Television tuner

• US 7,600,247 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Onomatsu, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US11/151,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 725/72, 455/63.4, 455/139, 455/276.1, 455/303, 455/304
• US Class Current: 725/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two 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 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4446 IF amplifier circuits specially adapted for B&W TV RF amplifiers in general H03F3/189
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A television tuner that receives a television signal using a smart antenna includes a rescan unit that executes rescan; that is: that when an instruction that instructs direct selection of a reception channel on which a television signal is currently received is issued during reception of a television broadcast service, causes an antenna control section to vary or control the receiving direction of the smart antenna and causes a signal state detector section to detect the states of signals sampled in all receiving directions; and that if the state of a signal detected by the signal state detector section agrees with a predetermined signal state, preserves the receiving direction of the smart antenna in which the signal is sampled. Consequently, rescan can be executed for all the receiving directions of the smart antenna by performing a simple manipulation.

Claims

1. A television tuner for control of directivity of an antenna, comprising:

a directivity control section that generates an electric signal with which a directivity of the antenna is adjusted to enable the antenna to be directional to a selected direction, the directivity control section includes;

plurality of directional antennas coupled with a plurality of phase shifter circuits, with a phase shifter circuit of the plurality of phase shifter circuits controlling a phase shift amount of a signal input from a directional antenna of the plurality of directional antennas and delaying a phase of the signal according to a bias voltage output from the television tuner to control the directivity of the directional antenna for any direction, and for generating a directivity value;

a tuner section that receives and selects television signals from the antenna in a predetermined frequency band corresponding to a predetermined reception channel, and outputs an intermediate frequency (I/F) signal;

a signal condition detector section that detects a condition of the I/F signal;

if a frequency signal of the I/F signal is a digital frequency signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting a bit error rate;

if the frequency signal of the I/F signal is an analog signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting an AGC voltage output;

a channel storing section that stores channel select data that are comprised of reception channels on which television signals are received, the channel select data includes;

a first list having a set of physical channel numbers and a corresponding set of frequency bands; and

a second list having one or more virtual channel numbers associated with one or more physical channel numbers;

a video signal control for processing a television signal received on the predetermined reception channel to display an image;

a verification unit that determines if a received instruction is a direct channel selection instruction;

if the verification unit determines that the received instruction is the direct channel selection instruction, the verification unit determines if a selected reception channel within the direct channel selection instruction to select the reception channel agrees with the reception channels stored in the channel select data;

if the verification unit determines that the selected reception channel does agree with one or more reception channels stored in the channel select data, the verification unit determines if the selected reception channel agrees with a current reception channel, on which a current television signal is received;

if the verification unit determines that the selected reception channel agrees with the current reception channel on which the current television signal is received, a rescan unit commences an auto-scan processing;

otherwise, a channel change module commences a channel change processing;

if the verification unit determines that the received instruction is not the direct channel selection instruction, the verification unit determines if the received instruction is to turn power OFF;

the rescan unit commencing the auto-scan processing and the channel change module commencing the channel change processing, include;

determining if the direct channel selection instruction is to instruct direction selection of physical channel;

if it is determined that the direct channel selection instruction is to instruct direction selection of physical channel, the first list of the channel storing section that stores channel select data is referenced to determine a frequency band of a selected physical channel;

if it is determined that the direct channel selection instruction is not to instruct direction selection of physical channel, the first list and the second list of the channel storing section that store channel select data are referenced for one or more virtual channel numbers associated with one or more channel numbers, which, in turn, are associated with the frequency band of the selected channel;

the auto-scan further includes;

displaying a notification image on a television display, with the notification image signifying that rescan is in progress, setting the directivity value of the antenna to a first directivity value, and with the signal condition detector section detecting the signal condition of the I/F signal output and determining if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition;

if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition, the rescan is ceased;

otherwise, determining if the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value;

if it is determined that the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value, incrementing the directivity value, and enabling the display control unit to modify the notification image by displaying an updated receiving direction pattern and an associated indicator, which represent a progress of rescan with an arrow moving circumferentially outside the updated receiving direction pattern, indicating a state of the I/F signal sampled, and detecting the signal condition based on the incremented directivity value.

2. A television tuner for control of directivity of an antenna, comprising:

a directivity control section that generates an electric signal with which a directivity of the antenna is adjusted to enable the antenna to be directional to a selected direction, the directivity control section includes;

plurality of directional antennas coupled with a plurality of phase shifter circuits, with a phase shifter circuit of the plurality of phase shifter circuits controlling a phase shift amount of a signal input from a directional antenna of the plurality of directional antennas and delaying a phase of the signal according to a bias voltage output from the television tuner to control the directivity of the directional antenna for any direction, and for generating a directivity value;

a tuner section that receives and selects television signals from the antenna in a predetermined frequency band corresponding to a predetermined reception channel, and outputs an intermediate frequency (I/F) signal;

a signal condition detector section that detects a condition of the I/F signal;

a rescan unit that executes a rescan, including;

displaying a notification image on a television display, with the notification image signifying that rescan is in progress, setting the directivity value of the antenna to a first directivity value, and with the signal condition detector section detecting the signal condition of the I/F signal output and determining if the detected signal condition is commensurate with a predetermined signal condition;

