Display device and control method based on dual-link promotion network environment

Abstract

This application relates to the field of display device technology, and in particular, to a display device and a control method based on dual-link network environment enhancement. This method can, to a certain extent, solve the problems of poor network cable quality, low network bandwidth, and low network card bandwidth in television network environments, which cause unsmooth and choppy playback of network programs in the foreground, and asynchronous or lost background programs when switching back to the foreground. The display device includes: a monitor; and a controller configured to: when a first application is displayed in the foreground, control the first application to perform network communication through a first network card corresponding to a first network link; when a second application is displayed in the foreground user interface, control the second application to bypass the protocol stack and perform network communication through the first network card, and control the network communication of the first application to switch to a second network card corresponding to a second network link; and when the first application is displayed in the foreground, control the second application to bypass the protocol stack and perform network communication through a second network card corresponding to a second network link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display device technology, and more specifically, to a display device and a control method based on dual-link enhanced network environment. Background Technology

[0002] Internet TV is based on broadband high-speed IP networks, with network video resources as its main component. It uses televisions, personal computers, and handheld devices as display terminals, and connects to the broadband network through set-top boxes or computers to provide services such as digital TV, time-shifted TV, and interactive TV. The emergence of Internet TV has brought people a brand-new way of watching TV. It has changed the previous passive TV viewing mode and realized a convenient way of watching TV on demand and pausing at any time based on the network.

[0003] In some implementations that ensure the network environment for TV foreground applications playing programs, the network priority of the foreground application process is usually increased, or application processes that use high network resources in the background are restricted or terminated, in order to indirectly ensure network environment support for foreground applications and improve the network experience for users watching programs.

[0004] However, when the inherent bandwidth of the home network is low, or the TV network card itself supports low bandwidth, or the quality of the network interface in a certain room of the home is poor, causing a decrease in the bandwidth of that network link, the corresponding programs for the TV background application will be lost, the speed of switching back will be slow and out of sync, and even the playback of programs in the foreground will not be smooth or will be choppy. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the issues of poor network cable quality, low network bandwidth, and low network card bandwidth in television network environments, which cause unsmooth and choppy playback of network programs on the foreground, and desynchronization or loss of background programs when switching back to the foreground, this application provides a display device and a control method based on dual links to improve the network environment.

[0006] The embodiments of this application are implemented as follows:

[0007] A first aspect of this application provides a display device, including: a display for displaying a foreground user interface; and a controller configured to: when a first application is displayed on the foreground user interface, control the first application to perform network communication through a first network interface card corresponding to a first network link; after receiving an instruction from a user to launch a second application, determine the application displayed on the foreground user interface; when the second application is displayed on the foreground user interface, control the second application to bypass the protocol stack and perform network communication through the first network interface card, and control the network communication of the first application to switch to the second network interface card corresponding to the second network link; when the first application is displayed on the foreground user interface, control the second application to bypass the protocol stack and perform network communication through the second network interface card corresponding to the second network link; wherein the network communication quality of the first network link is higher than that of the second network link, and the first application switches to background operation when the second application is displayed on the foreground user interface.

[0008] A second aspect of this application provides a control method for improving a network environment based on dual links, the method comprising:

[0009] When the first application is displayed in the foreground, it is controlled to communicate via the first network interface card (NIC) corresponding to the first network link. Upon receiving a user's instruction to launch the second application, the application displayed in the foreground user interface is determined. When the second application is displayed in the foreground user interface, the second application is controlled to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the first NIC, while the network communication of the first application is switched to the second NIC corresponding to the second network link. When the first application is displayed in the foreground, the second application is controlled to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the second NIC corresponding to the second network link. The network communication quality of the first network link is higher than that of the second network link. When the second application is displayed in the foreground, the first application switches to background operation.

[0010] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: By setting up a first network card and a second network card, the device can simultaneously access multiple network links; furthermore, by controlling the foreground application to always transmit through the first network card, the foreground application can exclusively enjoy the first network link; furthermore, by controlling the background application to always transmit through the second network card, the background application process that consumes a lot of network resources can be terminated or restricted to ensure the network environment of the foreground application. This enables the display device to achieve multi-scenario dual-network link aggregation and speed enhancement for wide area networks, and prioritizes the network environment of the foreground application when multiple applications are running simultaneously. It avoids the degradation of the foreground application's network environment due to low network bandwidth, small network card bandwidth, or line defects, thereby improving the user's network experience for playing programs from the foreground application. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an operational scenario between a display device and a control device according to one or more embodiments of this application;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a hardware configuration block diagram of a display device 200 according to one or more embodiments of this application;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a hardware configuration block diagram of a control device 100 according to one or more embodiments of this application;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the software configuration in a display device 200 according to one or more embodiments of this application;

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the icon control interface of an application in a display device 200 according to one or more embodiments of this application;

[0017] Figure 6A A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0018] Figure 6B A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0019] Figure 6C A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0020] Figure 6D A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0021] Figure 6E A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0022] Figure 6F A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0023] Figure 6G A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0024] Figure 7 This illustration shows a logical decision diagram of a scenario service implementation according to another embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 8 This paper illustrates a logical diagram of network card index acquisition according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of multi-NIC data transmission according to another embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, implementation methods and advantages of this application clearer, the exemplary implementation methods of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the exemplary embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0028] Based on the exemplary embodiments described in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the appended claims. Furthermore, although the disclosures in this application are presented by way of one or more exemplary examples, it should be understood that each aspect of these disclosures can constitute a complete implementation on its own. It should be noted that the brief descriptions of terminology in this application are merely for the convenience of understanding the embodiments described below, and are not intended to limit the implementation of this application. Unless otherwise stated, these terms should be understood in their ordinary and common meaning.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an operational scenario between a display device and a control device according to one or more embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 1 As shown, a user can operate the display device 200 via a mobile terminal 300 and a control device 100. The control device 100 can be a remote control, and communication between the remote control and the display device includes infrared protocol communication, Bluetooth protocol communication, wireless or other wired methods to control the display device 200. The user can input user commands through buttons on the remote control, voice input, control panel input, etc., to control the display device 200. In some embodiments, a mobile terminal, tablet computer, computer, laptop computer, and other smart devices can also be used to control the display device 200.

