Abstract:
A television receiving system has a plurality of setup-data including wireless settings, which can be selected by user&#39;s choice the optimum wireless setting for every position where the display is located. This configuration can create a stable signal-receiving environment no matter where the display is located.

Description:
THIS APPLICATION IS A U.S. NATIONAL PHASE APPLICATION OF PCT INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PCT/JP2006/304337. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a television receiving system that can receive and utilize broadcast signals such as television broadcasting via wireless transmission. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-358966 discloses a conventional system that has a tuner and a display disposed separately in which broadcast signals received in the tuner are sent to the display via wireless transmission to show the broadcast signals on the display. 
     The conventional television receiving system has sent the broadcast signals received by a single tuner to a single or a plurality of displays via wireless transmission. Only a single set of configuration parameters has been installed for the wireless transmission, it cannot be said, therefore, that the wireless transmission has always performed in an optimum condition for all displays disposed in different locations. For instance a display located near the tuner can receive broadcast signals correctly, on the other hand the receiving condition in a display located far away from the tuner may be unstable, causing difficulties often in receiving the broadcast signals due to worsened wave conditions or the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The television receiving system of the present invention includes: 
     an antenna to receive broadcast signals, 
     a tuner including; 
     a tuning device to tune the broadcast signals received by the antenna, an encoder to encode the broadcast signals received by the antenna, a first wireless communicator to transmit the broadcast signals encoded by the encoder as wireless signals, and a first controller to control tuning conditions of the tuning device, 
     and 
     a display including; 
     a second wireless communicator to receive the broadcast signals from the first wireless communicator, a decoder to decode the wireless signals received by the second wireless communicator as the broadcast signals, an image display to display the broadcast signals decoded by the decoder as images, an input device to input a user&#39;s commands, a setup-data creator to create setup-data of the tuner according to the input commands, a second storage to store the setup-data created, and a second controller to retrieve the setup-data from the second storage and send it to the first controller via the second wireless communicator and first wireless communicator, 
     wherein the first controller controls tuning condition of the tuning device according to the setup-data sent from the second controller. 
     In the television receiving system of the present invention, the display is provided with a plurality of setup-data including configuration parameters for wireless transmission, so that a user can select a setup-data capable of providing an optimum receiving condition according to the location of the display to send the setup-data to the tuner. This can result in a stable receiving environment no matter where the display is located. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an example of disposition of the tuners and display, when introduced in a home, of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows an example of configuration parameters of the setup-data in tuner  1  included in the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows an example of control-panel provided in the display of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows an example of LED indicator provided in the tuner of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a flowchart on setup-data executed in the display of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a flowchart on setup-data executed in the tuner of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows a block diagram of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  shows a flowchart on location detection executed in the display of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a block diagram of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  shows a flowchart on restoration of wireless communication executed in the display and tuner of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE MARKS 
     
         
           1 ,  13  tuner 
           2 ,  22  display 
           3  setup-data 
           101  first wireless communicator 
           102  tuning device 
           103  encoder 
           104  LED indicator 
           105  first controller 
           106  first storage 
           109  antenna 
           201  second wireless communicator 
           202  decoder 
           203  input device 
           204  setup-data creator 
           205  second storage 
           206  second controller 
           207  location detector 
           209  image display 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Exemplary Embodiment 1 
       FIG. 1  shows an example of disposition of the tuners and display, introduced in a home, of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , tuners  1   a ,  1   b ,  1   c ,  1   d  and  1   e  are disposed respective rooms, totaled five. One display  2  is disposed in the living room. In this case, display  2  communicates by wireless with tuner  1   b , located nearest to it, in the living room. A plurality of displays  2  can be available. 
       FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. The television receiving system comprises tuner  1  and display  2  both connected by wireless. Tuner  1  in  FIG. 2  corresponds to tuner  1   b  in  FIG. 1 . 
     Tuner  1  comprises: first wireless communicator  101 , tuning device  102 , encoder  103 , LED indicator  104 , first controller  105  and antenna  109 . Antenna  109  receives broadcast signals propagated from outside. Tuning device  102  tunes the broadcast signals received by antenna  109 . Encoder  103  encodes the broadcast signals tuned by tuning device  102 . First wireless communicator  101  transmits the broadcast signals encoded by encoder  103  as wireless signals. 
     As mentioned above, the broadcast signals are sent to display  2  as coded wireless signals. Other than controlling the series of processing, first controller  105  controls tuning conditions of tuning device  102 . The tuning conditions differ in the location of tuners  1 . First controller  105  controls communication conditions of first wireless communicator  101 . The communication conditions are controlled according to setup-data stored in display  1  described later. LED indicator  104  shows a location data stored in the setup-data of tuner  1  by lighting LEDs. 
