Mobile devices for receiving real-time digital TV

• US 8,418,209 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silicon Valley Patent Agency, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Silicon Valley Patent Agency, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Dave Xiao Dong, Zheng, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Application Number:
  US13/366,265
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 725/62
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for mobile devices to receive real-time digital TV are disclosed. To make such mobile devices (e.g., smart phones) readily usable regardless of what standard a local TV broadcast may comply with, more than one demodulators are provided. Each of the demodulators is implemented in accordance with one type of TV standard. Based on the received TV signal, a corresponding demodulator is activated to demodulate the TV signal. In one embodiment, the demodulators are implemented in software modules. Thus a missing demodulator may be downloaded from a designated site when a mobile device is configured to detect that a new demodulator needs installed to process a received TV signal.

Claims

1. A mobile phone comprising:

a converter tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal for a television (TV) program in air, the converter including a TV antenna, a TV tuner, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a processing unit configured to produce data representing the TV program;

a module executing in the mobile phone to receive the data, the module including a plurality of demodulators, each of the demodulators configured to demodulate one type of TV signals in accordance with a TV standard; and

a processor configured to detect a TV standard according to which the TV program is being broadcast, and cause one of the demodulators to be activated to demodulate the data to produce an audio data stream and a video data stream, or download a corresponding demodulator to process the data when the corresponding demodulator has not been included in the plurality of demodulators.

2. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the demodulators is implemented in software, and upgradeable from a server via a wireless network.

3. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device; and

a display screen configured to display an option to allow a user to store the data in the storage device.

4. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing unit is configured to compress the data according to a compression standard before the data is stored in the storage device.

5. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the TV tuner is designed to receive the RF signal and produce an Intermediate frequency (IF) signal, the ADC, coupled to the TV tuner, receives the IF signal and produces the data representing the IF signal;

and the converter further comprises an automatic gain controller (AGC) provided to ensure that the IF signal is properly produced for the TV program by the TV tuner.

6. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a compression unit provided to receive the data and compress the data to a size readily coupled to the one of the demodulators via an interface in the mobile phone.

7. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 6, wherein the module includes a decompression unit that is configured to decompress the data received from the interface.

8. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a display screen configured to display video in the video data stream;

at least one speaker to reproduce sound in the audio data stream; and

a port to transport the video and sound to an external display screen via a wired cable or wirelessly.

9. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RF signal is one of a digital TV signal and an analog TV signal.

10. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 9, wherein the digital TV signal is in accordance with a standard.

11. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 10, wherein the standard is one of a TDMB, STiMi, DVB-T, DVB-H, ATSC, MediaFLO, DMB and ISDB.

12. A method for receiving a television (TV) program in a mobile phone, the method comprising:

receiving the TV program from air by a converter tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal for the TV program, the converter including a TV antenna, a TV tuner, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a processing unit to produce data representing the TV program;

demodulating the data being streamed from the converter to produce an audio data stream and a video data stream by a bank of demodulators, each of the demodulators configured to demodulate one type of TV signals in accordance with one TV standard;

detecting, by a processor, the TV standard in which the TV program is being broadcast, and

activating one of the demodulators to process the data after the TV standard is detected to correspond to the one of the demodulators, or

downloading a corresponding demodulator to process the data when the corresponding demodulator has not been included in the bank of demodulators.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the demodulators is implemented in software, and downloadable from a server via a wireless network.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

detecting if the corresponding demodulator is in the bank of demodulators; and

causing the mobile phone to download the corresponding demodulator from a server provided to supply the demodulators necessary for the mobile phone to receive all types of TV broadcasts in the world.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the TV tuner is designed to receive the RF signal and produce an Intermediate frequency (IF) signal, the ADC, coupled to the TV tuner, receives the IF signal and produces the data representing the IF signal;

and the converter further comprises an automatic gain controller (AGC) provided to ensure that the IF signal is properly produced for the TV program by the TV tuner.

16. A mobile phone comprising:

a wireless link providing functions of making or receiving cellular phone calls as well as sending or receiving short messages;

a positioning link facilitating to determine a location of the mobile phone;

a television (TV) link capable of receiving a television (TV) program from air without using the wireless link, the TV link including a converter tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal for the TV program, the converter including a TV antenna, a TV tuner, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to produce data representing the TV program; and

a processor;

a memory space for storing a module to be executed by the processor to receive the data, the module including a plurality of demodulators, each of the demodulators configured to demodulate one type of TV signals in accordance with a TV standard, wherein the processor is configured to detect the TV standard according to which the TV program is being broadcast, and cause one of the demodulators to be activated to demodulate the data to produce an audio data stream and a video data stream or download a corresponding demodulator to process the data when the corresponding demodulator has not been included in the plurality of demodulators.

17. The mobile phone as recited in claim 16, wherein each of the demodulators or the corresponding demodulator is updateable from a sever via a network.