Remote control apparatus for digital cable television system and method thereof

• US 6,211,926 B1
• Filed: 11/13/1997
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Won, Kwang-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US08/969,402
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 348/558, 348/192, 348/180, 348/470, 348/12, 348/13, 348/7, 348/10, 348/734, 348/726, 348/473, 348/483, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 455/3.1, 370/204, 370/206, 370/275, 370/282, 370/278, 375/298, 375/310, 375/321, 375/277, 375/268-273
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A remote control apparatus for a digital cable television system and a method thereof which are capable of inserting and transmitting a control data into each channel of a head end (HE) which is an output unit of a transmitting unit and modulating a state checking data of a receiving unit for a VSB/QAM receiving unit based on a QPSK method, thus upwardly transmitting the date, whereby it is possible to remotely control and monitor a VSB/QAM receiving unit without additionally allocating a frequency band width. The apparatus includes a transmitting unit for carrying a control signal on an MPEG transport stream of each channel for a remote control of a high definition television (HDTV) VSB/QAM receiving unit and transmitting the same, and remotely monitoring and controlling a state of the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit in accordance with a state checking signal from the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit, and a receiving unit for receiving a control signal from the transmitting unit, controlling the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit, modulating a state checking signal from the HDTV VSB/QAM and transmitting the thusly modulated signal to the transmitting unit.

Claims

1. A remote control apparatus for a digital cable television (CATV) system, comprising:

a transmitting means for carrying a control signal on an MPEG transport stream of each channel for a remote control of a high definition television (HDTV) VSB/QAM receiving unit and transmitting the same, and remotely monitoring and controlling a state of the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit in accordance with a state checking signal from the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit; and

a receiving means for receiving a control signal from the transmitting means, controlling the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit, modulating a state checking signal from the HDTV VSB/QAM and transmitting the thusly modulated signal to the transmitting means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transmitting means includes:

an MPEG encoder for encoding a base band and video/audio signal of each channel into the MPEG transport stream;

a VSB/QAM modulator for modulating an output signal from the MPEG encoder;

a multiplexer for multiplexing an output signal from the VSB/QAM modulator of each channel;

a diplex filter for preventing an upward signal from being influenced when transmitting the output signal from the multiplexer to the receiving unit through the transmission network;

a master modem for demodulating a signal from the receiving unit through the diplex filter and outputting a transmission signal to the MPEG encoder; and

a remote controller connected with the master modem through a communication cable for remotely monitoring a state of the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit in accordance with a state checking signal from the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit through the master modem.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said master modem polls a HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit in accordance with a functional code and a data control or a setting code, receives a data which is checked by the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit and transmits the data to the remote controller.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said receiving means includes:

a diplex filter for preventing an upward signal from being influenced by a downward signal received from the head end through a transmission network which head end is an output unit of the transmitting unit;

a tuner for tuning the downward signal from the diplex filter and outputting an IF signal;

a signal separator for a downward signal from the diplex filter to the tuner and an additionally connected external terminal;

a signal processor for processing an IF signal from the tuner and outputting a base band, video/audio signal, and a control signal;

a state checking unit for outputting a state checking signal of the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit;

a controller for controlling the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit in accordance with a control signal from the signal processing unit and outputting a state checking signal from the state checking unit; and

a slave modem for QPSK-demodulating a state checking signal from the controller and outputting to the diplex filter.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said slave modem receives a data control signal through the master modem, initializes the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit, receives a setting code, and downloads an initialization setting value for the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said diplex filter and slave modem are configured in a form of a plug-in-module for being installed in a channel board of the HDTV VSB/QAM receiving unit.

7. A remote control method for a digital cable television, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a functional code and data control code/setting code from a remote controller to a master modem after an initialization;

judging whether a data received is corrected by the master modem and transmitting a receiving unit data control or setting code to a slave modem in a correction mode;

identifying a data received and an ID, requesting a data re-transmission to a master modem when there is an error in the data received from the slave modem, judging whether the current mode is a correction mode when there is not an error therein, initializing a receiving unit after a receiving setting code is received when the current mode is a correction mode as a result of the judgement, correcting data, and transmitting the state checking data to the master modem when the current mode is not a correction mode;

identifying a data transmitted from the slave modem in the master modem, requesting a data re-transmission when there is not an error in the data and transmitting a state checking data to the remote controller when there is not an error; and

checking and diagnosing the data transmitted thereto, performing a receiving unit control code when there is an error in the data, and processing, storing and displaying the data when there is not an error therein.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in the correction mode of the master modem, it is judged that whether the data received from the remote controller corresponds to a data which requests only a data or a data control or setting code.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein in the correction mode of the master modem, it is judged that whether the data received from the master modem corresponds to a data which requests only a data or a data control or setting code.