antenne pour signaux de télévision à diffusion numérique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2016036421A1
WO2016036421A1 PCT/US2015/025162 US2015025162W WO2016036421A1 WO 2016036421 A1 WO2016036421 A1 WO 2016036421A1 US 2015025162 W US2015025162 W US 2015025162W WO 2016036421 A1 WO2016036421 A1 WO 2016036421A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
digital video
antenna
signal
assembly
over
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2015/025162
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Mark GINTIS
Original Assignee
New Choices Entertainment Incorporated
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
Priority claimed from US14/479,280 external-priority patent/US20150156534A1/en
Priority claimed from US14/641,366 external-priority patent/US9369755B2/en
Application filed by New Choices Entertainment Incorporated filed Critical New Choices Entertainment Incorporated
Publication of WO2016036421A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016036421A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/27—Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H2201/00—Aspects of broadcast communication
    • H04H2201/60—Aspects of broadcast communication characterised in that the receiver comprises more than one tuner

Definitions

  • the present invention related generally to antenna and tuner systems, and more particularly to an antenna tuner sub-system that receive multiple digital broadcast television (TV) signals for the purpose of viewing and/or recording to storage media for timely or time shifted TV entertainment viewing.
  • TV digital broadcast television
  • the use of antennas has become rare, as consumers have increased their demands for customized options, channels, and programming that require the splitting of the incoming digital broadcast television signal into at least two channel signal, both for simultaneous recording for later time delayed playback or the recording of a first channel signal for time delayed playback at the same time as watching a different second channel.
  • the signal splitting has resulted in decreased signal strength or increased noise for each channel signal at the viewing level.
  • the invention addresses that need to receive multiple over the air digital broadcast signals at the same time.
  • the invention comprises an apparatus and a method that does not involve splitting of the digital broadcast signal.
  • the apparatus is an antenna sub-system apparatus for receiving a plurality of over the air digital broadcast television channel signals.
  • the apparatus comprises a passive antenna assembly and an active electronics assembly with no signal splitting elements for splitting the digital broadcast television signal into at least two signals to allow for the selectively different simultaneous use of each in a different manner.
  • the passive antenna assembly comprises at least two antennas packaged together without interaction with any signal splitting elements and configured to receive over the air digital broadcast television signals, each antenna able to receive an independent over the air digital broadcast television signal.
  • the active electronics assembly is configured to communicate with the at least two antennas and a digital video receiver, and comprises an amplifier for each antenna in communication with the antenna, a tuner connected to each amplifier and a processing unit configured to be in communication with all of the tuners and configured to convey the digital broadcast television signal from each tuner independently and simultaneously to at least one digital video receiver.
  • the method is a method of recording multiple over the air digital broadcast television signals and comprises five steps. The first step is providing at least two over the air digital broadcast television signals. The second step is providing the antenna sub-system apparatus for receiving a plurality of over the air digital broadcast television signals to separate the digital broadcast television signal into at least two channels without the use of signal splitting elements as described above.
  • the method is a method of recording multiple over the air television broadcast signals and comprises four steps.
  • the first step is providing an over the air digital broadcast television signal containing at least two channels.
  • the second step is providing the antenna sub-system apparatus for receiving a plurality of over the air digital broadcast television signals to separate the digital broadcast television signal into at least two channels without the use of signal splitting elements and comprising a passive antenna assembly and an active electronics assembly as described above.
  • the third step is receiving at least one digital video receiver that is in communication with all of the tuners of the active electronic assembly.
  • the fourth step is receiving at least two independent over the air digital broadcast television signals.
  • the fifth step is conveying at least one of two over the air digital broadcast television signal to a digital video receiver to display to record for time delay viewing.
  • the invention has two parts: the passive antenna assembly and the active electronics assembly. This summary defines three items. The above two parts and the synergistic performance of the two parts acting as a third item with performance better than the expected sum of the first two parts.
  • the invention has at least two benefits.
  • First, the present invention allows a household cost effectively to watch television broadcast directly by the networks in 1080i and simultaneously record multiple television shows.
  • Second, the present invention not only allows for the viewing of cost effective television broadcast directly by the network, but also provides better clarity and sharpness of the show.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an antenna tuner subsystem of the present invention.
  • the invention has two parts: the passive antenna assembly and the active electronics assembly. This summary defines three items. The above two parts and the synergistic performance of the two parts acting as a third item with performance better than the expected sum of the first two parts.
  • DVRs Digital Video Receivers
  • QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
  • IPTV Internet Protocol
  • satellite -based signals Digital Video Receivers
  • DVRs Digital Video Receivers
  • QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
  • IPTV Internet Protocol
  • satellite -based signals record two to six channels are common place.
  • QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
  • IPTV Internet Protocol
  • OTA Digital Over-the-Air
  • Digital OTA antennas pick up a very small signal, usually close to their noise level, which is then sent to an amplifier to raise the signal level and lower the noise level. That processed signal is then sent to a tuner.
  • the signal must be split in two. Splitting can be done before or after amplification, however the results are the same. The signal level is split in half or less and/or the noise is doubled or worse. If four recordings are to be made
  • the solution is to pair only one antenna with only one amplifier and only one tuner so that signal splitting is not required. This mostly solves the problems stated above but is completely impractical.
  • the implication of this solution is that there are, for example, four antennas, each with a coax cable to an amplifier and then a connection of the amplifiers to the tuners and all of the above to electrical power and to the DVR as illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • the multi- antenna array is manufactured by "printing" each antenna physically on top of the other antenna array elements. Common RF engineering concepts would probably cause the antenna designer to mistakenly think that overlaying multiple antennas would cause one antenna to shield the next in the stack. This might be true if all the antennas were being used to tune the same channel. However, there is nearly no reason to ever do this. Each antenna is usually used to receive a different channel, so any resonance feedback from its respective amplifier and tuner combination has nearly no effect. In actual practice, using a Sencore SLM 1453 signal strength meter, measured results are that the stacking of these antennas cause a slight enhancement of the signal (on the order of 1 to 2 db). No explanation of this phenomenon is either offered or relevant to this summary of this invention.
  • the apparatus comprises a passive antenna assembly and an active electronics assembly with no signal splitting elements for splitting the digital broadcast television signal into at least two signals to allow for the selectively different simultaneous use of each in a different manner.
  • the passive antenna assembly comprises at least two antennas packaged together without interaction with any signal splitting elements and configured to receive over the air digital broadcast television signals, each antenna able to receive an independent over the air digital broadcast television signal.
  • the active electronics assembly is configured to communicate with the at least two antennas and a digital video receiver, and comprises an amplifier for each antenna in communication with the antenna, a tuner connected to each amplifier and a processing unit configured to be in communication with all of the tuners and configured to convey the digital broadcast television signal from each tuner independently and simultaneously to at least one digital video receiver.
  • a digital broadcast television signal generally comprises multiple channel signals each corresponding to a specific channel.
  • the digital broadcast television signal must be split in two signals each tuned to select the different desired channel signal. This splitting degrades the resulting image that is being recorded or watched as discussed above. Because the invention has at least two antennas, there is no need for splitting the incoming digital broadcast television signal in to two signals so each can be individually selectively tuned for a specific channel signal.
  • the resolution of the signal that is broadcast is at least similar to that of the signal that is recorded or viewed if only one channel were able to be transmitted to only one DVR. .
  • Various factors can affect resolution such as, for example, number of connections between the digital broadcast television signal and the DVR.
  • splitting the incoming digital broadcast signal into two separate signals to achieve simultaneous access to two television channels at the same time is the most disruptive factor.
  • the invention eliminates that factor by not using or requiring the use of splitters to actively access two channels simultaneously from the digital broadcast TV signal. This effect is even more pronounced when dealing with more than two channels simultaneously.
  • a passive antenna assembly comprises Four Winegard Company FL-5000 Flat Wave HDTV Indoor Digital Flat Antenna elements, made in the USA, that are taped together.
  • the antennas may also be laminated or otherwise secured together.
  • the antennas of the passive antenna assembly are attached to an active electronic assembly that comprises amplifiers and tuners and a hub assembly.
  • Each of the four antennas is attached to each of 4 amplifier units that are in turn attached to each of 4 tuners.
  • One such amplifier and tuner arrangement is a quad tuner card with amplifier sold as a KWorld UB435-Q tuner.
  • tuners are connected, including power, to a 5 Gigabit per second, USB 3.0 powered hub, which, in turn, is connected through one USB cable to the New Choices Entertainment (NCE) Set Top Component TV device.
  • NCE New Choices Entertainment
  • FIG 1 a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an antenna tuner sub-system of the present invention.
  • An antenna sub-system (100) is shown comprising a passive antenna assembly (200) and an active electronic assembly (300), and is attached to a digital video receiver (400).
  • Four antennas (210) are individually attached to their own amplifier (310) and tuner (320).
  • the four tuners are attached to a processing unit (330) that is, in turn, connected by a connecting element (340) to digital video receiver 400.
  • the present invention uniquely combines at least two antennas, preferably four antennas as shown, together as a single unit. Preferably, these antennas are laminated or otherwise secured together.
  • Each antenna includes a coupling means for connecting with an active electronics assembly.
  • the active electronic assembly comprises (1) a collection of amplifiers, one for each antenna, (2) a collection of tuners, one for each amplifier, and (3) a processing unit connected to all tuners.
  • an amplifier and a tuner appear together on a tuner card but may be separate or bunched together so that each amplifier is associated with its own tuner.
