JP2007135221A - Program receiving method, program receiving apparatus and information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

When receiving a broadcast program using a portable program receiving device, a radio wave radiated from another relay station from a radio wave radiable area radiated from a certain broadcast station or relay station A program receiving method is proposed in which a broadcast program can be continuously received even when moving to.
A program receiving method for a program receiving apparatus for receiving a program, the position information acquiring step for acquiring position information which is information indicating the position of the program receiving apparatus, and a program for receiving a program identifier for identifying a program Channel for determining a channel number to be selected based on the identifier receiving step, the stored program information for each region, the position information acquired in the position information acquiring step, and the program identifier received in the program identifier receiving step A program receiving method comprising a determining step and a program receiving step for receiving a program of the channel identified by the channel number determined in the channel determining step is adopted.
[Selection] Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to transmission / reception of programs.

  As is well known, in recent years, information communication-related technologies have advanced so much that portable information terminals have been steadily reduced in size, weight and performance. In addition, digitalization of transmission signals for satellite broadcasting and terrestrial broadcasting is being realized. These technological innovations are expected to allow TV broadcasts and the like to be viewed using portable information terminals such as mobile phones.

  By the way, since terrestrial broadcasting has its transmission and reception performance influenced by topographical conditions such as topography, relay stations that relay radio waves are installed in various places in order to spread the broadcast signal to every corner of the broadcast target area. It is common to provide it. However, if transmission is performed on the same channel from all the relay stations provided in various places, radio waves on the same channel may arrive from different broadcasting stations or relay stations depending on the area. Will occur. Therefore, radio waves are transmitted by assigning different channels to each relay station and broadcast station according to the location so that radio wave interference does not occur.

  Although it is possible to prevent the occurrence of interference as described above, such a broadcasting system is contrary to portable mobility, which is a basic property of portable information terminals. That is, when a user is watching a terrestrial broadcast program on a portable information terminal while moving, the radio wave is radiated from another relay station from a radio wave receivable area from one broadcast station or relay station. When changing to a radio wave receivable area, the transmission / reception channel changes, so the reception of the broadcast is interrupted. In order to continue to watch the program, it is necessary to switch the reception channel one by one, and the user is forced to perform complicated work.

  In addition, many people do not know the TV and radio reception channels in the area they visit for the first time, or miss the target program because the timetable of the broadcast program differs from area to area. Is to experience.

  In order to solve the above problems, a program receiving method according to the present invention includes a position information acquiring step for acquiring position information, which is information indicating the position of a program receiving device, and a program identifier receiving step for receiving a program identifier for identifying a program. A channel determination step for determining a channel number to be selected based on the program information for each stored region, the position information acquired in the position information acquisition step, and the program identifier received in the program identifier reception step; And a program receiving step of receiving a program of the channel identified by the channel number determined in the channel determining step. Here, the “position information” refers to information for displaying the current position of the program receiving apparatus, and examples thereof include latitude / longitude, prefectures, municipalities, and the like. “Program identifier” refers to an identifier for designating a broadcast program to be viewed. A program name, a G code, etc., a program genre, program attributes such as performers, and combinations thereof can all be program identifiers. By adopting such a program receiving method, it becomes possible to automatically tune the receiving channel without bothering the user according to the current position of the user carrying the program receiving apparatus. Then, even if the user does not know in advance the reception channel number and broadcast date and time of the program desired to be viewed, the program can be received and viewed. In addition, even when moving between regions and the reception channel of the broadcast program changes, the broadcast program can be continuously received.

  Programs that can be received by the program receiving method according to the present invention are not limited to general television broadcast and radio broadcast programs. Needless to say, broadcast programs such as teletext, data broadcasting, and the like can be received. That is, the “program” targeted by the present invention refers to data that is partly or wholly transmitted and received on a certain channel.

  A program receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information, a position information transmission unit that transmits the position information, and program information reception that receives program information corresponding to the transmitted position information. And a program information unit for receiving a program based on the program information received by the program information receiving unit. Here, the “program information” includes at least a reception channel number for receiving a broadcast program that the user desires to view.

  Furthermore, if the program receiving apparatus includes a program storage unit that stores the program received by the program receiving unit, the received program can be stored. Alternatively, data buffering can be used to suppress the disturbance of video and audio when viewing a broadcast program, or it can be used to receive a storage-type broadcast service.

  On the other hand, an information processing apparatus that provides program information to a program receiving apparatus includes a position information receiving unit that receives position information transmitted by the program receiving apparatus, a region identifier that identifies a region, and one or more program information. A program information storage unit that stores information in pairs, and a regional position correspondence storage unit that stores regional position information in which a regional identifier and one or more positional information that identifies the region identified by the regional identifier are paired A region identifier determining unit that determines a region identifier based on the location information received by the location information receiving unit and the region location information stored in the region location correspondence storage unit, and the region determined by the region identifier determination unit A program information acquisition unit that acquires program guide information that is paired with an identifier from the program information storage unit, and a program information transmission unit that transmits the program guide information acquired by the program information acquisition unit to the program receiving device It shall be equipped with. The program information acquired by the program receiving device may be appropriately transmitted to the information processing device as necessary, and may be received by the position information receiving unit. It is good also as what requests | requires transmission of a positional information by working actively.

