WO2006016344A1

WO2006016344A1 - Low power download of software applications for digital hybrid tv

Info

Publication number: WO2006016344A1
Application number: PCT/IB2005/052640
Authority: WO
Inventors: Taras Telyuk
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV; US Philips Corp
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV; US Philips Corp
Priority date: 2004-08-11
Filing date: 2005-08-09
Publication date: 2006-02-16
Anticipated expiration: 2007-02-11

Abstract

Energy consumption is reduced in a hybrid analog-digital television receiver (100) by providing an active standby mode where the television display (170) is depowered, but the digital part (110) remains powered to search transport streams in the digital broadcast signal for software or a download schedule indicating a date and time to download the software. Once the digital part recovers the necessary information, it reports back to the analog part (130), and the analog part depowers the digital part to achieve a normal standby mode. A time for downloading the software may also be reported to the analog part. The analog part includes a timer (160) for waking up the digital part to cause it to enter the active standby mode to download the software at the indicated time. An interface (120) enables communication between the digital and analog parts.

Description

LOW POWER DOWNLOAD OF SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS FOR DIGITAL HYBRID TV

The invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for downloading software to a hybrid analog-digital television receiver to achieve reduced power consumption.

In the near future, it is expected that all new television sets will be equipped with a digital component that allows the television to receive both digital and analog signals. Such televisions are referred to as hybrid televisions. One example of such as digital component is the Intelligent Bolt On (IBO+) module designed by Philips Semiconductors. Such modules are designed to provide a smooth migration path to fully digital systems. However, the modules contain complex software that is upgraded from time to time. Accordingly, the hybrid television should have the capability to be upgraded by a newer version of software, e.g., a software image, that is broadcast in, and downloaded from, the received digital stream. Commonly, this is achieved by performing a software upgrade during the early morning hours when it is likely that no one is watching the television. In this case, the television set is maintained continuously in a state where the digital and analog parts are fully powered, while the display is depowered.

In particular, the digital module can run a specially designed application known as a signaling application to detect the appearance of the new software version in the digital broadcast signal. To do this, the digital module controls the tuner to scan all installed transport streams to locate a download schedule for a new software image. During this scanning, it is not possible for the viewer to watch any television programs. If the viewer switches the television set on while the scanning is in progress, the scanning is interrupted. However, to run this application, the digital part of television must be fully powered for excessive time periods, resulting in unnecessary power consumption. Additionally, such televisions may not be in compliance with proposed energy consumption standards.

The present invention addresses the above and other issues by providing a method and apparatus for downloading software to a hybrid television receiver to achieve reduced power consumption. In particular, the power consumption of the hybrid television receiver with digital and analog parts can be reduced to essentially that of a conventional analog- only television.

In a particular aspect of the invention, a hybrid television receiver includes an analog part for receiving an analog broadcast signal, and a digital part for receiving a digital broadcast signal. The analog part is responsive to a user command for: (a) communicating a signal to the digital part to cause the digital part to initiate a search by the digital part of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading software, and (b) depowering a display for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

In another aspect, a method is provided for downloading software at a hybrid television receiver having an analog part for receiving an analog broadcast signal, and a digital part for receiving a digital broadcast signal. The method includes communicating, responsive to a user command, a signal from the analog part to the digital part to cause the digital part to initiate a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading the software, and also responsive to the user command, depowering a display for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

In a further aspect, an analog part of a hybrid television receiver includes means for receiving an analog broadcast signal, and means, responsive to a user command, for: (a) communicating a signal to a digital part of the television receiver for receiving a digital broadcast signal, to cause the digital part to initiate a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading software, and (b) depowering a display for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

In a still further aspect, a digital part of a television receiver includes means for receiving a digital broadcast signal, and means for initiating a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading software in response to a signal received from an analog part of the television receiver for receiving an analog broadcast signal. The analog part is responsive to a user command for communicating the signal, and for depowering a display for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a hybrid analog-digital television receiver according to the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a method for downloading software at a hybrid analog-digital television receiver according to the invention; and

Fig. 3 illustrates a method for waking up the digital part of a hybrid analog-digital television receiver according to the invention. In all the Figures, corresponding parts are referenced by the same reference numerals.

Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a hybrid analog-digital television receiver according to the invention. The receiver, shown generally at 100, includes a digital part or portion 110, an analog part or portion 130, and an interface 120 between the digital and analog parts. Note that the term "analog part" refers to the type of broadcast signal received by the part, and it should be clear that digital circuitry can be used in the analog part. The digital part 110 receives a digital broadcast signal such as a terrestrial, cable or satellite signal via an antenna or other input terminal 105, while the analog part 130 receives an analog broadcast signal such as a terrestrial, cable or satellite signal via an antenna or other input terminal 150. The digital and analog broadcast signals include content such as television and radio programs and other content that can be displayed on the screen or display 170. The receiver 100 may be provided as a set-top box, television console, or in another configuration. A set top box typically contains only a digital receiver and it does not have an analog part, but it has its own standby mode and similar components as. the analog part (such as the control 135, memory 140 and timer unit 160) should be implemented in the set top box itself.

A high level overview of the components of the digital part 110 is provided, as these components are known per se in the art. Advantageously, the invention can be implemented with only software changes at the digital part 110, e.g., when the analog part has a wake-up functionality and the capability to store a schedule into memory. The digital part 110 includes a tuner 112 that tunes different transport streams that are provided at different carrier frequencies in the received digital broadcast signal. A decoder 114 decodes the received data, while a control 116 coordinates the activities of the tuner 112, decoder 114 and other components to provide decoded data to the analog part 130, via the interface 120, for display on the display 170. A memory 118, such as a flash memory, may store any type of computer readable instructions, such as software, firmware, micro code or the like, that are executed by the control 116 to achieve the functionality described herein, including the signaling application described below. The memory 118 may be considered to be a program storage device that tangibly embodies a program of instructions executable by a machine such as the control 116 or a computer to perform a method that achieves the functionality described herein. As mentioned, updated software may be downloaded to the memory 118 from time to time, via the received digital broadcast signal, as it becomes available, e.g., to provide new features or correct prior software bugs.

The analog part 130 includes a control 135, which may execute instructions such as software, firmware, micro-code or the like, to achieve the functionality described herein. Or, the control 135 may be a dedicated circuit such as an application- specific integrated circuit (ASIC). A memory 140 may store such instructions as well as schedule data that indicates a time for the digital part 110 to download software from the received digital broadcast signal, as discussed further below. The memory 140 may be considered to be a program storage device that tangibly embodies a program of instructions executable by a machine such as the control 135 or a computer to perform a method that achieves the functionality described herein. A timer unit 160 is responsive to the control 135 for waking up a power supply 165 to the digital part 110 via a wake up switch 155. , The timer unit 160 may be a component that is found in many analog televisions that allows the user to set a countdown time for turning off the television, e.g., while the user falls asleep. A digital circuit for providing this function may be provided if needed. The power supply provides power to the digital part 110 via an electrical path 167. The analog part 130 includes other hardware 145, such as a tuner and a display driver for the display 170.

The interface 120 allows the digital part 110 to be added onto an existing analog television receiver in a master-slave relationship where the analog part 130 performs the main control functions, including controlling the power supply to the digital part 110 and controlling the display 170. The analog and digital parts can interact via the common link interface 120. For example, the analog part 130 can send commands to the digital part 110, or request information from the digital part 110, and the digital part 110 can notify the analog part 130 of various events. Examples of commands that may be provided by the analog part 130 include: SetLanguage, ModifyAspectRatio, ClearOSD (on-screen display), GetUTCTime, GetLocalTime, etc. Examples of notifications that may be provided by the digital part 110 include: NewDownloadScheduleFound, ActiveStandby, NormalStandby, etc.

