Open cable set-top box diagnosing system and method thereof
DCFirst Claim
1. An open cable set-top box comprising:
- a main circuit unit receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from a head end or a broadcasting station, decoding the broadcast signal and outputting the decoded broadcast signal;
a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
a POD interface port exchanging a data with the head end or the broadcasting station according to the POD interface protocol of the CPU, wherein the diagnostic resource includes at least one diagnostic request object and a diagnostic confirmation object.
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Abstract
An open cable set-top box diagnosing system in which a point of deployment (POD), separated from a main circuit unit, having a newly defined interface is used to check an operation state of an open cable set-top box, transmits the checked state to a predetermined server, according to which the operation state of the open cable set-top box is diagnosed. The open cable set-top box diagnosing system includes an open cable set-top box for checking its own operation state by using a diagnosis resource by a communication protocol between a point of deployment (POD) separated from the main circuit unit and the main circuit, and a head end for providing a service corresponding to a request signal received from the open cable set-top box or providing a broadcast program to the open cable set-top box, and checking the operation state of the open cable set-top box.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An open cable set-top box comprising:
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a main circuit unit receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from a head end or a broadcasting station, decoding the broadcast signal and outputting the decoded broadcast signal;
a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
a POD interface port exchanging a data with the head end or the broadcasting station according to the POD interface protocol of the CPU, wherein the diagnostic resource includes at least one diagnostic request object and a diagnostic confirmation object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An open cable set-top box comprising:
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a main circuit unit receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from a head end or a broadcasting station, decoding the broadcast signal and outputting the decoded broadcast signal;
a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
a POD interface port exchanging a data with the head end or the broadcasting station according to the POD interface protocol of the CPU, wherein the head end periodically checks an operation state of the set-top box and informs a pertinent set-top box manufacturer of diagnosed information on a set-top box with a problem through a network on a real time basis.
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9. An open cable set-top box comprising:
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a main circuit unit receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from a head end or a broadcasting station, decoding the broadcast signal and outputting the decoded broadcast signal;
a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
a POD interface port exchanging a data with the head end or the broadcasting station according to the POD interface protocol of the CPU, wherein the diagnostic resource previously defines an object that a POD interface module and the set-top box are to use for exchanging a diagnosis data, determines a specific ID information data format for identifying a subscriber set-top box, divides the whole system into sub-systems, a functional unit for checking, assigns an ID to each sub-system, defines each state of the sub-systems and exchanges status information of each sub system as a data of the object.
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10. An open cable system comprising:
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a set-top box decoding a broadcast signal receiving from a head end or a broadcasting station and outputting a decoded broadcast signal;
a point of deployment (POD) module having a conditional access unit, descrambling the broadcast signal received from the head end or the broadcasting station and performing a bi-directional communication with the set-top box and the head end; and
a POD interface having a POD interface protocol so as to perform an interfacing between the set-top box and the POD module, the POD interface protocol having a diagnostic resource at a resource layer so that the head end or the broadcasting station can diagnose specific information or an operation state of the set-top box, wherein the diagnostic resource includes at least one diagnostic request object and a diagnostic confirmation object. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. An open cable system comprising:
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a set-top box decoding a broadcast signal receiving from a head end or a broadcasting station and outputting a decoded broadcast signal;
a point of deployment (POD) module having a conditional access unit, descrambling the broadcast signal received from the head end or the broadcasting station and performing a bi-directional communication with the set-top box and the head end; and
a POD interface having a POD interface protocol so as to perform an interfacing between the set-top box and the POD module, the POD interface protocol having a diagnostic resource at a resource layer so that the head end or the broadcasting station can diagnose specific information or an operation state of the set-top box, wherein the diagnostic resource previously defines an object that the POD interface module and the set-top box are to use for exchanging a diagnosis data, determines a specific ID information data format for identifying a subscriber set-top box, divides the whole system into sub-systems, a functional unit for checking, assigns an ID to each sub-system, defines each state of the sub-systems and exchanges status information of each sub system as a data of the object.
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13. A method of performing diagnostic function in an open set-top box that receives information from a head end, wherein the set-top box comprises a main circuit unit receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from a head end or a broadcasting station, decoding the broadcast signal and outputting the decoded broadcast signal;
- a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
a POD interface port exchanging a data with the head end or the broadcasting station according to the POD interface protocol of the CPU, the method comprising the steps of;receiving from the head end a set-top box status request;
communicating with the main circuit module using the diagnostic resource that includes diagnostic support objects, wherein the POD module transmits a diagnostic request object;
upon receiving the diagnostic request object, performing by the main circuit unit a requested function dictated by the diagnostic request object and providing information to the POD module through a diagnostic confirmation object; and
communicating with the head end to provide information contained in the diagnostic confirmation object. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
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20. A method of performing diagnostic function in an open set-top box that receives information from a head end, wherein the set-top box comprises a main circuit unit receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from a head end or a broadcasting station, decoding the broadcast signal and outputting the decoded broadcast signal;
- a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
a POD interface port exchanging a data with the head end or the broadcasting station according to the POD interface protocol of the CPU, the method comprising;a step in which when a command for checking the operation state of the set-top box is inputted from the head end, the POD module requests system state information from the set-top box, and when the system state information is received from the set-top box, the POD module transmits the system state information to the head end;
a step in which the head end checks whether there is an error in the set-top box on the basis of the received system state information and requests detailed information on a defective sub-system from the POD module in case that there is an error in the set-top box; and
a step in which the POD module requests detailed information of the defective sub-system from the set-top box, and when detailed information on the defective sub-system is received from the set-top box, the POD module transmits the detailed information to the head end. - View Dependent Claims (21)
- a CPU controlling the main circuit unit, performing a point of deployment (POD) interfacing with the head end or the broadcasting station through a POD interface protocol, and diagnosing specific information or an operation state of the main circuit unit by having a diagnostic resource on a resource layer of the POD interface protocol; and
Specification