JP2001275093A - Portable terminal device, and device and system for transmitting and receiving broadcast data - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To view plural TV broadcasts by using a portable terminal device. SOLUTION: A portable terminal device 10 and a TV receiver 12c in a house 12 are connected together by a wide-area network 14. The TV image receiver 12c is remotely controlled by using the portable terminal device 10 so as to instruct to receive a desired TV broadcast and sent it to the portable terminal device 10. The portable terminal device 10 can receive and display the TV broadcast without using any TV antenna nor tuner.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a technique for transmitting and receiving broadcast data, for example, terrestrial broadcasts, satellite broadcasts, and cable television broadcasts via a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A portable terminal device is known as a device that can be connected to a wide area network from an arbitrary location. For example, image data stored in a server can be obtained via the Internet.

On the other hand, a portable TV having a small TV antenna and a TV tuner and capable of receiving TV broadcasts
Receivers have also been developed, and users can enjoy TV broadcasts anywhere, for example, in a car.

[0004]

When image data is obtained via the Internet, basically, only image data previously stored in a server can be obtained. For example, a TV broadcast frequently viewed by a user can be obtained. Even if you want to see it, there is a problem that you cannot see it unless it is stored in the server.

[0005] In addition, even with a small TV receiver, there is a problem in that the user can view only in a range where the broadcast radio wave can reach, and cannot enjoy the terrestrial broadcast, the satellite broadcast, or the cable television broadcast at home, for example. There is a problem that if these are received, the device configuration becomes complicated and large, and portability is impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide a portable terminal device, a broadcast data transmitting / receiving device, and a portable terminal device capable of receiving and displaying a plurality of broadcast data such as TV broadcasts. An object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast data transmission / reception system.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises means for inputting a command, means for transmitting the input command via a network,
It has means for receiving broadcast data transmitted via the network in response to the command, and means for outputting the broadcast data. By remotely controlling facilities that can receive broadcast data with commands, and receiving broadcast data and instructing it to be transmitted to portable terminal devices,
Broadcast data can be viewed with a simple configuration.

Here, it is preferable that the broadcast data is image data, and the output means is a display for displaying the image data. Thus, a desired image (including a moving image) can be viewed at an arbitrary place using the portable terminal device.

[0009] The command may include an activation signal for a device to transmit the broadcast data via the network. Accordingly, even when a facility that can receive broadcast data, for example, a TV receiver at the user's home is not activated, the user can activate the television receiver and view desired broadcast data on the portable terminal device.

[0010] The command may include a broadcast selection signal for an apparatus to which the broadcast data is to be transmitted via the network. This makes it possible to select and view a desired media or channel from a plurality of broadcast media or a plurality of broadcast channels.

The broadcast data is, for example, terrestrial broadcast data,
It can be at least one of satellite broadcast data and cable television broadcast data. Of course, this is only an example, and any broadcast media that can be received at a facility that can receive broadcast data can be targeted.

The portable terminal device not only receives broadcast data from a remote broadcast data receiving facility, but also
It is also preferable to transmit image data obtained by some means to a broadcast data receiving facility or other facilities.
By transmitting and receiving data bidirectionally via a network, usability of the portable terminal device is improved. For example, image data acquired by the portable terminal device can be stored in an image recording device (VT) at home.
R, a DVD recorder, or a computer).

Further, the present invention provides a receiving means for receiving a command transmitted via a network, a means for receiving broadcast data in response to the command, and a means for transmitting the broadcast data via the network. It is characterized by having. By receiving and interpreting the command, receiving the broadcast data specified by the command, and transmitting the broadcast data via the network, the broadcast data can be viewed on the side that transmitted the command.

