Wireless video distribution system which avoids communication path congestion

• US 5,794,116 A
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yoshinori, Tanabe, Takumi, Matsuda, Taku, Gunji, Yoshinori, Nishioka, Shinako, Wada, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/511,853
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 348/1-4, 348/6-13, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A wireless video terminal (17) creates a control signal for requesting video data. This control signal includes the type of the requested video data, a method of transmitting the video data, a position registration request and the like. The wireless video terminal (17) requests the video data by transmitting this control signal to a video server (11) through a base-station for control-data (19) and a network (13). The video server (11) transmits the requested video data to the wireless video terminal (17) requesting the video data through a designated channel, via the network (13), a router for video-data (14) and a base-station for video-data (15).

Claims

1. A wireless visual communication system for distributing various video data to a movable terminal station by radio communication, said wireless visual communication system comprising:

a video server for storing a plurality of types of video data;

a base-station for video-data being connected with said video server through a network, for transmitting video data being supplied from said video server to said terminal station through a first radio communication path; and

a base-station for control-data, for receiving a control signal being transmitted from said terminal station through a second radio communication path and for informing said video server of said control signal;

wherein

said terminal station is for announcing a request for video data and the type of said requested video data by transmitting said control signal,

said video server is for retrieving corresponding said video data on the basis of said control signal being received from said base-station for control-data and outputting said video data on said network, and

relatively wide and narrow bands are allotted to said first and second radio communication paths respectively; and

wherein

a plurality of communication channels are available for said base-station for video-data in said first radio communication path for transmitting said video data,

said terminal station is for further designating a communication channel for receiving said video data by transmitting said control signal,

said base-station for video-data is for supervising current conditions of said communication channels,

said base-station for control-data is for inquiring of said base-station for video-data about whether said communication channel being designated by said control signal is available upon receiving said control signal, and for transmitting said control signal to said video server if said communication channel is available while requiring said terminal station to re-set a receiving communication channel if said communication channel is unavailable, and

said base-station for video-data is for transmitting said video data being supplied from said video server to said terminal station through said communication channel being designated by said terminal station.

2. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising history storage means for storing the history of said control signal being received by said video server as history information.

3. A wireless visual communication system for distributing various video data to a movable terminal station by radio communication, said wireless visual communication system comprising:

a video server for storing a plurality of types of video data;

a base-station for video-data being connected with said video server through a network, for transmitting video data being supplied from said video server to said terminal station through a first radio communication path; and

a base-station for control-data, for receiving a control signal being transmitted from said terminal station through a second radio communication path and for informing said video server of said control signal;

wherein

said terminal station is for announcing a request for video data and the type of said requested video data by transmitting said control signal,

said video server is for retrieving corresponding said video data on the basis of said control signal being received from said base-station for control-data and outputting said video data on said network, and

relatively wide and narrow bands are allotted to said first and second radio communication paths respectively; and

wherein

a plurality of said base-stations for video-data are provided with a specific communicable zone for each of said plurality of said base stations for video data respectively, and

said base-station for control-data is communicable in an area covering said zones of all said base-stations for video-data.

4. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 3, wherein

a frequency band which does not overlap with other frequency bands is fixedly allotted to said plurality of said base-stations for video-data as said first radio communication path, and

each of said plurality of said base-stations for video-data is for transmitting video data through a plurality of communication channels being obtained by dividing said fixedly allotted frequency band.

5. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 4, further comprising menu storage means being connected to each of said plurality of said base-stations for video-data, for storing title information of said video data being stored in said video server;

wherein

each of said plurality of said base-stations for video-data is for transmitting a video program menu being created on the basis of said title information being stored in said menu storage means, an identification value allotted to each of said plurality of said base-stations for video-data, and conditions of said communication channels in said first radio communication path to its corresponding zone through a predetermined one of said plurality of communication channels in said first radio communication path, and

said terminal station creates said control signal by referring to a received video program menu, identification value and conditions of said communication channels.

6. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 5, wherein

said control signal at least includes:

a video data number part storing an identification value for specifying video data whose distribution is required to said video server,

a terminal station ID part storing said identification value being specific to said terminal station,

a first transmission/receiving station ID part storing said identification value of said base-station for video-data transmitting said video program menu, and

a used channel designating part designating a communication channel for receiving requested said video data;

said base-station for control-data is for inquiring of said base-station for video-data having said identification value being stored in said first transmission/receiving station ID part about whether or not said communication channel being stored in said used channel designating part is available, and is for requiring said terminal station having said identification value being stored in said terminal station ID part to re-set a communication channel when said communication channel is unavailable, while transferring said control signal to said video server when said communication channel is available, and

said video server is for referring to said video data number part of a transferred control signal for retrieving corresponding said video data and outputting the same on said network.

7. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 6, further comprising position information storage means for storing said identification value of said terminal station being included in said control signal received by said video server from said base-station for control-data and said identification value of said base-station for video-data as information indicating the current position of said terminal station.

8. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 7, wherein

said control signal further includes a position information registration flag part for informing said video server of whether registration of said position information being stored in said position information storage means is requested or deleted, and

said video server is for referring to said position information registration flag part of a received control signal for changing the contents of said position information storage means.

9. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 8, wherein

said video server is for deleting said position information of said terminal station from said position information storage means when said video server recognizes that said terminal station is not positioned in any zone on the basis of said position information registration flag part being included in a received control signal.

10. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 3, further comprising history storage means for storing the history of said control signal being received by said video server as history information.

11. A wireless visual communication system for distributing various video data to a movable terminal station by radio communication, said wireless visual communication system comprising:

a video server for storing a plurality of types of video data;

a base-station for video-data being connected with said video server through a network, for transmitting video data being supplied from said video server to said terminal station through a first radio communication path; and

a base-station for control-data, for receiving a control signal being transmitted from said terminal station through a second radio communication path and for informing said video server of said control signal;

wherein

said terminal station is for announcing a request for video data and the type of said requested video data by transmitting said control signal,

said video server is for retrieving corresponding said video data on the basis of said control signal being received from said base-station for control-data and outputting said video data on said network, and

relatively wide and narrow bands are allotted to said first and second radio communication paths respectively; and

wherein

a plurality of said base-stations for control-data are provided to have specific communicable areas respectively,

said wireless visual communication system further comprises a control unit creating terminal station control signals for controlling each said terminal station and transmitting said terminal station control signal through each of said plurality of said base-stations for control-data, and

said control unit is for supplying a same common identification value to respective said terminal stations through said terminal station control signal, thereby batch-controlling all said terminal stations being positioned in said communicable areas of all of said plurality of said base-stations for control-data.

12. The wireless visual communication system in accordance with claim 11, wherein

said terminal station control signal includes:

an identification value storage part for storing said identification values being specific to respective said terminal stations or said common identification value, and

a data storage part for storing data for controlling respective said terminal stations; and

said control unit is for independently controlling respective said terminal stations through said terminal station control signal including said identification values being specific to respective said terminal stations, while batch-controlling all said terminal stations being positioned in said communicable areas of all of said plurality of said base-stations for control-data through said terminal station control signal including said common identification value.