IP Library Granted Patent US 8,767,131
Granted Patent B2
US 8,767,131 · App. 13/767,926 · Granted Jul 1, 2014

Semiconductor device and signal processing method thereof

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,767,131
App. No.
13/767,926
Granted
Jul 1, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a one-segment tuner I/F that is connected to a one-segment tuner, a tuner I/F that is connected to a digital terrestrial tuner, a decoder that selectively decodes a first broadcast signal supplied from the one-segment tuner I/F and a second broadcast signal supplied from the tuner I/F, a general purpose processor that is provided separately from the decoder and decodes the first broadcast signal, and a switch unit that, based on signal intensity of the second broadcast wave, switches the decoding by the decoder between the first broadcast signal and the second broadcast signal while the general purpose processor is decoding the first broadcast signal. The one-segment tuner I/F, the tuner I/F, the decoder, the general purpose processor, and the switch unit are integrated on one chip.

Claims (34)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first tuner I/F that is connected to a first tuner for tuning in a first broadcast wave, the first broadcast wave transferring content data;

a second tuner I/F that is connected to a second tuner for tuning in a second broadcast wave, the second broadcast wave transferring the content data;

a decoder that selectively decodes a first broadcast signal supplied from the first tuner I/F and a second broadcast signal supplied from the second tuner I/F;

a general purpose processor that is provided separately from the decoder and decodes the first broadcast signal; and

a switch unit that, based on signal intensity of the second broadcast wave, switches the decoding by the decoder between the first broadcast signal and the second broadcast signal while the general purpose processor is decoding the first broadcast signal,

wherein the first tuner I/F, the second tuner I/F, the decoder, the general purpose processor, and the switch unit are integrated on one chip.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the second tuner I/F outputs a field intensity signal indicating the signal intensity of the second broadcast wave to the general purpose processor, and

the general purpose processor determines whether or not to decode the first broadcast signal based on the field intensity signal.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the switch unit performs switching according to a comparison result between the signal intensity and a threshold, and

the threshold is variable.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the general purpose processor is a control processor of a navigation system, and

the threshold changes according to at least one of weather information, speed information, and position information that is supplied to the processor.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein an integrated value is used as the signal intensity, the integrated value being obtained by the integrating field intensity of the second broadcast wave with an integrating filter.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first broadcast wave is a one-segment broadcast wave of digital terrestrial television broadcasting and the second broadcast wave is a twelve-segment broadcast wave of the digital terrestrial television broadcasting.

7. A signal processing method comprising:

supplying a decoder with a first broadcast signal from a first tuner that tunes a first broadcast wave, the first broadcast wave transferring content data;

supplying the decoder with a second broadcast signal from a second tuner that tunes in a second broadcast wave, the second broadcast wave transferring the content data;

decoding the second broadcast signal by a decoder that selectively decodes the first broadcast signal and the second broadcast signal;

decoding the first broadcast signal by a general purpose processor in parallel with the decoding of the second broadcast signal by the decoder; and

switching, based on signal intensity of the second broadcast wave, the decoding by the decoder from the second broadcast signal to the first broadcast signal while the general purpose processor is decoding the first broadcast signal,

wherein a first tuner I/F that is connected to the first tuner, a second tuner I/F that is connected to the second tuner, the decoder, and the general purpose processor are integrated on one chip.

8. The signal processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the general processor determines whether or not to decode the first broadcast signal based on the signal intensity of the second broadcast wave.

9. The signal processing method according to claim 7 , wherein

the switching of the decoding from the second broadcast signal to the first broadcast signal is performed according to a comparison result between the signal intensity and a threshold, and

the threshold is variable.

10. The signal processing method according to claim 7 , wherein

the general purpose processor is a control processor of a navigation system, and

the threshold changes according to at least one of temperature information, weather information, speed information, and position information that is supplied to the general purpose processor.

11. The signal processing method according to claim 7 , wherein an integrated value is used as the signal intensity, the integrated value being obtained by the integrating field intensity of the second broadcast wave with an integrating filter.

12. The signal processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the first broadcast wave is a one-segment broadcast wave and the second broadcast wave is a digital terrestrial television broadcast wave.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044928/0001 →
MERGER Recorded Mar 17, 2015
From: RENESAS MOBILE CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 035186/0340 →