  In order to allow a user to reserve viewing of a program, an information processing apparatus that provides program information to a program receiving apparatus includes a position information receiving unit that receives position information transmitted by the program receiving apparatus, A program reservation information storage unit storing reservation information having a program identifier, a program information storage unit storing a region identifier for identifying a region and program guide information having one or more pieces of program information, and a region identifier And an area position correspondence storage section storing area position information in which one or more position information specifying the area identified by the area identifier is paired, the position information received by the position information receiving section, and the area position A region identifier determination unit that determines a region identifier based on the region location information stored in the information correspondence storage unit, and a program guide information paired with the region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit. A program information acquisition unit for acquiring program information about the program identified by the program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit from the program information storage unit; and the program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit as the program What is necessary is just to comprise the program information transmission part transmitted to a receiver.

  Further, the program information storage unit also stores information about the relationship between regions identified by region identifiers, and the program information acquisition unit is constant with the region identified by the region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit. The program guide information or program information that is paired with the region identifier for identifying the region having the relationship is also acquired, and the program information transmission unit receives the program guide information or program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit. By configuring the information processing apparatus to transmit to the apparatus, even when a user carrying the program receiving apparatus moves between regions, the program can receive appropriate program information from the information processing apparatus, and broadcast You can watch the program.

  The location information receiving unit further receives a plurality of location information, and further includes a movement direction determination unit that determines a movement direction of the program reception device based on the plurality of location information. However, if the area is in the movement direction determined by the movement direction determination unit, program information on the area predicted to enter the future by determining the movement direction of the user carrying the program receiving apparatus is received in advance. The program can be transmitted to the apparatus, and the program receiving system is more convenient for the user.

  In some cases, it may not be possible to predict in which region the user exists at the start of broadcasting of the broadcast program that the user wants to view. In addition, the end time of a baseball game relay program or the like may change during the program broadcast, and the program immediately after that may be broadcast at a reduced time. The reservation information or the program information also includes start time information that is information about the start time of the program, and the program information transmission unit of the information processing apparatus described above is based on the start time of the program information to be transmitted. If the transmission time determining means for determining the time for transmitting the program information and the information transmitting means for transmitting the program information at the time determined by the transmission time determining means are provided, these situations can be dealt with. .

  As one aspect of transmission of program information by the information processing apparatus, there is an aspect in which the program information transmission unit transmits the program information within a predetermined time when the position information reception unit receives the position information.

  According to the above description, it was the role played by the information processing apparatus to determine the region identifier from the position information, but the current region identifier storage unit storing the region identifier for identifying the current region, An area position correspondence storage unit storing area position information in which an identifier and one or more position information specifying the area identified by the area identifier are paired; the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; and the area A region identifier determining unit that determines a region identifier based on the region position information stored in the position correspondence storage unit, a region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit, and a region identifier stored in the current region identifier storage unit An area identifier comparing unit for comparing the position information and the position information transmitting unit based on a comparison result in the area identifier comparing unit. Rui constitute a program receiver to transmit a local identifier, on the side of the program reception apparatus may determine an area in which the user is currently present.

  A program reservation information storage unit storing reservation information having a program identifier, a program information storage unit storing a pair of a program identifier having a region identifier for identifying a region and one or more program information, and the program A program information acquisition unit that acquires program information of all regions for the program identified by the program identifier stored in the reservation information storage unit from the program information storage unit, and all programs acquired by the program information acquisition unit If the information processing apparatus is configured to include a program information transmission unit that transmits information, it becomes possible for the user to view the program regardless of in which region the program is broadcast. .

  Of course, the program information acquisition unit related to the above-described information processing apparatus has the program guide information paired with all the area identifiers and is identified by the program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit. Even if it is configured to acquire the program information about the program from the program information storage unit, it is possible for the user to view the program regardless of where it exists at the start of broadcasting the program. Become.

  The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects. That is, by adopting the program receiving method according to the present invention, the reception channel can be automatically tuned without bothering the user according to the current position of the user carrying the program receiving apparatus. It becomes possible. Then, even if the user does not know in advance the reception channel number and broadcast date and time of the program desired to be viewed, the program can be received and viewed. In addition, even when moving between regions and the reception channel of the broadcast program changes, the broadcast program can be continuously received.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system for implementing a program receiving method according to the present invention. This system is established by the presence of three parties: a program receiving device 1, an information processing device 2, and a broadcast station 3 that is a broadcast program provider. The broadcasting station 3 mentioned here includes the concept of both a base station and a relay station.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the program receiving device 1 includes a CPU 1a, a main storage device 1b (RAM, ROM), a wireless communication device 1c, a program receiving tuner 1d, a display 1e, an audio output device 1f, an external input device 1g, and an auxiliary storage. The portable information terminal includes the device 1h and the like, and a program to be executed by the CPU 1a is stored in the main storage device 1b or the auxiliary storage device 1h. The wireless communication device 1c has a function of transmitting / receiving a transmission signal and a reception signal of a predetermined frequency band and a modulation / demodulation function in order to exchange information. And these cooperate, and as shown in FIG. 3, the positional information acquisition part 11, the positional information transmission part 12, the program information receiving part 13, the program receiving part 14, the program storage part 15, the program information storage part 16, a program It plays a role as the identifier receiving unit 17.

  The position information acquisition unit 11 works to acquire the position information LI. The position information LI is information for indicating the current position of the program receiving apparatus 1 and can include, for example, latitude / longitude, prefectures, municipalities, and the like. As a method for specifying the current position of the program receiving device 1, a method of applying a trigonometry method by measuring the distance from the program receiving device 1 to two fixed points as in an existing mobile phone system, a global positioning system ( Applications of GPS technology and others are conceivable. Since the present invention relates to a broadcast program receiving method, the position information LI does not necessarily have high accuracy.

