Receiver system and method for receiving broadcasting

• US 7,643,787 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ukai, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): FERGUSON, KEITH
• Application Number:
  US11/594,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20070123164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 455/302, 455/301, 4554561-457, 455427-429, 455/466, 4554141-4144, 455/422.1, 455/403, 455/517, 455/500, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/12.1, 455/15, 455/13.1, 725 62- 68, 725/71, 725/72
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/22 Arrangements for broadcast of identical information via plural broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A receiver system equipped with a first and second reception units for receiving a satellite radio broadcasting prevents a reception unit switching operations by using signal selection data that provides satellite availability for respective operation areas. The satellite radio broadcasting reception quality in each of the respective operation areas is improved because of the reduced chance of dropout or the like in the broadcasted contents of the satellite radio broadcasting received by the receiver system.

Claims

1. A receiver system of broadcasting in an operation area comprising:

a first receiver for receiving a first signal sent out from a satellite;

a second receiver for receiving the second signal sent out from a ground facility;

a signal selection data acquisition unit for acquiring signal selection data that controls selection of one of the first and second signals for broadcasting reception in a current operation area; and

a control unit for controlling execution of a predetermined process that utilizes ones of the first and second signals based on the signal selection data that is acquired by the signal selection data acquisition unit,

wherein when a selected one of the first and second signals is utilized, the control unit is configured to continue to utilize the selected signal throughout the current operation area until the selected signal cannot be acquired, regardless of whether later signal selection data indicates a non-selected signal to be preferable to the selected signal.

2. The receiver system as in claim 1,

wherein the signal selection data acquisition unit acquires the signal selection data by retrieving the signal selection data from a data storage medium based on a current operation area.

3. The receiver system as in claim 1,

wherein the control unit records an unsuccessful execution attempt of the predetermined process that utilizes the first signal due to a signal reception failure by the first receiver as an failure record in association with a current operation area at a time of the signal reception failure;

and

the control unit controls a succeeding executed of the predetermined process to utilize the second signal when an attempt of the succeeding execution of the predetermined process takes place in the current operation area that is recorded as the failure record in association with the unsuccessful execution attempt of the predetermined process by utilizing the first signal.

4. A method for receiving a broadcast signal for use in a receiver system in an operation area comprising:

providing a first receiver for receiving a first signal sent out from a satellite;

providing a second receiver for receiving a second signal sent out from a ground facility;

providing a signal selection data acquisition unit for acquiring signal selection data that controls selection of one of the first and second signals to operate the receiver system in a current operation area;

providing a control unit for controlling execution of a predetermined process that utilizes one of the first and second signals by selecting one of the first receiver and the second receiver based on the signal selection data that is acquired by the signal selection data acquisition unit; and

continuing to utilize the selected signal throughout the current operation area until the selected signal cannot be acquired, regardless of whether later signal selection data indicates a non-selected signal to be preferable to the selected signal.

5. The method as in claim 4,

wherein the signal selection data acquisition unit acquires the signal selection data by retrieving the signal selection data from a data storage medium based on the current operation area.

6. The method as in claim 4,

wherein the control unit records an unsuccessful execution attempt of the predetermined process that utilizes the first signal due to a signal reception failure by the first receiver as an failure record in association with the current operation area at a time of the signal reception failure, and

the control unit controls a succeeding execution of the predetermined process to utilize the second signal when an attempt of the succeeding execution of the predetermined process takes place in the current operation area that is recorded as the failure record in association with the unsuccessful execution attempt of the predetermined process by utilizing the first signal.