[0030] In some embodiments, the mobile terminal 300 can install software applications with the display device 200 to achieve connection and communication via network communication protocols, enabling one-to-one control operations and data communication. Audio and video content displayed on the mobile terminal 300 can also be transmitted to the display device 200 for synchronous display. The display device 200 also communicates with the server 400 via various communication methods. The display device 200 can communicate via a local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), and other networks. The server 400 can provide various content and interactive features to the display device 200. The display device 200 can be a liquid crystal display, an OLED display, or a projection display device. In addition to providing broadcast television reception functions, the display device 200 can also be equipped with a smart network television function that provides computer support.

[0031] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of the configuration of the control device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the control device 100 includes a controller 110, a communication interface 130, a user input / output interface 140, a memory, and a power supply. The control device 100 can receive user input commands and convert them into commands that the display device 200 can recognize and respond to, acting as an intermediary for interaction between the user and the display device 200. The communication interface 130 is used for external communication and includes at least one of a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth module, NFC, or a replacement module. The user input / output interface 140 includes at least one of a microphone, a touchpad, a sensor, buttons, or a replacement module.

[0032] Figure 3 A hardware configuration block diagram of a display device 200 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. For example... Figure 3The display device 200 shown includes at least one of the following: a tuner / demodulator 210, a communicator 220, a detector 230, an external device interface 240, a controller 250, a display 260, an audio output interface 270, a memory, a power supply, and a user interface 280. The controller includes a central processing unit, a video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor, RAM, ROM, and a first to nth interface for input / output. The display 260 can be at least one of a liquid crystal display, an OLED display, a touch display, and a projection display, and can also be a projection device and a projection screen. The tuner / demodulator 210 receives broadcast television signals via wired or wireless reception and demodulates audio and video signals, such as EPG data signals, from multiple wireless or wired broadcast television signals. The detector 230 is used to collect signals from the external environment or signals interacting with the external environment. The controller 250 and the tuner / demodulator 210 can be located in different separate devices; that is, the tuner / demodulator 210 can also be located in an external device of the main device where the controller 250 is located, such as an external set-top box.

[0033] The communicator 220 may include multiple communication modules, which may include one or more of the following types: Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth module, wired Ethernet module, etc. Each of these modules may consist of one or more modules. For example, the communicator 220 may include at least two wired Ethernet modules and one Wi-Fi module. Different communication modules can be used to connect to the same network or to connect to different networks. Each communication module can perform data transmission independently or collaboratively. For example, multiple communication modules can be used simultaneously for independent data transmission, different communication modules can be used for data transmission in different application scenarios, or one communication module can be used for partial data transmission while another communication module or external device interface is used for the remaining data transmission. The data transmission method of each network module can be controlled by the controller 250.

[0034] In some embodiments, multiple communication modules (e.g., two wired Ethernet modules, two Wi-Fi modules, or one wired Ethernet module and one Wi-Fi module, etc.) can be connected to the home network simultaneously to enable wide area network access. Each of these communication modules can be independently configured with a different IP address, and each can independently complete data transmission, or each can transmit a portion of the data, thereby coordinating to complete data transmission.

[0035] In other embodiments, at least one communication module (e.g., a wired Ethernet module or a Wi-Fi module) may be connected to the community network for calling elevators or video doorbell intercoms; alternatively, a communication module (e.g., a Bluetooth module) or an external device interface (e.g., USB or HDMI) may be used to connect to other smart devices (e.g., smart home appliances or smart sensors) to enable data transmission or control between smart devices. Data transmission between smart devices can be achieved using both a communication module and an external device interface, and this application does not limit this approach.

[0036] In some embodiments, the controller 250 controls the operation of the display device and responds to user operations through various software control programs stored in memory. The controller 250 controls the overall operation of the display device 200. The user can input user commands through a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the monitor 260, and the user input interface receives the user input commands through the GUI. Alternatively, the user can input user commands by inputting specific sounds or gestures, and the user input interface receives the user input commands by recognizing the sounds or gestures through sensors.

[0037] In some embodiments, a "user interface" is the medium through which an application or operating system interacts and exchanges information with a user, enabling the conversion between the internal form of information and a form acceptable to the user. A common form of user interface is the graphical user interface (GUI), which refers to a user interface related to computer operation displayed graphically. It can be an icon, window, control, or other interface element displayed on the screen of an electronic device. Controls can include at least one of the visual interface elements such as icons, buttons, menus, tabs, text boxes, dialog boxes, status bars, navigation bars, and widgets.

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the software configuration in a display device 200 according to one or more embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the system is divided into four layers, from top to bottom: the Applications layer (referred to as the "Application Layer"), the Application Framework layer (referred to as the "Framework Layer"), the Android runtime and system library layer (referred to as the "System Runtime Layer"), and the kernel layer. The kernel layer contains at least one of the following drivers: audio driver, display driver, Bluetooth driver, camera driver, Wi-Fi driver, USB driver, HDMI driver, sensor driver (such as fingerprint sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, etc.), and power driver, etc.

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the icon control interface of an application in a display device 200 according to one or more embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the application layer contains at least one application whose corresponding icon control can be displayed on the screen, such as: live TV application icon control, video-on-demand application icon control, media center application icon control, application center icon control, game application icon control, etc. Live TV applications can provide live television from different signal sources. Video-on-demand applications can provide video from different storage sources. Unlike live TV applications, video-on-demand provides video display from certain storage sources. Media center applications can provide applications for playing various multimedia content. The application center can provide storage for various applications.