  The location information transmission unit 12 has a function of transmitting the location information LI acquired by the location information acquisition unit 11 to the information processing device 2 by using the function of the wireless communication device 1c. It also has a function of transmitting the received program identifier to the information processing apparatus 2.

  The program information receiving unit 13 receives program information or program guide information transmitted from the information terminal device 2 using the function of the wireless communication device 1c. The program information is information for allowing the program receiving tuner 1d to receive a broadcast program that the user desires to view, and includes at least information about the reception channel number. Further, the program guide information is information composed of two or more pieces of program information.

  The program receiving unit 14 functions to receive a broadcast program using the function of the program receiving tuner 1d based on the program information or the program guide information, and provide it to the user through the display 1e and the audio output device 1f.

  The program storage unit 15 functions to store the received program. The program storage unit 15 controls the main storage device 1b (RAM) or the auxiliary storage device 1h such as a memory card when storing the received program.

  The program information storage unit 16 stores program information or program guide information sent from the information processing apparatus 2. The program information storage unit 16 may use the main storage device 1b or may use the auxiliary storage device 1h.

  The program identifier receiving unit 17 serves to receive an input of a program identifier for designating a broadcast program that the user desires to view via the external input device 1g. The input of the program identifier by the user is performed before provision of program information for reserving a program desired to be viewed, and is performed for selecting a program to be viewed based on already provided program guide information. There are cases.

  The information processing apparatus 2 is intended to provide appropriate program information to the program receiving apparatus according to the current position of the program receiving apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 4, a CPU 2a, a main storage device 2b, a modem 2c, an interface 2d, an auxiliary storage device 2e, etc. are provided and have at least a normal information processing terminal function. The main storage device 2b or the auxiliary storage device 2e A program to be executed by the CPU 2a is stored. And these cooperate, and as shown in FIG. 5, the position information receiving part 21, the program information storage part 22, the area position corresponding | compatible storage part 23, the area identifier determination part 24, the program information acquisition part 25, and the program of this invention It plays the role of the information transmission part 26, the program reservation information storage part 27, and the moving direction judgment part 28.

  The position information receiving unit 21 has a receiving function capable of receiving the position information LI transmitted from the program receiving apparatus 1 using the modem 2 c and the interface 2. Although the position information LI is transmitted wirelessly, a relay station is interposed between the program receiving apparatus 1 and the information processing apparatus 2, and the position information LI received by the relay station is processed via the communication line. The system may be configured to be sent to the device 2.

  The program information storage unit 22 stores program information related to programs broadcast on each channel in each region.

  The regional position correspondence storage unit 23 is identified by the regional identifier AD so as to associate the positional information LI related to the current position of the program receiving device 1 with the regional identifier AD that identifies the region where the program receiving device 1 exists. The local location information which paired 1 or more location information LI for specifying an area is stored. The region mentioned here is a certain region in which the same program can be received without any trouble on the same reception channel, and is identified by the region identifier AD. Note that the position information LI and the area identifier AD are not prevented from being the same. The program information storage unit 22 and the regional position correspondence storage unit 23 are usually configured by an auxiliary storage device 2e such as a hard disk drive.

The area identifier determination unit 24 determines the area where the program receiving apparatus 1 exists from the position information LI sent from the program receiving apparatus 1 based on the area position information stored in the area position correspondence storage unit 23. The area identifier AD for displaying is determined.
The program information acquisition unit 25 selectively acquires appropriate program information to be transmitted from the program information storage unit 23 to the program receiving device 1. When acquiring the program information, the program information corresponding to the area identifier AD determined by the area identifier determination unit 24 is selected, and the program identifier transmitted from the program receiving apparatus 1 or the program reservation information storage unit 27 described below is selected. The program information can be acquired based on the stored program reservation information.

  The program information transmitting unit 26 transmits the program information or program guide information acquired by the program information acquiring unit 25 to the program receiving device 1. The program information is also delivered to the program receiving device 1 by wireless transmission. However, a relay station is interposed between the program receiving device 1 and the information processing device 2 to communicate from the information processing device 2 to the relay station. The system may be configured such that program information is sent via a line and wirelessly transmitted from the relay station to the program receiving device.

  The program reservation information storage unit 27 stores reservation information. The reservation information includes a program identifier for a program that the user has reserved for viewing. The reservation information is usually input by the user to the program receiving device 1 using the external input device 1g and transmitted from the program receiving device 1 to the information processing device 2. However, when the program receiving apparatus 1 also has a network connection function, the program receiving apparatus 1 may be transmitted to the information processing apparatus 2 via a communication line, and reservation information other than the program receiving apparatus 1 may be used. May come from.

  The movement direction determination unit 28 is for determining the movement direction of the program reception device 1 based on a plurality of position information LI received in time series by the position information reception unit 21. When the position information LI is relatively detailed such as latitude / longitude, the moving direction can be determined from the difference between the two pieces of position information LI. Since the present invention relates to a program receiving method, the moving direction may be determined macroscopically by using, for example, three or more pieces of position information LI. Incidentally, the movement direction determination unit 28 is not necessarily provided in the information processing apparatus 2.