In a regular viewing mode of the receiver 100, the analog part 130, digital part 110, and the display 170 are fully powered. However, note that the digital part 110 can be powered off during viewing of an analog TV program, and vice- versa. That is, some components of the analog part, which are responsible for receiving an analog signal, can be powered off during viewing of any type of digital program. In a normal standby mode of the receiver 100, the digital part 110, analog part 130 and display 170 are depowered, with the exception that the analog part 130 has a capability to wake up, e.g., become fully powered, when the user provides a "power on" command via a remote control, for instance. The analog part 130 has an appropriate receiver such as an infrared receiver for receiving such a command. When the digital part 110 enters the normal standby mode (see below), this indicates that all data has been saved and it is safe to depower the digital part. In an active standby mode of the receiver, the analog part 130 and the digital part 110 are powered, while the display 170 is depowered. Moreover, in the digital part, a signaling application is implemented to search the received digital broadcast signal for software that is to be downloaded, or information such as a software download schedule that identifies a time at which software can be subsequently downloaded.

Fig. 2 illustrates a method for downloading software at a hybrid analog-digital television receiver according to the invention. The text in Fig. 2 is as follows: analog part (200), standby request (202), active standby notification (204), digital part (205), download schedule notification (206), store download schedule (207), normal standby notification (208), virgin mode? (210), power down (212), switch to active standby mode (215), search all transport streams for new download schedule or software (220), matching schedule found? (225), store download information in memory (230), matching software found? (235), download software (238), flash software (240), switch to normal standby mode (245), and end (250).

When the user presses a "standby" button on a remote control device or issues a similar command, the analog part 200 communicates a signal to the digital part 205, as indicated by path 202, informing the digital part that a standby request has been received. For example, a command such as Notify_Power_Down__in_3_sec may be sent. The analog part also switches off the display. The control 135 of the analog part remains active, or at least the part of the control responsible for saving data received from the digital part and the part which powers off the digital part. In response to signal from the analog part, the control logic of the digital part checks to see if it is in a "virgin" mode wherein there are no services, e.g., transport streams, installed (block 210). The signaling application is not used in the virgin mode. If the digital part is in the virgin mode, the digital part switches to the normal standby mode (block 245), and reports back to the analog part, as indicated by path 208, accordingly. In response, the analog part 200 powers down the digital part 205, as indicated by path 212, and the process ends (block 250). At block 210, if the digital part is not in the virgin mode, and is instead in a play or record mode, for instance, the signaling application is started, and the digital part immediately switches to the active standby mode (block 215), and reports back, to the analog part, as indicated by path 204, accordingly. If the analog part does not receive this report within a predetermined time, e.g., three seconds, it depowers the digital part (path 212) and switches itself to a normal standby mode as well. When the analog part receives the report (path 204), it enters a waiting mode and waits for future notifications from the digital part.

The digital part then searches airtransport streams for a new download schedule or software (block 220). The signaling application may need about five minutes, for instance, to scan through all installed transport streams. If a matching download schedule is found (block 225), the information is stored in memory, such as in the memory 118 of the digital part (Fig. 1), and the digital part reports back to the analog part with the download time/schedule, as indicated by path 206. A download schedule is matching to the receiver if, e.g., the software image is intended for the current television brand, model, and version, and the image's software version is higher than the current software version already present at the digital part. Essentially, there is a match if the software is intended for use with, and not already present at, the receiver.

For example, the download time may be expressed as a time of day and a date. If no date is provided directly, this may be interpreted as an indication that the current date applies, or a predetermined date or day of the week can be used. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) may be used. The download time can be hours, days or even months away. The analog part stores the download schedule (block 207), such as in the memory 140, and the control 135 configures the timer unit 160 according to the download time so that it activates the power supply 165 in time to wake up the digital part so that it can download the software at the indicated time. There is no need to do wake up a few minutes before the download time since the new software version for download will be broadcasted cyclically many times, starting at the time which is mentioned in the download schedule. Moreover, because of special organization and indexes, the digital part downloads new software block-by-block using a control check sum for each block and for the whole image as well. The digital part does not need to start downloading from the beginning - it can start downloading from the beginning of any block that is currently broadcasted. Note that the download schedule may indicate multiple possible download dates and times. The timer 160 can then be configured accordingly. If a download is not possible at a given time, e.g., due to the user viewing a television program, a further attempt can be made at the next subsequent time indicated by the schedule. The digital part may also store an identifier, such as a channel number, frequency or other tuner setting, to identify the particular transport stream from which the downloading will take place. A software version number for acceptance and verification parameters is stored as well.

