Digital broadcast channel reception system and method and portable terminal for use in such system

• US 6,952,595 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Issued: 10/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mizukami, Hiroyuki, Ikedo, Hiroyasu, Murata, Ikuo, Shirosugi, Takatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/255,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20030072257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41, 455/410, 455/556.1, 455/553, 370/338, 701/29, 709/208, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/553.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A digital broadcast channel reception system and a portable terminal allow watching a digital broadcast on the terminal. In the examples, a receiver unit for receiving digital broadcasts transmits video data to a display unit, using its TX data manipulator, modulator, TX circuit, and antenna. The TX data manipulator manipulates the output from an OFDM demodulator into data to transmit from the TX circuit and appends error correction codes to the data. The modulator modulates the output from the TX data manipulator. A display unit for digital broadcast display receives video data transmitted from the receiver unit, using its antenna, TX/RX section, and modulator/demodulator. After error correction codes in the received signals are decoded by a TX/RX data manipulator, video data is extracted. After the video data is decoded by a MPEG4 decoder, a picture is output on the display.

Claims

1. A digital broadcast channel reception system comprising a receiver unit and a display unit, wherein:

said receiver unit comprises;

(a) a digital broadcast receiver which receives digital broadcast carriers;

(b) a demodulator which demodulates the digital broadcast carriers received by said digital broadcast receiver;

(c) a first convertor which converts encoded digital signals demodulated by said demodulator into radio communication signal carriers in a predetermined form; and

(d) a first radio carriers transmitting/receiving part which transmits the radio communication signal carriers output by said first convertor;

said display unit, which is equivalent in functionality to a mobile portable terminal, comprises;

(i) a second radio carriers transmitting/receiving part which receives the carriers transmitted by said first radio carriers transmitting/receiving part;

(ii) a second convertor which converts said radio communication signal carriers received by said second radio carriers transmitting/receiving part into signals in the same form as said encoded digital signals;

(iii) a decoder which decodes the signals output by said second convertor; and

(iv) a display which displays content reproduced from the decoded signals, and

at least either a set of said first convertor and said first radio carriers transmitting/receiving part or a set of said second convertor and said second radio carriers transmitting/receiving part is a detachable structure.

2. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 1, wherein said receiver unit is capable of radio communication with a plurality of display units including said display unit and the display unit of another digital broadcast channel reception system for transmitting said radio communication signal carriers thereto.

3. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 1, wherein said display unit is capable of radio communication with a receiver unit selected from a plurality of receiver units including said receiver unit and the receiver unit of another digital broadcast channel reception system for receiving said radio communication signal carriers therefrom.

4. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 1, wherein said display unit further comprises:

a cellular communication signal carriers transmitting/receiving part which transmits and receives cellular communication signal carriers arranged in a form different from the form of said radio communication signal carriers;

a processor which modulates, demodulates, codes, and decodes said cellular communication signal carriers; and

an input/output part which inputs and outputs the signals converted by said second convertor.

5. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 4, wherein said digital broadcast receiver is equipped with an antenna and said cellular communication signal carriers transmitting/receiving part is equipped with an antenna and the antenna of said digital broadcast receiver is larger than the antenna of said cellular communication signal carriers transmitting/receiving part.

6. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 4, wherein said cellular communication signal carriers are speech signals.

7. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 4, wherein said cellular communication signal carriers are signals that are transmitted and received via the Internet and images are reproduced therefrom and visualized on said display.

8. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 1, wherein said first convertor and/or said second convertor carries out signal modulation or demodulation.

9. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 1, wherein said first convertor sand/or said second convertor carries out signal data manipulation, signal frequency conversion, and signal modulation or demodulation.

10. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein said display unit further comprises user interface part(s) which enters digital broadcast channel selection data and is controlled, according to said channel selection data which is transmitted by said second radio carriers transmitting/receiving part and received by said first radio carriers transmitting/receiving part, so that said digital broadcast receiver receives digital broadcast carriers on a user preference channel.

11. A digital broadcast channel reception system according to claim 1, wherein said receiver unit is portable.