Note that the program information storage unit 22 also stores information about the relationship between regions identified by the region identifier AD, and the program information acquisition unit 25 is identified by the region identifier AD determined by the region identifier determination unit 24. Program table information or program information that is paired with a region identifier AD that identifies a region that has a certain relationship with a certain region, in particular, a region that exists in the moving direction of the program receiving device 1 determined by the moving direction determination unit 28 is also acquired. You may make it do. Of course, there may be a plurality of regions having a certain relationship with the region identified by the region identifier AD determined by the region identifier determination unit 24.
As an example of the arrangement of the information processing apparatus 2, when providing program information to the program receiving apparatus 1, a plurality of information processing apparatuses 2 are networked so that existing mobile phone systems have relay stations in various places. It is conceivable to arrange them. The information processing apparatus 2 and the broadcast program provider side exchange program information as appropriate, and store the latest program guide information in the program information storage unit 22 so that the broadcast program can be extended. It is desirable to be able to cope with changes and others.

  Next, examples of the present invention will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 6, a situation is assumed in which there are four regions A, B, C, and X. An ellipse A that defines the area A is a range in which a broadcast program transmitted from the base station group 3A can be received without hindrance. An ellipse B that defines the region B is a range in which a broadcast program transmitted from the relay station 3B can be received without hindrance. This relay station 3B is for relaying radio waves transmitted from the base station group 3A. The ellipse C that defines the area C is a range in which a broadcast program transmitted from the TV tower 3C can be received without any trouble, but the broadcast program is provided to the area C in a base that is separate from the base station group 3A. A station group. An ellipse X that defines the region X is a range that can receive not only broadcast programs transmitted from the base station group 3A but also broadcast programs transmitted from the base station 3X. The base station 3X is a broadcasting station whose policy is to provide a program closely related to the region X, and in a region other than the region X, the program produced by this broadcasting station cannot be viewed. And the user of the program receiver 1 shall view a broadcast program, moving between these four areas.

  7 to 9 show time tables of television broadcast programs broadcast in each region. FIG. 7 is a time table of programs broadcast in the region X, FIG. 8 is the region B, and FIG. Channels ChA1 and ChB1, and channels ChA2 and ChB2 broadcast programs having the same contents in exactly the same time table except that the receiving channel numbers are different. The channel ChX can be received only within the region X, and the channel ChX cannot be received at a point within the region A but outside the region X. Further, the channel ChC1 and the channel ChC2 may be broadcasting the same program as the programs broadcast on the channel ChA1 and the channel ChA2, respectively, or may be broadcasting different programs.

  FIG. 10 illustrates a part of the program guide information stored in the program information storage unit 22 of the information processing apparatus 2 under the above situation. This program guide information focuses on programs broadcast at 8 o'clock in the evening, and corresponds to the display of programs at 8 o'clock in the evening on the time tables of FIGS. Needless to say. Individual program information that is a constituent element of the program guide information includes a program unique identifier UD, a program content identifier PD, a region identifier AD, a channel number CN, a program start time ST, a program end time ET, a title TI, a genre GR, and a G code. It consists of data records such as GC. The program unique identifier UD is attached to each program information so as to be single and unique. The program content identifier PD is used to identify the content of the program. Even when the reception channel number CN and the broadcast date and time differ due to the difference in area, the same identifier is assigned if the program content is the same. The As an example, the program 4a, the program 4e, and the program 4h are broadcast on different channels in different regions, but the contents are exactly the same, and the same program content identifier P1 is attached. It is. The area identifier AD indicates an area where the program can be received. The channel number CN, program start time ST, and program end time ET have literal meanings. The title TI and the genre GR are program attributes relating to the contents of the program, and are used when a user searches for a broadcast program. The G code GC is obtained by encrypting the reception channel number, the broadcast date, the program start time, and the length of the program broadcast time. Then, one or a combination of two or more data record items included in the program information is used as a program identifier. That is, the program content identifier PD may be used as the program identifier, and for example, a combination of the area identifier AD and the genre GR may be used as the program identifier in order to specify a plurality of programs. Which item is used as a program identifier depends on how the intention is displayed regarding the program that the user wants to view. Note that the data record items are merely examples. Thus, for example, the program information may further include a baseball game match card, a drama performer, and other program attributes.

  The information notification method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the program receiving apparatus 1 performs step S1 of receiving a program identifier input for designating a broadcast program that the user desires to view. The program identifier input by the user in step S1 may be a program content identifier PD for designating a specific broadcast program. For example, a program broadcast start time ST is designated for designating a plurality of broadcast programs. It may be a program or a program genre GR. By specifying the area identifier AD, the information processing apparatus 2 may be requested to provide program guide information regarding all programs that can be viewed in the area, and furthermore, when the program identifier is not specified. May request program guide information of all programs that can be viewed in the current location. This step S1 is performed for the purpose of reserving reception of a broadcast program, or for the purpose of acquiring program guide information so that a user can select a broadcast program to be viewed, just by looking at the television column of a newspaper. Is done. The program identifier received by the program receiving device 1 is transmitted to the information processing device 2 (step S2), and the program identifier received by the information processing device 2 (step S3) is stored in the program reservation information storage unit 27 ( Step S4).

Next, step S5 for obtaining position information LI related to the current position of the program receiving apparatus 1 is performed. The acquired position information LI is also transmitted to the information processing apparatus (step S6). In step S6, the position information LI may be appropriately transmitted from the program receiving apparatus 1 side as needed, and the information processing apparatus 2 may receive the position information LI. The program receiving apparatus 1 may receive information from the information processing apparatus 2 side. The transmission of the position information LI may be requested actively.
Note that the position information acquisition step S5 and the position information transmission step S6 may be performed independently of other operations executed in the program reception device 1 and the information processing device 2, and in this case, are repeated at regular time intervals. May be implemented.

