Abstraction Driver for Satellite Tuner Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Satellite television systems lack access to local sub-channels, which are important for users seeking local news and weather information, due to customer interest, business, and regulatory challenges.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize an abstraction driver in a host device to communicate control commands to external devices, such as tuners, allowing for the abstraction of these devices from the host, enabling communication of abstraction control commands, executable code determination, and data transmission from the external device to the host, thereby facilitating access to local content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If satellite television systems use only satellite receivers without external tuning devices, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to access local sub-channels is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external device with a tuner as an intermediary component that bridges the satellite receiver and local broadcast signals. This external device contains an abstraction driver that mediates between the host device's high-level commands and the specific hardware requirements of different tuner types, enabling access to local sub-channels without requiring the user to understand or configure complex hardware details.
Solution Approach 2:
The abstraction driver layer provides universal functionality by implementing a standardized interface that works with multiple types of external devices (different tuner models and manufacturers). The driver translates generic control commands into device-specific instructions, allowing the same host device to control various external tuners without requiring device-specific configuration knowledge from the user.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system provides detailed hardware control interfaces for external devices, then the adaptability to different device types is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring intimate knowledge of underlying hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The abstraction driver acts as an intermediary layer that shields the user from hardware complexity. It receives high-level control commands from the host device and automatically translates them into the appropriate low-level instructions for the specific external device model, eliminating the need for users to understand hardware-specific protocols or configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automatic device detection and driver selection, where the host device automatically identifies the connected external device type and loads the appropriate abstraction driver without user intervention. The driver itself performs self-configuration by detecting the device capabilities and setting up the communication interface automatically, reducing user effort to minimal actions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If satellite providers include multiple tuners in the base system, then the adaptability to receive both satellite and local content is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tuning functionality from the main satellite receiver and places it in a separate external device. This allows the base satellite receiver to remain simple and focused on satellite content, while the external device handles local broadcast tuning. Users can add the external device only when they need local sub-channel access, avoiding unnecessary complexity in the base system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static, fixed-function receiver to a dynamic, extensible architecture. The host device can dynamically load different abstraction drivers based on the connected external device type, and the system configuration changes adaptively when external devices are added or removed, allowing the base system to remain simple while gaining versatility when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for abstracting an external device from a host includes the external device in communication with the host device. The host device includes an abstraction driver communicating with the plurality of different external devices. The host device communicates a control command to the abstraction driver. The abstraction driver communicates abstraction control commands from the abstraction driver to the external device in response to the control command. The external device determines executable code corresponding to the abstraction control commands, performs executable code at the external device and communicates data from the external device to the receiving device.