JPS6239592B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a CATV system, and in particular, when selecting and receiving a specific channel (for example, a paid channel), the selected channel is not immediately received, but the designated procedure channel is first received, thereby preventing harmful effects caused by erroneous operation. be able to.
This article relates to a specific channel image reception method in a CATV system. The CATV system is an extremely advantageous communication method that can transmit multi-channel television programs over cable and allows simultaneous two-way communication. but,
In the case of a specific channel, for example, a channel that conveys pay programs, it may not be desirable to receive the channel immediately after performing a channel selection operation. In this case, it is preferable to display to the viewer, once the specific channel is selected, what kind of content and character the TV program on that channel has, and what kind of content and character it has. This is to prevent unnecessary trouble from occurring after selecting that specific channel. In view of the above-mentioned points, the present invention provides a procedure channel separate from the general TV program channel, and when a specific channel in the TV program, for example, a paid channel, is selected, the receiving circuit of the terminal device first The program will automatically receive the channel of the specified frequency, tell the viewer that there is a charge for that particular channel, and how to proceed to watch it, and if the viewer follows the instructions and performs the procedure, To prevent a receiving circuit from automatically receiving the frequency of the specific channel, allowing the viewer to receive the program that the viewer originally intended to watch, and accidentally receiving the specific channel due to erroneous operation or carelessness. The present invention provides a method for receiving a specific channel in a CATV system. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a terminal device and a television receiver are installed in a hotel guest room, and various programs are broadcast on each television receiver, and various types of two-way data communication are performed at the same time. FIG. 1 shows an outline of the interior of the hotel. Each guest room 2 of the hotel 1 is equipped with a television receiver 3, which is a terminal device. are connected with cable 5. There is a computer room 6 in the hotel 1, and a computer 7 provided here is connected to the center 4 by a data cable 8. Further, a display device 10 is provided at the front desk 9 of the hotel 1, and the computer 7 and the display device 10 are connected by a data cable 11. The center 4 is connected to an antenna 12 provided on the roof of the hotel 1 for receiving commercial television broadcasts. In this system, guests staying in each guest room 2 of a hotel 1 can view and listen to television programs on their respective television receivers 3 by operating the respective television receivers 3. To each television receiver 3, television broadcasts received by an antenna 12 are retransmitted via a cable 5, and unique programs are created and transmitted within a center 4.
When the television receiver 3 is activated, its usage status is transmitted to the center 4 via the cable 5, and its usage time, reception channel, etc. are transmitted to the data cable 8.
The information is stored in the computer 7 by. This computer 7 calculates the usage time of the television set 3,
When checking out, the usage fee is displayed on the display device 10 at the front desk 9 and billed. Further, depending on the receiving channel, in the case of a special program, the usage time of the program is totaled, and a special fee is added and billed separately at the time of checkout. Next, FIG. 2 explains the two-way data communication network in the embodiment of FIG. 1 in more detail. A source group 20 is provided in the center 4, and the source group 20 includes a demodulator 21,
There are a video disc player 22, a video tape recorder 23, a studio 24, etc. The antenna 12 is connected to a demodulator 21. Modulation sending unit 2 receiving signals from this source group 20
5 houses an IF modulator circuit 26 and an up converter circuit 27, and the output of the up converter circuit 27 is connected to the cable 5. Further, a data transmitter 28 and a data receiver 29 are connected to the cable 5, and a data analyzer 30 is connected to the data receiver 29. A portion of the output of the data analyzer 30 is transmitted as an instruction to the data transmitter 28, and a portion of the output is connected to the computer 7 via a data cable 8. Also,
The computer 7 and a display device 10 such as a printer display are connected by a data cable 11. A branch 31 is installed at a predetermined location on the cable 5.