if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition, the rescan is ceased;

otherwise, determining if the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value;

if it is determined that the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value, incrementing the directivity value, and enabling the display control unit to modify the notification image by displaying an updated receiving direction pattern and an associated indicator, which represent a progress of rescan with an arrow moving circumferentially outside the updated receiving direction pattern, indicating a state of the I/F signal sampled, and detecting the signal condition based on the incremented directivity value;

a channel storing section that stores channel select data that are comprised of reception channels on which television signals are received, the channel select data includes;

a first list having a set of physical channel numbers and a corresponding set of frequency bands; and

a second list having one or more virtual channel numbers associated with one or more physical channel numbers;

a video signal control for processing a television signal received on the predetermined reception channel to display an image;

a verification unit that determines if a received instruction is a direct channel selection instruction;

if the verification unit determines that the received instruction is the direct channel selection instruction, the verification unit determines if a selected reception channel within the direct channel selection instruction to select the reception channel agrees with the reception channels stored in the channel select data;

if the verification unit determines that the selected reception channel does agree with one or more reception channels stored in the channel select data, the verification unit determines if the selected reception channel agrees with a current reception channel, on which a current television signal is received;

if the verification unit determines that the selected reception channel agrees with the current reception channel on which the current television signal is received, the rescan unit commences rescan;

otherwise, a channel change module commences a channel change processing;

if the verification unit determines that the received instruction is not the direct channel selection instruction, the verification unit determines if the received instruction is to turn power OFF;

the rescan unit commencing the auto-scan processing and the channel change module commencing the channel change processing, include;

determining if the direct channel selection instruction is to instruct direction selection of physical channel;

if it is determined that the direct channel selection instruction is to instruct direction selection of physical channel, the first list of the channel storing section that stores channel select data is referenced to determine a frequency band of a selected physical channel;

if it is determined that the direct channel selection instruction is not to instruct direction selection of physical channel, the first list and the second list of the channel storing section that store channel select data are referenced for one or more virtual channel numbers associated with one or more channel numbers, which, in turn, are associated with the frequency band of the selected channel.

3. The television tuner for control of directivity of an antenna as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

if a frequency signal of the I/F signal is a digital frequency signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting a bit error rate;

if the frequency signal of the I/F signal is an analog signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting an AGC voltage output.

4. A television tuner for control of directivity of an antenna, comprising:

a directivity control section that generates an electric signal with which a directivity of the antenna is adjusted to enable the antenna to be directional to a selected direction, the directivity control section includes;

plurality of directional antennas coupled with a plurality of phase shifter circuits, with a phase shifter circuit of the plurality of phase shifter circuits controlling a phase shift amount of a signal input from a directional antenna of the plurality of directional antennas and delaying a phase of the signal according to a bias voltage output from the television tuner to control the directivity of the directional antenna for any direction, and for generating a directivity value;

a tuner section that receives and selects television signals from the antenna in a predetermined frequency band corresponding to a predetermined reception channel, and outputs an intermediate frequency (I/F) signal;

a signal condition detector section that detects a condition of the TIE signal;

if a frequency signal of the I/F signal is a digital frequency signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting a bit error rate;

if the frequency signal of the I/F signal is an analog signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting an AGC voltage output;

a channel storing section that stores channel select data that are comprised of reception channels on which television signals are received, the channel select data includes;

a first list having a set of physical channel numbers and a corresponding set of frequency bands; and

a second list having one or more virtual channel numbers associated with one or more physical channel numbers;

a video signal control for processing a television signal received on the predetermined reception channel to display an image;

a verification unit that determines if a received instruction is a direct channel selection instruction;

if the verification unit determines that the received instruction is the direct channel selection instruction, the verification unit determines if a selected reception channel within the direct channel selection instruction to select the reception channel agrees with the reception channels stored in the channel select data;

if the verification unit determines that the selected reception channel does agree with one or more reception channels stored in the channel select data, the verification unit determines if the selected reception channel agrees with a current reception channel, on which a current television signal is received;

if the verification unit determines that the selected reception channel agrees with the current reception channel on which the current television signal is received, a rescan unit commences an auto-scan processing;

otherwise, a channel change module commences a channel change processing;

if the verification unit determines that the received instruction is not the direct channel selection instruction, the verification unit determines if the received instruction is to turn power OFF;

the rescan unit commencing the auto-scan processing and the channel change module commencing the channel change processing, include;

determining if the direct channel selection instruction is to instruct direction selection of physical channel;

if it is determined that the direct channel selection instruction is to instruct direction selection of physical channel, the first list of the channel storing section that stores channel select data is referenced to determine a frequency band of a selected physical channel;

if it is determined that the direct channel selection instruction is not to instruct direction selection of physical channel, the first list and the second list of the channel storing section that store channel select data are referenced for one or more virtual channel numbers associated with one or more channel numbers, which, in turn, are associated with the frequency band of the selected channel;

the channel change processing further includes;

setting the directivity value of the antenna to a first directivity value, and with the signal condition detector section detecting the signal condition of the hF signal output and determining if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition;

if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition, the change channel is ceased;

otherwise, determining if the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value;

if it is determined that the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value, incrementing the directivity value, and detecting the signal condition based on the incremented directivity value.