WO1997037463A1

WO1997037463A1 - Data transmitting method, data transmitter, data receiver, and data receiver network connecting device

Info

Publication number: WO1997037463A1
Application number: PCT/JP1996/000854
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoshimichi Kudo; Iwao Aizawa
Original assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
Priority date: 1996-03-29
Filing date: 1996-03-29
Publication date: 1997-10-09
Also published as: AU5122396A

Abstract

The purpose of this invention is to improve the network efficiency in transmission of computer programs or data through a network for satellite broadcasting or cable television so as to construct a system which can be easily used by the users of receivers. Data for computer are transmitted from a data transmitter to a transmission line for digital video signal, such as the satellite broadcasting channel, cable television channel, etc., through which digital video signals can be simultaneously received by a large number of data receivers. Such a transmission line, or a separate line for direct connection between the transmitter and receiver, is used to transfer data for transmission control so that the users of the data receivers can select required data.

Description

Specification

Data transmission method, data transmission device, data reception device, and network connection device for data reception device

The present invention relates to a data transmission method for simultaneously transmitting data from a data transmission device having a large-capacity data storage means such as a file server to a large number of remote data reception devices via a network. The present invention also relates to a data transmitting device, a data receiving device, and a network connection device of the data receiving device used for this purpose. Background art

As a method of transmitting data by interconnecting two or more computer devices located at distant points, a general telephone line by converting data handled by the computer device into a voice signal using a modem The transmission method is used. By using such technology, for example, a file server that stores a large amount of data can be connected from a remote location via a telephone line, and programs and data stored in the server can be downloaded to the local computer. Can be. Recently, such file servers that exist in various parts of the world are connected to each other by, for example, high-speed dedicated lines using optical fibers, and form a so-called Internet. You can do it. With the spread of the Internet, a business form called a service provider that provides access to the Internet from small offices and ordinary households where a dedicated line cannot be established has emerged. This service provider is located at home While providing an access point for connecting from a computer that is using a telephone line, it is also connected to the Internet, and ordinary users can call a service provider by calling You can connect to the Internet and download data stored on the server.

On the other hand, due to the development of multimedia technology and software technology, moving images compressed using the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) algorithm etc. are used for data transmitted over the Internet. Image data such as still images compressed using the JPEG (Joint P hotographic Eperts Group) algorithm, etc., and programs with graphics, user, and interface (GUI). Many are being included. The amount of data such as images and programs has been increasing as compared to the past, and the time required for data transfer has also increased.

In data transmission using a telephone line as described above, the upper limit of the data transmission rate is about 30 kbps due to restrictions on the frequency band of the line. A digital telephone line (ISDN) can be used as a means to achieve higher-speed data transmission, but the basic interface using ordinary electric wires is 6 Although the service is provided by two 4 kbps B channels and one 16 kbps D channel, the transmission rate was not expected to improve significantly compared to analog lines. Therefore, as a high-speed data transmission means that replaces such telephone lines, attention has been paid to a method of performing data transmission using a television broadcasting channel such as cable television, satellite broadcasting, and terrestrial broadcasting. An example of such a data transmission method is Nikkei Electronics, No. 651, ppl OO-107, 121-126 and Nikkei Electronics No. 6556, pp 108-129.

According to the data transmission method as described above, for the data transmission from the server side to the receiving terminal side, that is, the downstream direction, the vacant one of the same channels used for the signal transmission of the television broadcast. For data transmission from the terminal side to the server side, that is, in the upstream direction, an empty area of a broadcast channel or a telephone line is used.

As described above, the method of transmitting data from a computer using a transmission channel for broadcasting has the following problems. In other words, since it is aimed at communication for a large number of viewers as well as cable television and satellite broadcasting, it is assumed that hundreds or tens of thousands of receivers per transmission station, and that programs with the same content can be broadcast simultaneously. Suitable for receiving by many receivers. On the other hand, when used for data transmission during a computer, one channel is time-divided or band-divided and shared by many receivers, so the effective transmission bandwidth per receiver is the transmitting station. The number becomes narrow in inverse proportion to the number of receiving terminals. Therefore, if a large number of receiving terminals request data transmission at the same time, the load per channel will increase, causing a substantial reduction in transmission speed. In addition, many receiving terminals will access computer programs used by many users and popular image data, but even in such a case, it is necessary to transmit from the transmitting side to each receiving terminal. Yes, the transmission line usage efficiency was further reduced. In such a case, the advantage of using a high-speed transmission path was not obtained for the user of the receiving terminal, and there was a problem that usability was hindered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a large number of receptions through a wideband data transmission channel such as cable television, satellite broadcasting, and terrestrial broadcasting. A data transmission method that does not degrade the efficiency of the data transmission channel when accessing the computer device, which is a server, from the side terminal, and provides ease of use for the user using the receiving terminal. I quit. Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention multiplexes data on a digitally coded and modulated video signal by a method such as time division multiplexing on a digital data transmission path capable of broadcasting a video signal. High-speed data transmission from a data transmitter to multiple data receivers simultaneously in parallel. Also, the data name, size, and transmission channel number of the data transmitted from the data transmission device on this digital data transmission path or using a second data transmission path different from this digital data transmission path. Transmission control information indicating the above is transmitted to the data receiving apparatus. This allows the user of the data receiving device to select the data he or she needs, without having to assign a dedicated channel to each user for the transmission of the data. Therefore, the channel can be used effectively. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a data transmission system using a data transmission device and a data reception device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the data receiving apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the data receiving device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the data receiving apparatus of the present invention. It is a lock figure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fourth embodiment of the data receiving apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for selecting and registering transmission data in a data transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a data receiving procedure of the data transmission method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a data transmission system using a data transmitting device and a data receiving device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data receiving device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sixth embodiment of the data receiving apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a data transmission system using a data transmitting device and a data receiving device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing the internal operation of the data transmitting apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data receiving apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present invention and an entire data transmission system using a data receiving device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transmitting side of the data transmission system shown in Fig. 1 has a data transmitting device 1, a transmitting antenna 2, and a receiving device at multiple locations. Side, receiving antennas 3a and 3b, and data receiving devices 4a and 4b are arranged, and a satellite 5 that relays data from the transmitting side to the receiving side by radio waves, and between the receiving side and the transmitting side. The transmitting side and the receiving side are connected by a telephone line network 6 which relays data transmission between the transmitting side and the receiving side. As the telephone network 6, a digital line such as ISDN can be used in addition to a general public analog line, or a dedicated line may be used after a contract has been established between the data provider and the user in advance. . Although FIG. 1 shows two sets of receiving antennas and a data receiving device as the receiving side, the present invention is not limited to the number of receiving sides, but rather has a large scale with several hundred or more receivers. It can be applied to various systems.