  • At least two, but preferably four tuner cards are designed within the assembly for accepting the coupling means.
  • Each tuner card is in communication with an amplifier unit. There are an equal number of antennas and tuners, such that each antenna communicates with one tuner.
  • the tuner cards and amplifier units are collectively coupled to a processing unit.
  • the processing unit is configured to receive the multiple independent digital video signals from the tuners and convey them to at least one digital video receiver.
  • one embodiment of the processing unit is a USB Hub
  • the processing unit also is configured to receive digital video signals from satellite or cable sources.
  • the connecting elements are configured to convey at least two independent digital video signals from the processing unit to one or more digital video receivers.
  • Connecting elements can include, for example, Wi-Fi, High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Bluetooth, Thunderbolt by Apple, Fire Wire, Ethernet, and mesh networks.
  • HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface
  • DVI Digital Visual Interface
  • Bluetooth Thunderbolt by Apple, Fire Wire, Ethernet, and mesh networks.
  • DVRs are elements that are configured to receive at least two digital video signals that are conveyed from the processing unit. They include, for example, elements designed to display the digital video signals, elements designed to store the digital video elements for later display, or elements designed to both display one digital video signal while storing at least one digital video signal for display at a later time.
  • Digital video receivers include, for example, cloud based storage applications; hardware based storage devices such as, for example, computers, digital video disks, and digital video recorders; and smart storage and display devices such as televisions, monitors, computers, smart phones, and computer tablets.
  • the method is a method of recording multiple over the air television broadcast signals and comprises five steps.
  • the first step is providing an over the air digital broadcast television signal containing at least two channels.
  • the second step is providing the antenna sub-system apparatus for receiving a plurality of over the air digital broadcast television signals to separate the digital broadcast television signal into at least two channels without the use of signal splitting elements and comprising a passive antenna assembly and an active electronics assembly as described above.
  • the third step is receiving at least one digital video receiver that is in communication with all of the tuners of the active electronic assembly.
  • the fourth step is receiving at least two independent over the air digital broadcast television signals.
  • the fifth step is conveying at least one of two over the air digital broadcast television signals to the at least one digital video receiver to record for time delay viewing.
  • the processing unit may be configured to receive additional digital video signals besides those of over the air broadcast sources. In some embodiments, the processing unit also is configured to receive digital video signals from satellite or cable sources.
  • the digital video receiver may be any that is configured to store at least two digital video signals from the antenna sub-system apparatus, display at least two signals or store at least one and display at least one.
  • Digital video receivers include, for example, elements designed to display the digital video signals, elements designed to store the digital video elements for later display, or elements designed to both display one digital video signal while storing at least one digital video signal for display at a later time.
  • Digital video receivers include, for example, cloud based storage applications; hardware based storage devices such as, for example, computers, digital video disks, databases configured for later retrieval of one or more selected digital video signal, and digital video recorders all for later retrieval of one or more selected digital video signal; and smart storage and display devices such as televisions, monitors, computers, smart phones, and computer tablets.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Input Circuits Of Receivers And Coupling Of Receivers And Audio Equipment (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un appareil de sous-système d'antenne permettant de recevoir une pluralité de signaux de diffusion de télévision par liaison radio comprenant une pluralité d'antennes emballées ensemble apte à recevoir des signaux de diffusion, chaque antenne étant apte à recevoir des signaux indépendants, et un ensemble électronique actif. Les antennes sont fixées l'une à l'autre, comprenant un moyen de couplage permettant de les raccorder à l'ensemble électronique actif, et, une pluralité d'éléments amplificateur/syntoniseur, un pour chaque antenne.
PCT/US2015/025162 2014-09-06 2015-04-09 Sous-système d'antenne pour signaux de télévision à diffusion numérique WO2016036421A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US14/479,280 2014-09-06
US14/479,280 US20150156534A1 (en) 2013-09-09 2014-09-06 Antenna Sub-system for Receiving Multiple ATSC TV Signals
US14/641,366 2015-03-07
US14/641,366 US9369755B2 (en) 2013-09-09 2015-03-07 Antenna sub-system for receiving multiple digital broadcast television signals

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2016036421A1 true WO2016036421A1 (fr) 2016-03-10

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ID=55440250

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2015/025162 WO2016036421A1 (fr) 2014-09-06 2015-04-09 Sous-système d'antenne pour signaux de télévision à diffusion numérique

Country Status (1)

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WO (1) WO2016036421A1 (fr)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040252243A1 (en) * 2001-11-01 2004-12-16 Stewart John Sidney Television signal receiver system
US20120133561A1 (en) * 2010-11-26 2012-05-31 Anand Konanur Method and apparatus for in-mold laminate antennas

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040252243A1 (en) * 2001-11-01 2004-12-16 Stewart John Sidney Television signal receiver system
US20120133561A1 (en) * 2010-11-26 2012-05-31 Anand Konanur Method and apparatus for in-mold laminate antennas

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