Method for automatic production of a service plan

• US 10,530,508 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sagemcom Broadband SAS (Sagemcom Holding SAS)
• Original Assignee: Sagemcom Broadband SAS (Sagemcom Holding SAS)
• Inventors: Dejardin, Romain
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierorazio, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US16/343,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20190319727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 725 38
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/18 Automatic scanning over a band of frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/183 combined with selection between different stations transmitting the same programm, e.g. by analysis of the received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/60 characterised in that the receiver comprises more than one tuner
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/41 for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41 Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A method for scanning a frequency band for producing a service plan. The method parallelises the scanning by dividing the analysis into two steps: an exploration step for the purpose of detecting channels or frequencies carrying services; and an analysis step for extracting detected channels from program information in order to supply a service plan. Each of the steps is performed by multiple task instances. These tasks share the band to be explored and synchronise, for one same step, via semaphores and, for an inter-step communication, according to a producer/consumer principle.

Claims

1. A method for automatic production of a service plan of a decoder unit device, wherein the decoder unit device includes a plurality of receivers and records the service plan produced in a configuration memory after the following steps are implemented:

distributing the receivers into two groups, where each group is dedicated to one task;

a first group of receivers is dedicated to a task of exploration of a frequency band to be explored, where a lower limit and an upper limit of the band are known, an exploration task instance fills a list of service-carrier frequencies, the exploration task instances are synchronised with one another via a first semaphore protecting a value of a nearby frequency to be explored, and an exploration task instance stops if the value of a nearby frequency to be explored is higher than the upper limit of the frequency band to be explored;

a second group of receivers is dedicated to a task of analysis of the frequencies in the list of service-carrier frequencies, an analysis task instance fills a table of services, the analysis task instances are synchronised with one another via a second semaphore protecting an identifier of a nearby frequency to be analysed, and an analysis task instance stops if the list of service-carrier frequencies is empty and if the value of the next frequency to be explored is higher than the upper limit of the frequency band;

creating task instances according to the distribution of receivers, where each distributed receiver is associated with a task according to its group, and the task instances are performed in parallel;

provisioning the service table produced to update the configuration memory.

2. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 1, wherein an exploration task instance includes:

setting of a first semaphore,

assigning a current frequency to be explored of the task instance by the value of the next frequency to be explored,

updating the value of the next frequency to be explored as a function of the value of the current frequency to be explored,

releasing the first semaphore;

evaluating the stop condition of an exploration task,

exploring the current frequency to be explored,

if the current frequency to be explored includes a service, then updating the table of frequencies to be analysed.

3. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 1 wherein an analysis task instance includes:

evaluating the stop condition of an analysis task,

setting the second semaphore,

assigning a current frequency to be analysed of the task instance by the value of the next frequency to be analysed,

updating the value of the next frequency to be analysed as a function of the value of the current frequency to be analysed,

releasing the second semaphore,

if there is a frequency to be analysed;

analyzing the current frequency to be analysed,

updating the service table.

4. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 1, wherein an explored frequency is considered not to have a service if the exploration lasts for more than a predetermined end-of-exploration wait time.

5. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 4, wherein the end-of-exploration wait time is equal to twice the time allowing detection of a service, if a service is indeed present.

6. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 1, wherein when the exploration is ended the receivers of the first group are attributed to the second group and analysis task instances are attributed to them.

7. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 1, wherein, if the decoder unit device includes K receivers, the first group includes K/2 receivers and the second group includes K/2 receivers.

8. The method for automatic production of a service plan according to claim 1, wherein, if the decoder unit device includes K receivers, the first group includes N receivers and the second group includes M receivers, where M=K−

N, and

9. A non-transitory memory device including instruction codes for the implementation of a method according to claim 1.

10. A device for automatic production of a service plan, the device comprising a plurality of receivers, and records the produced service plan in a configuration memory, wherein the production device includes processing and recording means, and wherein the means are arranged

to distribute receivers of the plurality of receivers into two groups, wherein each group is dedicated to one task:

a first group of receivers is dedicated to a task of exploration of a frequency band to be explored, wherein a lower limit and an upper limit of the band are known, an exploration task instance fills a list of service-carrier frequencies, the exploration task instances are synchronised with one another via a first semaphore protecting a value of a nearby frequency to be explored, and an exploration task instance stops if the value of a nearby frequency to be explored is higher than the upper limit of the frequency band to be explored;

a second group of receivers is dedicated to a task of analysis of the frequencies in the list of service-carrier frequencies, an analysis task instance fills a table of services, the analysis task instances are synchronised with one another via a second semaphore protecting an identifier of a nearby frequency to be analysed, and an analysis task instance stops if the list of service-carrier frequencies is empty and if the value of the next frequency to be explored is higher than the upper limit of the frequency band;

to create task instances according to the distribution of receivers, wherein each distributed receiver is associated with a task according to its group, and the task instances are performed in parallel;

to provide the service table produced to update the configuration memory.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein device is a decoder unit.