     Display  2  comprises: second wireless communicator  201 , decoder  202 , input device  203 , setup-data creator  204 , second storage  205 , second controller  206  and image display  209 . Second wireless communicator  201  receives wireless signals from first wireless communicator  101  of tuner  1 . Decoder  202  decodes the wireless signals received by second wireless communicator  201  as broadcast signals. Image display  209  shows the broadcast signals decoded by decoder  202  as images. Input device  203  accepts commands input by a user of display  2 . Setup-data creator  204  creates setup-data according to commands input from input device  203 . Second storage  205  stores the setup-data created by setup-data creator  204 . Second controller  206  retrieves setup-data from second storage  205  to send the setup-data to first controller  105  of tuner  1  via second wireless communicator  201  and first wireless communicator  101  of tuner  1 . 
     The setup-data is described next. 
     The setup-data refers to configuration parameters that enable the system to send/receive wireless signals in an optimum condition between tuner  1  and display  2 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an example of configuration parameters of the setup-data to form the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. In  FIG. 3 , the configuration parameters of setup-data  3  include: location data  301 , active wireless channel data  302 , active bandwidth data  303  and transmit/receive power data  304 . Location data  301  shows the position where display  2  is located, for instance dining room, living room, bedroom, study, Japanese-stile room or the like apply. Active wireless channel data  302  shows the wireless channel used for communication between first wireless communicator  101  of tuner  1  and second wireless communicator  201  of display  2 . For instance if there are four wireless channels, channels  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  apply. Active bandwidth data  303  shows the bandwidth actually used in the wireless channel, for instance a case of channel  1  using a wide bandwidth (“WIDE”) and using a narrow bandwidth (STANDARD or hereafter referred to as “STD”) apply. Transmit/receive power data  304  shows the power consumed to transmit/receive signals in the wireless channel. For instance, the transmit/receive powers are thought to be lowered in case of good wireless communication condition (indicated as “LOW”) and to be raised in case of worsened wireless communication condition (shown as “HIGH”). 
       FIG. 4  shows an example of input device  203  provided in display  2  of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. A control-panel screen, which is input device  203 , shows configuration parameters as shown in  FIG. 3 . A touch panel overlies the display screen, so that a user can input setup-data directly on the screen by a fingertip. In  FIG. 4 , the location is installed as the living room, the active wireless channel as channel  1 , the active bandwidth as “WIDE” and the transmit/receive power as “LOW” respectively. The bandwidth affects greatly on image quality, therefore the configuration parameter is titled as “image quality”. The location can be selected by touching the triangle marks on both sides. 
       FIG. 5  shows an example of LED indicator  104  provided on tuner  1  of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. Location data  301 , one of setup-data  3 , is indicated. In  FIG. 5 , LED  2  is lit showing that display  2  is located in the living room. 
     As described above, to show crisp images in display  2  by receiving wireless signals from tuner  1  in an optimum condition, a user can install the optimum setup-data  3  personally. The optimum setup-data installed is sent from display  2  to tuner  1  by wireless. 
     The operation is described next with reference to the flowchart.  FIG. 6  shows the flowchart on setup-data executed in the display of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. When display  2  cannot adapt to the setup-data that has been stored previously (for instance when display  2  has moved to a new location or the like), new setup-data  3  should be installed according to the following procedures: 
     [1] Check whether setup-data  3  of display  2  should be updated or not (S 200 ). If not, exit from the loop and go to step S 206 . 
     [2] If setup-data  3  is to be updated, check whether location data  301  commanded by a user from the control-panel of display  2  should be installed newly or not (S 201 ). If location data  301  of display  2  is not to be installed newly, go to step S 203 . 
     [3] When location data  301  of display  2  is to be installed newly, the user should store the new location data  301  in second storage  205  (S 202 ). 
     [4] Additionally, check whether the configuration parameters on wireless signal control in setup-data  3  should be updated or not (S 203 ). If the configuration parameters on wireless signal control are not updated, go to step S 205 . 
     [5] When the configuration parameters on wireless signal control are updated, the user should store active wireless channel data  302 , active bandwidth data  303  and transmit/receive power data  304  in second storage  205  (S 204 ). 
     [6] Retrieve from second storage  205 : location data  301  stored in step  202 ; and active wireless channel data  302 , active bandwidth data  303 , and transmit/receive power data  304  stored respectively in step  204  (S 205 ). 
     [7] Send all the setup-data retrieved in step  205  to tuner  1  (S 206 ). 
     The setup-data sent to tuner  1  through a series of above processing will be installed in relevant sections by first control  105  of tuner  1 . 
     The operation is described next with reference to the flowchart. 
       FIG. 7  shows a flowchart on the setup-data executed in the tuner of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
     [1] Check whether setup-data  3  in tuner  1  should be updated or not (S 101 ). If not, exit from the loop. 
     [2] If the setup-data is to be updated, check whether location data  301  sent from display  2  has been installed newly or not (S 102 ). If location data  301  has not been newly installed, go to step  104 . 
     [3] If location data  301  sent from display  2  has been installed newly, location data  301  is reflected on LED indicator  104 . For instance, an LED turns on indicating a new location (S 103 ). 
