Systems and methods for detection of signal quality in digital radio broadcast signals

• US 10,256,931 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iBiquity Digital Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iBiquity Digital Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuller, Desmond S, Venezia, Paul, Chalmers, Harvey
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Duc C
• Application Number:
  US15/849,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20180205472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/20 digital audio broadcasting [DAB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/29 Arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services

Abstract

Systems, methods, and processor readable media are disclosed for detection of signal quality problems and errors in digital radio broadcast signals. First monitoring equipment is located in an over-the-air coverage area of a first radio station. Second monitoring equipment is located in an over-the-air coverage area of a second radio station. The first and second monitoring equipment are configured to receive digital radio broadcast signals from the respective first and second radio stations. A computing system is configured to receive data from the first monitoring equipment and the second monitoring equipment, the data being indicative of one or more attributes of a digital radio broadcast signal received at respective monitoring equipment. The computing system analyzes received data to detect a signal quality problem or error in the digital radio broadcast signals received at the first and second monitoring equipment.

Claims

1. A system for automated detection of signal quality problems and errors in digital radio broadcast signals, the digital radio broadcast signals being transmitted by multiple different radio stations having different over-the-air coverage areas, the system comprising:

a computing system configured to;

receive data from respective first and second monitoring equipment having different air coverage areas, the data being indicative of one or more attributes of a digital radio broadcast signal received at the respective first or second monitoring equipment, and

analyze in real-time or near real-time the received data from the first and second monitoring equipment, the data being analyzed in an automated manner to detect a signal quality problem or error in the digital radio broadcast signals received at the first and second monitoring equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to analyze the data received from the first and second monitoring equipment simultaneously.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to generate an alert signal or alarm signal based on a detection of the signal quality problem or the error.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the received data is indicative of a signal strength, a time alignment, a level alignment, or a phase alignment of a digital radio broadcast signal received at respective monitoring equipment.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the signal quality problem by comparing data received from the first or second monitoring equipment to a threshold value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the error by comparing data received from the first or second monitoring equipment to data indicative of an expected content of digital radio broadcast signals.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the expected content includes textual information and image information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the error by comparing data received from the first or second monitoring equipment to data indicative of a standard for digital radio broadcasting.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the standard is the NRSC-5C standard.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the received data is indicative of one or more fields of data included in a digital radio broadcast signal received at respective monitoring equipment.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more fields of data include a text field, and the computing system is configured to detect the error by determining whether the text field exceeds a predetermined, maximum length.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the error by determining whether the fields of data are populated.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the error by determining whether the fields of data are populated with data that is appropriate for each of the fields.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the error by analyzing the received data to determine whether the digital radio broadcast signals received at the respective monitoring equipment include periods of silence that are longer than a predetermined length of time.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is configured to detect the error by analyzing the received data to determine whether audio data and non-audio data are synchronized in time in the digital radio broadcast signals received at the respective monitoring equipment.

16. A method for detection of signal quality problems and errors in digital radio broadcast signals, the digital radio broadcast signals being transmitted by multiple different radio stations having different over-the-air coverage areas, the method comprising:

receiving data from respective first and second monitoring equipment having different air coverage areas, the data being indicative of one or more attributes of a digital radio broadcast signal received at the respective first or second monitoring equipment; and

analyzing in real-time or near real-time the received data from the first and second monitoring equipment to detect a signal quality problem or error in the digital radio broadcast signals received at the first and second monitoring equipment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data received from the first and second monitoring equipment are analyzed simultaneously.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating an alert signal or alarm signal based on a detection of the signal quality problem or the error.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the received data is indicative of a signal strength, a time alignment, a level alignment, or a phase alignment of a digital radio broadcast signal received at respective monitoring equipment.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the analyzing of the received data comprises comparing data received from the first or second monitoring equipment to a threshold value to detect the signal quality problem.