Receiving system for digital broadcasting, data transmitting method in digital broadcasting receiving system, and receiving apparatus for digital broadcasting

• US 7,039,936 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hajime, Wakahara, Tatsuya, Murayama, Naoki, Mizutani, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raman, Usha
• Application Number:
  US09/460,083
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 725/141, 725/133, 725/68, 725/70, 725/71, 725/58, 725/59, 725/61, 725/39, 725/37, 715/771, 715/970, 715823-824, 710104-105, 713/1, 713/100, 713/2
• US Class Current: 725/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40052 High-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus bus transfer protocol on a daisy chain bus using an embedded synchronisation G06F13/426
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40078 Bus configuration home automation networks H04L12/2803; arrangements for maintenance or administration H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

When data is transmitted by using a broadcasting channel of an IEEE1394 interface, it is enabled to cope with a case where undefined equipment is connected to an IEEE1394 bus. The IEEE1394 interface is provided for an IRD, thereby enabling the IRD and equipment such as digital VCR, MD player/recorder, or the like to be connected. A node No. “63” of IEEE1394 is set to the broadcasting channel. Data is transmitted to all equipment connected to the IEEE1394 bus by the broadcasting channel. In the broadcasting channel, a picture plane for selecting a transport stream of MPEG and PCM audio data is displayed, and the data which is transmitted by the broadcasting channel can be selected in accordance with the transport stream of MPEG and the PCM audio data. Thus, when undefined equipment is connected to the IEEE1394 bus, it is possible to cope with any equipment.

Claims

1. A system for receiving a digital broadcast signal, comprising:

a digital broadcast receiving apparatus; and

a plurality of digital signal processing equipment connected to said digital broadcast receiving apparatus said digital broadcast receiving apparatus including;

a receiver operable to receive the digital broadcast signal,

a decoder operable to decode the received signal into decoded data selected from the group consisting of pulse code modulated (PCM) audio data and compressed video and audio data,

an interface operable to transmit data to and receive data from at least one of said plurality of digital signal processing equipment, the transmitted data including the decoded data, and

a picture plane operable to display at least one of a control panel and a registration panel,

said control panel including an equipment selection region and an operation selection region, said equipment selection region displaying a list of registered ones of said connected digital signal processing equipment and an associated button area for each of said registered digital signal processing equipment whereby at least one of said registered digital signal processing equipment is selected from the list by selecting its associated button area,

said registration panel including a connected equipment region and a registered equipment region, said registered equipment region displaying the list of said registered digital signal processing equipment, said connected equipment region displaying a list of said connected digital signal processing equipment and an associated mark area for each of said connected digital signal processing equipment, said mark area indicating whether the associated one of said connected digital signal processing equipment is registered or unregistered whereby changing the indication in a given mark area registers or unregisters its associated digital signal processing equipment and thereby adds the associated digital signal processing equipment to or removes the associated digital signal processing equipment from the list of said registered digital signal processing equipment that is displayed in said registered equipment region of said registration panel and that is displayed in said equipment selection region of said control panel, wherein when the number of the registered digital signal processing equipment is less than a maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment, the associated digital signal processing equipment may be registered, and when the number of the registered digital signal processing equipment is the maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment, the associated digital signal processing equipment may not be registered until at least one of the registered digital signal processing equipment is unregistered or disconnected from said digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment being less than a maximum number of connected digital signal processing equipment.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the compressed video data and audio data are compressed according to an MPEG2 standard.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said interface is an IEEE1394 interface.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein when the mark area associated with a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment indicates that the given digital signal processing equipment is reserved for a future operation, the indication in the mark area cannot be changed.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein when the number of the connected digital signal processing equipment is less than a predefined value, a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment may not be unregistered.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein when a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment is disconnected from said digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the display of the given digital signal processing equipment in said control panel is dimmed.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein when a given one of the connected digital signal processing equipment is disconnected from said digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the display of the given digital signal processing equipment in said registration panel is dimmed.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said operation selection region includes a plurality of function button areas.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control panel includes a button area for changing from said control panel to said registration panel, and said registration panel includes a further button area for changing from said registration panel to said control panel.