[0040] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various types of display devices (including but not limited to: smart TVs, LCD TVs, etc.). The following will use a smart TV as an example to describe the display device and the control method based on dual-link improved network environment.

[0041] Figure 6A A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0042] In some embodiments, the smart TV provided in this application includes a display. When the smart TV is playing a live channel or a video program through an installed application, the live channel or video program can be played in the foreground user interface. If the user launches multiple applications for video playback, and these multiple applications are not displayed in the foreground user interface, they can run in the background.

[0043] In some embodiments, after a smart TV launches a first application, its controller will control the launched first application to be played and displayed on the foreground user interface.

[0044] When a smart TV is capable of accessing multiple network environments, the controller will control the first application in the foreground user interface to transmit data through the first network link.

[0045] Accordingly, since smart TVs can access multiple network environments, each smart TV can be configured with a corresponding network card for each network environment it can access simultaneously. For example, if a TV can communicate with a wide area network (WAN) through a first network link and a second network link, then the smart TV can be configured with a corresponding first network card and a second network card. The first network card is specifically used for data transmission on the first network link, and the second network card is specifically used for data transmission on the second network link.

[0046] refer to Figure 6AAs shown, the smart TV has installed applications for video playback, including a first video application, a second video application, and a third video application.

[0047] For example, when a smart TV launches only the first video application, the controller will control the first network card to drive its corresponding first network link, providing data communication for the first application playing a video program in the foreground user interface. This can also be understood as the first application playing a program in the foreground user interface communicating via the smart TV's first network card at this moment. Figure 6B As shown in the image.

[0048] Figure 6C A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0049] In some embodiments, when a smart TV simultaneously launches multiple playable applications, the controller will identify the application playing the program in the foreground user interface.

[0050] For example, in Figure 6B The user interface shown is for a smart TV, which the user can start by operating through the TV desktop. Figure 6A The second video application is shown in the diagram. After the second video application is launched, the first video application will switch to the background and continue running. At this time, both the first and second video applications will be displayed in the foreground user interface. The smart TV controller will determine the currently playing program in the foreground after receiving the user's command to launch the second video application.

[0051] In some embodiments, after the smart TV launches the first application and the second application, if the smart TV's front-end user interface displays the second application, the controller will control multiple networks available to the TV to provide data transmission services to the first application and the second application respectively.

[0052] For example, a smart TV can use a first network and a second network, where the first network corresponds to a first network card and the second network corresponds to a second network card; the first controller can configure the first network and the corresponding first network card to serve applications playing programs in the foreground user interface, and configure the second network and the second network card to serve applications that need network communication to continue running in the background.

[0053] When the first video application is playing in the foreground user interface, it is supported by the first network and the first network card for network communication. When the user launches the second video application and makes it play in the foreground user interface, the controller will perform network switching control. The controller will switch the first video application to the background to continue running, and control the second video application to communicate with the network data from the first network and the first network card. At the same time, it will control the first video application that has switched to the background to communicate with the network data from the second network and the second network card.

[0054] It should be noted that users can typically allocate multiple available networks to multiple network cards on their TVs. For example, with two available TV networks and two network cards, the first network link with relatively better network quality can be assigned to the first network card, and the other second network link can be assigned to the second network card. This ensures that the most important program for the user, which is currently being watched, can obtain data through a dedicated first network link, avoiding poor network experience such as buffering caused by insufficient network bandwidth due to multiple applications running simultaneously.

[0055] In some embodiments, when a second video application is played in the foreground user interface, the smart TV controller can control the second application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate over the network via the first network card.

[0056] For example, after the first video application and the second video application are launched, the controller obtains the first index corresponding to the first network card and the second index corresponding to the second network card from the system kernel of the smart TV based on the network attributes recorded when the first network link and the second network link are enabled, according to the first network card name and the second network card name.

[0057] Before the video applications transmit network data, the controller determines the application in the foreground user interface based on system attribute fields.

[0058] If the second video application is playing in the foreground, the controller will control the second video application to communicate with the network through the first network card by bypassing the protocol stack based on the first index. For example, the controller will obtain the first index corresponding to the first network card through the attribute field, and then bypass the protocol stack based on the first index to transmit the network data sent and received by the second application to the first network card through the data interface.

[0059] Correspondingly, the first video application running in the background uses a controller that bypasses the protocol stack based on a second index to communicate via the second network interface card (NIC). The controller obtains the second index corresponding to the second NIC through attribute fields, and then, based on the second index, bypasses the protocol stack to transmit the network data sent and received by the first video application to the second NIC via a data interface. Figure 9 As shown.

[0060] It should be noted that data requests sent to the wide area network by the first network card will receive corresponding data responses through the first network card; while other applications transmit and receive data through the second network card, thus ensuring smooth network transmission for foreground applications.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the controller enables the first network link and the second network link, it can obtain the indexes corresponding to the first network card and the second network card to locate different network cards for data transmission and reception based on different network card indexes.

[0062] When multiple applications are launched, the controller creates temporary interfaces within the system and then sends signaling to the system kernel through input / output control instructions. Among them, input / output control instructions are mainly used for communication between applications and drivers, or between drivers within the device stack. These instructions are transmitted through input / output request messages.

[0063] When the first network card is configured as a wired network card and the second network card is configured as a wireless network card, the controller can obtain the first index corresponding to the wired network card from the kernel through the wired network card name, and obtain the second index corresponding to the wireless network card from the kernel through the wireless network card name.

[0064] After obtaining the indices corresponding to multiple network cards, the controller closes the temporary data interface for sending signaling and sets the indices of the first and second network cards into different Android system attribute fields for easy retrieval during subsequent data transmission. Figure 8 As shown.

[0065] In some embodiments, after a smart TV launches multiple applications, before the controller controls different network cards to provide network support for different applications, the controller will obtain the address of the first network card based on the first network link corresponding to the first application playing a program in the foreground user interface; and after the second application is launched, the controller will obtain the address of the second network card corresponding to the second network link based on the connection service of the Android framework process, so as to enable different applications of the smart TV to communicate through different network cards.