Branch cables 32 are branched from this branch 31 so as to be further segmented, and the terminal end of each branch cable 32 reaches each passenger cabin 2. A terminal device 35 consisting of a television receiver 3, a main box 33, and a control box 34 is installed in each guest room 2, and a branch cable 32 is connected to the main box 33. The television receiver 3 and control box 34 are each connected to a main box 33. FIG. 3 shows the circuit configuration of the terminal device 35. In the main box 33, a duplexer 36, a filter 37, a channel converter 38, and a filter 39 are connected in series. The end of the branch cable 32 is connected, and the output of the filter 39 is connected to the television receiver 3. A downlink data receiver 40 and an uplink data transmitter 41 are connected to the duplexer 36, and a communication control circuit 42 is connected to the downlink data receiver 40 and uplink data transmitter 41. Further, a power cord 43 connected to a commercial power source is connected to the television receiver 3 via a power sensor 44 and a power relay 45 located inside the main box 33.
4. The power relays 45 are each connected to the communication control circuit 4.
It is tied to 2. Also, within the control box 34 are a channel switch 46, a response switch 47, a power switch 48, and a message lamp 49, which are connected to an operation detection circuit 50. The operation detection circuit 50 is interconnected with the communication control circuit 42. FIG. 4 shows the upper part of the control box 34, in which a channel table 51 divided into blocks of 3 rows and 8 columns is provided in the center, and on the left side of the channel table 51 there is a vertical row button 52. There is a horizontal row of row buttons 53 at the bottom of the channel table 51. Each row button 52, column button 53
are made to correspond to each square of the channel table 51, and both buttons 52 and 53 correspond to the channel switch 51. A vertical row of response switches 47 is provided on the right side of the channel table 51, a message lamp 49 is provided above the response switches 47, and a power switch 48 is provided below.
is provided. Note that there are eight row buttons 52, three column buttons 53, and five response switches 47. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. The operation of each part will be explained in order. (1) Sending out video signals from the center 4 The source group 20 simultaneously creates various television programs, and the video signals are sent to the modulation sending unit 25. The television programs generated from this source group 20 include (A) pay programs, (B) guide information programs, and (C)
There is retransmission, which sends the TV signal as it is, and each channel has 8 channels, allowing you to select programs from a total of 24 channels. (A) Paid programs These are new movies, specific programs, etc., such as recorded programs by the video disk player 22 and video tape recorder 23, and live programs produced in the studio 24. When viewing this program, a separate fee is charged depending on the number of times the program is viewed or the viewing time. (B) Information/Information Programs Various information necessary for guests staying in the guest room 2, such as information on the facilities in the hotel, tourist information in the city, timetable guide, weather forecast, traffic information, and news. This is guidance and information that is repeatedly broadcast throughout the day by the video disc player 22 and video tape recorder 23. (C) Rebroadcasting The television radio waves received by the receiving antenna 12 are once demodulated by the demodulator 21 and sent to the modulating and transmitting section 25. In this case, the programs sent from the TV broadcasting station are not processed at all,
It transmits the same image that is received by a regular television receiver. In this way, the television program is sent from the source group to the modulation sending unit 25, modulated by the IF modulator circuit 26, and the modulated signal is sent to the up converter 27 according to the new frequency arrangement in order to rearrange it into each channel. It can be increased to a predetermined frequency. The video signal, which has become a predetermined channel, is then transmitted to the cable 5. As mentioned above, 24 channels of television programs are sent to Cable 5, but in addition to these channels, there are also channels for transmitting information, and we will classify these channels according to their functions.