     [4] Additionally, check whether the configuration parameters on wireless signal control in setup-data  3  should be updated or not (S 104 ). If the configuration parameters on wireless signal control are not to be updated, exit from the loop. 
     [5] When the configuration parameters on wireless signal control are updated, first controller  105  will install active wireless channel data  302 , active bandwidth data  303  and transmit/receive power data  304  in relevant sections (S 105 ). 
     By executing the above processing, the television receiving system capable of installing an optimum setting for wireless transmission can be provided using a plurality of setup-data  3  which can be selected to install by a user personally. 
     Exemplary Embodiment 2 
       FIG. 8  shows a block diagram of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention. In  FIG. 8 , the point different from exemplary embodiment 1 shown in  FIG. 2  is that display  22  is provided with location detector  207  to detect the location of display  22 . Monitoring the communication condition of second wireless communicator  201 , location detector  207  detects changes in configuration parameters installed previously as a current data. For instance, power consumption for transmit/receive in second wireless communicator  201 , which is one of the current data, is detected to have become higher than the parameter installed previously. If the detected value is over a predetermined value, location detector  207  sends the result to second controller  206 . In response to this, second controller  206  selects an optimum value for setup-data  3 . 
     The operation is described next with reference to the flowchart. 
       FIG. 9  shows the process flowchart on location detection executed in the display of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention. 
     [1] A detection program is always executed in location detector  207  to detect the location of display  22  (S 301 ). Specifically, an amount of power actually consumed to transmit/receive signals, which is one of current data, is calculated. 
     [2] Retrieve transmit/receive power data  304  installed currently, which is one of setup-data  3  (S 302 ). 
     [3] Compare the amount of retrieved transmit/receive power data  304  with the amount of actual transmit/receive power (S 303 ). If the difference is lower than a predetermined value, exit from the loop. 
     [4] If the difference is higher than the predetermined value, ask the user to update the setup-data installed currently (S 304 ). Specifically, inform the user of the request by changing the indication of control-panel of display  22  (for instance, by flashing the entire indications in  FIG. 4 ). 
     As described above, by providing display  22  with location detector  207  and executing the above processing, users can be informed of the wireless communication condition to reinstall an optimum setup-data immediately. 
     Exemplary Embodiment 3 
       FIG. 10  shows a block diagram of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention. In  FIG. 10 , the point different from exemplary embodiment 1 shown in  FIG. 2  is that tuner  13  is provided with first storage  106 . 
     First storage  106  stores setup-data  3  sent from display  2 . Even after setup-data  3  is updated, previous setup-data  3  remains being not deleted, so that a plurality of setup-data  3  installed in the past can be used also afterward. 
     Specifically, when display  2  loses wireless contact with tuner  13 , display  2  and tuner  13  change setup-data  3 , that have already been stored, each in a different cycle respectively and install just the setup-data  3  permanently at the time when the lost contact is restored and established again. This operation can restore the lost wireless contact automatically. 
     The operation is described next with reference to the flowchart. 
       FIG. 11  shows a program flowchart executed to restore wireless communication in the display and tuner of the television receiving system used in preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention. The program processing shown in  FIG. 11  is executed at the same time in a different cycle in both display  2  and tuner  13 . 
     [1] Check whether display  2  has lost wireless contact with tuner  13  or not (S 401 ). If the wireless contact has not been lost, exit from the loop. 
     [2] If the wireless contact has been lost, display  2  retrieves another setup-data  3  from second storage  205 . Additionally, tuner  13  retrieves another setup-data  3  from first storage  106  (S 402 ). 
     [3] Next, display  2  updates setup-data  3  retrieved from second storage  205  to change settings of relevant sections of display  2 . Similarly, tuner  13  updates setup-data  3  retrieved from first storage  106  to change settings of relevant sections of tuner  13  (S 403 ). 
     [4] Display  2  and tuner  13  respectively check whether the lost communication has been restored or not (S 404 ). If the communication has not restored, return to step S 402  to retrieve still another setup-data  3  (S 405 ). 
     [5] When the communication is established, setup-data  3  used at the time is installed permanently. 
     By allowing display  2  and tuner  13  to perform the above described processing in a different cycle, all combinations for setup-data  3  of display  2  and setup-data  3  of tuner  13  can be checked. If the communication is not established in a given amount of time, processing may be forced to exit from the loop. In this occasion, a message should be shown saying that communication could not be established in display  2 . 
     By executing the above processing, the television receiving system is realized that can restore a lost communication automatically even if display  2  loses wireless contact with tuner  13 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The television receiving system of the present invention can avoid interference on wireless communication caused by harmonic wave possible to occur in BS/CS channel tuning under different conditions within an area capable of communicating by wireless with tuner located in a house, garden or the like. Therefore, the system is useful as the television receiving technology to receive and utilize broadcast signals such as television broadcasting via wireless transmission.