Channel selection device for use in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver for reception of main and sub channels

• US 7,281,259 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2002
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takagi, Toshihiro, Ishihara, Kazuhide, Kamitani, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hossain; Farzana E
• Application Number:
  US10/058,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20020104102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/57
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A broadcasting receiver for receiving a digital broadcast of the invention has a sub-channel changing-dedicated operation key so that upon reception of an instruction sent from this operation key, such a sub-channel that is adjacent in a predetermined direction in the same main channel may be selected in switch-over. If the desired channel cannot be found in the predetermined direction when an upward channel-movement instruction is received, such a sub-channel is selected that has the largest or smallest channel number. Thus, it is possible to accommodate a digital broadcast that has a hierarchical construction consisting of the main channel and the sub-channels and also that has a frequently fluctuating channel configuration, thus avoiding a delay in time required for channel changing.

Claims

1. A channel selection device used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver comprising:

a receiver for receiving an encoded digital/analog broadcasting signal originated from a broadcasting station,

a digital/analog decoder for decoding the digital/analog broadcasting signal received from the receiver and then outputting the signal to a display device for displaying an image,

a memory for storing channel information contained in the broadcasting signal decoded by the digital decoder,

a control unit for controlling the sections of the receiver, and an input device for inputting a user'"'"'s instruction for channel selection to the control unit,

wherein the device receives a digital broadcast and an analog broadcast which are originated through different channels, the digital broadcast has, in one main channel, one or a plurality of sub-channels for originating contents therethrough, the sub-channels are assigned virtual channels headed by the same channel number as the main channel in the analog broadcast and the control unit controls the device such that the receiver receives the broadcasting signal of a selected channel upon reception of the channel selection instruction from the input device, and the digital decoder decodes the received broadcasting signal, in order to obtain the channel information contained in the decoded broadcasting signal and then store the channel information in the memory, and

wherein the input device includes an UP/DOWN key solely dedicated for instructing the control unit to select a sub-channel adjacent in upward/downward direction in the same main channel, and another UP/DOWN key for instructing the control unit to select a main channel in an upward/downward direction,

wherein the control unit

references the channel information stored in the memory to thereby select an upward/downward adjacent sub-channel in the main channel through which a broadcast is being received currently, each time the UP/DOWN key is operated;

selects a sub-channel having the largest sub-channel number, when receiving the instruction by the UP key and not finding an upward adjacent channel in the main channel with reference to the channel information,

selects a sub-channel having the smallest sub-channel number, when receiving the instruction by the DOWN key and not finding a downward adjacent channel in the main channel with reference to the channel information.

2. A channel selection device used in a digital/analog broadcasting receiver comprising:

a receiver for receiving an encoded digital/analog broadcasting signal originated from a broadcasting station,

a digital/analog decoder for decoding the digital/analog broadcasting signal received from the receiver and then outputting the signal to a display device for displaying an image,

a memory for storing channel information contained in the broadcasting signal decoded by the digital decoder,

a control unit for controlling the sections of the receiver, and an input device for inputting a user'"'"'s instruction for channel selection to the control unit,

wherein the device receives a digital broadcast and an analog broadcast which are originated through different channels, the digital broadcast has, in one main channel, one or a plurality of sub-channels for originating contents therethrough, the sub-channels are assigned virtual channels headed by the same channel number as the main channel in the analog broadcast, and the control unit controls the device such that the receiver receives the broadcasting signal of a selected channel upon reception of the channel selection instruction from the input device and the digital decoder decodes the received broadcasting signal, in order to obtain the channel information contained in the decoded broadcasting signal and then store the channel information in the memory, and

wherein the input device includes an operation key that is solely dedicated for instructing the control unit to select a sub-channel adjacent in upward/downward direction in the same main channel, and another operation key for instructing the control unit to select a main channel in a upward/downward direction,

wherein the control unit references the channel information stored in the memory to thereby select an upward/downward adjacent sub-channel in the main channel through which a broadcast is being received currently, each time the operation key is operated, and

wherein the control unit searches the main channel currently received in reciprocation for the sub-channel to be selected when there is not the upward/downward adjacent sub-channel in the channel information, wherein the search in reciprocation is a search for an adjacent sub-channel in an opposite direction from a direction selected by the operation key.

3. The channel selection device used in the digital/analog broadcasting receiver according to claim 2, further comprising an OSD (On-Screen Display) output circuit for providing OSD display of a list of the channel information stored in the memory in such a state that the digital and analog broadcasts thereof are mixed, on the display device wherein the list of the channel information is displayed in a vertically/horizontally arranged state in order of channel number, and a cursor for selecting the channels as interlocked with the instruction by use of the operation key is indicated in the list of the channels displayed on the display device in an OSD manner.

4. The digital/analog broadcasting receiver equipped with the channel selection device according to claim 2, for receiving a digital broadcast according to the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) standard and an analog broadcast according to the NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) Standard.

5. A method for channel selection, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving a main channel selection instruction from a main channel selection key;

receiving a sub-channel selection instruction from a key that is solely dedicated to sub-channel selection to select a sub-channel of the main channel;

determining whether the sub-channel selection command is an UP or DOWN selection instruction;

selecting a sub-channel having the largest sub-channel number when the received sub-channel selection instruction is an UP instruction and an upward adjacent channel is not found in the main channel; and

selecting a sub-channel having the smallest sub-channel number when the received sub-channel selection instruction is a DOWN instruction and a downward adjacent channel is not found in the main channel.