[0066] For example, in an Android smart TV, when a video application is playing a program in the foreground user interface, the controller obtains the IP address corresponding to the network card through the network card service available at that time. When the foreground application and the background application coexist, the network card used by the background application can obtain the corresponding IP address through the Android framework process, and finally write it into the Android system kernel and the network card through the Android system's connection service to ensure that the Android TV can connect to two different networks and obtain two IP addresses at the same time.

[0067] For example, after multiple TVs are successfully networked in a home environment, the network card application mentioned above can be used to merge and display images captured by different TV cameras on one TV screen; after two TVs are networked, one TV will transmit the video stream from the camera to the other TV for display via the local area network. If data can be transmitted simultaneously on both networks, the transmission speed will be improved.

[0068] Figure 6D A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0069] In some embodiments, based on Figure 6CAs shown in the user interface, if the user switches the first video application back to the foreground, the controller will control the second video application, which has been switched to the background, to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the second network link corresponding to the second network card. That is, the network used by the second video application changes from the first network when it was in the foreground to the second network link when it was switched to the background. Correspondingly, the network used by the first video application currently playing in the foreground will switch to the first network link corresponding to the first network card. Figure 6D As shown.

[0070] It should be noted that, normally, when the second application is displayed in the foreground user interface, the first application will switch to run in the background; in some embodiments, the TV can also be configured so that when the second application switches from the background to the foreground user interface for playback, the first application can also be displayed in the foreground user interface at the same time.

[0071] In some embodiments, when multiple video applications are launched on a smart TV, the controller can immediately obtain the application that is displayed and playing in the foreground user interface.

[0072] For example, if the first application is playing in the foreground user interface, when the second application starts, the controller will trigger the activity lifecycle of the second application, including creation, startup, and re-enabling it to the foreground. The startup operation typically occurs when the user presses the home button, the activity goes to the background, and when the user switches back to the activity, the restart function is called first, followed by the startup function.

[0073] When the Android framework layer's activity stack callback returns to the function that enables visibility and restores the lock, the controller can then obtain the activity record. This activity record can extract the data packet name of the application playing and displaying in the foreground user interface. The controller then records the foreground application's data packet name in Android's system properties field, so that it can be called when selecting a network card for different applications, such as... Figure 7 As shown.

[0074] In some embodiments, an activity typically includes four states: Running state, indicating that after a new activity is launched and pushed onto the stack, it is at the forefront of the screen and at the top of the stack; it is visible and active, and can interact with the user. Paused state, when the activity is covered by another transparent or dialog-style activity, it still maintains a connection with the window manager, and the system continues to maintain its internal state; it remains visible, but has lost focus and therefore cannot interact with the user. Stopped state, when the activity is not visible, it is in the stopped state; when the activity is in this state, it is essential to save the current data and the current user interface state, otherwise, once the activity exits or closes, the current data and user interface state will be lost. Terminated state, after the activity is killed or before it is started, the activity is in the terminated state; this means the activity has been removed from the activity stack and needs to be restarted for display and use.

[0075] Figure 6E A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0076] In some embodiments, based on Figure 6D The user interface shown indicates that the smart TV currently has the following applications running: the first video application and the second video application. After the user sends a launch command to the third video application on the application desktop via the remote control, the controller will determine whether the application currently in the foreground of the three running applications is the one being played.

[0077] If the third video application is currently playing and displaying in the foreground user interface, as described in the aforementioned technical solution, the controller will control the third application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate and send and receive data through the first network card; at the same time, the controller will control the second network card and its corresponding second network link to provide network communication support for the first and second video applications in the background.

[0078] It's understandable that when multiple applications are launched, the application playing the program in the foreground user interface can prioritize network communication through the first network link; while applications running in the background communicate through the second network link. Furthermore, the communication quality of the first network link is usually higher than that of the second network link, in order to improve the user's network experience when watching videos.

[0079] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the television is configured to simultaneously display and play multiple applications on the foreground user interface. In this case, all multiple applications playing programs on the foreground can use the first network link corresponding to the first network card, and it is not limited to the first network link supporting only one foreground application.

[0080] Figure 6F A schematic diagram of the user interface of a smart TV according to another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0081] In some embodiments, when a smart TV can use multiple networks, the first network link can be implemented as a wired network link and the second network link can be implemented as a wireless network link.

[0082] For example, when the second application is switched to the foreground to play a program, the controller controls the second application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate through the wired network card corresponding to the wired network; at the same time, the controller controls the network communication of the first application to switch to the wireless network card corresponding to the wireless network, and the first application bypasses the protocol stack to send and receive data through the wireless network card.

[0083] For example, based on Figure 6F As shown in the user interface, the smart TV controller controls the third video application playing in the foreground user interface to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the wired network card corresponding to the wired network. At the same time, the controller controls the first and second video applications running in the background to switch their network communication to the wireless network card corresponding to the wireless network. Both the first and second video applications need to bypass the protocol stack and communicate with the wide area network by sending and receiving data through the wireless network card.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first network interface card (NIC) and the second NIC may also be implemented as different links for accessing the same local area network (LAN).

[0085] For example, the living room has two network ports for accessing the same network: living room port 1 and living room port 2. Connecting a first network card to living room port 1 and a second network card to living room port 2 via network cables creates a wired link 1 connected to the first network card and a wired link 2 connected to the second network card. Figure 6G As shown.

[0086] It is understandable that if there is a quality problem with the connection line between the living room network port 2 and the router, resulting in a decrease in network bandwidth, while the connection line between the living room network port 1 and the router is of normal quality, then the TV will have different network experiences when accessing the network through wired link 1 and wired link 2.

