Patent ID: 7663704
Filing Date: 2010-02-16
Classification: H01Q,H04N

Abstract:
1. A television turner for control of directivity of an antenna, comprising: a directivity control section that outputs an electric signal to select a directivity of the antenna, the directivity control section includes: plurality of directional antennas coupled with a plurality of phase shifter circuits, with a phase shifter circuit of the plurality of phase shifter circuits controlling a phase shift amount of a signal input from a directional antenna of the plurality of directional antennas and delaying a phase of the signal according to a bias voltage output from the television tuner to control the directivity of the directional antenna for any direction, and for generating a directivity value; a tuner section that receives television broadcast signals in a predetermined band from the antenna and outputs an intermediate frequency (I/F) signal; a signal condition detector section that detects a signal condition of the I/F signal, with the signal condition based on a channel number of a channel and directivity value; if a frequency signal of the I/F signal is a digital frequency signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting a bit error rate; if the frequency signal of the I/F signal is an analog signal, the signal condition is determined by detecting an AGC voltage output; a channel storing section that stores the channel number of the channel and the directivity value of the directional antenna as a channel select data if the signal condition of the I/F signal is commensurate with a predetermined signal condition; if it is determined that the channel select data is stored, a video signal control processing is executed to display an image, after which, it is determined if an auto-scan start command has been input; if it is determined that the channel select data is not stored, it is determined if the auto-scan start command is input; if it is determined that the auto-scan start command is input, the auto scan processing is executed; the auto-scan processing includes: the directivity value of the antenna set to a first directivity value using phase shifter circuits; the tuner section receiving data that corresponds with a first channel number for setting the channel to the first channel number; the signal condition detector section detecting the signal condition of the I/F signal output form the television tuner based on the set channel number and the directivity value; determining if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition; if the detected signal condition is commensurate with the predetermined signal condition, the channel storing section storing the set channel number and the set directivity value as the channel select data, after which, it is determined if the set channel number exceeds a predetermined channel number; if it is determined that the set channel number is less than the predetermined channel number, incrementing the set channel to a higher channel number, and detecting the signal condition based on a newly set channel number; otherwise, determining if the set directivity value is less than a predetermined directivity value; if it is determined that the set directivity value is less than the predetermined directivity value, incrementing the directivity value and resetting the channel to the first channel number.