10. An apparatus for delivering digital signals to and receiving digital signals from a plurality of digital signal processing equipment connected to the apparatus, comprising:

a receiver operable to receive a digital broadcast signal;

a decoder operable to decode the received signal into decoded data selected from the group consisting of compressed video and audio data and pulse code modulated (PCM) audio data;

an interface operable to transmit data to and receive data from at least one of the plurality of connected digital signal processing equipment, the transmitted data including the decoded data; and

a picture plane operable to display at least one of a control panel and a registration panel,

said control panel including an equipment selection region and an operation selection region, said equipment selection region displaying a list of registered ones of the connected digital signal processing equipment and an associated button area for each of the registered digital signal processing equipment whereby at least one of the registered digital signal processing equipment is selected from the list by selecting its associated button area,

said registration panel including a connected equipment region and a registered equipment region, said registered equipment region displaying the list of the registered digital signal processing equipment, said connected equipment region displaying a list of the connected digital signal processing equipment and an associated mark area for each of the connected digital signal processing equipment, said mark area indicating whether the associated one of the connected digital signal processing equipment is registered or unregistered whereby changing the indication in a given mark area registers or unregisters its associated digital signal processing equipment and thereby adds the associated digital signal processing equipment to or removes the associated digital signal processing equipment from the list of the registered digital signal processing equipment that is displayed in said registered equipment region of said registration panel and that is displayed in said equipment selection region of said control panel, wherein when the number of the registered digital signal processing equipment is less than a maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment, the associated digital signal processing equipment may be registered, and when the number of the registered digital signal processing equipment is the maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment, the associated digital signal processing equipment may not be registered until at least one of the registered digital signal processing equipment is unregistered or disconnected from said digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment being less than a maximum number of connected digital signal processing equipment.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the mark area associated with a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment indicates that the given digital signal processing equipment is reserved for a future operation, the indication in the mark area cannot be changed.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the compressed video data and audio data are compressed according to an MPEG2 standard.

13. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said interface is an IEEE1394 interface.

14. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the number of the connected digital signal processing equipment is less than a predefined value, a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment may not be unregistered.

15. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment is disconnected from the apparatus, the display of the given digital signal processing equipment in said control panel is dimmed.

16. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when a given one of the connected digital signal processing equipment is disconnected from the apparatus, the display of the given digital signal processing equipment in said registration panel is dimmed.

17. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said operation selection region includes a plurality of function button areas.

18. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said control panel includes a button area for changing from said control panel to said registration panel, and said registration panel includes a further button area for changing from said registration panel to said control panel.

19. A method of delivering digital signals to at least one of a plurality of digital signal processing equipment connected to an apparatus, said method comprising:

providing a picture plane operable to display a control panel or a registration panel,

said control panel including an equipment selection region and an operation selection region, said equipment selection region displaying a list of registered ones of the connected digital signal processing equipment and an associated button area for each of the registered digital signal processing equipment,

said registration panel including a connected equipment region and a registered equipment region, said registered equipment region displaying the list of the registered digital signal processing equipment, said connected equipment region displaying a list of the connected digital signal processing equipment and an associated mark area for each of the connected digital signal processing equipment, said mark area indicating whether the associated one of the connected digital signal processing equipment is registered or unregistered;

changing the indication in at least one given mark area to register or unregister its associated digital signal processing equipment and thereby add the associated digital signal processing equipment to or remove the associated digital signal processing equipment from the list of the registered digital signal processing equipment that is displayed in said registered equipment region of said registration panel and that is displayed in said equipment selection region of said control panel, wherein when the number of the registered digital signal processing equipment is less than a maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment, the associated digital signal processing equipment may be registered, and when the number of the registered digital signal processing equipment is the maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment, the associated digital signal processing equipment may not be registered until at least one of the registered digital signal processing equipment is unregistered or disconnected from said digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the maximum number of registered digital signal processing equipment being less than a maximum number of connected digital signal processing equipment;

selecting at least one of the registered digital signal processing equipment by selecting its associated button area on said control panel;

receiving a digital broadcast signal;

decoding the received signal into decoded data selected from the group consisting of compressed video and audio data and pulse code modulated (PCM) audio data; and

transmitting data to the at least one registered digital signal processing equipment, the transmitted data including the decoded data.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein when the mark area associated with a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment indicates that the given digital signal processing equipment is reserved for a future operation, said changing step cannot be carried out to change the indication in the mark area associated with the given digital signal processing equipment.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein when the number of the connected digital signal processing equipment is less than a predefined value, said changing step cannot be carried out to unregister a given one of the registered digital signal processing equipment.

22. A method according to claim 19, wherein the compressed video data and audio data are compressed according to an MPEG2 standard.

23. A method according to claim 19, wherein said transmitting step is carried out via an IEEE1394 interface.