Apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals

• US 6,614,855 B1
• Filed: 05/11/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, Chieh M.
• Application Number:
  US09/309,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 375/259, 375/260, 375/262, 375/316, 375/324, 375/340, 375/341, 375/345, 375/371, 370/312, 370/203, 370/204, 370/206, 370/208, 370/210, 370/326, 370/345, 370/498, 370/432, 370/484, 370/485, 370/486, 455/3.02, 455/13.4, 455/89, 455/68, 455/74, 455/130, 455/150.1, 455/334, 455/341, 748/343, 381/571, 381/2, 709/219
• US Class Current: 375/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/20 digital audio broadcasting [DAB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals includes a signal receiving portion for receiving a broadcasting signal, a frequency convertor for converting the broadcasting signal received by the signal receiving portion, an IF amplifier, an A/D convertor, a digital demodulator, a program selector for selecting one of plural groups of program information data obtained from the digital demodulator, an information reproducing portion for reproducing program information, and an operation controller operative to put at least each of the signal receiving portion, the frequency convertor and the IF amplifier in a reduced power consumption state in periods other than a period in which portions of the broadcasting signal, which carry the synchronous data, the control information data and the program information data to be selected by the program selector, respectively, are able to be received by the signal receiving portion.

Claims

1. Apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals, comprising:

signal receiving means for receiving a broadcasting signal carrying synchronous data, control information data and a plurality of groups of program information data,

frequency converting means for frequency converting the broadcasting signal received by said signal receiving means to produce an intermediate frequency signal,

intermediate frequency amplifying means for amplifying the intermediate frequency signal,

analog to digital converting means for analog-to-digital converting the intermediate frequency signal derived from said intermediate frequency amplifying means to produce a digital intermediate frequency signal,

digital demodulating means for demodulating the digital intermediate frequency signal to produce a digital demodulated signal,

program selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of groups of program information data in the digital demodulated signal obtained from said digital demodulating means,

information reproducing means for causing the one of the plurality of groups of program information data selected by said program selecting means to be subjected to demodulation processing to reproduce program information, and

operation controlling means operative to put at least said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means in a reduced power consumption state in periods other than a period in which portions of the broadcasting signal, which carry the synchronous data, the control information data and the plurality of groups of program information data to be selected by said program selecting means, respectively, are able to be received by said signal receiving means.

2. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 1, wherein said operation controlling means is further operative to put said analog to digital converting means and said digital demodulating means in the reduced power consumption state in the periods other than the period in which the portions of broadcasting signal, which carry the synchronous data, the control information data and the plurality of groups of program information data to be selected by said program selecting means, respectively, are able to be received by said signal receiving means.

3. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 1, wherein said operation controlling means is further operative, upon putting said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means in the reduced power consumption state, for putting said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means in an inoperative state.

4. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 3, wherein said operation controlling means is further operative, upon putting said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means in the inoperative state, for cutting off a power supply to said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means.

5. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 3, further comprising automatic gain controlling means for supplying the intermediate frequency amplifying means with an automatic gain control signal and said operation controlling means is operative to cause said automatic gain controlling means to maintain a specific automatic gain control signal which is obtained just before the inoperative state of each of said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means when each of said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means is put in the inoperative state by said operation controlling means.

6. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 5, wherein said signal receiving means includes radio frequency amplifying means for amplifying the broadcasting signal received by said signal receiving means, and said automatic gain controlling means supplies said intermediate frequency amplifying means and said radio frequency amplifying means with the automatic gain control signal.

7. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 1, wherein said operation controlling means is operative, for putting said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means in the reduced power consumption state, to control bias voltages supplied to said signal receiving means, said frequency converting means and said intermediate frequency amplifying means, respectively.

8. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 2, wherein said operation controlling means is further operative, for putting each of said analog to digital converting means and said digital demodulating means in the reduced power consumption state, for putting said analog to digital converting means and said digital demodulating means in an inoperative state.

9. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 8, wherein said operation controlling means is further operative, for putting each of said analog to digital converting means and said digital demodulating means in the inoperative state, for cutting off a clock signal supplied to each of said analog to digital converting means and said digital demodulating means.

10. The apparatus for receiving broadcasting signals according to claim 1, further comprising timing signal generating means operative to detect the periods other than the period in which the portions of the broadcasting signal, which carry the synchronous data, the control information data and the plurality of groups of program information data to be selected by said program selecting means, respectively, are able to be received by said signal receiving means in response to synchronous information data and program structure data obtained from said digital demodulating means and the program information data selected by said program selecting means and to produce a detection output signal, and to supply said operation controlling means with a timing signal indicating operational timings for said operation controlling means in response to the detection output signal.