Software Download Generator for Set Top Box Code Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for generating Set Top Box (STB) Code Download Step Sequences are labor-intensive and prone to errors due to the need for technicians to have extensive knowledge of code objects and protocols, leading to inefficient and inaccurate updates across a large number of STBs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a Software Download Generator (SDG) to retrieve code objects, generate control messages and decoder conditionals, and combine them with channel map information to create a seamless STB code download step sequence, which is then transmitted through a Digital Addressable Controller (DAC) and Remote Addressable DANIS/DLS (RADD) to the target STB.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional manual methods are used to generate STB Code Download Step Sequences, then technicians can control the update process, but the process becomes labor-intensive and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the Software Download Generator automatically retrieves code objects, generates control messages, creates decoder conditionals, and assembles complete STB Code Download Step Sequences without requiring manual technician intervention for each step, thereby eliminating human error while maintaining update accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual process of technicians manually constructing code download sequences with an automated software-based system that uses algorithms to generate the same sequences, substituting human labor with computational processes that are both faster and more reliable
2Reliability
If technicians manually determine Decoder Conditionals and Control Messages, then they can ensure protocol compliance, but the process requires extensive technical knowledge and is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The Software Download Generator acts as an intermediary between the technician's high-level instructions and the complex protocol requirements. Technicians simply provide update objectives, and the generator intermediates by automatically translating these into protocol-compliant Decoder Conditionals and Control Messages, eliminating the need for technicians to directly manipulate complex protocol details
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring all protocol requirements, code object relationships, and message formats within the Software Download Generator before the actual code update process. This preliminary setup ensures protocol compliance is built-in, so technicians don't need to manually ensure compliance during execution
3Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of code objects are managed in conventional DAC systems, then more functionality is available, but the complexity of managing and updating these objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the code management function by separating code object storage from the update generation process. The Software Download Generator maintains a simplified interface that automatically retrieves and manages code objects from external sources, segmenting the complexity away from the technician and into the automated system, allowing large numbers of code objects to be managed without increasing operational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A method for generating a Set Top Box (STB) code download step sequence includes the steps of retrieving a code object from a Software Download Generator (SDG) memory in response to an instruction signal, generating at least one of a control message and a decoder conditional command using a SDG processor in response to the code object, accessing information in a channel map in the SDG memory, combining the at least one of a control message and a decoder conditional command with the code object to generate the STB code download step sequence for a target STB, transmitting the at least one STB code download step sequence from the SDG memory to a Digital Addressable Controller (DAC), re-transmitting the STB code download step sequence from the DAC to a Remote Addressable DANIS/DLS (RADD), and re-transmitting the STB code download step sequence from the RADD to the target STB.