[0087] like Figure 6G As shown, in this scenario, the third video application displayed on the smart TV's foreground user interface connects to the local area network (LAN) via the first network card, wired link 1, and living room network port 1. Its network bandwidth is not affected by the defective quality line connected to living room network port 2. Meanwhile, the first and second video applications running in the background connect to the LAN via the second network card, wired link 2, and living room network port 2. Their network bandwidth is affected by the defective quality line connected to living room network port 2.

[0088] Therefore, the above technical solutions enable Android TVs to overcome current technical bottlenecks and use multiple network accesses at the same time. For example, they can simultaneously access wired networks, Wi-Fi networks, or two broadband networks in the home environment, or access from different network entrances of the same network. This avoids the problem of insufficient network bandwidth or network bandwidth degradation caused by the quality of a specific network entrance line due to multiple applications using the network at the same time.

[0089] Based on the above description of the control scheme and related figures for display devices implementing a dual-link enhanced network environment, this application also provides a control method for a dual-link enhanced network environment. The method includes: when a first application is displayed in the foreground, controlling the first application to communicate via a first network interface card (NIC) corresponding to the first network link; upon receiving a user's instruction to launch a second application, determining the application displayed in the foreground user interface; when the second application is displayed in the foreground user interface, controlling the second application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the first NIC, and controlling the network communication of the first application to switch to the second NIC corresponding to the second network link; when the first application is displayed in the foreground, controlling the second application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the second NIC corresponding to the second network link; wherein the network communication quality of the first network link is higher than that of the second network link, and the first application switches to background operation when the second application is displayed in the foreground. The specific steps of the method for implementing a dual-link enhanced network environment have been described in detail in the above-described display device technical solution and will not be repeated here.

[0090] In some embodiments, after receiving an instruction from a user to launch a second application, the method further includes: receiving an instruction from a user to launch a third application, determining the application displayed in the foreground; controlling the application displayed in the foreground to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the first network interface card (NIC), and controlling the network communication of other applications to switch to the second NIC. The specific steps of the method to improve the network environment based on dual links have been described in detail in the display device technical solution provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0091] In some embodiments, controlling the second application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the first network interface card (NIC) and controlling the first application to switch its network communication to the second NIC corresponding to the second network link specifically includes: controlling the second application to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the wired NIC corresponding to the wired network; controlling the first application to switch its network communication to the wireless NIC corresponding to the wireless network, wherein the first application bypasses the protocol stack and sends and receives data via the wireless NIC. The specific steps of this method to improve the network environment based on dual links have been described in detail in the display device technical solution provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0092] In some embodiments, controlling the second application to communicate via the first network interface card (NIC) and controlling the first application to communicate via the second NIC specifically includes: obtaining the corresponding first index and second index from the system kernel based on the first NIC name and the second NIC name; controlling the second application displayed in the foreground to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the first NIC based on the first index; and controlling the first application running in the background to bypass the protocol stack and communicate via the second NIC based on the second index. The specific steps of this method to improve the network environment based on dual links have been described in detail in the display device technical solution provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0093] In some embodiments, before controlling the second application to communicate via the first network interface card (NIC) and the first application to communicate via the second NIC, the method further includes: obtaining the address of the first NIC based on the first NIC service when the first application is displayed in the foreground; and obtaining the address of the second NIC corresponding to the second NIC based on the connection service of the Android framework process after the second application starts. The specific steps of the method to improve the network environment based on dual links have been described in detail in the display device technical solution provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0094] The beneficial effects of this application embodiment are that, by setting a first network card and a second network card, the device can simultaneously access multiple network links; furthermore, by controlling the foreground application to always transmit through the first network card, the foreground application can exclusively enjoy a dedicated first network link; furthermore, by controlling the background application to always transmit through the second network card, the background application process that consumes a lot of network resources can be avoided from being terminated or restricted due to ensuring the network environment of the foreground application. This realizes the acceleration of dual-network link aggregation for the display device in multiple scenarios facing the wide area network, and prioritizes the network environment of the foreground application when multiple applications are running at the same time. It avoids the degradation of the network environment of the foreground application due to low network bandwidth, small network card bandwidth, or line defects, thereby improving the user's network experience for the playback of programs in the foreground application.

[0095] The following paragraphs will briefly introduce the technical solution provided in this application for how a display device obtains IP addresses from different networks simultaneously. Taking a smart TV as an example, the control method for obtaining different network card addresses based on the Android system will be described. The names of some components, ports, and boards included in the smart TV can be interpreted separately in the following paragraphs, and their specific names may differ from those of similar components, ports, and boards mentioned above. This application does not impose specific restrictions on them.

[0096] In some embodiments, a smart TV may include multiple network cable interfaces, each corresponding to a specific Ethernet card configured in the smart TV, so that the smart TV can access different wired network links.

[0097] For example, when a TV has two network cable ports, the first and second network cable ports can be located at the bottom of the TV. Of course, the smart TV diagram does not limit the specific location of the network cable ports. The first and second network cable ports can also be located on the same side, top, or back of the TV casing.

[0098] The smart TV display can show a user interface, whose desktop applications may include video intercom doorbells, community video clinics, and video applications. It should be noted that when a user launches different desktop applications, and both the first and second network cable interfaces are plugged into network-enabled cables, the smart TV's controller can control specific applications to use the network card corresponding to the specific network cable interface for network communication.

[0099] For example, when the smart TV user interface is running the video intercom doorbell, the controller can control the video intercom doorbell application to obtain network data through the first network card corresponding to the first network cable interface; the controller can also control the first video application to obtain network data through the second network card corresponding to the second network cable interface.

[0100] It should be noted that smart TVs can also be configured with wireless network cards. When a wireless network environment is available for the smart TV, the controller can also control specific applications in the aforementioned desktop applications to communicate via the wireless network, for example... Figure 6A The first, second, and third video applications shown are examples of this. It is understood that the controller of the display device provided in this application can control the first network link corresponding to the first network card and the second network link corresponding to the second network card to simultaneously access the smart TV, so that the smart TV user interface can simultaneously display different application interfaces, and different applications can simultaneously access and use different network links.