Further, the present invention is a broadcast data transmitting / receiving system including a portable terminal device and a broadcast data transmitting / receiving device connected via a network, wherein the portable terminal device includes the broadcast data transmitting / receiving device via the network. Means for transmitting a command to the broadcast data, means for receiving broadcast data transmitted from the broadcast data transmitting / receiving device via the network in response to the command, and means for outputting the broadcast data, A data transmitting / receiving device configured to receive the command transmitted from the portable terminal device, receive broadcast data in response to the command, and transmit the broadcast data to the portable terminal device via the network. Means. A portable terminal device remotely controls a broadcast data transmitting / receiving device via a network and receives the broadcast data at a broadcast data transmitting / receiving device (for example, a TV receiver or a service center at home) having facilities necessary for receiving the broadcast data. By transmitting the broadcast data, the desired broadcast data can be viewed on the portable terminal device without using a special broadcast receiving antenna or a tuner.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of the present embodiment. Portable terminal device 10 and user's home 12
Are connected by a wide area network 14. The wide area network 14 may be wired or wireless,
In this embodiment, since a relatively large capacity of broadcast data is transmitted, it is preferable to use a large capacity and high transfer rate network.

The home 12 has an interface I / F 12a connected to a wide area network, a home network 12b, a TV receiver 12c and a VTR (or DVD) connected to the interface I / F 12a via the home network 12b. 12d is provided,
The TV receiver 12c can receive not only terrestrial TV broadcasting but also satellite broadcasting and cable television broadcasting.

The user operates the portable terminal device 10 and operates the TV receiver 12 at home 12 via the wide area network 14.
Remotely control c. That is, a control command is transmitted from the portable terminal device 10 to activate the TV receiver 12c, and to receive broadcast data of a broadcast channel desired by the user. Then, the received broadcast data is transmitted to the portable terminal device 10 via the home network 12b, the interface I / F 12a, and the wide area network 14. The portable terminal device 10 is a TV receiver 1 at home 12
The broadcast data transmitted from 2c is received and displayed on a display such as a liquid crystal display.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the portable terminal device 10. The portable terminal device 10 is connected to the wide area network 14, transmits various control commands, and receives commands from a communication unit 10a, a data bus 10b, and a user for receiving broadcast data transmitted from the TV receiver 12c. The input unit 10c includes a speaker 10d for outputting audio when received broadcast data includes audio, and a display 10e for outputting image data included in the broadcast data. The input unit 10c analyzes a control command input unit including, for example, a touch switch or a button, and a control command (command) input by a user, and communicates via the data bus 10b to the communication unit 10a
And a control command analysis execution unit for supplying the control instruction analysis unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication section 10a in FIG. The communication unit 10a includes a communication control unit and a network interface. The communication control unit controls the input unit 1 via the data bus 10b.
A control command issuing unit that issues a command that can be interpreted on the home 12 side in response to the control command (command) supplied from 0c, and a packet supplied from the control command issuing unit that is shaped (converted) into a packet and supplied to the network interface A generator, a packet decomposer for decomposing broadcast data packets transmitted from the TV receiver 12c at home 12 and received by the network interface, and a data distributor for decomposing data supplied from the packet decomposer into control data and broadcast data , A video reconstruction unit that restores the packet-transmitted data to the original broadcast data, a video decomposition unit that decomposes the broadcast data reconstructed by the video reconstruction unit into image data and audio data, and supplies them to speakers and a display, respectively. It is composed of a distribution unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the TV receiver 12c in the home 12 in FIG.
The basic configuration of the TV receiver 12c is almost the same as that of the conventional TV receiver, but further includes means for inputting and executing a command from the portable terminal device 10, and transmitting received broadcast data to the portable terminal device 10. It has means for transmitting. That is, what is common to the conventional TV receiver is a broadcast video receiving unit, a channel selecting unit, and a power switch, and a communication unit and a control command analysis executing unit as means for inputting and executing a command from the portable terminal device 10. Is provided, and a video information generation unit and a communication unit are provided as means for transmitting the received broadcast data to the portable terminal device 10. The communication unit is an interface connected to the home network 12b, a communication packet decomposing unit that decomposes command data packet-transmitted from the portable terminal device 10 and supplies it to the control command execution unit, and a broadcast supplied from the video information generation unit. The video information generation unit converts the broadcast data received by the broadcast video reception unit into a predetermined format and supplies the data to the communication packet generation unit. The format used is arbitrary, and can be, for example, compressed digital data.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below.

