Patent ID: 7761897
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: H04B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A digital television broadcast signal receiver connected to a multi-directional antenna having multiple receiving directions for receiving a television broadcast signal by making one of the multiple receiving directions active, the digital television broadcast signal receiver comprising: a receiving direction control signal output unit for outputting, to the multi-directional antenna, a receiving direction control signal to command a receiving direction for receiving the television broadcast signal; a tuner connected to the multi-directional antenna for receiving the television broadcast signal and measuring signal intensity of the received television broadcast signal; a broadcast signal processing unit for subjecting the television broadcast signal received by the tuner to a predetermined signal processing; an image signal output unit for outputting, to a monitor, the television broadcast signal having been subjected to the predetermined signal processing by the broadcast signal processing unit; a memory for temporarily storing the television broadcast signal having been subjected to the predetermined signal processing by the broadcast signal processing unit; a receiving direction determining unit for determining a best receiving direction for each receivable channel using the television broadcast signal stored in the memory; an antenna direction adjustment unit controlled by the receiving direction control signal output unit for adjusting rotational shift of the receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna; and a main controller for controlling respective elements in the digital television broadcast signal receiver; wherein the receiving direction control signal output unit sequentially outputs, to the multi-directional antenna at given time intervals, a receiving direction control signal to sequentially command receiving directions of the multi-directional antenna for omni-directional scanning, wherein the tuner sequentially measures signal intensities of the television broadcast signal in the multiple receiving directions for each of multiple channels, wherein the antenna direction adjustment unit stores, in the memory: the measured signal intensities in the respective receiving directions; a best receiving direction to give a maximum signal intensity for each of the channels; and the maximum signal intensity for the each of the channels in the best receiving direction, wherein when detecting that the signal intensity of a television broadcast signal for one channel received by the tuner is lower than the maximum signal intensity for the received channel stored in the memory, the receiving direction control signal output unit controls the receiving direction of the multi-directional antenna, and wherein when a further receiving direction to give a maximum signal intensity for at least one of the channels newly received by the tuner is different from the receiving direction to give the maximum signal intensity of the same at least one of the channels which is stored in the memory, the antenna direction adjustment unit determines a receiving direction number difference of the multi-directional antenna, in the multiple receiving directions, between the receiving direction and the further receiving direction for the same at least one of the channels, and shifts the receiving direction numbers, stored in the memory, of the multiple receiving directions at one time by the receiving direction number difference so as to electronically renew, at one time, data of the receiving directions and the signal intensities for all the channels stored in the memory.