The data transmission device 1 of FIG. 1 will be described in more detail below. Data receiving device 4a, 4b The data such as computer programs, images, sounds, and documents provided to 4b are recorded in the file server 11 and the data stored in the file server 11 are searched. And a schedule management unit 13 that controls data transmission from the file server 12 to the data receiving devices 4a and 4b accesses the file server 11 c. On the other hand, schedule management The unit 13 stores information on the user who receives the data of the file server 11 using the schedule data recording unit 14 that stores data relating to the data transmission schedule from the file server 11 and the data receiving devices 4a and 4b. It writes and reads information to and from the user management data recording unit 15 and transmits data stored in the file server 11 as described later. to manage. The data read for transmission from the file server 11 is converted into a fixed-length data bucket in the bucket generating unit 16. The video transmission device 19 is a device for transmitting video information such as a broadcast program to the receiving side. The video transmission device 19 is digitally coded based on an algorithm such as MPEG. Video data is sent out as a fixed-length video bucket. The length of the data bucket generated in the bucket generation unit 16 is selected in the same manner as the video bucket generated by the video transmission device 19. The data bucket generated by the packet generator 16 and the video bucket and the control packet generated by the video transmitter 19 are time-division multiplexed by the multiplexer 17 and are modulated by the modulator 18. The signal is modulated and transmitted through the transmitting antenna 2. (Note that the multiplexer 17 encrypts the information to be transmitted using a predetermined encryption key if necessary. In this case, the encryption key is used before receiving the data. The modem 21 mainly modulates and demodulates control data which communicates with the data receiving devices 4a and 4b via the telephone line 6. The control unit 20 controls the data receiving devices 4a and 4b. The operation of the search processing unit 12 and the schedule management unit 13 is controlled in accordance with the content of the data sent from b, and the result is sent back to the data receiving devices 4a and 4b. Will be described. Although the search processing unit 12, the schedule management unit 13, and the control unit 20 are respectively configured as separate blocks in FIG. 1, all or some of them are executed by one processing device. Similarly, the file server 11, the schedule data recording unit 14 and the user management data recording unit 15 can be realized as separate files on one storage device. Further, a storage device and a video transmission device 19 that realize all or a part of the file server 11, the schedule data recording unit 14, and the user management data recording unit 15 are different from the data transmission device of the present invention. It may be configured as an independent device and provided with an interface for data transfer and control between the data transmitting device and another block. The image transfer device 1 9 also de Isseki transmitting apparatus as good as a separate device.

In FIG. 1, the data receiving devices 4a and 4b are the same, and Each consists of a personal computer (PC) 41 a and 4 lb, a display 42 a and 42 b, a network connection device 43 a and 43 b, and a modem 44 a and 44 b. Is done. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of the data receiving device 4 shown in FIG. 1, and the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers. In the PC 41 shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 52 has a memory 53 for storing information such as a program executed by the CPU 52 and a data reception schedule necessary for data reception. A real-time clock (RTC) 54 for holding the time internally and transmitting it to the CPU 52, a keyboard 45 for transmitting user input, and a mouse 46 are connected. Further, the CPU 52 has a graphics display device 56 for storing images and character information displayed on the display 42 via the bus 51 via the bus 51, a program to be executed by the CPU, necessary data and a data transmission device. It is connected to a hard disk drive (HDD) 55 for storing data sent from 1 and interfaces 56 and 57 for converting the signal format of the bus 51 to a format for transmitting to an external device. Further, the graphics display device 56 is connected to the display 42, and the interfaces 57 and 58 are connected to the network connection device 43 and the modem 44, respectively. The network connection device 43 is a demodulator 61 that tunes to an arbitrary carrier of the high-frequency signal sent from the satellite 5 and demodulates it, and a decoding device that decodes a digital signal output from the demodulator. And an interface 63 for transmitting and receiving data output from the decoding unit 62 and control data for the demodulation unit 61 and the decoding unit 62 to and from the interface 57 of the PC 41. It is composed of The embodiment of the data receiving apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the data receiving device of the present invention. In the data receiving device of FIG. 3, the network connection device 43 shown in FIG. And a modem 44 as one network connection device 47. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the network connection device 49 is provided with an interface 65 that is compatible with the bus 51 of the PC 48, and the expansion board accommodated in the expansion slot of the PC 48 is provided. It is also possible to configure as. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to integrate the network processing unit consisting of the demodulation unit 61 and the decoding unit 62, the modem 64, and the display 66 as a PC 50 into a single unit. It is. In FIGS. 2 to 5, a general-purpose PC is assumed as a component of the data receiving device. It can also be realized by using a terminal device or the like. In this case, for example, a semiconductor memory can be used in place of the HDD, and a keypad, joystick, trackball, tablet, etc. can be used instead of a mouse or keyboard as a means of input from the user. good.