When the user wants the portable terminal device 10 to output specific broadcast data, the user first inputs a "communication start" command from the input section 10c of the portable terminal device 10.
This command input may be performed by operating a “communication start” button or a specific combination of key operations. When a "communication start" command is input, the contents of the command are analyzed by the control command analysis execution unit, and the communication unit 10a connects to the wide area network 14.

Next, the user inputs a "TV power ON" command from the input unit 10c. This command can also be input by a specific button or a combination of key operations. When the command of "TV power ON" is input,
The control command analysis execution unit analyzes this command and instructs the control command issue unit of the communication unit to issue a remote control command. The control command issuing unit follows this instruction and
A remote control command for instructing V power ON is issued to the packet generator, and the packet generator transmits this command to the wide area network 14 as a packet.

The remote control command transferred via the wide area network 14, the I / F 12a and the home network 12b is taken into the TV receiver 12c. Then, the control command analysis execution unit of the TV receiver 12c analyzes the remote control command and turns on the power switch. TV
After turning on the power switch of the receiver 12c, it is preferable that the control command analysis execution unit notifies the portable terminal device 10 via the wide area network 14 that the power of the TV receiver 12c has been turned on.

Next, the user inputs a "TV channel selection" command from the input unit 10c of the portable terminal device 10. This command is a command for selecting one of a terrestrial TV channel, a satellite broadcast channel, and a cable television channel.
h ". When a command is input, the control command analysis and execution unit analyzes the command and instructs the control command issue unit of the communication unit to issue a remote control command. The control command issuing unit issues a remote control command for controlling the channel of the TV receiver 12c to the packet generation unit according to the instruction, and the packet generation unit transmits the command to the wide area network 14 as a packet.

The remote control command transferred via the wide area network 14, the I / F 12a and the home network 12b is taken into the TV receiver 12c. Then, the control command analysis execution unit of the TV receiver 12c analyzes the remote control command, tunes the broadcast video reception unit to the channel specified by the channel selection unit, and receives the broadcast data of the specified channel.

When the user inputs a “transmission start” command from the input unit 10 c of the portable terminal device 10,
In the TV receiver 12c that has received the remote control command, the received broadcast data is converted into a predetermined format by the video information generation unit, and is stored in a packet by the communication packet generation unit and transmitted to the wide area network 14.

The portable terminal device 10 receives the broadcast data transmitted from the TV receiver 12c via the wide area network 14, and converts the broadcast data converted into a predetermined format by the video reconstructing unit into the original broadcast data. The video signal is decomposed into image data and audio data by a video decomposing and distributing unit, and supplied to a display 10e and a speaker 10d, respectively. Thus, the user can use the portable terminal device 10 to set the home 1
2, various broadcast data can be enjoyed.

In this embodiment, after transmitting the "TV channel selection" command, the "transmission start" command is transmitted to cause the TV receiver 12c to transmit the broadcast data. However, the "TV channel selection" command is transmitted. It goes without saying that the reception of the broadcast data and the transmission to the portable terminal device 10 may be collectively processed using only the data.

In this embodiment, the TV receiver 12c
The portable terminal device 10 receives the broadcast data and transmits the broadcast data to the portable terminal device 10. However, the recording medium is reproduced by another device connected to the home network 12b, such as a VTR, a DVD, or a CD player. The transmitted video data may be transmitted.

