Apparatus and method for identifying a gap filler in a satellite broadcasting system

• US 20050059343A1
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kyung-Ha
• Application Number:
  US10/901,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20050059343A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/12.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18523 Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter

Abstract

A gap filler for transmitting satellite broadcasting data received from a broadcasting satellite to a mobile receiver in a satellite broadcasting system is provided and method thereof. In the gap filler, a satellite tuner demodulates the received satellite broadcasting signal and outputs the demodulated satellite broadcasting signal, a frame constructer forms frames by modulating the demodulated satellite broadcasting signal, and inserting a gap filler ID into a control channel frame, and a radio processor transmits the frames received from the frame constructer at a radio frequency.

Claims

1. A gap filler for transmitting satellite broadcasting data received from a broadcasting satellite to a mobile receiver in a satellite broadcasting system, comprising:

a satellite tuner for demodulating the received satellite broadcasting signal;

a frame constructer for forming frames by modulating the demodulated satellite broadcasting signal, and inserting a gap filler identifier (ID) into a control channel frame; and

a radio processor for transmitting the frames received from the frame constructer at a radio frequency.

2. The gap filler of claim 1, wherein the frame constructer comprises:

a modulator for forming the frame by modulating the demodulated satellite broadcasting signal; and

a gap filler ID generator for inserting the gap filler ID in the control channel having broadcasting data channel information among signals output from the modulator.

3. The gap filler of claim 1, wherein the frame constructer inserts the gap filler ID in an empty area of the control channel frame.

4. The gap filler of claim 1, wherein a number of bits of the gap filler ID is determined according to a maximum number of gap fillers identifiable at the receiver.

5. A receiver for receiving a signal from a gap filler in a satellite broadcasting system, comprising:

a finger processor for demodulating signals received from paths having received signal strengths at or above a predetermined threshold; and

a gap filler identifier (ID) detector for detecting a gap filler ID from the demodulated symbols.

6. The receiver of claim 5, wherein the gap filler ID detector accumulates a signal corresponding to the gap filler ID a predetermined number of times.

7. The receiver of claim 5, wherein the finger processor demodulates signals having the strongest received signal strengths from each gap filler, based on gap filler IDs detected by the gap filler ID detector.

8. A method of converting satellite broadcasting data received from a broadcasting satellite and transmitting the converted satellite broadcasting data to a mobile receiver in a satellite broadcasting system, comprising the steps of:

receiving and demodulating the satellite broadcasting signal;

forming frames by modulating the demodulated satellite broadcasting signal, and inserting a gap filler identifier (ID) into a control channel frame; and

transmitting the frames at a radio frequency.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the gap filler ID is inserted in an empty area of the control channel frame.

10. A method of identifying gap fillers from a received signal in a satellite broadcasting system, comprising the steps of:

acquiring superframe synchronization by demodulating a control channel received from a gap filler;

searching multipath components for timing at which initial synchronization is acquired and selecting paths having received signal strengths;

accumulating a value corresponding to a gap filler identifier (ID) in the control channel starting from the start point of a superframe, for each of the selected paths;

detecting gap filler IDs from the accumulated values; and

assigning, first of all, to fingers signals having the strongest received signal strengths from each gap filler, based on the detected gap filler IDs.