[0101] It should be noted that the different network links described in this application may include different local area networks, leased lines, service networks, or physical access lines, such as network ports or interfaces in different locations within a room that are connected to the same gateway.

[0102] It is understood that the smart TV provided in this application can simultaneously connect to two wired network links and one wireless network link; however, in practical applications, smart TVs typically connect to two wired network links simultaneously, or connect to one wired network link and one wireless network link simultaneously.

[0103] In some implementations, when a user turns on the smart TV, the smart TV's controller will receive a signal from the user to start the smart TV, such as a power-on signal sent using a remote control.

[0104] After the TV is turned on, in addition to the regular services of the Android framework starting automatically, the smart TV controller also creates a first service in the system. The first service can monitor the access status of the TV's network card. That is, when a network cable that can connect to the Internet is plugged into the network cable interface, or when the wireless network card scans for an accessible wireless network, the first service can identify the wireless network card that can currently obtain a network connection and the wired network card corresponding to the network cable interface.

[0105] In this system, the smart TV defines one of the multiple wired network cards as the first wired network card. This first wired network card can be configured to access a dedicated network, such as a community-specific network for video intercom doorbell applications or community video clinic applications. When the first network cable interface corresponding to the first wired network card is plugged into the community-specific network cable connector, the first service can identify the current network status change and immediately obtain and assign a network card address to the first wired network card. This network card address can specifically be implemented as an IP address.

[0106] For example, a video intercom doorbell application that runs through a user interface must communicate via a community-dedicated network to function;

[0107] The first wired network card of the TV connects to the first network cable interface through the first network chain and the community private network. When the controller creates the first service to recognize that the first wired network card is connected to the network, it will obtain the IP address of the first wired network card that is connected to the private network.

[0108] After the first wired network card successfully connects to the network, the video intercom doorbell can operate normally. When a guest rings the doorbell from outside, the doorbell's monitoring screen will be transmitted to the first wired network card of the smart TV via a dedicated network. The data is then processed and displayed on the video intercom doorbell application interface. Because the doorbell application communicates via a dedicated network and a dedicated network card, it will not affect the network bandwidth usage of other video playback applications or live channels on the smart TV user interface.

[0109] In some embodiments, when the first wired network card is connected to the first network link, the controller will control the first service to start the first wired network card and control the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to write the address of the first wired network card obtained by the DHCP client into the first wired network card and the kernel, so that the first application can access the wide area network through the first network link connected by the first wired network card.

[0110] For example, when a smart TV uses dual wired network links, the controller will create the first service for obtaining an IP address for the first wired network card after the TV is turned on;

[0111] The controller first controls the first service to check if the network node of the first wired network card exists. If it exists, it means that the network node is ready. The controller will then control the first service to start the first wired network card. Next, it will obtain the IP address of the first wired network card through the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client. Then, the DHCP server will receive the request message sent by the client to obtain the IP address and write the IP address information of the first wired network card into the first wired network card. The first wired network card will send its IP address information to the kernel so that the Android framework service can call it to access the network.

[0112] In some embodiments, the smart TV is configured to allow its typical applications to communicate via a second network link corresponding to the second network card.

[0113] For example, when the second network card is implemented as a second wired network card, the first video application can communicate and run on the user interface through the second network link at this time, and the first video application communicates through the second network card;

[0114] It is understandable that the second network card can also be implemented as a second wireless network card, that is, when the smart TV connects to the wireless network through the wireless network card, the first video application communicates through the second network card;

[0115] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, typical applications in smart TVs that do not rely on dedicated networks are often configured to communicate via a wireless network or wired network accessed through a second network card. These applications may include, for example, first, second, and third video applications, and weather forecast applications.

[0116] It is understood that in some embodiments, for a smart TV equipped with two wired network cards and one wireless network card, typically one of the wired network cards is configured to access a dedicated network to support specific applications, while the other wired network card or wireless network card is configured to access a home network to support general applications.

[0117] In some embodiments, when the second network card of a smart TV accesses the second network link, its controller writes the obtained second network card address into the second network card and the kernel. Specifically, this can be implemented by writing a network proxy class containing the second network card address obtained based on the Android framework process into the second network card and the kernel.

[0118] For example, the second network card is implemented as a second wired network card. When a network cable is inserted into the access device through the second network cable interface corresponding to the second wired network card, the controller will control the network daemon to notify the Ethernet tracing class and create a factory class. Then, the controller will obtain the IP address of the second wired network card based on the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol through the Internet Protocol control service.

[0119] After the IP address is successfully obtained, the controller will control the second wired network card to generate its corresponding network proxy class object and register it with the network connection management service. The network connection management service will write the IP address of the second wired network card into the kernel and the second network card for use in calling Android framework services.

[0120] In some embodiments, the second network card is implemented as a second wireless network card. The controller obtains the IP address of the second wireless network card through the conventional Android framework process, and controls the generated network proxy class object to register with the network connection management service. Then, the network connection management service writes the IP address of the network card into the kernel and the second wireless network card.

[0121] In some embodiments, a smart TV may be configured to have its first wired network card connected to a first network link and its second wired network card connected to a second wired link.

[0122] For example, after a smart TV is connected to the aforementioned network, its first video application can access the Internet and wide area network through the second network link accessed by the second wired network card. The second video application can also be implemented as other common TV applications, second and third video applications, and weather forecast applications, etc. Meanwhile, the video intercom doorbell can access the community dedicated network through the first network link accessed by the first wired network card.

[0123] For example, after a smart TV connects to the aforementioned networks simultaneously, its first video application can access the internet via a wireless link connected by a second wireless network card. This second video application can also be implemented as a second or third video application, or a weather forecast application, etc. Meanwhile, the community video clinic can access the community's dedicated network via a first wired network card connected to its first network link. Although the TV connects to and uses two different networks simultaneously through different network cards, these two networks do not interfere with each other.

