Broadcast signal receiving apparatus, broadcast signal receiving system and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016127773-A1
Application number	US-201514918688-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 21, 2015
Priority date	Nov 5, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed are a broadcast signal receiving apparatus, a broadcast signal receiving system and a controlling method thereof, the broadcast signal receiving apparatus comprising: a tuner configured to be tuned to a broadcast signal received from a signal source corresponding to a selected channel, and make at least a part of the received broadcast signal be looped through to an external apparatus in a normal mode; a switch configured to make the broadcast signal be looped through to the external apparatus in a standby mode of the tuner; and a controller configured to control operations of the tuner and the switch when the tuner is converted from the normal mode to the standby mode so that power can be supplied to or cut off from the tuner after a predetermined period of time. Thus, the switch is controlled independently of the mode of the broadcast signal receiving apparatus, thereby improving stability of operations and preventing a macroblock phenomenon of a broadcast signal looped through to an eternal apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A broadcast signal receiving apparatus comprising:
a tuner to be tuned to a broadcast signal received from a signal source corresponding to a selected channel, and to loop at least a part of the received broadcast signal through to an external apparatus when in a normal mode; a switch to loop at least the part of the broadcast signal through to the external apparatus when in a standby mode of the tuner; and a controller configured to control operations of the tuner and the switch when the tuner is converted from the normal mode to the standby mode so that power can be supplied to or cut off from the tuner after a predetermined period of time.

2 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller cuts off power supplied to the tuner if a first setting time elapses after turning on the switch, in response to conversion from the normal mode to the standby mode.

3 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller turns off the switch if a second setting time elapses after supplying power to the tuner in response to conversion from the standby mode to the normal mode.

4 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first setting time and the second setting time are determined by at least one of characteristics of circuit elements that constitute the switch, delay noise caused when the switch is turned on or off, and an operation delay caused when power is supplied to or cut off from the tuner.

5 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller outputs a control signal for turning on or off the switch through an always-on general purpose input/output (AON GPIO) port.

6 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the switch comprises a switching device that is turned on if the control signal received through the AON GPIO port has a low level, and turned off if the control signal has a high level.

7 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the switching device comprises a gate terminal to receive the control signal, a drain terminal connecting with the signal receiver for receiving the broadcast signal, and a source terminal connecting with the external apparatus and forming a loop-through route toward the external apparatus.

8 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tuner comprises:
a low noise amplifier configured to amplify the received broadcast signal to have low noise; a splitter configured to split the broadcast signal received from the low noise amplifier into a first broadcast signal to be displayed on the display apparatus and a second broadcast signal to be looped through to the external apparatus; and a loop-through route provider configured to loop the second broadcast signal split by the splitter through to the external apparatus.

9 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a signal processor configured to process the broadcast signal to be displayable on the display apparatus,
wherein the first broadcast signal split by the splitter is output to the signal processor.

10 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a user input device configured to receive a user's input to convert an operation mode,
wherein the controller converts the operation mode into the standby mode if the user's input is received while in the normal mode, and converts the operation mode into the normal mode if the user's input is received while in the standby mode.

11 . The broadcast signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the broadcast signal receiving apparatus comprises a set-top box configured to output a broadcast signal to the display apparatus, and
the external apparatus comprises one of a sub-display apparatus other than the display apparatus and another set-top box.

12 . A method of controlling a broadcast signal receiving apparatus for outputting a broadcast signal to a display apparatus, the method comprising:
controlling at least a part of the broadcast signal to be looped through to an external apparatus different from the display apparatus via a tuner of the broadcast signal receiving apparatus when in a normal mode; and controlling at least the part of the broadcast signal to be looped through to the external apparatus via a switch of the broadcast signal receiving apparatus when in a standby mode of the tuner, wherein a controller of the broadcast signal receiving apparatus is configured to control operations of the tuner and the switch when the tuner is converted from the normal mode to the standby mode so that power can be supplied to or cut off from the tuner after a predetermined period of time.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
sensing conversion from the normal mode to the standby mode; turning on the switch in response to the conversion into the standby mode; and cutting off power supplied to the tuner if a first setting time has elapsed after turning on the switch.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
sensing conversion from the standby mode to the normal mode; supplying power to the tuner in response to the conversion into the normal mode; and turning off the switch if a second setting time has elapsed after supplying the power to the tuner.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the first setting time and the second setting time are determined by at least one of characteristics of circuit elements that constitute the switch, delay noise caused when the switch is turned on or off, and an operation delay caused when power is supplied to or cut off from the tuner.

16 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the turning on the switch and the turning off the switch comprise outputting a control signal for turning on or off the switch through an always-on general purpose input/output (AON GPIO) port of the controller.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the switch comprises a switching device that is turned on if the control signal received through the AON GPIO port has a low level, and turned off if the control signal has a high level, and
the switching device comprises a gate terminal to receive the control signal, a drain terminal connecting with the signal receiver for receiving the broadcast signal, and a source terminal connecting with the external apparatus and forming a loop-through route toward the external apparatus.

18 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
amplifying the received broadcast signal to have low noise in the normal mode; splitting the broadcast signal amplified to have the low noise into a first broadcast signal to be displayed on the display apparatus and a second broadcast signal to be looped through to the external apparatus; and looping the split second broadcast signal through to the external apparatus.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , further comprising:
processing and outputting the split first broadcast signal to the display apparatus.

20 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving a user's input, through a user input device, to convert an operation mode, wherein the broadcast signal receiving apparatus converts the operation mode into the standby mode if the user's input is received while in the normal mode, and converts the op

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Woo-Chul

Classifications

• H04N21/4383

  Accessing a communication channel · CPC title

• H04N21/4263 Primary

  involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners · CPC title

• H04N5/50

  Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control · CPC title

• H04N5/63

  Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers · CPC title

• H04N21/4436 Primary

  Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver (power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418) · CPC title