Field-programmable low-noise block downconverter

• US 10,034,030 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Petruzzelli, Edmund
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAIG, SAHAR A
• Application Number:
  US14/034,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20150089548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 725 68
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite

Abstract

A field-programmable low-noise block downconverter. The low-noise block downconverter may, as part of a system install or upgrade for example, be programmed in the field to source channels containing programming to a particular television receiver based on the particular configuration of the receiver.

Claims

1. A method for programmatically configuring a low-noise block downconverter (LNB), comprising:

receiving, at the LNB from at least one television receiver, an indication of a sourcing scheme or mode that the at least one television receiver is configured to exhibit;

accessing, by the LNB, a particular file stored locally on the LNB and containing instructions to configure the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver are formatted according to the sourcing scheme or mode indicated by the at least one television receiver; and

modifying logic of the LNB based on the instructions so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver are formatted according to the sourcing scheme or mode of the at least one television receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a band-translation mode or channel-stacking mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a double-band band-translation mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a triple-band band-translation mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a channel-stacking mode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver are formatted according to a polarity band granularity filtering mode, wherein a polarity band is about 500 MHz in band width.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one television receiver are formatted according to a transponder band granularity filtering mode, wherein a transponder band is about 30 MHz in band width.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that the LNB sources channels of a particular band width to the at least one television receiver.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying by the LNB a particular configuration of the at least one television receiver in response to detection of connection of the LNB to the at least one television receiver.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising further comprising identifying by the LNB a particular configuration of the at least one television receiver in response to detection of an instruction based on user-input to identify the particular configuration.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a command, at a block downconverter from a communicatively coupled television receiver, to reprogram the block downconverter from a first mode to a second different mode so that the block downconverter is reconfigured to output signals to the television receiver formatted according to a sourcing scheme or mode of the television receiver as identified in the command;

modifying one or more logical modules of the block downconverter from a first configuration to a second different configuration so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to the sourcing scheme or mode of the television receiver; and

outputting signals from the block downconverter to the television receiver formatted according to the sourcing scheme or mode of the television receiver.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a band-translation mode or channel-stacking mode.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a double-band band-translation mode.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a triple-band band-translation mode.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a channel-stacking mode.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the command from the television receiver.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the command from a system or device other than the television receiver.

18. A low-noise block downconverter, comprising:

at least one input module configured to include a plurality of input ports each communicatively couplable to a feedhorn to receive as input signals broadcast by a particular satellite;

at least one output module coupled to an input stage and configured to include a plurality of output ports each communicatively couplable to a particular television receiver to supply as output signals in accordance with a television receiver sourcing scheme or mode; and

at least one controller coupled to at least the output module and configured to receive a command from a communicatively coupled television receiver to program the output module so that output signals supplied to each plurality of output ports are formatted according to a sourcing scheme or mode of the television receiver as identified in the command.

19. The low-noise block downconverter of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to receive a command from each of a plurality of television receivers to program an output stage so that output signals supplied to each of the plurality of output ports are formatted according to a sourcing scheme or mode of each individual television receiver of the plurality as identified in the received commands.

20. The low-noise block downconverter of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to receive a command to program an output stage so that output signals supplied to at least one of the output ports is formatted according to a sourcing scheme or mode of a first television receiver, and so that output signals supplied to at least one other of the output ports is formatted according to a different sourcing scheme or mode of a second television receiver.