[0124] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the first network link and the second network link can be simultaneously accessed by a wide area network.

[0125] In some embodiments, a smart TV can also be configured with multiple wired network cards. For example, when a second wired network card and a third wired network card are both connected to a wired network, the controller will control the network card that is connected to the network first to obtain an IP address and access the network.

[0126] For example, when a wired network is connected to a smart TV, the controller will control the network daemon to notify the Ethernet tracing class to pass a message to the Ethernet factory class, and then obtain the IP addresses of the second and third wired network cards through the Internet Protocol control service.

[0127] After obtaining the IP address, the controller will control the dual wired network to generate a network proxy class object and register it to the network connection management service;

[0128] The network connection management service ultimately scores the network to determine which network to connect to, and then sends the message to the kernel. Because the two wired networks have the same score, the wired network that connects later will be eliminated, and the smart TV will connect to the wired network that connects earlier.

[0129] In some embodiments, the smart TV is equipped with multiple wired network cards, i.e., wireless network cards, wherein the first wired network card is fixed for accessing a dedicated network; if the second wired network card and the second wireless network card are both connected to different networks, the controller will control the network card that is connected to the network first to obtain an IP address and access the network.

[0130] For example, when the second wireless network card accesses its corresponding wireless network, after the controller receives the power-on broadcast in the wireless network state machine, it will start the completion broadcast, then create a wireless network factory class and register it in the network connection management service. The network connection management service further transmits messages to the network factory class, and the network factory class registers the obtained wireless network card address in the system network connection management service.

[0131] When the second wired network card connects to the corresponding wired network, the controller will control the network daemon to notify the Ethernet tracing class, and the Ethernet factory class will register the obtained wired network card address to the network connection management service.

[0132] The network connectivity management service will determine which network to connect to based on the class score of the network factory class; among them, the score for WIFI is lower than that for wired networks, so the controller will choose to connect to the wired network and control the WIFI wireless network to turn off automatic reconnection.

[0133] In some embodiments, when a smart TV is turned on and its wired network card's corresponding network cable interface is plugged into an accessible wired network, the controller will obtain the IP address of the wired network through the Android framework service. Then, the controller will control the generation of a network proxy class object corresponding to the wired network card and register it in the network connection management service.

[0134] After the wireless network card is connected to the corresponding wireless network, the controller obtains the IP address through the above-mentioned method for obtaining the wireless network card address. The controller will then control the generation of the network proxy class corresponding to the network cable network card and register the object to the network connection management service.

[0135] Ultimately, in the network connection management service, the controller uses a scoring system to determine which network to connect to, and then sends a message to the system kernel. Wireless networks with low scores will be eliminated, and the controller ultimately controls the wired network card to connect to the corresponding wired network.

[0136] In some embodiments, when both the first wired network card and the second wireless network card used for accessing the dedicated network are connected to the network, the controller will use the method for accessing the network for the corresponding network card in the above embodiments to enable both the first wired network card and the second wireless network card to obtain their corresponding IP addresses and access the corresponding networks, so that the TV can simultaneously access the dedicated wired network and the ordinary wireless network.

[0137] For example, the controller controls the first wired network card to obtain its corresponding IP address according to the above embodiment, and queries whether the network node exists through the first service created by the controller; if it exists, it means that the first wired network card of the network node is ready; the controller then controls the first service to start the first wired network card, and then obtains the IP address of the wired network card through the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client, and then obtains the IP address of the first wired network card through the transmission message received by the DHCP server, and writes the IP address information of the first wired network card into the first wired network card;

[0138] For the second wireless network card that needs to access a regular wireless network, the controller controls the network card to obtain the IP address through the Android framework process described in the previous embodiment. The obtained IP address of the second wireless network card is used to generate a corresponding network proxy class object, which is then registered in the network connection management service. The network connection management service then writes the address of the second wireless network card into the system kernel and the second wireless network card.

[0139] According to the above technical solution, the display device provided in this application can enable its Android system to connect to two wired networks simultaneously, or one wired network and one wireless network, and can obtain the corresponding IP address.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first wired network card and the second network card of the smart TV may also be implemented as different links for accessing the same local area network.

[0141] For example, the living room is equipped with two network ports for accessing the same network: living room port 1 and living room port 2. By connecting the first network card to living room port 1 and the second network card to living room port 2 with network cables, a wired link 1 connected to the first network card and a wired link 2 connected to the second network card are formed.

[0142] It is understandable that if there is a quality problem with the connection line between the living room network port 2 and the router, resulting in a decrease in network bandwidth, while the connection line between the living room network port 1 and the router is of normal quality, then the TV will have different network experiences when accessing the network through wired link 1 and wired link 2.

[0143] In this scenario, the third video application displayed on the smart TV's foreground user interface connects to the local area network (LAN) via the first wired network card, wired link 1, and living room network port 1. Its network bandwidth is not affected by the defective quality line connected to living room network port 2. Meanwhile, the first and second video applications running in the background connect to the LAN via the second network card, wired link 2, and living room network port 2. Their network bandwidth is affected by the defective quality line connected to living room network port 2.

[0144] Therefore, the above technical solutions enable Android TVs to overcome current technical bottlenecks and use multiple network accesses at the same time. For example, they can simultaneously access wired networks, Wi-Fi networks, or two broadband networks in the home environment, or access from different network entrances of the same network. This avoids the problem of insufficient network bandwidth or network bandwidth degradation caused by the quality of a specific network entrance line due to multiple applications using the network at the same time.

[0145] It is understood that the first wired network card described in this application can not only be used to connect to a dedicated network, but also to connect to a network interface with good line quality in the same local area network, so as to avoid the problem of reduced network bandwidth caused by poor network line quality in some parts of the home, and ensure that the network link used by important applications is in good condition.

