Digital broadcasting receiver and digital broadcasting system

• US 6,618,437 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe, Gims S.
• Application Number:
  US09/324,730
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 348/385.1, 348/489.1, 348/440, 348/458, 348/459, 348/43, 348/42, 348/47, 348/48, 375/240, 375/240.1, 375/240.28, 725/138
• US Class Current: 375/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

On the side of a transmitter in a digital broadcasting system, a multiplexed picture is produced by multiplexing a plurality of pictures using a frame memory device. A video encoder encodes the multiplexed picture so as to realize a prescribed correspondence between a field type (even, odd) and a displaying order. Thus, a plurality of encoded pictures having the GOP structure are produced. The encoded pictures are transmitted to a receiver in the digital broadcasting system by using a one-channel transmission path. On the receiver side, decoding is carried out on a GOP basis and formatting is carried out according to the displaying order.

Claims

1. A digital broadcasting system, comprising:

a picture producing circuit for producing a plurality of multiplexed pictures, each formed of a plurality of original pictures, and encoding said plurality of multiplexed pictures to produce a plurality of encoded pictures forming a GOP structure based on an MPEG method, said encoded picture based on the MPEG method having reference data added, said reference data indicating a displaying order regarding whether the encoded picture corresponds to an odd field or an even field;

a transmitting circuit for transmitting an output of said picture producing circuit to a one-channel transmission path;

a receiving circuit for receiving an output of said transmitting circuit through said one-channel transmission path;

a decoder for decoding said plurality of encoded pictures received in said receiving circuit to reproduce said plurality of multiplexed pictures and sequentially outputting the pictures according to said displaying order; and

a formatting circuit for formatting said reproduced multiplexed pictures output from said decoder to said odd field or said even field based on said displaying order indicated by said reference data added to said encoded picture.

2. The digital broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of multiplexed pictures include a multiplexed picture in said even field and a multiplexed picture in said odd field,

said picture producing circuit includes

a multiplexing circuit for alternately producing and outputting the multiplexed picture in said even field and the multiplexed picture in said odd field from a prescribed one of them, and

an encoder for starting said encoding from a multiplexed picture that is output first from said multiplexing circuit and adding said reference data indicating said displaying order to each of said plurality of encoded pictures, and

said formatting circuit adds a synchronous signal of said even field or a synchronous signal of said odd field to said reproduced multiplexed picture according to whether a value of a prescribed bit position of said reference data of said reproduced multiplexed picture is zero or one.

3. The digital broadcasting system according to claim 2, wherein

said decoder controls timing for outputting said reproduced multiplexed picture according to said reference data and generates a discriminant signal indicating whether said reproduced multiplexed picture to be output is said even field or said odd field according to whether the value of said prescribed bit position of said reference data is zero or one, and

said formatting circuit adds the synchronous signal of said even field or the synchronous signal of said odd field to said reproduced multiplexed picture based on said discriminant signal.

4. The digital broadcasting system according to claim 2, wherein

said plurality of original pictures are right-eye and left-eye pictures forming a stereoscopic picture,

said decoder controls timing for outputting said reproduced multiplexed picture according to said reference data and generates a discriminant signal indicating whether said reproduced multiplexed picture to be output is said even field or said odd field according to whether the value of said prescribed bit position of said reference data is zero or one,

the synchronous signal of said even field includes

a first synchronous signal corresponding to said right-eye picture, and

a second synchronous signal corresponding to said left-eye picture, the synchronous signal of said odd field includes

a third synchronous signal corresponding to said right-eye picture, and

a fourth synchronous signal corresponding to said left-eye picture, and

said formatting circuit adds said first and second synchronous signals to said right-eye and left-eye pictures included in said reproduced multiplexed picture if said discriminant signal indicates said even field, and adds said third and fourth synchronous signals to said right-eye and left-eye pictures included in said reproduced multiplexed picture if said discriminant signal indicates said odd field.

5. The digital broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein

said picture producing circuit encodes said plurality of multiplexed pictures so that a prescribed one of said even field and said odd field comes first in said displaying order when the pictures are decoded.

6. A digital broadcasting receiver, comprising:

a receiving circuit for receiving through a one-channel transmission path a plurality of encoded pictures forming a GOP structure based on a MPEG method, which are produced by encoding a plurality of multiplexed pictures each including a plurality of original pictures, said encoded picture based on the MPEG method having reference data added, said reference data indicating a displaying order regarding whether the encoded picture corresponds to an odd field or an even field;

a decoder for decoding said received plurality of encoded pictures to reproduce said plurality of multiplexed pictures and sequentially outputting the pictures according to said displaying order; and

a formatting circuit for formatting said reproduced multiplexed pictures output from said decoder to said odd field or said even field based on said displaying order indicated by said reference data added to said encoded picture.

7. The digital broadcasting receiver according to claim 6, wherein

said plurality of multiplexed pictures alternately include a multiplexed picture in said even field and a multiplexed picture in said odd field,

said formatting circuit adds a synchronous signal of said even field or a synchronous signal of said odd field to said reproduced multiplexed picture according to whether a value of a prescribed bit position of said reference data is zero or one.

8. The digital broadcasting receiver according to claim 7, wherein

said decoder controls timing for outputting said reproduced multiplexed picture according to said reference data and outputs a discriminant signal indicating whether said reproduced multiplexed picture to be output is said even field or said odd field according to whether the value of said prescribed bit position of said reference data is zero or one, and

said formatting circuit adds the synchronous signal of said even field or the synchronous signal of said odd field to said reproduced multiplexed picture based on said discriminant signal.

9. The digital broadcast receiver according to claim 7, wherein

said plurality of original pictures are right-eye and left-eye pictures forming a stereoscopic picture,

said decoder controls timing for outputting said reproduced multiplexed picture according to said reference data and outputs a discriminant signal indicating whether said reproduced multiplexed picture to be output is said even field or said odd field according to whether the value of said prescribed bit position of said reference data is zero or one,

the synchronous signal of said even field includes

a first synchronous signal corresponding to said right-eye picture, and

a second synchronous signal corresponding to said left-eye picture,

the synchronous signal of said odd field includes

a third synchronous signal corresponding to said right-eye picture, and

a fourth synchronous signal corresponding to said left-eye picture, and

said formatting circuit adds said first and second synchronous signals to said right-eye and left-eye pictures included in said reproduced multiplexed picture if said discriminant signal indicates said even field, and adds said third and fourth synchronous signals to said right-eye and left-eye pictures included in said reproduced multiplexed picture if said discriminant signal indicates said odd field.

10. The digital broadcasting receiver according to claim 6, wherein

said plurality of multiplexed pictures are encoded so that a prescribed one of said even field and said odd field comes first in said displaying order when the pictures are decoded.