Next, a data transmission method in the data transmission system shown in FIG. 1 as one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the data transmission method according to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the data receiving device is connected to the data transmitting device one-to-one using a telephone line or the like, and is stored in the file server of the data transmitting device. The first step is to request the transmission of necessary data from the data and register it in the transmission schedule.The data is transmitted from the data transmission device through a broadband transmission channel such as a satellite broadcast channel. Data transmission is performed according to a two-step procedure including the second step of simultaneously transmitting data to a plurality of data receiving devices. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of selecting and registering received data in the data receiving device 4a or 4b shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is also a data receiving device 4a or 4b. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for receiving data in the first embodiment. The data transmission system shown in Fig. 1 based on Figs. 6 and 7 is described below. A method of transmitting data in the system will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the user is operating using the data receiving device 4a.

In order to select the data to be received from the data receiving device 4a and register it in the data transmitting device, first, the data receiving device 4a transmits the data transmitting device 1 through the telephone line 6 via the modem 44a. Connect to the modem 21 (procedure 101 in FIG. 6). Thus, the search processing unit 12 and the schedule management unit 13 can be used by the PC 41 a through the control unit 20. After establishing the connection between the modems, the user is asked to select whether or not to display a list of data stored in the database 11, and the result is determined (102). If the user already knows the required data name and does not choose to execute the list display, the user inputs the data name and sends it to the search processing unit 12 (103). The search processing unit 12 searches the file server 11 based on the sent data name as a clue, determines whether or not the corresponding data exists, and sends the search result back to the data receiving device 4a (104). . The data receiving device 4a judges the returned result (105), and if there is data, proceeds to the setting of transmission conditions (110). If there is no data, the data selection operation is performed. Proceed to (1 1 9) to determine whether to continue.

When the user does not know the data name in procedure 102 and the data list display is selected, the data receiving device 4a requests the search processing unit 12 to transmit the table of contents information, and performs the search. The processing unit 12 obtains the table of contents information of the data stored in the database 1] and sends it back to the data receiving device a. When the data receiving device 4a receives the table of contents information (107), the data name, data type, and a brief description of the data stored in the database 11 based on the received table of contents data And other information are displayed on the display 42a. This allows the user to find the desired data be able to. In this case, besides displaying the data names of the database 11 in a uniform list, the user can easily search by providing a search menu according to a certain hierarchical structure such as data type and genre. It is also possible to determine the search method as follows. The user inputs into the data receiving device 4a whether or not the required data is present. According to the result of the determination (108), if the required data is found, the user receives the data. Data is selected as overnight (109), and the procedure proceeds to setting of transmission conditions (110). If necessary data is not found, the procedure proceeds to determination (111) of whether to continue processing. In procedure 1 19, the user determines whether or not to continue the operation of selecting the received data, inputs it to the data receiving device 4a, and if it is selected not to continue the operation, the data is transmitted. The connection with the device 1 is disconnected (120), and the processing is terminated. To continue the operation, restart from procedure 102.

In the procedure for setting the transmission conditions (110), in addition to the data name selected by the user, authentication data such as the user's identification name and user password if necessary, the priority of data transmission, etc. The user enters the supplementary information of the data from the user and sends it to the schedule management unit 13 of the data transmission device 1 as a data transmission request. When receiving the request for data transmission from the data receiving device 4a, the schedule management unit 13 refers to the schedule data 14 and checks whether the requested data is already registered in the transmission list. If the relevant data has already been registered, the information such as the transmission time and data amount of this data is sent to the data receiving device 4a that has requested the data transmission, and if the relevant data has not been registered yet, the data is sent. The transmission time is provisionally registered in the schedule data 14, and the transmission time is sent to the data receiving device 4a. When registering a transmission schedule, for example, the frequency of transmission requests for individual data from the data receiving device is statistically analyzed, and network utilization efficiency is reduced as much as possible. The method is arbitrary, such as increasing the height.

Also, if the usage conditions of the data transmission system are such that use is permitted only to users with a prescribed contract, the data requested from the data receiving device 4a is registered as schedule data. On the other hand, the schedule management unit 13 checks the user identification name and password sent from the data receiving device 4a with the data in the user management data 15 and checks the transmitted data. It is determined whether the transmission request is from a legitimate user. Data transmission is permitted only when the data transmission request is from a legitimate user and the user has the right to access the data. It should be noted that verification of the user's password only needs to be performed when the data administrator has determined that access to the transmitted data is restricted, and the implementation is optional according to the system management policy. Also data receiving device

4 When deciding the data transmission time to a, select an option such as “10 minutes later”, “1 hour later”, “1 day later”, etc., according to the priority specified by the user. It may be provided, and it is also possible to set a category for the charge to the user by specifying this option.

Data transmission such as transmission data, transmission start and end time, data transmission channel, data amount, billing amount, and encryption key for data encryption set by the schedule management unit 13 as described above. The data required for the transmission is transmitted to the data receiving device 4a via the telephone line 6 and received ( ₁₁₁ ). The data receiving device 4a transmits the requested data from the transmitted data transmission information. It is checked whether the permission is granted (112), and if this is not possible due to a password mismatch or the like, the process proceeds to another data search selection (118). If data transmission is permitted, the above information sent from the data transmission

5 Compare with the current data reception schedule stored in 5 etc. After checking whether there is no overlap in the schedule, the above information is presented to the user, and the user inputs to the data receiving device 4a a selection of whether to accept the data transmission under the presented conditions. The data receiving device 4a judges the input result from the user (1 13), and if the user rejects the presented condition, or the above information and the data are already stored in the data receiving device 4a. If the reception schedule information is duplicated, the conditions such as the data transmission time, priority and charge are changed (114), and the procedure returns to 110. When the user accepts the data transmission under the presented conditions, the transmission conditions are registered as reception schedule data in the data receiving device 4a 內, while the acceptance of the transmission conditions is transmitted to the data transmitting device 1. You (1 1 5). When the data transmission device 1 receives the data transmission acceptance, the data transmission contents are recorded in the user management data 15 and, if the transmission schedule registered in the schedule data 14 is provisionally registered, Register officially. If the user does not send an acceptance for a certain period of time, the temporary registration will be canceled. Further, if it is necessary to encrypt the data transmitted by the data transmitting device 1 and send it, after receiving the data transmission acceptance from the data receiving device 4a, the receiving side decrypts the encrypted data. The decryption key is sent back to the data receiving device 4a.

