IP data encapsulation and insertion in a transport multiplexer

• US 20030012190A1
• Filed: 04/16/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meandzija, Branislav N., Silagi, Randall, Kaku, Vicky B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,356,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 : Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 : Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 : Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6433 : Digital Storage Media - Command and Control Protocol [DSM-CC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 : Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A feature-rich transport multiplexer and a number of associated methods, systems, subsystems, software features, graphical user interfaces and control systems are disclosed. The disclosure includes GUI'"'"'s that enable operators to easily monitor and manipulate content streams flowing through a transport multiplexer in real-time. The disclosed interfaces include screens that supply operators with identity, structure, configuration, bandwidth utilization and/or status information for system hardware and software. The disclosed features also provide computer assisted routing configuration for present and future routing events through simple manipulation, such as drag and drop operations, of graphical objects. Routing control is further simplified by permitting operators to configure routing control of individual content stream components as well as groups of such components simultaneously. Further flexibility is permitted by predetermination of future routing events, thereby enabling the automatic execution of configuration changes at a future time. Various types of content, such as video, audio, IP data can be manipulated to achieve various results such as one or more multiplexed MPEG data streams.

Claims

1. A method of encapsulating an IP data packet into at least one MPEG data packet, the IP data packet having content and a destination address and the method comprising:

receiving the IP data packet;

examining the destination address to determine whether the IP data packet is a multicast IP packet and proceeding with the method if the IP packet is a multicast packet;

creating a DSM-CC header for the MPEG data packet using the destination address from the IP data packet;

creating an MPEG header for the at least one MPEG data packet; and

assembling the DSM-CC header, the MPEG header and the content from the IP data packet into at least one MPEG data packet.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the content of the IP data packet is less than 160 bytes long; and

responsive to an indication that the content of the IP data packet is less than 160 bytes long, filling the remainder of the MPEG data packet with a CRC and with dummy data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the dummy data comprises the numerical value of 255 and is repeated until a 188 byte MPEG data packet has been formed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein

the format of the assembled MPEG data packet is one of a DVB data format or a ATSC data format;

and

the DSM-CC header indicates the format of the assembled MPEG data packet.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inserting the assembled MPEG data packet into an MPEG data stream using a multiplexer; and

responsive to receipt of the IP data packet, verifying that the multiplexer has been properly configured to process the assembled MPEG data packet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein examining the destination address further comprises:

determining whether the destination address of the received IP data packet indicates that the packet is a broadcast, unicast or multicast IP packet; and

responsive to a determination that the IP packet is not a multicast IP packet, routing the IP data packet through a host processor stack.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein

the format of the assembled MPEG data packets is one of a DVB data format and a ATSC data format;

and

the DSM-CC header indicates the data format of the assembled MPEG data packets.

7. A method of encapsulating and inserting a multicast IP data packet into an MPEG data stream comprising first and second MPEG data packets, the IP data packet having content of at least 165 bytes long and a destination address, the method comprising:

receiving an IP data packet;

fragmenting the content of the IP data packet into a first content component that is no more than 164 bytes long and at least one second content component that is no more than 180 bytes long;

creating a DSM-CC header for the MPEG data stream using the destination address from the IP data packet;

creating an MPEG header with at least one PID for the MPEG data stream;

assembling the DSM-CC header, the MPEG header and the first content component into a first MPEG data packet;

creating a CRC;

assembling the MPEG header, the CRC and the second content component into a second MPEG data packet; and

inserting the first and second MPEG data packets into an MPEG data stream.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein first and second assembled MPEG data packets are stored in a FIFO memory prior to inserting the packets into the MPEG data stream.

10. A transcoder multiplexer (TMX) communicatively linked to an MPEG network for transmitting MPEG data streams over the network, the TMX receiving digital audio, video and multicast IP data packets from a local network, combining the data packets into a single MPEG data stream and transmitting the MPEG data stream to a remote recipient via the MPEG network, the TMX comprising:

means for controlling the TMX;

means for receiving digital audio packets;

means for receiving digital video packets;

means for receiving digital multicast IP data packets;

means for encapsulating the received digital IP data packets into MPEG data packets;

means for multiplexing the audio, video and IP packets into a single MPEG data stream, the means for multiplexing being controlled by the means for controlling; and

means for transmitting the MPEG data stream to a targeted recipient via the MPEG network.

11. The TMX of claim 10 wherein the means for encapsulating is an encapsulation module.

12. The TMX of claim 10 wherein

the means for receiving the digital audio and video packets are input boards;

and

the means for multiplexing comprises a multiplexer board.

13. The TMX of claim 10 wherein the means for controlling is a host processor running a VxWorks operating system and wherein the means for multiplexing comprises a transcoder board.

14. The TMX of claim 10 wherein the means for encapsulating comprises:

means for receiving the IP data packet;

means for determining whether the destination IP address indicates that the IP packet is a multicast IP packet and proceeding with the method if the IP packet is a multicast packet;

means for creating a DSM-CC header for the MPEG data packet;

means for creating an MPEG header for the MPEG data packet; and

means for assembling the DSM-CC header, the MPEG header and the content from the IP data packet into the MPEG data packet.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein

the format of the assembled MPEG data packets is one of a DVB data format or a ATSC data format;

and

the DSM-CC header indicates the format of the assembled MPEG data packets.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein

determining whether the IP data packet is a multicast packet comprises examining the destination address to determine whether the source address of the received IP data packet is a broadcast, unicast or multicast IP packet;

and

responsive to a determination that the IP packet is not a multicast IP packet, sending the IP packet to an ARP task for processing.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein N is 164.

15. A method of encapsulating an IP data packet into at least one MPEG data packet, the IP data packet having content and a destination address, the method comprising:

receiving the IP data packet and determining whether the IP data packet is a multicast IP packet;

using the destination address to create a DSM-CC header with a CRC for the MPEG data packet;

creating an MPEG header for the MPEG data packet;

creating a CRC for the MPEG data packet;

determining the number of bytes of content of the IP data packet, responsive to a determination that there are N bytes of content, assembling the DSM-CC header, the MPEG header, the CRC and the content into a single MPEG data packet;

responsive to a determination that there are less than N bytes of content, adding content fill to enlarge the content to N bytes and assembling the DSM-CC header, the MPEG header, the CRC and the filled content into a single MPEG data packet; and

responsive to a determination that there are more than N bytes of content, fragmenting the content into a first content component of N+4 bytes and a second content component, assembling the DSM-CC header, the MPEG header and the first content component into a first MPEG data packet, and assembling the MPEG header, the CRC and the second content component into a second MPEG data packet.