  In the information processing apparatus 2, the area identifier AD is determined based on the acquired position information LI (step S7) and the area position information held by the information processing apparatus 2 (step S8). This means that the area where the program receiving apparatus 1 currently exists is specified.

  An example of how the area identifier AD is determined in the area identifier determination step S8 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that the position information LI indicating the current position of the program receiving device 1 is latitude / longitude. At this time, the regional position correspondence storage unit 23 stores the regional position information as shown in FIG. In other words, the regional position information is a pair of the regional identifier AD and one or more pieces of positional information LI. In FIG. 12, the area A is defined as the inside of the polygon formed by the fixed points A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6. In FIG. 13, the area identifier AD for identifying the area A and the fixed points A1, A2, A3 , A4, A5, and A6 position information LI are paired to form regional position information. It goes without saying that the regional position information is similarly configured for the region B or other regions. When the information processing device 2 receives the position information LI transmitted from the program receiving device 1, it identifies the region in which the program receiving device 1 exists by referring to the region position information. Can do. Of course, the region definition method is not limited to the method described above. For example, there may be a definition method in which a circle with a certain radius centered on a fixed point indicated by one position information LI is regarded as an area.

  Then, program information or program guide information is acquired based on the area identifier AD for identifying the specified area and the program identifier stored in the reservation information storage unit 27 (step S9) and transmitted to the program receiving apparatus 1. (Step S10). As a timing for transmitting the program information, a mode in which the information processing apparatus 2 performs transmission within a predetermined time after receiving the position information LI is considered preferable. This is because it is important to transmit program information corresponding to the current region of the program receiving device 1. In a situation where a received program is reserved by a user, it may be impossible to predict in which area the user exists at the broadcast start time of the reserved program. Even in such a case, if the position information LI of the program receiving device 1 immediately before the broadcast start time can be received or acquired, the optimum program information can be transmitted to the program receiving device 1 according to the reservation. it can.

  In addition, it is paired with a region identifier AD that identifies a region having a certain relationship with the region identified in the current region identifying step S8, particularly a region existing in the moving direction of the program receiving device 1 determined by the moving direction determining unit 28. Program guide information or program information may also be acquired in the program information acquisition step S9. Examples of the “certain relationship” between regions include an adjacent relationship. In this embodiment, the adjacent relationship between each region can be expressed by a graph as shown in FIG. 14 (i). Corresponding to this graph, for example, the relationship between regions in the form as shown in FIG. 14 (ii). Is stored in the program information storage unit 22 in advance. Corresponding to the possibility of moving from region A to region B or region X, in FIG. 14 (ii), the pointer is sequentially traced from the entry of region A (identifying region identifier AD). Thus, the area B (identifying the area identifier AD) and the area X (identifying the area identifier AD) can be picked up as areas having a certain relationship. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, an example of an embodiment of the above-described steps S8 and S9 will be described. In the current area specifying step S8, the area that currently exists is specified as the area A from the position information LI of the program receiving device 1 ′, and information on the relationship between the areas stored in the program information storage unit 22 is referred to. Thus, the area B and the area X related to the area A are picked up. At the same time, the moving direction determination unit 28 determines the moving direction of the program receiving device 1 ′ from the position information LI of the program receiving device 1 ′ and the position information LI of the program receiving device 1. Further, referring to the regional position information stored in the regional position correspondence storage unit 23, whether or not each of the region B and the region X exists ahead of the moving direction of the program receiving device 1 ′. Determine whether. In this manner, the area having a certain relationship with the area A can be narrowed down to the area B. In the program information acquisition step S9, in addition to the program guide information or program information paired with the region identifier AD for identifying the region A, program guide information or program information paired with the region identifier AD for identifying the region B is included. It is acquired.