After transmitting the acceptance of the data reception, the data receiving device 4a checks whether the data waiting for reception has already been registered, and thus checks whether the data reception process has already been started (1 16). If the processing has not been started, it is started (111), and then the user is prompted to select whether or not there is another search request for the data to be received. 8) It is determined whether to return to procedure 102 to perform another data search or to proceed to procedure 120 to end the reception data selection processing.

Next, the flow chart shown in FIG. The procedure for receiving data will be described. The data reception processing shown in FIG. 7 is started in the procedure 117 shown in FIG. When the data reception process starts, the data reception device first indicates to the user the next data reception start time, and selects whether to immediately start preparations for the reception operation or temporarily put the data reception device 4a in the standby state. And input. The data receiving device 4a determines whether to shift to the standby state or to prepare for the receiving operation, based on the input result from the user (133). No user input is required thereafter until reception is completed. In the standby state setting (1 3 2), the time monitoring process (1 3 3) in which the CPU 52 monitors the current time using the RTC 54 is started, and when the time immediately before the data reception start time is reached. Releases the standby state and enters preparations for receiving operation (135). In the standby state, a message is displayed on the screen that warns the user when the user attempts to perform an operation that would hinder data reception, such as turning off the power, or the user can use the keyboard or the like during standby. By not accepting an input operation, data reception can be prevented. In addition, for example, power supplies other than those required for time monitoring processing, such as the CPU 52, the memory 53, and the RTC 54, are temporarily shut off to reduce power consumption and prevent data reception failure due to user's erroneous operation. It is also possible to take measures. In this case, the power supply to each unit is restarted by canceling the standby mode (13.4).

In preparation for data reception (135), the PC 41 sets the reception channel of the demodulation unit 61 of the network connection device 43 through the interface 57, and receives the data registered and received in the decoding unit 62. Set as overnight. When data is transmitted after being encrypted in the data transmission device 1, the encryption key is sent to the decryption unit 62 to prepare for the start of data transmission.

Data is sent from data transmitter 1 and data receiver Then, the receiving operation is started (136), and the received data is stored in the HDD 55. When the data reception is completed, it is determined whether or not the data reception has been correctly performed by means of an error detection code or a method of comparing the amount of data transmitted in advance with the amount of data actually received. Then, if no reception error is detected, a process of closing the HDD file or a process of terminating data reception such as resetting of the network connection device 43 is performed (138). Thereafter, it is checked whether there is any other data waiting to be received (1339), and if there is no data waiting to be received, the data reception processing is terminated, and if there is data remaining to be received. Return to procedure 1 32 to prepare for the next data reception.

If an error is detected in procedure 13 7, the data receiving device 4 a connects to the data transmitting device 1 using the modem 44 a (140), and the data cannot be correctly received due to a reception error. A request for retransmission of the transmitted data is made (144). At that time, data such as the data name to be retransmitted, the user's identification name, and the passcode are transmitted to the data transmitting device 1 as in the procedure 110 of FIG. The data transmission device 1 checks the content of the retransmission request sent, and if it is determined that the request is a retransmission request without fail, transmits transmission information such as the retransmission start time of the data transmission to the data reception device. ( ₁₄₄ ) _c If the data transmission schedule is not registered at this time, the schedule data is temporarily registered. The data receiving device 4a checks the transmitted transmission information and checks whether it overlaps with other data reception (144), and if the data can be received, the data transmission device 1 can receive the data. Returning the acceptance indicating this (144), disconnecting the connection with the data transmitting device (145), and returning to the procedure 132 to prepare for the reception of the retransmitted data. If it is determined that reception is not possible in procedure 143, reset the other conditions such as time (144), return to procedure (141), and request retransmission of data overnight. c When the data transmission device 1 receives the acceptance of the data retransmission, if the schedule is provisional registration, the registration is formally registered, and if necessary, the encryption key is sent back. If the data to be transmitted is a retransmission, the schedule management unit 13 takes measures such as preventing the user from being charged twice.

According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the data to be transmitted is selected in advance from the data receiving apparatus, registered in the data transmitting apparatus, and information such as the time of overnight transmission is transmitted to the data transmitting apparatus. By obtaining the data at the receiving device side, data can be sent to many data receiving devices at the same time, and the use efficiency of the transmission path can be improved. Also, when registering data, it is possible to verify the password, transmit the encryption key, etc., so that the security of transmission of data distributed under conditions such as collection of fees can be ensured. In addition, even if data transmission cannot be performed correctly due to a transmission line failure, etc., data can be retransmitted without the need for the user, and at that time there is no need to charge multiple charges. A safe and reliable data transmission system can be provided to the user.

In the above-described embodiment, the user first starts by searching for the data to be received. However, for example, when the user can predict that the data is necessary in advance such as a version up of a computer program. , The data transmission device notifies the user of the new data by e-mail or other means, and the user simply responds to the new data by registering the reception message. It is also possible to manage the transmission data schedule on the data transmission device side so that the transmission can be completed.

In the data transmission system shown in FIG. 1, a broadcasting channel using a satellite is assumed as a transmission path for data and video. However, as another embodiment of the present invention, a satellite is used. Use ground station broadcasting instead of communication using This is also possible as a configuration.

