Method for switching programs in digital broadcasting and digital broadcast receiving apparatus

• US 5,864,358 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kubota, Masashi, Katsuki, Souichirou, Nishio, Toshirou, Suzuki, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/667,654
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 348/10-11, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/705, 370/486, 455/4.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2
• US Class Current: 725/142
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting is provided. In this method, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number. On a receiving side, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, a second physical channel number, for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough, is identified based on the second program number; wherein it is determined whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received; and wherein if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same, switching is performed for receiving the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number.

Claims

1. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number,

and wherein, on a receiving side, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

identifying a second physical channel number, for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough, based on the second program number;

determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received; and

if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same, switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number.

2. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number,

and wherein, on a receiving side, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

identifying a second physical channel number based on the second program number, for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough;

determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received;

switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number, if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same;

extracting a program map table packet identifier corresponding to the second program number from a program association table including the second program number;

extracting an elementary packet identifier corresponding to the second program number from a program map table including the extracted program map table packet identifier; and

extracting a packet having the extracted elementary packet identifier from a transport stream.

3. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number and program association tables of all physical channels are transmitted as private data to transport streams of all of the physical channels,

and wherein, on a receiving side, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

identifying a second physical channel number based on the second program number, for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough;

determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received;

extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program association table including the second program number, if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are the same;

switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical number and simultaneously extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from one of the program association tables which have been transmitted as private data, if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same;

extracting an elementary packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program map table including the extracted program map table packet identifier; and

extracting a packet having the extracted elementary packet identifier from a transport stream.

4. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number and program association tables of all physical channels are transmitted as private data to transport streams of all of the physical channels,

and wherein, on a receiving side, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

(a) identifying a second physical channel number based on the second program number for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough based on the second program number;

(b) determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received;

(c) determining whether or not the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number satisfies a predetermined condition if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same;

(d) switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number, if it is determined that the physical channel having the second physical channel number does not satisfy the predetermined condition;

(e) extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program association table including the second program number;

(f) switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number and simultaneously extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from one of the program association tables which have been transmitted as private data, if it is determined that the physical channel having the second physical channel number satisfies the predetermined condition;

(g) extracting an elementary packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program map table including the extracted program map table packet identifier; and

(h) extracting a packet having the extracted elementary packet identifier from a transport stream.

5. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not an absolute value representing a difference between the identified second physical channel number and the first physical channel number which is now being received is a predetermined value or less.

6. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the identified second physical channel number is included in physical channel numbers which have been set beforehand.

7. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the identified second physical channel number is included in a plurality of physical channel numbers which have ever been received.

8. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the identified second physical channel number belongs to physical channel numbers which are frequently used by a viewer.

9. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 8, wherein the physical channel numbers frequently used by the viewer are M kinds of physical channel numbers which have been selected most frequently from L kinds of physical channel numbers which have ever been selected in changing program numbers L times, where M and L are natural numbers and M is equal to or smaller than L.

10. A digital broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving a digital broadcast by transmitting a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough as a part of the program number, comprising:

identification means for identifying a second physical channel number based on the second program number for transmitting a second program having a newly set program number or a second program number therethrough;

determination means for determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received; and

switching means for switching to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number, if the determination means determines that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same.

11. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number and a program map table packet identifier corresponding to the program number in a program association table is assumed to be a fixed value,

and wherein, on a receiving side, program association tables of all physical channels are stored into storage means and, in changing program numbers from a first program number into a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

identifying a second physical channel number based on the second program number for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough;

determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received;

extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from one of the program association tables which is stored in the storage means and includes the second program number, if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are the same;

switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number and simultaneously extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from one of the program association tables which is stored in the storage means and includes the second program number, if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same;

extracting an elementary packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program map table including the extracted program map table packet identifier; and

extracting a packet having the extracted elementary packet identifier from a transport stream.

12. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number and a program map table packet identifier corresponding to the program number in a program association table is assumed to be a fixed value,

and wherein, on a receiving side, program association tables of physical channels satisfying a predetermined condition are stored in storage means and, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

(a) identifying a second physical channel number based on the second program number for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough;

(b) determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received;

(c) determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number satisfies the predetermined condition if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same;

(d) switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number, if it is determined that the second physical channel number does not satisfy the predetermined condition;

(e) extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program association table including the second program number after it has been determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are the same in the step (b) or after the step (d) of switching for receiving the physical channel having the second physical channel number has been executed;

(f) switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number and simultaneously extracting a program map table packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from one of the program association tables which have been stored in the storage means, if it is determined that the second physical channel number satisfies the predetermined condition in the step (c);

(g) extracting an elementary packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program map table including the extracted program map table packet identifier; and

(h) extracting a packet having the extracted elementary packet identifier from a transport stream.

13. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the identified second physical channel number is included in physical channel numbers which have been set beforehand.

14. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the identified second physical channel number is included in a plurality of physical channels numbers which have ever been received.

15. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the identified second physical channel number belongs to physical channel numbers which are frequently used by a viewer.

16. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting according to claim 15, wherein the physical channel numbers frequently used by the viewer are M kinds of physical channel numbers which have been selected most frequently from L kinds of physical channel numbers which have been selected in changing program numbers L times, where M and L are natural numbers and M is equal to or smaller than L.

17. A method for switching programs in a digital broadcasting wherein, on a transmission side, a physical channel number for transmitting a program having a program number therethrough is assigned to a part of the program number and a packet identifier for a program map table on which an identifier of a packet or a component of the program having the program number is described is assigned to the other part of the program number,

and wherein, on a receiving side, in changing program numbers from a first program number to a second program number, the method comprises the steps of:

identifying a second physical channel number for transmitting a second program having the second program number therethrough and the packet identifier of the program map table based on the second program number;

determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received;

switching so as to receive the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number if it is determined that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same;

extracting an elementary packet identifier, corresponding to the second program number, from a program map table including the identified program map table packet identifier; and

extracting a packet having the extracted elementary packet identifier from a transport stream.

18. A digital broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving a digital broadcast by transmitting a physical channel number for transmitting a program having the program number therethrough as a part of the program number and a packet identifier for a program map table on which a packet identifier of a component of the program having the program number is described as the other part, comprising:

identification means for identifying a second physical channel number for transmitting a second program and program map table packet identifier of the second program by a newly set program number of the second program;

determination means for determining whether or not the identified second physical channel number is the same as a first physical channel number which is now being received; and

switching means for receiving the physical channel having the identified second physical channel number, if the determination means determines that the first and the second physical channel numbers are not the same.