Television broadcast signal receiving system

• US 20060020977A1
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takagi, Toshihiro
• Application Number:
  US11/175,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/72
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1257 using the received signal strength
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

In a TV broadcast signal receiving system capable for connecting a plurality of TV broadcast signal receivers to a single multi-directional antenna without using modular cables, each TV broadcast signal receiver outputs a control signal with apparatus identifying information including an antenna control signal, apparatus ID and priority level thereof for controlling an effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna and a gain of an amplifier. The multi-directional antenna compares the priority level included in the control signal newly received with that of the control signal previously received. When the priority level of the control signal newly received is equal to or larger than that of the control signal previously received, the antenna control signal is extracted from the control signal, and the effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna is switched corresponding to an indication of the antenna control signal.

Claims

1. A television broadcast signal receiving system comprising a multi-directional antenna having a plurality of signal receiving directions previously defined and at least one television broadcast signal receiver connected to the multi-directional antenna for receiving a television broadcast signal, wherein

the television broadcast signal receiver has a tuner connected to the multi-directional antenna and receiving a television broadcast signal, and a transmitter for transmitting an antenna control signal to the multi-directional antenna via a wireless transmission so as to switch an effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna while receiving the television broadcast signal;

and

the multi-directional antenna has a receiver for receiving the antenna control signal transmitted from the transmitter of the television broadcast signal receiver, and a switch for switching the effective signal receiving direction among a plurality of signal receiving directions of the multi-directional antenna corresponding to the antenna control signal.

2. The television broadcast signal receiving system in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the transmitter of the television broadcast signal receiver adds apparatus identifying information including an apparatus ID to the antenna control signal for identifying the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is outputted;

and

the receiver of the multi-directional antenna identifies the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is outputted based on the apparatus identifying information, and extracts the antenna control signal when the television broadcast signal receiver outputted the antenna control signal corresponds to a predetermined apparatus to be responded.

3. The television broadcast signal receiving system in accordance with claim 2, wherein

the apparatus identifying information further includes a priority level;

and

the receiver of the multi-directional antenna compares the priority level of the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is newly outputted with a priority level of a television broadcast signal receiver from which an antenna control signal is previously outputted, extracts the antenna control signal when the priority level of the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is newly outputted is higher than that of the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is previously outputted, and outputs the extracted antenna control signal to the switch so as to switch the effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna corresponding to indication of the antenna control signal.

4. The television broadcast signal receiving system in accordance with claim 3, wherein

the antenna control signal is thrown out when the priority level of the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is newly outputted is smaller than that of the television broadcast signal receiver from which the antenna control signal is previously outputted.

5. The television broadcast signal receiving system in accordance with claim 2, wherein

the antenna control signal further includes an expiration term;

and

when the expiration term of the antenna control signal previously outputted has passed, the receiver of the multi-directional antenna extracts the antenna control signal with no relation to the priority level of the television broadcast signal receiver, and outputs the extracted antenna control signal to the switch so as to switch the effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna corresponding to indication of the antenna control signal.

6. A television broadcast signal receiving system comprising a multi-directional antenna having a plurality of signal receiving directions previously defined and at least one television broadcast signal receiver connected to the multi-directional antenna for receiving a television broadcast signal, wherein

the television broadcast signal receiver comprises:

a television broadcast signal receiving means for receiving a television broadcast signal through the multi-directional antenna;

a control signal generating means for generating a control signal with apparatus identifying information by adding apparatus identifying information including an apparatus ID for identifying a television broadcast signal receiver connected to the multi-directional antenna and priority level correspondingly set to the apparatus ID to an antenna control signal for controlling an effective signal receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna and gain of an amplifier; and

a control signal transmitting means for transmitting the control signal with apparatus identifying information to the multi-directional antenna; and

the multi-directional antenna comprises;

a control signal receiving means for receiving the control signal with apparatus identifying information transmitted from the television broadcast signal receiver;

an antenna control signal extracting means for extracting the antenna control signal in compliance with CEA-909 from the control signal with apparatus identifying information by removing the apparatus identifying information, when the priority level of the control signal with apparatus identifying information newly received is not lower than that of a control signal with apparatus identifying information previously received; and

an antenna setting switching means for switching the effective signal receiving direction and the gain of the amplifier of the multi-directional antenna corresponding to the extracted antenna control signal.