Next, a data transmission system configured using a data transmission device and a data reception device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers. In the data transmission system shown in FIG. 8, the data transmitting device 71 and the data receiving devices 73a and 73b are connected by a cable television line via a relay station 72. FIG. 8 shows two sets of receiving sides, but the present invention is not limited to this number as in the case of FIG.

The data transmission device 71 has a modulation / demodulation device 21, and transmits video and data buckets output from the multiplexing device 17 and information for transmission control transmitted from the control unit 22 to the data receiving devices 73 a and 73 b. It modulates the format of the signal to be transmitted to the cable and sends the control information received from the data receiving devices 73a and 73b to the control unit 22.

The data receiving devices 73a and 73b are constituted by PCs 81a and 81b, displays 42a and 42b, and network connecting devices 82a and 82b, respectively. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the data receiving devices 73a and 73b shown in FIG. 8, and in FIG. 9, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are indicated by the same numbers. . The PC 81 is connected to a network connection device 82 via an interface 59 connected to an internal bus 51. The network connecting device 82 tunes to one carrier of the high-frequency signal transmitted from the relay station 72 through the cable and demodulates it, and demodulates the digital signal output from the demodulation unit. The decoding unit 92 for decoding, the modulation unit 93 that modulates the data sent from the PC 81 into a high-frequency signal and sends it out to a cable, the data output from the decoding unit 92 and the demodulation unit 91 and decoding And an interface 94 for transmitting and receiving control data for the modulation section 93 and the modulation section 93 to and from the interface 59 of the PC 81. You.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration method of another embodiment of the data receiving apparatus according to the present invention used in the data transmission system of FIG. As shown in Fig. 10, the network connection device 83 is provided with an interface 95 to be connected to the bus 51 of the PC 84 so that the board can be accommodated in the expansion slot of the PC 81. It is also possible to use

In the data transmission system shown in FIG. 8, the data read from the file server 11 of the data transmission device 71 and bucketed by the bucket generation unit 16 are combined with the video bucket transmitted from the video transmission device 19. The data receiving devices 73 a, 7 are time-division multiplexed in the multiplexing device 17 and used for transmitting a video program, and the transmission channel is multiplexed with the data bucket and the video bucket. It is sent out simultaneously to many data receiving devices including 3b. For communication of control data between the data receiving devices 73a and 73b and the control section 22 of the data transmitting device 711, a frequency band and a time slot different from those of the above transmission channel are used. Accordingly, communication is performed to set the transmission path of one-to-one with each of the data receiving apparatus ₇ 3 a, 7 3 b and the data transmitting apparatus 7 1.

As described above, the data transmission system shown in FIG. 8 can also have the same communication function as the data transmission system shown in FIG. 1, so that the data transmission system shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. The method of selection, registration and transmission can be implemented. Accordingly, even in the data transmission system shown in FIG. 8, the data transmission efficiency can be improved, and a data transmission system that is easy for the user to use can be realized.

Note that the data transmission system in Fig. 8 uses a band with an empty cable for communication of control data between the transmitting side and the receiving side, but this is similar to the system shown in Fig. Substitute for the same effect Can be

FIG. 11 shows an overall configuration of a data transmission system using a data transmitting device and a data receiving device according to an embodiment different from FIGS. 1 and 6 of the present invention. In the data transmission system shown in Fig. 11, the transmitting side is equipped with a data transmitting device 201 and a transmitting antenna 202, while the receiving side is receiving antennas 203a, 203b, and a data receiving device. It consists of 204a and 204b, and the transmitting side and the receiving side are relayed by satellite 205. In the data transmission system shown in FIG. 11, the number of receiving sides is not limited to two, and a large number of data receiving apparatuses can be provided.

The data transmission device 201 comprises a file server 11, a schedule management unit 211, a packet generation unit 212, a video transmission device 19, a multiplexing device 17, and a modulation circuit 18. FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing the format of data in each part of the data transmission device 201. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the symbols A to D indicate the corresponding relationships, respectively. The schedule management unit 211 determines the transmission order of the data in the file server 11 transmitted from the data transmission device 201, and sends the table data (A) describing this to the bucket generation unit 212. At the same time, it instructs the file server 11 to send the data to the bucket generator 2 12 in this order. Each variable-length data (B) sent from the file server 11 is divided into fixed-length data buckets together with the table data (A) in the bucket generation unit 212, and the time-division multiplexed data buckets. It is sent to the multiplexer 17 as (C). Symbols such as T-1, 1, and 11 indicate that the data (A) and (B) and the bucket (C) are the same. The data packets have headers HT and H1 to H3, respectively, indicating which data each packet constitutes. Then, by examining this header, the receiving side can know which bucket of which data is this bucket. The table data (A) includes this header and the corresponding data name, data size, data creation date and time, transmission start time, next transmission start time, and other attribute data. And the corresponding relationship. The data packet (C) is further multiplexed with the video packet sent from the video sending device 19 in the multiplexing device 17 and sent to the modulator 18 as a transmission packet (D) to be transmitted to the high frequency device for transmission. The signal is modulated and transmitted from the transmission antenna 202. In the transmission packet shown in Fig. 12 (D), D1 to D5 indicate data packets, and V1 to V8 indicate video packets, respectively. Time division multiplexing is performed as appropriate. Note that the types of buckets multiplexed in the multiplexer 17 include data packets, video buckets, and control buckets for controlling the operation of audio buckets and data receivers. Is also good. At the beginning of each transmission bucket, a packet header containing information that can determine whether the bucket is the type of the bucket is added.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing details of the data receiving device 204 shown in FIG. The PC 221 and the network connection device 222 are connected to each other by interfaces 231 and 235, respectively. The demodulation unit 232 tunes to one carrier of the high-frequency signal received by the reception antenna, demodulates this, and outputs a digital signal. The decoding unit 233 decodes the output of the demodulation unit 232, reproduces the transmission packet, and reconstructs the data by extracting only the data bucket based on the information in the bucket header. Output. Table data of the data output from the decoding unit 233 is stored in the table buffer 234. The CPU 52 of the PC 22 1 is connected to the table board via the bus 51 and the interfaces 2 3 1 and 2 3 5. It accesses the buffer 234 and retrieves the detailed information included in the table data, such as the data name, data size, data creation date and time, transmission start time, and next transmission start time, for the currently transmitted data. As a result, the user of the data receiving device 204 can select necessary data from the data currently transmitted from the data transmitting device 201, and the result can be selected from the PC 222. The signal is transmitted to the decoding unit 233 through one face 235. The decoding unit 233 discriminates the selected data by examining the header of the received data, sends out the fetched data from the interface 235, and the PC 221 sends this data to the HDD 555. It is stored. As described above, of the data stored in the file server 11 in FIG. 11, the data required by the user of the data receiving device 204 is selected and the HDD 5 of the PC 222 is selected. 5 can be accommodated.