[Table] A total of 30 channels of video signals are divided as described above and sent from the modulation sending section 25 to three directions of the television receiver, but only general broadcasting can be selected by operating the terminal device 35. This is within the range of 24 channels, and the remaining 6 channels cannot be operated from the terminal device 35 side. (2) Polling from the center 4 The data transmitter 28 in the center 4 transmits data signals to the cable 5 at regular intervals, and grasps the operating status of each terminal device 35. Each terminal device 35 has an individual address number, and the data transmitter 28 issues an individual search signal at regular intervals, calls each terminal device 35 with its individual address number, and performs the search. Sometimes we ask which channel is being received. Therefore, the terminal device 35 outputs a response indicating which channel is being received at that time and sends it to the center 4. For this reason,
Aggregating charges based on usage time and adding charges based on special programs can be done extremely easily and quickly. Furthermore, the data signal from the data transmitter 28 also includes a command signal for operating each terminal device 35, thereby making it possible to remotely control the television receiver 3, which will be described later. (3) Image reception on the television receiver 3 To operate the television receiver 3, start by pressing the power switch 48. This pressing of the power switch 48 is detected by the operation detection circuit 50, and the control signal a is transmitted to the communication control circuit 42, which in turn
A power control signal c is sent to the TV receiver 3, and the power relay 45 is turned on to supply power to the television receiver 3. Whether this power is accurately supplied via the power relay 45 is detected by the power sensor 44, and the operation information signal d is sent to the communication control circuit 42.
It is determined whether the television receiver 3 is operating with certainty by operating the power switch 48. At this time, all control boxes 34 are operated without any operation on the main body of the television receiver 3, and the television receiver 3 is fixed to a specific channel (for example, the second channel). From center 4, cable 5, branch 31,
A video signal is transmitted to a main box 33 via a branch cable 32, and within the main box 33, this video signal passes through a duplexer 36 and a filter 37 and is input to a channel converter 38. The channel converter 38 converts the frequency of the channel to be received into the frequency of a specific channel, and transmits the frequency-converted video signal to the television receiver 3 via the filter 39. Thereby, the television receiver 3 can reproduce the video signal and display the television program. (4) Channel Selection A channel is selected by operating the row button 52 and column button 53 of the control box 34 shown in FIG. That is, one of the row buttons 52 and the column button 5
By pressing one of the three buttons in combination, one of the blocks in the program table 51 can be specified. This operation corresponds to the operation of the channel switch 46 and is detected by the operation detection circuit 50, and its control signal a is transmitted to the communication control circuit 42.
For this purpose, the communication control circuit 42 sends a channel signal h to the tuning voltage generator 54, causes the tuning voltage generator 54 to generate a voltage corresponding to the reception channel, and transmits the tuning voltage i to the channel converter 38. channel converter 38
oscillates its local oscillation frequency in accordance with the tuning voltage i and changes it to the selected channel.
The local oscillation frequency j of the channel converter 38 is fed back to the tuning voltage generator 54, which functions as a PLL circuit to stabilize the frequency. (5) Guidance on how to operate the system As mentioned above, the power switch 48 is turned on to operate the television receiver 3. At this time, even if the channel switch 46 has selected this channel, the guidance/information Channel B
The communication control circuit 42 activates the tuning voltage generator 54 to tune to -1. In this channel B-1, as shown in FIG. 5, guidance on how to use the CATV system is displayed, and instructions on how to operate the control box 34 and broadcast programs are provided. This is to make it easy to understand even for people who are using this CATV system for the first time, and also to prevent incorrect operation. After this B-1 information is displayed, press the row button 5
2. By operating B and C of the row buttons 53, the guide/information program and retransmission program can be freely selected and received. (6) How to receive paid programs Column 53 (A) indicates paid programs;
By combining the row buttons 52, a total of eight channels of paid programs can be received. However, since guests do not necessarily realize that the channel in column (A) is chargeable, it is necessary to make sure that they are aware that ``this channel is chargeable'' when watching a pay program. This is to prevent unnecessary trouble when billing viewing fees. That is, when the above-mentioned operation method guidance in B-1 is completed and one of the row buttons 52 and column switch 53 (A) is pressed to select one of the pay programs, that pay program cannot be received immediately. First, the reconfirmation display shown in FIG. 6 appears. This display is performed by a "procedure channel", and when the operation detection circuit 50 first transmits a control signal a indicating that a pay program has been selected to the communication control circuit 42, the communication control circuit 42 outputs the tuning voltage generator 5.
4 to first operate the channel converter 38 so as to receive the procedural channel.