The program information or program guide information received by the program receiving device 1 (step S11) is stored in the program information storage unit 16 (step S12), and the program receiving device 1 is received when receiving the program (step S13). Used to control. As an aspect of viewing the broadcast program, reception starts according to the broadcast start time of the program based on the provided program information, and the user selects and watches an arbitrary program from the provided program guide information. Etc. are considered.
The embodiment of the present invention is as described above. Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described.
(I) It is assumed that the user of the program receiving apparatus 1 exists in the region X as of 8:00 pm. Assume that the user wants to watch a baseball game. At this time, the program identifier transmitted from the program receiving device 1 to the information processing device 2 in accordance with the user's wish is “genre GR = baseball”. Based on the position information LI transmitted from the program receiving device 1, the current region is identified as X, the programs 4a and 4d are selected, and the program information relating to the programs 4a and 4d is transmitted to the program receiving device 1. The user can select and view the program 4a or the program 4d based on the received program information.
(II) It is assumed that the user of the program receiving apparatus 1 is moving in the area A as of 8:00 pm. Assume that the user wishes to view a drama program identified by the program content identifier P3. The position information LI and the program identifier are transmitted from the program receiving device 1 to the information processing device 2. Based on the position information LI, the current area is specified as A, the program 4c is selected, and program information related to the program 4c is transmitted to the program receiving device 1. The user can view the program 4c based on the received program information.
However, it is assumed that it is determined that the user is moving and is likely to leave area A and enter area B in the near future. In order to cope with such a situation, program information of the program identified by the program content identifier P3 (that is, the program 4g) in the region B adjacent to the region A is also transmitted to the program receiving device 1. Then, the user can view the program continuously.
(III) Assume that the user of the program receiving apparatus 1 wishes to reserve the reception of a baseball game identified by the program content identifier P1 broadcast from 7 pm. However, it is assumed that it is impossible to predict whether the user exists in any of the areas A, B, and C at 7 pm. When reserving the reception of the program, reservation information including a program content identifier P1 which is a program identifier is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 2 and stored in the program reservation information storage unit 27. At this time, based on the information of the program start time ST included in the program information of the program identified by the program content identifier P1, the time at which the program information transmission unit 26 of the information processing device 2 transmits the program information is determined. If the program information is to be transmitted to the program receiving device 1 at the determined time, the existing region of the program receiving device 1 immediately before the broadcast start time ST (that is, 7:00 pm) of the program identified by the program content identifier P1 Accordingly, it becomes possible to select the most appropriate program from among the programs 4a, 4e, and 4h and transmit the program information. Will be able to.
(IV) Assume that the user of the program receiving apparatus 1 wishes to reserve the reception of a baseball game identified by the program content identifier P1 broadcast from 7:00 pm. However, it is assumed that it is impossible to predict whether the user exists in any of the areas A, B, and C at 7 pm. When reserving the reception of the program, reservation information including a program content identifier P1 which is a program identifier is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 2 and stored in the program reservation information storage unit 27. At this time, by acquiring the program information in all regions for the program identified by the program content identifier P1 and transmitting it to the program receiving device 1, the user can view the program regardless of the region. Will be able to.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the position information acquisition step for acquiring the position information LI that is the information indicating the position of the program receiving device 1, the program identifier reception step for receiving the program identifier for identifying the program, and the storing area A channel determination step for determining a channel number to be selected based on the program information for each, the position information LI acquired in the position information acquisition step, the program identifier received in the program identifier reception step, and the channel determination step. By adopting a program receiving method that includes a program receiving step of receiving a program of a channel identified by the determined channel number, the user's current position of the user who carries the program receiving apparatus 1 is determined. It is possible to automatically tune the reception channel without trouble. Then, even if the user does not know in advance the reception channel number and broadcast date and time of the program desired to be viewed, the program can be received and viewed. In addition, even when moving between regions and the reception channel of the broadcast program changes, the broadcast program can be continuously received.

  The program receiving apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a position information acquisition unit 11 that acquires position information LI, a position information transmission unit 12 that transmits the position information LI, and program information corresponding to the transmitted position information LI. The program information receiving unit 13 for receiving the program and the program information unit 14 for receiving the program based on the program information received by the program information receiving unit 13 are provided. With such a program receiving device, the above-described effects can be obtained.

  If the program receiving apparatus 1 also includes a program storage unit that stores the program received by the program receiving unit 14, the received program can be stored. Alternatively, data buffering can be used to suppress the disturbance of video and audio when viewing a broadcast program, or it can be used to receive a storage-type broadcast service.

  On the other hand, the information processing apparatus 2 that provides program information to the program receiving apparatus 1 includes a position information receiving unit 21 that receives position information LI transmitted by the program receiving apparatus 1, a region identifier AD that identifies a region, and one or more Program information storage unit 22 that stores program guide information having program information in pairs, and regional position information that is paired with a region identifier AD and one or more pieces of position information LI that specify a region identified by the region identifier AD. A region identifier AD is determined based on the region position correspondence storage unit 23 storing the position information, the position information LI received by the position information reception unit 21 and the region position information stored in the region position correspondence storage unit 23. A region identifier determination unit 24; a program information acquisition unit 25 that acquires program guide information paired with the region identifier AD determined by the region identifier determination unit 24 from the program information storage unit 22; The acquired program guide information by the information acquisition unit 25 shall be equipped with a program information transmitting unit 26 to be transmitted to the program receiver 1. Such an information processing apparatus 2 can identify an area where the program receiving apparatus 1 currently exists and provide the program receiving apparatus 1 with program guide information corresponding to the area.

  In order to allow a user to reserve viewing of a program, the information processing apparatus 2 that provides program information to the program receiving apparatus 1 receives position information LI transmitted by the program receiving apparatus 1. A program that stores a reception unit 21, a program reservation information storage unit 27 that stores reservation information having a program identifier, and an area identifier AD that identifies an area and program guide information that has one or more pieces of program information. An information storage unit 22; a region position correspondence storage unit 23 that stores region position information that is a pair of region identifier AD and one or more pieces of position information LI that specify the region identified by the region identifier AD; A region identifier determining unit 24 that determines a region identifier AD based on the position information LI received by the information receiving unit 21 and the region position information stored in the region position information correspondence storage unit 23; Program information about a program which is included in the program guide information paired with the area identifier AD determined by the bespoke determination unit 24 and which is identified by the program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit 27 is the program information. What is necessary is just to comprise the program information acquisition part 25 acquired from the storage part 22, and the program information transmission part 26 which transmits the program information acquired in the said program information acquisition part 25 to the said program receiver 1. FIG.

  Further, the program information storage unit 22 also stores information about the relationship of the areas identified by the area identifier AD, and the program information acquisition section 25 is identified by the area identifier AD determined by the area identifier determination section 24. The program guide information or program information that is paired with the region identifier AD that identifies a region having a certain relationship with the region to be obtained is also acquired, and the program information transmitting unit 26 acquires the program guide acquired by the program information acquiring unit 25 Providing appropriate program information from the information processing device even when a user carrying the program receiving device moves between regions by configuring the information processing device to transmit information or program information to the program receiving device Can watch the broadcast program.

  The position information receiving unit 21 further includes a movement direction determining unit 28 that receives a plurality of position information LI and determines a moving direction of the program receiving apparatus 1 based on the plurality of position information LI. If the region having the relationship is the region in the movement direction determined by the movement direction determination unit 28, the region predicted to enter the future by determining the movement direction of the user carrying the program receiving device 1 Can be transmitted to the program receiving apparatus 1 in advance, and the program receiving system is more convenient for the user.