The data transmitted from the data transmitting device 201 is transmitted sequentially and periodically from those recorded in the file server 11. At this time, for example, data requested by users of many data receiving apparatuses may be transmitted with a priority such as shortening a transmission cycle. In addition, as shown in Fig. 12, two or more data can be transmitted in a time-division multiplexed manner at a time, so the frequency of updating table data, which is necessary for all users, is reduced. To reduce the average data transfer waiting time as seen by individual users, by transmitting data that is not too many and has a large data amount using a part of the transmission packet over time. It is also possible to do so. The data receiving device 204 can detect the occurrence of an error in data reception by checking the continuity of the header of the received data packet. As a result, if an error occurs in data reception, the process refers to the table data, starts processing to receive the same data again, and ensures the reliability of data reception and the user's use. It is possible to improve selfishness.

As described above, in the data transmission system shown in Fig. 11, data to be transmitted can be simultaneously transmitted to a large number of data reception devices using a transmission line using satellites. You can select and receive the data you need. Therefore, it is possible to provide a data transmission system that is easy for the user to use without lowering the utilization efficiency of the transmission path.

The data transmission system shown in Fig. 11 does not impose any restrictions on users, that is, it is suitable for constructing a system that allows all users to freely use the file server data. Although showing the form, the present invention is also applicable to a data transmission system limited to users. For example, when bucketing data into buckets in bucket generation unit 212, encryption is performed, and the decryption key is recorded on a character, floppy disk, IC card, CD-ROM, etc., and some other means is used. For example, inform the user by mail or the like, and the user should input the information to a PC or decrypt the code by attaching it to the entrance of an IC card provided directly in the decoding section. I do.

As an embodiment of the present invention, the file server or the video transmission device shown in FIG. 11 does not need to be constituted by the same device as the data transmission device, and these parts are accommodated in another device, and the data transmission device May be connected by an interface for exchanging data and control information. Also, with the configuration of the data receiving device shown in Fig. 13, it is possible to configure the network connection device as an expansion board that fits in the expansion slot of the PC, or to incorporate this inside the PC It is. Industrial applicability According to the present invention, data transmission can be simultaneously performed from a data transmission device to a large number of data reception devices, and data required by a user of the data reception device can be selectively transmitted. The use efficiency of roads can be improved, and a user-friendly and safe and secure data transmission system can be provided.

Claims

Range of blue seeking

1. A first transmission path for simultaneously transmitting data from a data transmitting device to one or more data receiving devices, and between the data transmitting device and a specific one of the data receiving devices. A data transmission method for performing data transmission using a second transmission path that performs two-way communication,

A first procedure for receiving a data transmission request from the specific data receiving apparatus using the second transmission path, and transmitting the transmission condition of the requested data to the specific data receiving apparatus in the second transmission A second procedure of transmitting the data requested to be transmitted according to the transmission conditions to a plurality of data receiving apparatuses including the specific data receiving apparatus using the first transmission path. And whether or not the specific data receiving apparatus has transmitted, using the second transmission path, a data retransmission request indicating that the data transmitted in the third procedure could not be normally received. And a fourth procedure for determining, wherein when the data retransmission request is sent, the second and subsequent procedures are re-executed.

2. In the first procedure or the fourth procedure,

The password of the user of the specific data receiving device added to the data transmission request or the data retransmission request sent from the specific data receiving device is checked against user management information stored in advance. The second procedure and subsequent steps are performed when the data retransmission request is transmitted only when the transmission request is determined to be from a legitimate user. Data transmission method described in the item.

3. When data is transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus in the third procedure in the third procedure, accounting information based on the transmission of the data is recorded, and the data from the data receiving apparatus in the fourth procedure is recorded. Data re-transmission according to re-transmission request 2. The data transmission method according to claim 1, wherein, when the transmission is performed, charging information at the time of data transmission based on the re-execution of the third procedure is not duplicated with the first record. .

4. The first transmission path uses a transmission path capable of transmitting a broadcast program by digitally encoding a video signal, and one or more sets of one or more digitally encoded video signals are used for the first transmission path. 2. The data transmission method according to claim 1, wherein the data is multiplexed in a time-division manner and transmitted using the same one carrier as the video signal.

5. A first transmission path for simultaneously transmitting data from the data transmitting apparatus to one or more data receiving apparatuses, and between the data transmitting apparatus and a specific one of the data receiving apparatuses. A data transmission method for performing data transmission using a second transmission path that performs two-way communication,

A first procedure for receiving a data transmission request from the specific data receiving apparatus using the second transmission path, and transmitting the transmission condition of the requested data to the specific data receiving apparatus in the second transmission A second procedure for transmitting using a transmission path, a third procedure for receiving an acceptance of data transmission under the transmission condition from the specific data receiving apparatus using the second transmission path, And a fourth procedure for transmitting the requested data to the plurality of data receiving apparatuses including the specific data receiving apparatus using the first transmission path. When a request to change the transmission condition is sent from the second transmission path, the second and subsequent steps are re-executed in order to reset the transmission condition in response to the change request. It is characterized by That data transmission method.

