Changing mode in digital broadcast receiver

• US 7,688,713 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Hung-Rok
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davenport; Mon Cheri S
• Application Number:
  US11/262,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/252, 370/254, 370/255, 370/466, 725/100, 725/110, 725/111
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A method of changing between a Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) mode and a DOCSIS Set-top box Gateway (DSG) mode in a digital broadcast receiver, includes: performing channel searching to change into the DSG mode, and detecting a cause of a failure in securing a channel via a database upon failing to secure the channel in response to a user requesting a change of mode via a host; and recovering the DSG mode as a result of detecting the failure cause upon receiving DSG data. It is therefore possible to change from the DOCSIS mode to the DSG mode according to the state of the OpenCable digital broadcast receiver, thereby improving its capability of coping with a field.

Claims

1. A method of changing modes in a digital broadcast receiver, the method comprising:

channel searching to change a first mode into a second mode, and detecting a cause of a failure in securing a channel via a database upon failing to secure the channel in response to a user requesting a change of the second mode via a host; and

recovering the second mode in response to detecting the cause of failure in securing a channel upon receiving Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) set-top box gateway data.

2. A method of changing modes in a digital broadcast receiver, the method comprising:

channel searching to change from a Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) mode into a DOCSIS Set-top box Gateway (DSG) mode, and detecting a cause of a failure in securing a channel via a database upon failing to secure the channel in response to a user requesting a change of mode via a host; and

recovering the DSG mode as a result of detecting the failure in securing a channel upon receiving DSG data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising remaining in the DOCSIS mode as a result of detecting the failure in securing a channel upon not receiving DSG data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein channel searching to change from a Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) mode into a DOCSIS Set-top box Gateway (DSG) mode, and detecting a cause of a failure in securing a channel via a database upon failing to secure the channel in response to a user requesting a change of mode via a host comprises:

determining whether or not the failure is a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) looking failure; and

re-attempting the channel searching and simultaneously maintaining the DSG mode upon a determination that the failure is the QAM looking failure.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether or not the failure is a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) looking failure upon a determination that the failure is not the QAM looking failure; and

re-attempting the channel searching and simultaneously maintaining the DSG mode upon a determination that the failure is the PLL looking failure.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether or not the failure is a failure of synchronization between a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) and a cable modem upon a determination that the failure is not the PLL looking failure; and

re-attempting the channel searching and simultaneously maintaining the DSG mode upon a determination that the failure is the synchronization failure.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining whether or not the failure is a failure in receiving the DSG data upon a determination that the failure is not the synchronization failure.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein remaining in the DOCSIS mode as a result of detecting the failure in securing a channel upon not receiving DSG data comprises performing the channel searching again by a cable modem upon receiving the DSG data from a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) while operating in the DOCSIS mode.

9. A digital broadcast receiver in an OpenCable digital broadcast system, the digital broadcast receiver comprising:

a cable modem searching upstream and downstream channels of a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) upon a user requesting a change of mode via a host, and determining whether to receive Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) set-top box gateway data in a first mode to change into one of first and second modes according to whether or not securing the channels has succeeded.

10. A digital broadcast receiver in an OpenCable digital broadcast system, the digital broadcast receiver comprising:

a cable modem searching upstream and downstream channels of a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) upon a user requesting a change of a Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) Set-top box Gateway (DSG) mode via a host, and determining whether to receive DSG data in a DOCSIS mode to change into one of DSG and DOCSIS modes according to whether or not securing the channels has succeeded.

11. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 10, wherein the cable modem comprises:

a channel searcher searching the upstream and downstream channels of the CMTS upon the user requesting the change of mode via the host; and

a mode changer determining whether to receive the DSG data in the DOCSIS mode, and changing into the DSG mode upon the channel searcher succeeding in securing the channels, and change changing into the DOCSIS mode upon the channel searcher failing to secure the channels.

12. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 10, further comprising a database storing conditions of failing to search the channels in accordance with the channel searching failure of the channel searcher.

13. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 11, wherein the mode changer comprises:

a detector detecting a factor of failing to secure the channels via a database upon failing to secure the channels in the DOCSIS mode; and

a recover re-attempting channel searching and simultaneously maintaining the DSG mode upon the factor of failing to secure the channels being a physical factor, and maintaining the DOCSIS mode upon the DSG data not being received.

14. The digital broadcast receiver of claim 10, further comprising an address register registering a Media Access Control (MAC) address with the CMTS upon the DSG mode being recovered via the recover.

15. An OpenCable digital broadcast system, comprising:

a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) receiving Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) Set-top box Gateway (DSG) data from one of a service information server and a conditional access server and to transmitting the DSG data;

a cable modem determining, upon failing to secure a channel of the CMTS, whether or not the DSG data has been received and performing a DOCSIS mode only upon the DSG data not being received, and performing a DSG mode upon the DSG data being received after failing to secure the channel of the CMTS; and

multiple DSG channels each having a broadcast head end receiving, creating and re-transmitting programs from a digital broadcast server via a network in the DSG mode.