Dynamic Tuner Assignment for Broadcast Reception Speed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing broadcast receiving apparatuses with multiple tuners do not fully utilize their capabilities to improve the speed of receiving content from broadcast signals, as operations are not efficiently assigned and coordinated among the tuners.
Innovation Solution
A broadcast receiving apparatus with a processor that dynamically assigns and varies operations among multiple tuners, allowing primary and secondary operations to be performed in sequence, optimizing the number of tuners for each operation based on progress, particularly during software upgrading processes, to enhance content receiving speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a single tuner is used in broadcast receiving apparatus, then device complexity is reduced, but content receiving speed is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic assignment of operations to tuners based on real-time progress and conditions. The processor dynamically determines which tuner performs which operation (scanning, identifying, downloading) at each stage, allowing the system to adaptively optimize receiving speed without permanently increasing device complexity. This dynamic allocation resolves the contradiction by making the tuner configuration flexible rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The content receiving process is segmented into multiple independent operations (scanning operation, identifying operation, downloading operation) that can be distributed across multiple tuners. By dividing the overall receiving task into separable stages, the system can utilize multiple tuners simultaneously for different operations, thereby improving content receiving speed while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular operation design.
2Productivity
If multiple tuners are used in broadcast receiving apparatus, then content receiving speed can be improved, but full utilization of tuners is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuous utilization of all tuners by assigning different operations to different tuners simultaneously. While one tuner performs scanning, another performs identifying, and a third performs downloading, all tuners remain actively engaged in useful work throughout the content receiving process. This continuous assignment eliminates idle tuner time and maximizes productivity, resolving the contradiction between tuner utilization and receiving speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by having tuners prepare for subsequent operations in advance. For example, while one tuner is scanning frequencies, another tuner is already positioned to perform identifying operations on detected signals, and a third is ready to download content. This preliminary positioning and preparation of tuners ensures that when content is ready for reception, the system can immediately utilize all tuners without idle transitions, thereby maximizing both utilization efficiency and receiving speed.
3Loss of time
If operations are performed sequentially on a single tuner, then device complexity is minimized, but receiving time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving process is divided into distinct operational segments (scanning, identifying, downloading) that can be executed in parallel by different tuners. This segmentation allows the system to perform multiple operations simultaneously rather than sequentially, significantly reducing total receiving time. The operational segmentation manages complexity by creating clear, discrete task boundaries that the processor can coordinate efficiently across multiple tuners.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from sequential one-dimensional operation execution to parallel multi-dimensional operation execution. By distributing different operational stages across multiple tuners operating simultaneously, the system adds a temporal dimension to operation execution, transforming the process from a single-line sequence into a multi-threaded parallel structure. This dimensional change reduces receiving time while managing complexity through structured parallelism.
Data Source
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AI summary
A broadcast receiving apparatus includes a plurality of tuners configured to be tuned for a broadcast signal; and a processor configured to: make a plurality of operations be assigned to and performed in the plurality of tuners, the plurality of operations being different from one another and being performed in sequence to receive content involved in the broadcast signal, make the assignment of the plurality of operations to the plurality of tuners be varied depending on progress with the plurality of operations, and perform control to receive the content from the broadcast signal.