6. In the first procedure, the password of the user of the specific data receiving device added to the data transmission request sent from the specific data receiving device is stored in the user management information stored in advance. Against the above, Claims characterized in that the second and subsequent procedures are executed to reset the transmission conditions in response to the change request only when the transmission request is determined to be from a valid user. The data transmission method according to paragraph 5.

7. In the third procedure, when data transmission is accepted from the specific data receiving device, the specific data receiving device encrypts the data at the time of data transmission using the second transmission path. The data transmission method according to claim 5, further comprising: transmitting a key; and transmitting data encrypted using the encryption key in the fourth procedure.

8. The first transmission path uses a transmission path capable of transmitting a broadcast program by digitally encoding a video signal, and one or more sets of one or more digitally encoded video signals are used. 6. The data transmission method according to claim 5, wherein the data is multiplexed in a time-division manner and transmitted using the same one carrier as the video signal.

9. Data that is time-division multiplexed with data such as computer programs and image information to be played back on the screen of the computer on a digitally coded broadcast video signal, and is modulated and transmitted on a single carrier. A transmission method, comprising: multiplexing a plurality of the data on a time axis and then multiplexing the data on the video signal.

10. The data transmission method according to claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of data is transmitted with a unique data transmission rate.

11. At least one of the plurality of data is control information for data transmission including a list of contents of data transmitted or to be transmitted by the data transmission device, and the control information includes 10. The data transmission method according to claim 9, wherein identification data that can be distinguished from other data is transmitted.

1 2. One or more data receivers from the data transmitter A first transmission path for transmitting data at times, and a second transmission path for performing bidirectional communication between the data transmission apparatus and a specific one of the data reception apparatuses. A data transmission method for performing data transmission,

A first procedure of transmitting a data transmission request to the data transmission device using the second transmission path, and transmitting a transmission condition of the requested data from the data transmission apparatus via the second transmission path. A second procedure for receiving, a third procedure for initiating a data reception process for receiving the data requested to be transmitted from the data transmission device via the first transmission path according to the transmission condition, and A fourth procedure for determining whether or not the data transmitted from the data transmission device has been normally received in the data reception process started in the procedure of If it is determined that the reception has not been normally performed, a request for retransmission of the data transmitted in the third procedure is transmitted to the data transmission device using the second transmission path, and then the A data transmission method characterized by having a fifth procedure returning to the second procedure.

13. The data transmission request and the retransmission request are made in the first procedure and the fifth procedure by adding a passcode registered in advance in the data transmitting apparatus. The data transmission method described in paragraph 12.

14. A first transmission path for simultaneously transmitting data from a data transmitting device to one or more data receiving devices, and a first transmission path between the data transmitting device and a specific one of the data receiving devices. A data transmission method for performing data transmission using a second transmission path for performing bidirectional communication between

A first procedure of transmitting a data transmission request to the data transmission device using the second transmission path, and transmitting a transmission condition of the requested data from the data transmission apparatus via the second transmission path. The second procedure to receive and the A third procedure for determining whether data can be received according to transmission conditions; and, if the third procedure determines that data can be received, the data transmission using the second transmission path. A fourth procedure for sending an acceptance of data transmission according to the transmission conditions to the apparatus and proceeding to a sixth procedure, and using the second transmission path when it is determined that reception is impossible in the third procedure. A fifth procedure for requesting the data transmission device to change the data transmission condition and returning to a second procedure, and transmitting the data requested to be transmitted in accordance with the transmission condition from the data transmission device to the first transmission path. A data transmission method, comprising: a sixth procedure for initiating a data reception process to receive data via the PC.

15. The data transmission according to claim 14, wherein, in the first procedure, a request for transmission of the data is made by adding a passcode registered in advance to the data transmission device side. Method.

16. In the fourth procedure, after transmitting the acceptance of reception under the transmission condition, after receiving the encryption key for data transmission used by the data transmission device using the second transmission path, 15. The data transmission method according to claim 14, further comprising proceeding to the sixth procedure, wherein the data receiving process is performed using the encryption key.

17. A carrier in which data such as a computer program or image information reproduced on a computer screen and a digitally encoded broadcast video signal are time-division multiplexed and demodulated, and the demodulated carrier is demodulated. A data transmission method characterized by discriminating and reproducing at least one of a plurality of data included in a signal.

18. Control of data transmission that includes a list of the contents of data that the data transmission device is sending or about to send, and that adds identification information that can be distinguished from other data in the data transmission device. Information is separated from the reproduction data, and the data transmitting apparatus is separated based on the control information. 18. The data transmission method according to claim 17, wherein the selection of the information sent from the terminal is performed on the receiving side.

19. Data transmission means for simultaneously transmitting data stored in the data storage means to a transmission path capable of transmitting data to a plurality of data receiving devices, and search means for searching for data stored in the data storage means. A data transmission device comprising: a transmission management unit that manages transmission of data extracted from the data storage unit from the data transmission unit; and a communication unit that communicates with any one of the data reception devices. And

Upon receiving the data transmission request from the data receiving device obtained through the communication means, the transmission management means determines a transmission schedule of the data, and the data requested to be transmitted is determined based on the transmission schedule. Evening is transmitted from the data transmitting means, and after transmitting the data, if at least one of the data receiving devices requests retransmission of the data through the communication means, the data is transmitted. A data transmission device for determining a schedule and retransmitting the data.

20. User management information storage means for storing user management information relating to a user of the data receiving device, which is previously permitted to receive data from the data storage means, and When a data transmission request or a data retransmission request is received from the device, the password added to the request is checked with reference to the user management information storage means, and the data transmission request is authorized. 10. The data as claimed in claim 19, wherein said transmission management means determines a transmission schedule of said data and transmits the data after confirming that the data is from a proper user. Transmission device.

