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Channel selection device for use in digital/analog broadcasting receiver and digital/analog broadcasting receiver equipped with the same

  • US 7,546,620 B2
  • Filed: 01/30/2002
  • Issued: 06/09/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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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, as a channel map, channel information contained in the broadcasting signal decoded by the digital decoder;

    a control unit for controlling each section 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 physical channels, the digital broadcasting signal has one or a plurality of sub-channels for originating contents therethrough per one physical channel and also has a VCT (Virtual Channel Table) containing virtual channel information which provides the sub-channels with a correlation with an analog broadcasting physical channel, 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 then 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,wherein when the control unit receives the channel changing instruction from the input device for a desired channel, and(I) when the control unit finds channel information for the desired channel in the memory, the control unit tries to select the channel by referencing the VCT stored in the memory due to a previous selection, by a user, of a main channel corresponding to a physical channel of the desired channel, and(a) when the desired channel was found, the control unit selects the desired channel, and(b) when the control unit could not find the desired channel because the channel is not currently being aired and failed in the channel selection, the control unit obtains the latest VCT from the digital broadcasting signal of the physical channel corresponding to the desired channel to thereby select such a channel in the VCT that has the smallest sub-channel number in the same main channel as the desired channel and such a channel that has the smallest sub-channel number in the same physical channel as the desired channel when the latest VCT could not be obtained and,(II) when the control unit could not find channel information for the desired channel in the memory, the control unit shifts a frequency to search for the physical channel and(a) references the VCT obtained from the digital broadcasting signal of the physical channel corresponding to the desired channel for channel selection when it could obtain the VCT and,(b) selects such a channel that has the smallest sub-channel number in the same physical channel as the desired channel when it could not obtain the VCT from the digital broadcasting signal of the physical channel corresponding to the desired channel.

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