After confirming that there is a fee, a certain operating procedure is performed to make it clear that the guest wants to receive the image even if it is for a fee. That is, this operating procedure is performed as follows, for example. (b) When a paid channel is selected, a confirmation message appears and the message lamp lights up. (b) The message lamp 49 goes out. (c) Next, press the designated one of the response switches 47. (This operation may be performed by pressing once or twice.) For example, by performing the above operation, the intention to receive the image can be confirmed and the paid channel will be released. That is, the communication control circuit 42 is connected to the operation detection circuit 50.
A confirmation judgment is made based on the data b from , and the tuning voltage generator 54 is controlled to transmit a regular tuning voltage suitable for the pay program channel to the channel converter 38 . From now on, you will start watching paid programs. If the same operation procedure is performed when switching from the pay program being received to another pay program, it will be possible to accurately confirm that the program is paid. (7) Operation of spot channel A spot channel is a channel that transmits specific information about all or a specific part of the television receiver 3. For example, if a fire breaks out, it is necessary to notify all the guests. In this case, if a display like that shown in FIG. 7 is displayed, the guests can see through the television receiver 3 that there is a fire. First, when transmitting this information, the data transmitter 28 of the center 4 transmits downstream data that transmits spot information to the main box 33.
This downlink data signal passes through the duplexer 36 and the downlink data receiver 40, becomes the downlink data g, and is input to the communication control circuit 42. When the downlink data g is input, the communication control circuit 42 outputs the tuning voltage generator 54. A control signal h is transmitted to the channel converter 38 to input a tuning voltage i corresponding to the frequency of the spot channel to the channel converter 38. Therefore, the television receiver 3 that was receiving images on another channel is forcibly switched to receiving images on the spot channel. Further, when the television receiver 3 is not operating, the communication control circuit 42 is connected to the power relay 45.
A control signal c is issued to force the television receivers 3 to operate, and the information shown in FIG. 7 is transmitted through all the television receivers 3. Next, there are cases where it is desired to transmit spot information only to a specific person among the guests. For example, when traveling in a group, it may be necessary to convey specific information, such as the message shown in FIG. 8, only to the members of the group. In this case, since the guest room 2 of the guest is specified and can be easily known, the data transmitter 28
sends the address number of the terminal device 35 in addition to the downlink data signal. Therefore, only the terminal device 35 with that address number operates, and the information shown in FIG. 8 can be forcibly transmitted only to that group 12. (8) Response to the spot channel As described above, all or a specific terminal device 35 is forced to operate to receive the spot channel and various information is transmitted, but it is unclear whether the guest actually received the information or not. There are times when you need to know what is going on. in this case,
Data is transmitted from the center 4 to the terminal device 35 by including data requesting a response in the downlink data signal. This downlink data signal enters the communication control circuit 42 from the downlink data receiver 40, and the communication control circuit 42 prepares for a response. That is, the data signal b is input to the operation detection circuit 50, which lights up the message lamp 49 to indicate that a response is ready, and also causes the guest to receive an image on the television indicating that a specific response switch 47 is to be activated. Machine 3 displays. When the designated response switch 47 is operated, the operation is detected by the operation detection circuit 50 and transmitted to the communication control circuit 42 as a data signal b. When the response switch 47 is operated and the communication control circuit 42 confirms that the information has been received, the communication control circuit 42 transmits the data f and the control signal e to the upstream data transmitter 41, and the upstream data transmitter 41 transmits the upstream data signal. Sends out to the center in 4 directions. These uplink data signals also include an address number unique to the terminal device 35, and these uplink data signals are received by the data receiver 29, and their contents are analyzed by the data analyzer 30. 35 determines whether the information acceptance confirmation operation has been performed. This result can be immediately displayed on the display device 10 via the computer 7, and it is easy to know which terminal device 35 was used to confirm the result. After this,
If the information is directly transmitted via a person to the guest room 2 where the terminal device 35 that has not confirmed that it has received the message or information, it will be perfect. Incidentally, at the same time as the above-mentioned response button 47 is operated, the communication control circuit 42 transmits a signal h to the tuning voltage generator 54, transmits the tuning voltage i of the channel that has been viewed to the channel converter 38, and returns the original received image. channel. This makes it possible to continuously receive the same television program except for the period during which information is being transmitted. Further, when the television receiver 3 is being forced to operate, the power relay 45 is turned off to stop the operation of the television receiver 3. (9) Special Channel Image Reception As mentioned above, the modulation sending section 25 sends out four channels of special channel programs.