2 1. When data is transmitted to the data receiving device, charging information is registered in the user management information storage means, and when data is retransmitted based on the retransmission request from the data receiving device. In the charging information 20. The data transmitting apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the data is not registered repeatedly in the user management information storage means.

2 2. Data transmitting means for transmitting the data stored in the data storing means to a transmission path capable of simultaneously transmitting the data to a plurality of data receiving devices, and searching means for searching for the data stored in the data storing means. A data transmitting means for managing transmission of data from the data transmitting means at a time taken out of the data accumulating means; and a communication means for communicating with any one of the data receiving devices. A transmitting device,

Upon receiving the data transmission request from the data receiving device obtained through the communication means, the transmission management means determines a transmission schedule of the data and sends the data transmission request to the data receiving device through the communication means. When the data receiving device receives a response to the acceptance of the schedule, the data transmitting unit transmits the data requested to be transmitted based on the schedule, and the data receiving device transmits the schedule. A data transmission device that changes a transmission schedule of the data according to the request and transmits the changed transmission schedule to the data reception device.

23. A user management information storage unit for storing user management information relating to a user of the data receiving device, which is permitted in advance to receive data from the data storage unit. When the data transmission request is received, the password added to the data transmission request is collated by referring to the user management information storage means, and the data transmission request is authorized by the authorized user. 23. The data transmission device according to claim 22, wherein after confirming that the data transmission is performed, the transmission management means determines a transmission schedule of the data and transmits the data.

2 4. The data transmitted from the data transmission means is transmitted using a predetermined encryption key. After transmitting a data transmission schedule to the data receiving device, and only when the data receiving device sends an acceptance of the transmission schedule, the encryption key is transmitted to the data receiving device. 23. The data transmitting apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the data transmitting apparatus transmits the data from the communication unit.

25. There is provided a bucket generating means for dividing one or more of the data stored in the data storing means into buckets, multiplexing them on a time axis and outputting the multiplexed data, and outputting the bucket generating means. Data packets that are multiplexed on a time axis with a video packet for transmitting a digitally coded broadcast video signal, modulated on one carrier, and transmitted. Transmission device.

26. Add control information for data transmission, including a list of the contents of the data that has been extracted from the data storage device and is being transmitted or is about to be transmitted, and identification information that can be distinguished from other data. 26. The data transmitting apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said packet generating means makes a packet and multiplexes it with other data on a time axis.

27. Data receiving means for receiving data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus, communication means for communicating information for controlling data transmission between the data transmitting apparatus, and the data transmitting apparatus A data storage means for storing data transmitted from the user through the data receiving means, a data input means for inputting a response from a user, and a clock for measuring a current time. After making a request for overnight transmission required by the user to the data transmission device, the data transmission device transmits the requested data according to a data transmission schedule transmitted from the data transmission device using the communication means. After receiving the data, the reception status of the data is checked to determine whether or not the data reception is normally performed. If the data is not normal, the data receiving means requests the data transmitting means to retransmit the data through the communication means.

28. When transmitting a data transmission request and a retransmission request from the communication means to the data transmission device, a password registered in advance on the data transmission device side is added and transmitted. 27 Data receiving device described in 7.

29. Data receiving means for receiving data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus, communication means for communicating information for controlling data transmission with the data transmitting apparatus, and Data storage means for storing data transmitted through the data reception means, schedule storage means for storing the data transmission schedule transmitted from the data transmission device, and data input means for inputting a response from a user A clock for measuring a current time, and after making a request for data transmission required by a user to the data transmitting device by the communication means, transmitting the data from the data transmitting device using the communication means. The received data transmission schedule does not overlap with the schedule of the waiting data stored in the schedule storage means. If the determination result indicates that there is no overlap, the transmission schedule is accepted. If the determination result indicates that there is overlap, the transmission schedule change request is transmitted from the communication unit to the data transmission device. And storing the accepted schedule in the schedule storage means, and receiving data from the data transmitting apparatus in accordance with the schedule stored in the schedule storage means. Data receiver.

30. When sending a data transmission request from the communication means to the data transmission device, a password registered in advance on the data transmission device side is added and transmitted. Item 9. The data receiving device according to item 9.

3 1. After receiving an acceptance response to the data transmission schedule sent from the data transmitting device, the data is received by the data receiving means using a predetermined encryption key sent from the data transmitting device. 30. The data receiving device according to claim 29, wherein said encrypted data is decrypted and then stored in said data storage means.

3 2. The carrier program sent from the data transmission device is demodulated to convert the data such as image information to be reproduced on the screen of the computer and the digitally encoded broadcast video signal. A demodulation means for obtaining a division-multiplexed transmission bucket; and a division unit for dividing predetermined data from the plurality of time-division multiplexed data using identification information added to the transmission bucket. A data receiving apparatus, comprising: decoding means for reproducing and outputting the data by discriminating only the data packet; and data storage means for storing the data output from the decoding means.

33. Among the data output by the decoding means, includes a list relating to the contents of data that the data transmitting device is transmitting or about to transmit, and the data transmitting device is capable of discriminating the data from other data. A control information storage unit for storing control information for data transmission sent with the information added thereto; and a data input unit for inputting a response from a user, wherein the data transmission device is provided using the control information. 33. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the information received from the terminal is selected and received.

3 4. Demodulate the carrier sent from the data transmission device and convert the data such as image information to be reproduced on the screen of the computer and the digitally encoded broadcast video signal. Demodulation means for obtaining a time-division multiplexed transmission bucket; and division of predetermined data from the plurality of time-division multiplexed data using identification information added to the transmission bucket. Reproduce and output the data by discriminating only the bucket A network connection device for a data receiving device, comprising a decoding means and an interface to a data storage means.