Referring again to block 225, if a matching download schedule is not found, a decision is made at block 235 as to whether software to be downloaded is found in the received digital broadcast signal. If the matching software is found, it is downloaded (block 238) and "flashed" or stored in memory (block 240) immediately. Generally, downloading software includes two steps: downloading the software into memory, and if the download is successful, the downloaded software is flashed or burned into flash memory. The next step, switching to normal standby mode (block 245) can be done only after completing both steps mentioned above. After downloading and flashing, the digital part subsequently-switches to the normal standby mode (block 245), as discussed previously, and reports to the analog part (path 208), after which the analog part depowers the digital part and the signaling application ends (block 250). To obtain a fully functional scheduled download, the analog part should not remove power from the digital part while the searching or downloading is in progress. Instead, the analog part should wait until the digital part informs the analog part that the digital part has gone into the normal standby mode, at which time it is safe to depower the digital part. If software is not found (block 235), the digital part switches directly to the normal standby mode (block 245).

Fig. 3 illustrates a method for waking up the digital part of a hybrid analog-digital television receiver according to the invention. The text in Fig. 3 is as follows: analog part (300), power on (302), active standby notification (304), timer reaches indicated download time? (305), normal standby notification (306), power down (308), wake up power supply to digital part (310), digital part (315), switch to active standby mode (320), load download information (download time and transport stream ID) from memory (325), tune to designated transport stream at designated time to download software (330), download software (333), flash software (335), switch to normal standby mode (340) and end (345).

In the analog part (300), when the timer reaches the indicated download time (block 305), the power supply to the digital part is woken up (310), as indicated by path 302. In response, the signaling application begins again, and the digital part (315) switches to the active standby mode (320), providing a confirmation of its status to the analog part, as indicated by path 304. The digital part then loads the download information from memory (block 325), and tunes to the designated transport stream at the designated time to download the software (block 333) and flash the software (block 335). When the download and flashing of the new software is finished, the digital part switches to the normal standby mode (block 340), and notifies the analog part accordingly, as indicated by path 306. In response, the analog part depowers the digital part, as indicated by path 308, and the signaling application ends (block 345).

During each initialization (initial transition from "no power" to "power present"), which may occur after a power outage, for example, the analog part checks to determine if some download schedule is written into memory 140, and the control 135 configures the timer unit 160 according to the downloaded date and time so that it activates the power supply 165 in time to wake up the digital part so that it can download the software at the indicated date and time. After the timer unit 160 configuration is done, the analog part enters a standby mode. The digital part is not powered on during this step. In practice, other checks and operations can be performed as well by the signaling application. For example, if, during a previous scan for a download schedule, a schedule was found and stored in flash memory, then the stored schedule context information may be used to quickly check if the schedule is still being broadcast in the specified stream. If it is not still being broadcast in the specified stream, this may mean the software is no longer available. The digital part can also check the validity of the schedule, e.g., by confirming that the schedule's end time or expiration date is not due within a certain period of time. If the download schedule has not been found or is not valid anymore, the schedule information in flash memory is cleared, and searching of the digital broadcast signal can be restarted (block 220, Fig. T). A download schedule in the digital broadcast signal may be considered to be invalid or redundant, e.g., if the active standby mode is entered a second time after the download schedule was previously found and stored in flash memory. In a further option, a dialogue may be initiated with the user after the digital part has detected a new software download schedule to obtain the user's consent for the download, e.g., via an interactive menu on the display 170. The user may be informed by the dialogue of any fee for downloading the new software. The download schedule is then sent to the analog part to configure the power on timer 160 only after the user has given consent.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the present invention provides a hybrid television with reduced power consumption. Advantageously, no changes are needed on the broadcaster side since broadcasting of a new software upgrade or download schedule can continue according to existing standards. Moreover, the invention can be implemented with existing receivers by providing changes in software only, e.g., regarding the signaling application, analog television software and the analog-digital communication interface. By introducing two new standby states, the analog part of the hybrid receiver is used as a power controller for the digital part and allows the digital part to be powered down completely. In use, the signaling application in the digital part scans through installed transport streams. This can be done in a standby mode only because viewing of television programs at the same time is not possible. The proposed active standby state is specially designed for this purpose. The digital part of the hybrid receiver does not need a low power mode - in fact, it needs only a few extra minutes of full power in active standby mode to perform a search for new upgrades, and then it can just be powered off completely by the analog part, in a normal standby mode. While there has been shown and described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention not be limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be construed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A hybrid television receiver, comprising: an analog part (130) for receiving an analog broadcast signal; and a digital part (110) for receiving a digital broadcast signal; wherein the analog part is responsive to a user command for: (a) communicating a signal to the digital part to cause the digital part to initiate a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading software, and (b) depowering a display (170) for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

