Patent ID: 7805743
Filing Date: 2010-09-28
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A broadcast receiver for receiving television broadcasting transmitted from a plurality of broadcasting stations through respective receiving channels by a smart antenna having directivity switchable between a plurality of predetermined directivity directions, comprising: a control unit for switching the directivity direction of the smart antenna and controlling the broadcast receiver; a memory unit for storing a channel information of the respective receiving channels with a corresponding direction information of directivity directions of the smart antenna capable of receiving the television broadcasting of the respective channels; and a detector unit for detecting receiving states of broadcasting signals of television broadcasting in the respective receiving channels wherein: when any one of the channels stored in the memory is selected, the control unit reads out the direction information of the selected channel from the memory and sets the direction information of the selected channel in the smart antenna; the detector unit continuously detects the receiving state of the broadcasting signal in the selected channel while the selected channel is displayed on a television receiver, and is configured to detect a reduction in a signal intensity below a predetermined level of the receiving state of the television broadcasting in the selected channel in a directivity direction corresponded to the direction information set by the control unit, the control unit configured to not change the directivity direction during a wait time in a case where the reduction in a signal intensity below a predetermined level is detected, and then to confirm whether or not the reduction in a signal intensity below a predetermined level still continues in the directivity direction corresponded to the direction information set by the control unit, when the reduction in a signal intensity below a predetermined level continues the control unit continuously receives the television broadcasting while switching the directivity direction of the smart antenna to determine a directivity direction of the smart antenna, in which the television broadcasting in the selected channel is received with a signal intensity above the predetermined level and, when the directivity direction of the smart antenna is determined, the control unit stores the determined directivity direction in the memory unit as the direction information of the selected channel and sets the direction information of the selected channel in the smart antenna; when a new channel is selected in a state where a directivity direction, in which television broadcasting in the channel is received with the signal intensity above the predetermined level, is not determined, the control unit suspends the switching of the directivity direction, reads out the direction information of a new channel from the memory unit and sets the direction information in the smart antenna; and in switching the directivity direction, the control unit displays, on the television receiver, that the directivity direction is being switched.