Further, it is also preferable to provide a photographing device such as a camera in the portable terminal device 10 and transmit the obtained image data to the home 12 via the wide area network 14. The image data transmitted from the portable terminal device 10 is recorded on a VTR in the home 12, for example. It is preferable that the portable terminal device 10 and the equipment in the home 12 can perform bidirectional data transmission / reception.

FIG. 5 shows a system configuration diagram according to another embodiment. The difference from FIG. 1 is that a service center 16 is further connected to the wide area network 14 in addition to the home 12, and broadcast data is transmitted and received between the portable terminal device 10 and the service center 16.

FIG. 6 shows the service center 1 in FIG.
6 is a configuration block diagram. Service center 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a communication unit having the same functions as the TV receiver 12c, a control command analysis execution unit, a channel selection unit, a broadcast video reception unit,
A registrant database that has a video information generation unit, but further stores user information to be provided with a service, a registrant authentication unit that authenticates an accessed user against a registrant database, and approval information for the authenticated user And an approval information generating unit for transmitting the information. The broadcast video receiver is
Although it is possible to receive broadcast data nationwide, broadcast data near the service center 16 is installed,
It is particularly preferred to receive so-called local station broadcast data.

In such a configuration, after the user inputs a “communication start” command to connect to the wide area network and then transmits a “service provision request” command to the service center 16, the registrant authentication unit of the service center 16 It is checked whether the user who has requested service provision is a user registered in the registrant database. Upon confirmation, the user ID may be requested to be transmitted. When the user is authenticated, the approval information is transmitted to the portable terminal device 10. When the user receives the approval information, the user transmits a “TV channel selection” command to the service center 16. The following processing is the same as that of the above-described embodiment. Broadcast data of the selected channel is transmitted from the service center 16 to the portable terminal device 10, an image is displayed on the display 10e, and sound is output from the speaker 10d.
When the service center 16 receives the broadcast data of the local station, the user can easily view the broadcast data unique to the local area using the portable terminal device 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the portable terminal device 10 may have another function, for example, a function as a portable telephone.

The service center 16 may provide not only broadcast data but also other data. For example, topic or news data unique to the region may be appropriately edited and provided.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A plurality of broadcast data, such as terrestrial broadcasts, satellite broadcasts, and cable television broadcasts, can be easily viewed on a portable device without complicating or enlarging the device configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the portable terminal device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram of a communication unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram of the TV receiver in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a service center in FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

10 portable terminal device, 12 home, 12c TV receiver, 14 wide area network.

Claims (9)

[Claims] A means for inputting a command; a means for transmitting the input command via a network; a means for receiving broadcast data transmitted via the network in response to the command; A portable terminal device, comprising: 2. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast data is image data, and the output unit is a display for displaying the image data. 3. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the command includes a start signal for a device to transmit the broadcast data via the network. . 4. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the command includes a broadcast selection signal for a device to which the broadcast data is to be transmitted via the network. apparatus. 5. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast data is at least one of terrestrial broadcast data, satellite broadcast data, and cable TV broadcast data. Terminal device. 6. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit further transmits the image data via the network. 7. A receiving unit for receiving a command transmitted via a network, a unit for receiving broadcast data in response to the command, and a unit for transmitting the broadcast data via the network. A broadcast data transmission / reception device characterized by the above-mentioned. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the command includes a command for selecting one of a plurality of broadcast data, and the receiving unit receives the broadcast data selected by the command. A broadcast data transmission / reception device characterized by the above-mentioned. 9. A broadcast data transmitting / receiving system including a mobile terminal device and a broadcast data transmitting / receiving device connected via a network, wherein the mobile terminal device issues a command to the broadcast data transmitting / receiving device via the network. Means for transmitting broadcast data transmitted from the broadcast data transmitting / receiving apparatus via the network in response to the command; and means for outputting the broadcast data. Means for receiving the command transmitted from the portable terminal device, means for receiving broadcast data in response to the command, and transmitting the broadcast data to the portable terminal device via the network, A broadcast data transmission / reception system comprising: