Emergency alert signaling method and digital television receiver

• US 7,681,215 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jin Pil
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce; Jason P
• Application Number:
  US11/594,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 725/33, 725 67- 68, 725 70- 71, 340/286.02, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

A digital television receiver includes a tuner receiving a digital television signal including a DCCT, a demodulator demodulating the digital television signal, and a demultiplexer demultiplexing the DCCT from the demodulated signal. The receiver further includes a decoder parsing channel ID information and a priority code from the DCCT, where the channel ID information specifies an emergency alert channel associated with an emergency alert event and the priority code specifies an alert priority of the emergency alert event. The receiver further includes a controller that controls operation of the tuner to automatically tune to the emergency alert channel based upon the alert priority.

Claims

1. An emergency alert signaling method for use by a terrestrial digital television (DTV) receiver, the method comprising:

receiving a digital television signal including a direct channel change table (DCCT) from a broadcast transmitter, wherein the DCCT contains a priority code, a dcc selection type field of the DCCT and channel ID information;

parsing the channel ID information and the priority code from the DCCT, wherein the channel ID information specifies an emergency alert channel associated with an emergency alert event and the priority code specifies an alert priority of the emergency alert event; and

automatically tuning to the emergency alert channel based upon the alert priority.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing an originator code from the DCCT, wherein the originator code specifies an entity that provides alert information associated with the emergency alert event.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing an event code from the DCCT, wherein the event code specifies a type of the emergency alert event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing tuning time information from the DCCT, wherein the tuning time information specifies a tuning start time and a tuning end time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel ID information includes a first data field indicating a major channel number of the emergency alert channel, and a second data field indicating a minor channel number of the emergency alert channel.

6. A digital television receiver, comprising:

a tuner arranged to receive a digital television signal including a direct channel change table (DCCT) from a broadcast transmitter, wherein the DCCT contains a priority code, a dcc selection type field of the DCCT and channel ID information;

a demodulator arranged to demodulate the digital television signal;

a demultiplexer arranged to demultiplex the DCCT from the demodulated television signal;

a decoder arranged to parse the channel ID information and the priority code from the DCCT, wherein the channel ID information specifies an emergency alert channel associated with an emergency alert event and the priority code specifies an alert priority of the emergency alert event; and

a controller arranged to control operation of the tuner to automatically tune to the emergency alert channel based upon the alert priority.

7. The digital television receiver of claim 6, wherein the decoder further parses an originator code from the DCCT, wherein the originator code specifies an entity that provides alert information associated with the emergency alert event.

8. The digital television receiver of claim 6, wherein the decoder further parses an event code from the DCCT, wherein the event code specifies a type of the emergency alert event.

9. The digital television receiver of claim 6, wherein the decoder further parses tuning time information from the DCCT, wherein the tuning time information specifies a tuning start time and a tuning end time.

10. The digital television receiver of claim 6, wherein the channel ID information includes a first data field indicating a major channel number of the emergency alert channel, and a second data field indicating a minor channel number of the emergency alert channel.