Cable modem apparatus, broadcasting signal receiving apparatus, broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus and control method thereof

• US 9,883,229 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Dong-uk
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US14/723,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 725111
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418

Abstract

A cable modem apparatus configured to switch between communicating over a plurality of channels and a channel different from the plurality of channels.

Claims

1. A cable modem apparatus including:

a communicator that communicates with a broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus; and

a controller that controls the communicator;

to receive a broadcasting signal from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus through a data channel including a plurality of channels assigned to a first frequency band in a normal mode,

to transmit a request for changing into a first low-power mode to the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus in response to an entry into the first low-power mode from the normal mode,

to receive a command for switching to a networking channel assigned to a second frequency band that does not overlap with the first frequency band, wherein the second frequency band is adjacent to the first frequency band, and the command is received from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus in response to the request received by the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus,

to switch from the data channel to the networking channel based on the command received from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus, and

to communicate with the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus through the networking channel in the first low-power mode,

wherein the controller controls the communicator to use the networking channel for communicating instead of the data channel for receiving the broadcasting signal in the first low-power mode.

2. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the networking channel comprises a first quantity of channels that is less than a second quantity of the plurality of channels for the data channel.

3. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more frequency bands of the first frequency band are divisionally arranged with respect to the second frequency band.

4. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller transmits a request to the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus to switch communication to the data channel in response to entry into the normal mode, and switches communication from the networking channel to the data channel.

5. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface that receives a user input,

wherein the controller enters one of the normal mode and the first low-power mode in response to the user interface receiving the user input.

6. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller determines expiration of a period of time since the user interface last received the user input and enters the first low-power mode in response to determining expiration of the period of time.

7. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller switches from the normal mode to a second low-power mode in which audio/video is disabled, and from the second low-power mode to the first low-power mode or the normal mode.

8. The cable modem apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the communicator to transmit and receive data of the broadcasting signal over the data channel, and to transmit and receive information for entering from the normal mode to the first low-power mode over the networking channel.

9. A broadcasting signal receiving apparatus comprising:

a cable modem apparatus comprising;

a communicator that communicates with a broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus; and

a controller that controls the communicator;

to receive a broadcasting signal from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus through a data channel including a plurality of channels assigned to a first frequency band in a normal mode,

to transmit a request for changing into a first low-power mode to the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus in response to an entry into the first low-power mode from the normal mode,

to receive a command for switching to a networking channel assigned to a second frequency band that does not overlap with the first frequency band, wherein the second frequency band is adjacent to the first frequency band, and the command is received from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus in response to the request received by the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus,

to switch from the data channel to the networking channel based on the command received from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus, and

to communicate with the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus through the networking channel in the first low-power mode;

a signal processor that processes the broadcasting signal received in the cable modem apparatus and to display an image corresponding to the broadcasting signal as processed,

wherein the communicator communicates with a display apparatus, and the controller outputs the broadcasting signal as processed to the display apparatus, and

wherein the controller controls the communicator to use the networking channel for communicating instead of the data channel for receiving the broadcasting signal in the first low-power mode.

10. A broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus comprising:

a communicator that communicates with a cable modem apparatus and to transmit a broadcasting signal of a predetermined channel to the cable modem apparatus; and

a controller that controls the communicator;

to transmit the broadcasting signal to the cable modem apparatus through a data channel including a plurality of channels assigned to a first frequency band in a normal mode,

to receive a request for changing into a first low-power mode from the cable modem apparatus in response to an entry into the first low-power mode from the normal mode,

to switch from the data channel to a networking channel assigned to a second frequency band that does not overlap with the first frequency band,

wherein the second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band, based on the request received from the cable modem apparatus,

to transmit, to the cable modem apparatus, a command for switching to the networking channel, and

to communicate with the cable modem apparatus through the networking channel in the first low-power mode,

wherein the controller controls the communicator to use the networking channel for communicating with the cable modem apparatus instead of the data channel for transmitting the broadcasting signal in the first low-power mode.

11. The broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the networking channel comprises a first quantity of channels that is less than a second quantity of the plurality of channels for the data channel.

12. The broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one or more frequency bands of the first frequency band are divisionally arranged with respect to the second frequency band.

13. The broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller switches communication from the networking channel to the data channel in response to a request from the cable modem apparatus, and sends the cable modem apparatus a command to switch communication to the data channel.

14. A broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls the communicator to transmit and receive data of the broadcasting signal over the data channel, and to transmit and receive information for entering from the normal mode to the first low-power mode over the networking channel.

15. A method of controlling a cable modem apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, by a communicator of the cable modem apparatus, a broadcasting signal from a broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus through a data channel that is assigned to a first frequency band in a normal mode;

transmitting, by the communicator, a request for changing into a first low-power mode to the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus in response to entry into the first low-power mode from the normal mode;

receiving, by the communicator, a command for switching to a networking channel assigned to a second frequency band that does not overlap with the first frequency band, wherein the second frequency band is adjacent to the first frequency band, and the command is received from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus in response to the request received by the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus;

switching, by the communicator, from the data channel to the networking channel based on the command received from the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus; and

communicating with the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus through the networking channel in the first low-power mode,

wherein the switching comprises using the networking channel for communicating instead of the data channel for receiving the broadcasting signal in the first low-power mode.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a request to the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus to switch communication to the data channel in response to entry into the normal mode, and switching communication from the networking channel to the data channel.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

switching from the normal mode to a second low-power mode of an audio/video-off state, or switching from the second low-power mode to the first low-power mode.

18. A method of controlling a broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a communicator of the broadcasting signal transmitting apparatus, a broadcasting signal to a cable modem apparatus through a data channel that is assigned to a first frequency band in a normal mode;

receiving, by the communicator, a request for changing into a first low-power mode from the cable modem apparatus in response to an entry into the first low-power mode from the normal mode;

switching, by the communicator, from the data channel to a networking channel assigned to a second frequency band that does not overlap with the first frequency band, wherein the second frequency band is adjacent to the first frequency band based on the request received from the cable modem apparatus;

transmitting, to the cable modem apparatus, by the communicator, a command for switching to the networking channel; and

communicating with the cable modem apparatus through the networking channel in the first low-power mode,

wherein the switching comprises using the networking channel for communicating with the cable modem apparatus instead of the data channel for transmitting the broadcasting signal in the first low-power mode.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

switching communication from the networking channel to the data channel in response to receiving a request from the cable modem apparatus; and

transmitting the cable modem apparatus a command of switching communication to the data channel.