2. The hybrid television receiver of claim 1 , further comprising: an interface (120) between the analog part and the digital part.

3. The hybrid television receiver of claim 1 , wherein: the digital part enters an active standby mode (215) in response to the signal from the analog part; after the search has completed, the digital part reports back to the analog part and enters a normal standby mode (245); and the analog part depowers the digital part responsive to the report back from the digital part.

4. The hybrid television receiver of claim 1, wherein: the analog part depowers the digital part after a predetermined wait period if the analog part does not receive a report back from the digital part following the communicating of the signal.

5. The hybrid television receiver of claim 1 , wherein: during the search, the digital part searches for the software in the received digital broadcast signal for immediate downloading (235, 238, 240).

6. The hybrid television receiver of claim 1 , wherein: during the search, the digital part searches for a matching download schedule (220) that indicates a date and time at which the software can be downloaded from the received digital broadcast signal.

7. The hybrid television receiver of claim 6, wherein: the digital part reports the indicated date and time to the analog part; and the analog part includes a memory for storing the indicated date and time, and a timer (160), responsive to the memory, for waking up a power supply (165) to the digital part in time to allow the digital part to download the software from the received digital broadcast signal at the indicated date and time.

8. The hybrid television receiver of claim 7, wherein: the analog parts reads the indicated date and time stored in the memory following a power outage to the hybrid television receiver.

9. A method for downloading software at a hybrid television receiver having an analog part for receiving an analog broadcast signal, and a digital part for receiving a digital broadcast signal, the method comprising: communicating, responsive to a user command, a signal from the analog part (130) to the digital part (110) to cause the digital part to initiate a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading the software; and also responsive to the user command, depowering a display (170) for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein: the digital part enters an active standby mode (215) in response to the signal from the analog part; after the search has completed, the digital part reports back to the analog part and enters a normal standby mode (245); and the analog part depowers the digital part responsive to the report back from the digital part.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein: the analog part depowers the digital part after a predetermined wait period if the analog part does not receive a report back from the digital part following the communicating of the signal.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising: during the search, searching for the software in the received digital broadcast signal for immediate downloading (235, 238, 240).

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising: during the search, searching for a matching download schedule (220) that indicates a date and a time at which the software can be downloaded from the received digital broadcast signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: reporting the indicated date and time (206) from the digital part to the analog part; storing the indicated date and time in a memory (140) at the analog part (130); and implementing a timer (160) at the analog part, responsive to the storing, for waking up a power supply (165) to the digital part in time to allow the digital part to download the software from the received digital broadcast signal at the indicated date and time.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: reading the indicated date and time stored in the memory at the analog part following a power outage to the hybrid television receiver.

16. An analog part of a television receiver, comprising: means (130, 150) for receiving an analog broadcast signal; and means (130), responsive to a user command, for: (a) communicating a signal to a digital part (110) of the television receiver (100) for receiving a digital broadcast signal, to cause the digital part to initiate a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading software, and (b) depowering a display (170) for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.

17. A digital part of a television receiver, comprising: means (105, 110) for receiving a digital broadcast signal; and means (110) for initiating a search of the received digital broadcast signal for downloading software in response to a signal received from an analog part (130) of the television receiver (100) for receiving an analog broadcast signal; wherein the analog part is responsive to a user command for communicating the signal, and for depowering a display (170) for displaying content from the analog and digital broadcast signals.