  In some cases, it may not be possible to predict in which region the user exists at the start of broadcasting of the broadcast program that the user wants to view. In addition, the end time of a baseball game relay program or the like may change during the program broadcast, and the program immediately after that may be broadcast at a reduced time. The reservation information or the program information also includes start time information that is information on the start time of the program, and the program information transmission unit 26 of the information processing apparatus 2 described above is based on the start time of the program information to be transmitted. If the transmission time determination means for determining the time for transmitting the program information and the information transmission means for transmitting the program information at the time determined by the transmission time determination means, these situations are dealt with. Yes.

  If the program information transmitting unit 26 is to transmit program information within a predetermined time when the position information receiving unit 21 receives the position information LI, the program information corresponding to the current location of the program receiving device 1 Can be sent. In a situation where a received program is reserved by a user, it may be impossible to predict in which area the user exists at the broadcast start time of the reserved program. Even in such a case, if the position information LI of the program receiving device 1 immediately before the broadcast start time can be obtained, the optimum program information can be transmitted to the program receiving device 1 according to the reservation. That is, provision of program information or program guide information from the information processing device 2 to the program receiving device 1 is preferably triggered by reception or acquisition of the position information LI by the information processing device 2.

  The program information acquisition unit 25 according to the information processing apparatus 2 has a program guide information paired with all the area identifiers AD and is identified by the program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit 27. If the program information is acquired from the program information storage unit 22, the user can view the program regardless of which region it is in when the program starts broadcasting.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above. According to the above description, it is the role played by the information processing apparatus 2 to determine the area identifier AD from the position information LI. However, as shown in FIG. A current location identifier storage unit 181 that stores information, and a location correspondence storage that stores location location information that is a pair of the location identifier AD and one or more location information LI that identifies the location identified by the location identifier AD. Unit 182; a region identifier determination unit 183 that determines a region identifier AD based on the location information LI acquired by the location information acquisition unit 11 and the region location information stored in the region location correspondence storage unit; and the region identifier A region identifier comparison unit 184 that compares the region identifier AD determined by the determination unit with the region identifier AD stored in the current region identifier storage unit; Address transmission unit 12 may be configured to program receiver 1 so as to transmit the location information LI and region identifier AD or location information LI or region identifier AD based on the comparison result in said region identifier comparing unit 184. The comparison of the area identifiers AD here is in principle the coincidence / disagreement of the area identifiers AD, but if there is an inclusion relationship in the area identifiers AD, the comparison can also be made from such a viewpoint. For example, the region X exists in the region A, and when entering the region X from the region A (outside the region X), a new broadcast program of the channel ChX can be received. It is determined that the area identifier AD needs to be transmitted to the information processing apparatus. By adopting such an embodiment, the program receiving apparatus 1 determines the area where the user is currently present, and transmits the position information LI or the area identifier AD to the information processing apparatus 2 when necessary. In other words, it is possible to provide a program receiving system that transmits position information LI or an area identifier AD when moving from one area to another area and can receive provision of appropriate program information. In particular, when moving near the boundary between regions, the region identifier AD regarding the region where the program receiving apparatus 1 is currently located can often change. Even in such a case, since the reception channel can be smoothly changed, the user can comfortably continue watching the program.

  In addition, the specific configuration of each unit and the processing procedure shown in FIG. 11 are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course, a program is mounted on a general-purpose portable information terminal equipped with a TV tuner board or the like to execute the program receiving method according to the present embodiment, or an auxiliary storage device represented by a CPU, a main storage device, and a hard disk drive It is also possible to implement the information processing apparatus 2 having the above-mentioned functions by installing a program in a general-purpose information communication terminal equipped with a modem, an interface, etc., and it is essential to manufacture a dedicated apparatus is not.

The figure which shows schematically the system for enforcing the program receiving method which concerns on this invention The figure which shows the content of the hardware resource of the program receiver which concerns on this invention concretely Functional block diagram of the program receiving device The figure which shows the content of the hardware resource of the information processing apparatus which concerns on this invention concretely Functional block diagram of the information processing apparatus A diagram showing areas where broadcast programs can be received The figure which shows the timetable of the program broadcast by the area X The figure which shows the timetable of the program broadcast by the area B The figure which shows the time table of the program broadcast by the area C The figure which shows the data record structure of program schedule information A flowchart showing the contents of processing executed in this embodiment The figure which illustrates the mode of determination of a region identifier The figure which illustrates the data record structure of regional position information A diagram illustrating information about relationships between regions Functional block diagram of a program receiving apparatus according to the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Program receiver 11 ... Position information acquisition part 12 ... Position information transmitter 13 ... Program information receiver 14 ... Program receiver 15 ... Program storage part 16 ... Program information storage part 17 ... Program identifier reception part 2 ... Information processing apparatus DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Position information receiving part 22 ... Program information storage part 23 ... Area position corresponding | compatible storage part 24 ... Area identifier determination part 25 ... Program information acquisition part 26 ... Program information transmission part 27 ... Program reservation information storage part 28 ... Movement direction judgment part UD ... Program unique identifier PD ... Program content identifier AD ... Region identifier CN ... Reception channel number ST ... Broadcast start time ET ... Broadcast end time TI ... Program title GR ... Program genre GC ... G code LI ... Location information

Claims (15)