[0146] In some embodiments, it should be noted that users can typically allocate multiple available networks to multiple network cards on the TV. For example, with two available TV networks and two network cards, a first network link with relatively better network quality can be allocated to the first network card, and another second network link can be allocated to the second network card. This ensures that the most important program for the user, which is currently being watched, can obtain data through a dedicated first network link, avoiding poor network experience such as program playback stuttering due to insufficient network bandwidth caused by multiple applications running simultaneously.

[0147] In some embodiments, the technical solutions described in this application can also be widely applied to dual-screen interaction, home services, full-process voice services, device control and proactive scene services, community access capabilities, family doctor services, or music services, full-process voice interaction and scene engines, home appliance management services, etc.

[0148] Compared to ordinary Android-based home appliances, whose Android systems only allow one network connection and IP address acquisition at a time, the display device provided in this application, or the smart home appliance using the technical solution of this application, can connect to two networks simultaneously, such as connecting to a community network and a home network respectively.

[0149] It should be noted that the provided display device has a circuit board with three network cards to enable simultaneous connection to two networks. Specifically, it can access two wired networks and one Wi-Fi network. One wired network is used to connect to the community network for calling elevators or video doorbell intercoms. The other wired or wireless network connects to the home network for accessing the wide area network (WAN). Therefore, two different networks can operate simultaneously: the community network for community applications and the home network for general applications.

[0150] The following paragraphs will compare and list the Chinese terms used in this application specification and their corresponding English terms to facilitate reading and understanding.

[0151] Index;

[0152] Input / output control instructions: IOCTLs;

[0153] Input / output request message: IRP;

[0154] Data interface: socket;

[0155] Activity;

[0156] Creation: onCreate;

[0157] Startup: onStart;

[0158] Reproduced: onResume;

[0159] home page

[0160] Restart: onRestart

[0161] Android framework layer: framework;

[0162] Activity Stack;

[0163] Complete Resume Locked;

[0164] Activity record: ActivityRecord;

[0165] Package name: packagename

[0166] Running;

[0167] Paused;

[0168] Dialogue;

[0169] Stopped;

[0170] User interface (UI);

[0171] Killed;

[0172] For ease of explanation, the above description has been provided in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, the discussion in some embodiments above is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed above. Various modifications and variations can be obtained based on the above teachings. The selection and description of the above embodiments are for the purpose of better explaining the principles and practical applications, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better utilize the embodiments and various different variations of the embodiments suitable for specific application considerations.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that, include: A monitor used to display the front-end user interface; The controller is configured as follows: When at least one first application is displayed on the foreground user interface, the first application is controlled to perform network communication through the first network card corresponding to the first network link; the first network card is dedicated to data transmission of the first network link, the first network link is a wired network link, and the first network card is a wired network card; Upon receiving a user's instruction to launch a second application, the application displayed in the foreground user interface is determined based on system attribute fields; Based on the first network interface card name and the second network interface card name, obtain the corresponding first index and second index from the system kernel; When the second application is displayed in the foreground user interface, the second application is controlled to bypass the protocol stack based on the first index and communicate through the first network card. The first application, which is switched to the background, is also controlled to bypass the protocol stack based on the second index and communicate through the second network card. The second network card is dedicated to data transmission on the second network link, which is a wireless network link. The second network card is a wireless network card. When the first application is displayed in the foreground user interface, the second application is controlled to bypass the protocol stack and communicate through the second network card corresponding to the second network link. Among them, the network communication quality of the first network link is higher than that of the second network link.

2. The display device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, After receiving a user's instruction to launch a second application, the controller is further configured to: Receive a user's instruction to launch a third application and determine the application displayed in the foreground user interface; The application displayed on the front-end user interface controls the network communication of other applications to bypass the protocol stack and communicate through the first network card, and controls the network communication of other applications to switch to the second network card.

3. The display device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Before the controller controls the second application to communicate via the first network card and controls the first application to communicate via the second network card, the controller is further configured to: The first network card address is obtained based on the first network card service displayed in the foreground user interface of the first application. After the second application starts, it obtains the address of the second network card corresponding to the second network card according to the connection service of the Android framework process.

4. A control method for improving network environment based on dual links, characterized in that, The method includes: When at least one first application is displayed in the foreground, the first application is controlled to perform network communication through the first network card corresponding to the first network link; the first network card is dedicated to data transmission of the first network link, the first network link is a wired network link, and the first network card is a wired network card; Upon receiving a user's instruction to launch a second application, the application displayed in the foreground user interface is determined based on system attribute fields; Based on the first network interface card name and the second network interface card name, obtain the corresponding first index and second index from the system kernel; When the second application is displayed in the foreground user interface, the second application is controlled to bypass the protocol stack based on the first index and communicate through the first network card. The first application, which is switched to the background, is also controlled to bypass the protocol stack based on the second index and communicate through the second network card. The second network card is dedicated to data transmission on the second network link, which is a wireless network link. The second network card is a wireless network card. When the first application is displayed in the foreground, the second application is controlled to bypass the protocol stack and communicate through the second network card corresponding to the second network link; wherein, the network communication quality of the first network link is higher than that of the second network link.

5. The control method for improving the network environment based on dual links as described in claim 4, characterized in that, After receiving a user's instruction to launch a second application, the method further includes: Receive the user's instruction to launch a third application and determine the application to be displayed in the foreground; The application displayed on the front end controls the network communication through the first network card, bypassing the protocol stack, and controls the network communication of other applications to switch to the second network card.

6. The control method for improving the network environment based on dual links as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Before controlling the second application to communicate via the first network card and controlling the first application to communicate via the second network card, the method further includes: Obtain the first network card address based on the first network card service when the first application is displayed in the foreground; After the second application starts, it obtains the address of the second network card corresponding to the second network card according to the connection service of the Android framework process.

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