Digital broadcast receiving device capable of indicating a receiving signal strength or quality

• US 5,966,186 A
• Filed: 07/11/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nonaka, Yasuyuki, Shigihara, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/893,527
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 348/570, 348/569, 348/553, 348/180, 348/192, 348/193, 348/725, 455/67.1, 455/133
• US Class Current: 348/570
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

An error detecting/correcting circuit 9 in a digital broadcast receiving device calculates a error rate from the error amount for the amount of input information. A controlling part 15 converts the error rate into the C/N ratio as a receiving signal quality and indicates it on a screen of a TV receiver 5 or other indicator 18. In this method, after digitally demodulating the received digital broadcasting signal, the error rate is obtained by an error detecting part 9 and the error rate is converted into the receiving signal quality for indication. Therefore, compared with the reception performance indication based on the input level such as the AGC voltage, the method is high both in precision and in stability. The receiving signal quality can be detected only while receiving a digital broadcasting signal, so with reference to the converted receiving signal quality in antenna bearing adjustment, a digital broadcasting signal can be surely received without confusing it with an analog broadcasting signal.

Claims

1. A digital broadcast receiving device for demodulating and converting a digital broadcasting signal received at a receiving circuit into a video and audio analog signal which is used in the digital broadcasting system that codes both video and audio signals or either one and adds additional data for control and information transmission and an error correction symbol for improving transmission errors, comprising:

means for measuring an input field strength of the received digital broadcasting signal received at the receiving circuit;

first indicating means for indicating said input field strength;

means for detecting transmission errors of the received digital broadcasting signal;

means for calculating an error rate from the detection results of said detecting means;

means for converting said error rate into a receiving signal quality; and

second indicating means for indicating said receiving signal quality.

3. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, comprising:

means for judging that adequate signal quality is not obtained any longer based on the output of said converting means when the received digital broadcasting signal contains many transmission errors; and

warning means for indicating a warning when said judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate.

5. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, comprising:

means for judging that adequate signal quality is not obtained any longer based on the output of said converting means when the received digital broadcasting signal contains many transmission errors;

warning means for indicating a warning when said judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate; and

means for muting both video and audio signal outputs or either one when said judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate.

7. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 1, comprising

first judging means for judging that adequate signal quality is not obtained any longer based on the output of said converting means when the received digital broadcasting signal contains many transmission errors;

warning means for indicating a warning when said first judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate;

second judging means for judging whether said digital broadcast receiving device is in an antenna bearing adjustment mode or not; and

means for outputting the video and audio signal outputs as they are in the antenna bearing adjustment mode; and

means for muting both the video signal output and the audio signal output or either one when said first judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate in any mode other than the antenna bearing adjustment mode.

2. A digital broadcast receiving device for demodulating and converting a digital broadcasting signal received at a receiving circuit into a video and audio analog signal which is used in the digital broadcasting system that codes both video and audio signals or either one and adds additional data for control and information transmission and an error correction symbol for improving transmission errors, comprising:

first detecting means for detecting transmission errors of the digital broadcasting signal received at the receiving circuit;

means for calculating an error rate from the detection results of said first detecting means;

means for converting said error rate into a receiving signal quality;

first indicating means for indicating said receiving signal quality;

means for generating an AGC voltage according to an input level of said receiving circuit and automatically controlling an output level to be constant;

second detecting means for detecting the input level based on the AGC voltage from said AGC means; and

second indicating means for indicating the input level detected by said second detecting means.

4. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 2, comprising:

means for judging that adequate signal quality is not obtained any longer based on the output of said converting means when the received digital broadcasting signal contains many transmission errors; and

warning means for indicating a warning when said judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate.

6. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 2, comprising:

means for judging that adequate signal quality is not obtained any longer based on the output of said converting means when the received digital broadcasting signal contains many transmission errors;

warning means for indicating a warning when said judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate; and

means for muting both video and audio signal outputs or either one when said judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate.

8. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 2, comprising:

first judging means for judging that adequate signal quality is not obtained any longer based on the output of said converting means when the received digital broadcasting signal contains many transmission errors;

warning means for indicating a warning when said first judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate;

second judging means for judging whether said digital broadcast receiving device is in an antenna bearing adjustment mode or not; and

means for outputting the video and audio signal outputs as they are in the antenna bearing adjustment mode; and

means for muting both the video signal output and the audio signal output or either one when said first judging means judges that the signal quality is not adequate in any mode other than the antenna bearing adjustment mode.

9. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 2, comprising:

means for displaying a special function screen in an antenna bearing adjustment mode; and

signal quality means for indicating both said signal quality and said input level on said special function screen.

10. A digital broadcasting receiving device according to claim 9, comprising means for indicating the input level after indicating the signal quality on said special function screen and securing it.

11. A digital broadcast receiving device for demodulating and converting a digital broadcasting signal received at a receiving circuit into a video and audio analog signal which is used in the digital broadcasting system that codes both video and audio signals or either one and adds additional data for control and information transmission and an error correction symbol for improving transmission errors, comprising:

first detecting means for detecting transmission errors of the digital broadcasting signal received at the receiving circuit;

first calculating means for calculating an error rate from the detection results of said first detecting means;

means for generating an AGC voltage according to the input level of said receiving circuit and automatically controlling an output level to be constant;

second detecting means for detecting the input level based on the AGC voltage from said AGC means;

second calculating means for calculating a first receiving signal quality based on the error rate in a domain where the error rate can be measured and for calculating a second receiving signal quality based on said input level in a domain where the error rate cannot be measured; and

means for indicating the calculated first and second receiving signal qualities.

12. A digital broadcast receiving device according to claim 11, comprising:

third calculating means for calculating a correlation between said error rate and said input level in a domain where said error rate can be measured; and

means for correcting discontinuity between the domain where said error rate is used and the domain where said input level is used according to the correlation difference between said error rate and said input level in the indication of said first and second receiving signal qualities.

13. A digital broadcast receiving device for demodulating a digital broadcasting signal received at a receiving circuit into which is used in the digital broadcasting system that codes both video and audio signals or either one and adds additional data for control and information transmission and an error correction symbol for improving transmission errors, comprising:

means for measuring an input field strength of the digital broadcasting signal received at the receiving circuit;

first indicating means for indicating said input field strength;

means for detecting transmission errors of the digital broadcasting signal received at the receiving circuit;

means for calculating an error rate from the detection results of said detecting means;

means for converting said error rate into a receiving signal quality; and

second indicating means for indicating said receiving signal quality.