A program receiving method of a program receiving apparatus for receiving a program,
A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information which is information indicating the position of the program receiving device;
A program identifier receiving step for receiving a program identifier for identifying a program;
A channel determination step for determining a channel number to be selected based on the program information for each stored region, the position information acquired in the position information acquisition step, and the program identifier received in the program identifier reception step;
A program receiving method comprising: a program receiving step of receiving a program of a channel identified by the channel number determined in the channel determining step. A location information acquisition unit for acquiring location information;
A position information transmitter for transmitting the position information;
A program information receiving unit for receiving program information corresponding to the transmitted position information;
A program receiving apparatus comprising: a program receiving unit that receives a program based on the program information received by the program information receiving unit. The program receiving apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a program storing unit that stores programs received by the program receiving unit. A position information receiving unit that receives position information transmitted by the program receiving device according to claim 2;
A program information storage unit that stores a pair of an area identifier for identifying an area and program guide information having one or more pieces of program information;
A region location correspondence storage unit that stores region location information that is a pair of a region identifier and one or more location information that identifies the region identified by the region identifier;
An area identifier determining unit that determines an area identifier based on the position information received by the position information receiving unit and the area position information stored in the area position correspondence storage unit;
A program information acquisition unit that acquires program guide information paired with the region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit from the program information storage unit;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a program information transmitting unit configured to transmit program guide information acquired by the program information acquiring unit to the program receiving device. A position information receiving unit that receives position information transmitted by the program receiving device according to claim 2;
A program reservation information storage unit storing reservation information having a program identifier;
A program information storage unit that stores a pair of an area identifier for identifying an area and program guide information having one or more pieces of program information;
A region location correspondence storage unit that stores region location information that is a pair of a region identifier and one or more location information that identifies the region identified by the region identifier;
A region identifier determining unit that determines a region identifier based on the location information received by the location information receiving unit and the regional location information stored in the regional location information correspondence storage unit;
The program information storage unit stores program information about a program that has program guide information paired with the region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit and that is identified by the program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit. A program information acquisition unit acquired from
An information processing apparatus comprising: a program information transmission unit configured to transmit program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit to the program reception device. The program information storage unit also stores information about the relationship of regions identified by region identifiers,
The program information acquisition unit also acquires program guide information or program information paired with a region identifier for identifying a region having a certain relationship with the region identified by the region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit,
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the program information transmitting unit transmits the program guide information or program information acquired by the program information acquiring unit to the program receiving apparatus. The location information receiving unit receives a plurality of location information,
A moving direction determining unit that determines a moving direction of the program receiving device based on the plurality of position information;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the area having the certain relationship is an area in the movement direction determined by the movement direction determination unit. The reservation information or the program information also includes start time information that is information on a start time of the program, and the program information transmission unit determines a time for transmitting the program information based on a start time of the program information to be transmitted. Transmission time determination means for
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an information transmission unit that transmits program information at a time determined by the transmission time determination unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the program information transmission unit transmits the program information within a predetermined time when the position information reception unit receives the position information. A current region identifier storage unit storing a region identifier for identifying the current region;
A region location correspondence storage unit that stores region location information that is a pair of a region identifier and one or more location information that identifies the region identified by the region identifier;
An area identifier determination unit that determines an area identifier based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit and the area position information stored in the area position correspondence storage unit;
A region identifier comparison unit that compares the region identifier determined by the region identifier determination unit with the region identifier stored in the current region identifier storage unit;
The position information transmission unit transmits the position information and the region identifier or the position information or the region identifier based on the comparison result in the region identifier comparison unit. Program receiving device. A program reservation information storage unit storing reservation information having a program identifier;
A program information storage unit that stores a pair of an area identifier for identifying an area and program guide information having one or more pieces of program information;
A program information acquisition unit for acquiring, from the program information storage unit, program information of all regions for a program identified by a program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a program information transmission unit that transmits all program information acquired by the program information acquisition unit. The program information acquisition unit stores the program information for the program identified by the program identifier stored in the program reservation information storage unit that is included in the program guide information paired with all the region identifiers. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information processing apparatus is acquired from a unit. To receive the program, the program receiving device
A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information which is information indicating the position of the program receiving device;
A program identifier receiving step for receiving a program identifier for identifying a program;
A channel determination step for determining a channel number to be selected based on the program information for each stored region, the position information acquired in the position information acquisition step, and the program identifier received in the program identifier reception step;
A program receiving program for executing a program receiving step of receiving a program of a channel identified by the channel number determined in the channel determining step. In order to send program information,
Position information receiving means for receiving position information transmitted by the program receiving device according to claim 2,
Program information storage means for storing a region identifier for identifying a region and program guide information having at least one program information;
An area location correspondence storage means for storing area location information that is a pair of an area identifier and one or more location information specifying the area identified by the area identifier;
Area identifier determining means for determining an area identifier based on the position information received by the position information receiving means and the area position information stored by the area position correspondence storing means;
Program information acquisition means for acquiring program guide information paired with the area identifier determined by the area identifier determination means from the program information storage unit, and program guide information acquired by the program information acquisition means is transmitted to the program receiving device. A program information transmission program for functioning as program information transmission means. In order to send program information,
Program reservation information storage means for storing reservation information having a program identifier;
Program information storage means for storing a region identifier for identifying a region and program guide information having at least one program information;
Program information acquisition means for acquiring program information of all regions for the program identified by the program identifier stored by the program reservation information storage means from the program information storage means, and all acquired by the program information acquisition means A program information transmission program for functioning as program information transmission means for transmitting the program information.

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