However, this channel is not displayed in the channel table 51 shown in FIG. 4, and no matter how the channel switch 46 is operated, this special channel cannot be received. To receive this special channel, a special command from the data transmitter 28 of the center 4 is required. That is, data indicating that the special channel may be received must be added to the downlink data signal sent from the data transmitter 28. As mentioned above, each terminal device 3
5 has a unique address number, it is possible to use this address number to send data to a specific terminal device 35 indicating that it may receive a special channel. In the terminal device 35 which receives the image reception command data, its communication control circuit 42 is activated to output a signal h to the tuning voltage generator 54 so that when a specific channel is selected by the channel switch 46, the special channel can be received. That is, when a specific channel specified in advance on the channel table 51, for example, B-8, is selected, the terminal device 35 does not receive the program on the regular B-8, but receives a special channel instead. In other words, the terminal device 35 to which the image reception command was issued
When channel B-8 is selected, the communication control circuit 42 controls the tuning voltage generator 54 to tune to the frequency of the special channel. (Accordingly, the terminal device 35 that can receive the special channel will not be able to receive one of the television programs in the channel table 51.) The special channels include rental channels and business channels. First, let me explain about the rental channel.This channel can be rented out for a fee in chunks of time.For example, you can watch academic conferences, lectures, weddings, various events, etc. in the guest room 2. . For this reason, a video signal is sent from a studio, a banquet hall, etc. by a television camera to the modulation and sending section 25, where it is modulated to the frequency of a special channel and sent in the direction of the terminal device 35. In the guest room 2 where the preset terminal device 35 is installed, the video of the special channel can be received. When the rental time of the rental channel has elapsed, the data transmitter 28 issues a command to cancel reception of the special channel together with the address number, and erases the memory of switching to the special channel in the communication control circuit 42. After this, the terminal device 35 can no longer receive the rental channel. Further, the business channel is used to individually convey information and instructions to hotel executives, employees, etc., and is used, for example, when it is desired to convey the information shown in FIG. 9 to employees, etc. In this case, there is an advantage in that the television receiver 3 installed in a place other than the guest room 2 can be used to transmit information without it being known to anyone other than the employees. (10) Response on special channel As mentioned above, it is possible to receive an image on a special channel by instructing a specific terminal device 35.
This special channel may require a response from the viewer. For example, in the business channel shown in FIG. 9, it may be necessary to confirm whether or not employees in each department have received information. In this case, the data transmitter 28 polls each terminal device 35 to search whether or not the response button 47 has been operated. The results can be immediately seen on the display device 10 via the data receiver 29, data analyzer 30, and computer 7. FIG. 10 is an example in which a pattern is displayed in which store owners from all over the country are invited to a guest room, a new product review meeting is held, and responses are requested using a rental channel. This allows the reactions and intentions of viewers to be easily aggregated. (11) Turning off the power to the television receiver As mentioned above, when the power switch 48 is operated, the television receiver 3 starts operating, but if the guest goes out or falls asleep, the television receiver 3 remains on. It may become. In this case, it is not preferable for the television receiver 3 to continue operating even after all the television programs have been broadcast from the viewpoint of energy conservation. For this reason, after the broadcast ends, the data transmitter 28 sends data containing a command to turn off the power to all the terminal devices 35. This data is input to the communication control circuit 42 via the downlink data receiver 40, and the communication control circuit 42 analyzes this downlink data and sends the power control signal c to the power relay 45.
