METHOD AND SYSTEM TO ENABLE SIMULTANEOUS RECEPTION OF PLURALITY OF SERVICES IN DVB SYSTEMS

• US 20090067384A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vesma, Jussi, Vare, Jani, Pekonen, Harri J., Himmanen, Heidi
• Granted Patent: US 8,204,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/33 by plural channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services

Abstract

A method comprises dividing a time frequency frame into a plurality of slots, the frame having one or more radio-frequency (RF) channels, determining a maximum slot length, and scheduling service data in symbols such that all service data symbols are within the maximum slot length of symbols corresponding to at least one common service part.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

dividing a time frequency frame into a plurality of slots, the frame having one or more radio-frequency (RF) channels;

determining a maximum slot length; and

scheduling service data in symbols such that all service data symbols are within the maximum slot length of symbols corresponding to at least one common service part.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slots comprises one slot for each radio-frequency channel in the time frequency frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of slots in one or more RF channels is allocated to a service so that the slots on the one or more RF channels do not overlap with each other in time but are shifted with regard to each other with an amount that depends on the time frequency frame length and the number of allocated RF channels.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more RF channels are shifted in accordance with:

$\mathrm{shift}=\frac{\mathrm{TF\_frame}<br><br>\mathrm{\_length}}{N_{\mathrm{RF}}},$

wherein N_RF is the number of radio frequency channels in the frame.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the maximum slot length is dependant on an amount of shifting of the RF channels and on the maximum tuning time for a receiver when changing radio frequency channels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the maximum slot length is defined by

max_slot_length=shift−

T_tuning,

wherein T_tuning is the maximum tuning time for a receiver when changing radio frequency channels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling makes available multiple common service parts through hopping between radio-frequency channels.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the common service parts comprise program-specific and service information data.

9. A computer program product, embodied in a computer-readable medium, comprising computer code configured to implement the processes of claim 1.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory unit communicatively connected to the processor and including;

computer code for dividing a time frequency frame into a plurality of slots, the frame having one or more radio-frequency channels;

computer code for determining a maximum slot length; and

computer code for scheduling service data in symbols such that all service data symbols are within the maximum slot length of symbols corresponding to at least one common service part.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of slots comprises one slot for each radio-frequency channel in the time frequency frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a number of slots in one or more RF channels is allocated to a service so that the slots on the one or more RF channels do not overlap with each other in time but are shifted with regard to each other with an amount that depends on the time frequency frame length and the number of allocated RF channels.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more RF channels are shifted in accordance with:

$\mathrm{shift}=\frac{\mathrm{TF\_frame}<br><br>\mathrm{\_length}}{N_{\mathrm{RF}}},$

wherein N_RF is the number of radio frequency channels in the frame.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the maximum slot length is dependant on an amount of shifting of the RF channels and on the maximum tuning time for a receiver when changing radio frequency channels.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the maximum slot length is defined by

max_slot_length=shift−

T_tuning,

wherein T_tuning is the maximum tuning time for a receiver when changing radio frequency channels.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the scheduling makes available multiple common service parts through hopping between radio-frequency channels.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the common service parts comprise program-specific and service information data.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

means for dividing a time frequency frame into a plurality of slots, the frame having one or more radio-frequency channels;

means for determining a maximum slot length; and

means for scheduling service data in symbols such that all service data symbols are within the maximum slot length of symbols corresponding to at least one common service part.