Information-signal-processing apparatus, functional block control method, and functional block

• US 20070180443A1
• Filed: 03/24/2005
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Araki, Ryosuke, Wada, Seiji, Tago, Takashi, Nakaya, Hideo, Kondo, Tesujiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/21 Circuitry for suppressing or minimising disturbance, e.g. moiré or halo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

This invention relates to an information-signal-processing apparatus etc. for performing a series of processing pieces by using plural functional blocks in response to any information signals, in which functions can be easily upgraded through version upgrading of the functional blocks. Control block 110 issues a common command and transmits it to a control block 120 via a control bus 111. Control I/F 120 of the functional block 120 converts this common command into an intra-functional-block command if the common command is the common command related to its own functional block, and supplies the functional section 120e with it. This enables the functional block 120 to operate adaptively in accordance with the common command. When performing upgrade of the functions by the version updating of a predetermined function block, the common command need not be changed.

Claims

1. An information-signal-processing apparatus comprising:

plural functional blocks each for processing an information signal; and

a control block for controlling operations of the plural functional blocks,

wherein the control block or a predetermined block of the control block and the plural functional blocks issues a common command; and

each of the plural functional blocks adaptively operates in accordance with the issued common command.

2. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the functional blocks change a signal path or signal processing in accordance with the common command.

3. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control block includes command acquisition means for acquiring the common command.

4. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the command acquisition means acquires the common command from the plural functional blocks.

5. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the command acquisition means acquires the common command from an outside of the apparatus.

6. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control block has a first common command that corresponds to a user operation;

and

wherein if the user operation that corresponds to the first common command is performed, the control block delivers this first common command to the plural functional blocks.

7. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control block has a second common command that does not correspond to a user operation;

and

wherein the control block delivers the second common command to the plural functional blocks without associating this command with the user operation.

8. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the block that issues the common command delivers most recent values of the common commands of all of kinds or some of the kinds to the plural functional blocks for every predetermined lapse of time.

9. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the block that issues the common command transmits most recent values of the common commands of all of kinds or some of the kinds if a command indicative of a normal operation from the functional block that is to operate when having received the issued common command is not returned.

10. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the functional blocks each comprises a control section and a functional section which is controlled by this functional section;

wherein the control section includes;

storage means for storing a correlation between the common command related to its own functional block and an intra-functional-block command used to control the control section;

reception means for receiving the common command from the control block; and

conversion means for, if the common command received by the reception means is the common command related to its own functional block, converting this common command into the intra-functional-block command based on the correlation stored in said storage means.

11. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined block issues the common command including a result of processing the information signal.

12. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control block and said plural functional blocks are connected to each other via a control bus.

13. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein each of the plural functional blocks is constituted of a substrate;

and

wherein some or all of the plural functional blocks are respectively inserted into slots formed in a chassis thereof.

16. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control block and the plural functional blocks respectively have a bus interface;

wherein the control block and the plural functional blocks respectively are connected to each other by a bus using the bus interface; and

wherein the bus interface includes;

a message buffer for storing received data; and

a message storage control section for selectively storing data received via the bus in the message buffer.

17. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the control block transmits the common command having at least an identifier to the plural functional blocks;

and

wherein if the identifier of a predetermined common command that has been set beforehand agrees with an identifier of the common command that has been received via the bus, the message storage control sections in the plural functional blocks store this received common command into the message buffer.

18. The information-signal-processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the bus is a CAN bus.

14. A functional block control method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a common command to plural functional blocks, respectively, used to process an information signal from a control block or from a predetermined block of the control block and the plural functional blocks; and

adaptively operating the plural functional blocks in accordance with the common command.

15. A functional block comprising:

a control section; and

a functional section that is controlled by this functional section,

wherein the control section includes;

storage means for storing a correlation between a common command related to its own functional block and an intra-functional-block command used to control the control section;

reception means for receiving the common command from a control block; and

conversion means for, if the common command received by the reception means is the common command related to its own functional block, converting this common command into an intra-functional-block command based on the correlation stored in the storage means.