to turn off the power relay 45. Therefore, power is not supplied to the television receiver 3 and the operation can be forcibly stopped. (12) Periodic power cutoff of TV receivers As mentioned above, it is possible to cut off the power to all TV receivers 3 at once after the TV program broadcast ends, but it is also possible to cut off the power to the TV receivers 3 even during the TV program broadcast. There are times when it is necessary to do so. This is because when Guest Room 2 is vacant or the guest is away, someone other than the guest may enter Guest Room 2 and turn on TV receiver 3 to watch paid programs without permission. be. Therefore, a power-off downlink data signal containing the address number of the specific terminal device 35 is sent from the data transmitter 28 toward the terminal device 35 . The downstream data signal for commanding power-off is periodically generated at short intervals, for example, several tens of seconds or several minutes. Therefore, the terminal device 3 of the specified address number
5, that is, in the terminal device 35 in the guest room 2 that is vacant or absent, the communication control circuit 42 analyzes the downlink data signal and periodically disconnects the power relay 45. In this terminal device 35, even if the power switch 48 is operated to operate the television receiver 3, the power is periodically cut off to prevent continuous viewing, thereby preventing unauthorized viewing and free viewing. In addition, when a guest enters a vacant room or returns from going out, the data transmitter 28
The downlink data signal of the room 2 is changed, the address number of the terminal device 35 in the guest room 2 is deleted, and the television receiver 3 can be used normally in the guest room 2. (13) Aggregation of Fees As described above, video signals are sent from the center 4 to each terminal device 35, and television programs can be viewed on each television receiver 3. The usage status of each terminal device 35 is ascertained through polling performed periodically by the data transmitter 28.
That is, the communication control circuit 42 is individually activated with the downlink data signal containing the address number from the data transmitter 28, and the usage status of the terminal device 35 at the time of the search is inquired. Terminal device 35
The response regarding the usage status of the uplink data signal f
From the upstream data transmitter 41 to the center 4
sent to. The upstream data signal is received by the upstream data receiver 29, the data is analyzed by the data analyzer 30, and the usage status is stored in the computer 7. Therefore, the individual usage time, paid program viewing time, number of times, etc. for each terminal device 35 can be immediately aggregated as needed, and displayed on the display device 10 when checking out of the hotel 1, etc., and can be used for billing, settlement, etc. can be done very easily. In this embodiment, a CATV system installed in a hotel 1 has been described, but this embodiment is not limited to this embodiment, and can be implemented in any place where a large number of television receivers are used simultaneously, such as a large-scale housing complex, building, or school. . Since the present invention is configured as described above, when receiving a preset specific TV program channel (for example, a pay channel), first the procedure channel is received to fully understand the specific channel, and then the predetermined By having the operator perform the operation procedure, the intention to receive a specific channel can be clearly confirmed, and then the selected specific channel can be received, and there is no possibility of receiving a specific channel due to erroneous operation or carelessness, and it is useless. troubles can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hotel, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the same as above, Fig. 3 is a block diagram explaining the terminal device in detail, and Fig. 4 is a control box. Fig. 5 is a display example showing how to use the system.
Figure 6 is a display example of a procedure channel that is received when a pay program is selected, Figures 7 and 8 are display examples of a spot channel that is forced to be viewed, and Figure 9 is a display example of a procedure channel that is received when a pay program is selected.
Figures 1 and 10 are examples of displays when a special channel is received.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 One center and many terminal devices are connected with cables, and various television programs are transmitted from the center to the television receivers installed in each terminal device.
In a CATV system, a procedure channel is provided separately from channels for various TV programs transmitted from the center to each terminal device, and when a terminal device selects a channel for a specific TV program, it does not receive the channel and first receives the procedure channel. A method for receiving a specific channel in a CATV system, in which a channel of a selected TV program can be received by receiving the TV program and then going through a predetermined operation procedure.