Method of processing broadcast signal associated with emergency alert system in terrestrial broadcasting and broadcast receiver for the same

• US 20080141300A1
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yun, Chang Sik, Kim, Jin Pil
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks

Abstract

A broadcast signal associated with an emergency alert system in terrestrial broadcasting, a processing method thereof, and a broadcast receiver for the same are disclosed, by which information on a channel for carrying emergency alert news can be completely prevented from being overlapped with information on other general channels in a terrestrial broadcasting environment.

Claims

1. A method of processing a broadcast signal associated with an emergency alert of a terrestrial broadcast, comprising the steps of:

receiving an emergency alert table (EAT) including a channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting an emergency alert news decided in accordance with a preset reference and frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference;

parsing the channel number information and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news from the received EAT; and

tuning to a predetermined channel for transmitting the emergency alert news in accordance with the parsed channel number information and the parsed frequency information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference are defined by a channel descriptor of the EAT.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast includes information for defining a major channel number of the terrestrial broadcast and a minor channel number of the terrestrial broadcast.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the EAT comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of program number information within a frequency for transmitting the emergency alert news and per contents transport stream ID information of the emergency alert news.

5. A method of processing a broadcast signal associated with an emergency alert of a terrestrial broadcast, in which the broadcast signal associated with the emergency alert is transmitted by a terrestrial broadcasting station and is then retransmitted by a relay service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an emergency alert table (EAT) including a channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting an emergency alert news decided in accordance with a preset reference and frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference from the terrestrial broadcasting station;

modifying the frequency information of the received EAT in accordance with a protocol for mapping frequency information of the terrestrial broadcasting station for transmitting a specific terrestrial broadcast to frequency information of the relay service provider for transmitting the specific terrestrial broadcast; and

transmitting the EAT including the modified frequency information to a broadcast receiver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference are defined by a channel descriptor of the EAT.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast includes information for defining a major channel number of the terrestrial broadcast and a minor channel number of the terrestrial broadcast.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the EAT comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of program number information within a frequency for transmitting the emergency alert news and per contents transport stream ID information of the emergency alert news.

9. In a digital broadcast receiver, a broadcast receiver for processing a broadcast signal associated with an emergency alert of a terrestrial broadcast, comprising:

a tuner unit receiving an emergency alert table (EAT) including a channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting an emergency alert news decided in accordance with a preset reference and frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference;

a parsing unit parsing the channel number information and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news from the received EAT; and

a control unit tuning to a predetermined channel for transmitting the emergency alert news in accordance with the parsed channel number information and the parsed frequency information.

10. The broadcast receiver of claim 9, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference are defined by a channel descriptor of the EAT.

11. The broadcast receiver of claim 9, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast includes information for defining a major channel number of the terrestrial broadcast and a minor channel number of the terrestrial broadcast.

12. The broadcast receiver of claim 9, wherein the EAT comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of program number information within a frequency for transmitting the emergency alert news and per contents transport stream ID information of the emergency alert news.

14. The broadcast receiver of claim 11, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news decided in accordance with the preset reference are defined by a channel descriptor of the EAT.

13. In a digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving a broadcast signal associated with an emergency alert from a relay service provider, a broadcast receiver for processing the broadcast signal associated with the emergency alert of a terrestrial broadcast, the broadcast receiver comprising:

a tuner unit receiving an EAT including frequency information modified in accordance with a protocol for mapping frequency information of the terrestrial broadcasting station for transmitting a specific terrestrial broadcast to frequency information of the relay service provider for transmitting the specific terrestrial broadcast;

a parsing unit parsing the channel number information and the frequency information of the terrestrial broadcast transmitting the emergency alert news from the received EAT; and

a control unit tuning to a predetermined channel for transmitting the emergency alert news in accordance with the parsed channel number information and the parsed frequency information.

15. The broadcast receiver of claim 13, wherein the channel number information of the terrestrial broadcast includes information for defining a major channel number of the terrestrial broadcast and a minor channel number of the terrestrial broadcast.

16. The broadcast receiver of claim 13, wherein the EAT comprised at least one selected from the group consisting of program number information within a frequency for transmitting the emergency alert news and per contents transports stream ID information of the emergency alert news.