METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A BACK-UP MULTIPLEXER IN A LOCAL COLLECTION FACILITY FROM A REMOTE FACILITY

• US 20090067432A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ostrom, Carl, Miner, Daniel M., Boltz, David T., St. Laurent, Darren M., Wasden, Mitchell B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,988,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams

Abstract

A system and method suitable for processing television signals includes a remote facility and a local collection facility in communication with the remote facility. The local facility has a plurality of receivers receiving a plurality of channel signals and a plurality of encoders generating a plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signals. The local collection facility includes a primary multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals to form a first multiplexed signal and communicates the first multiplexed signal to the remote facility. A monitoring system at a remote facility commanding switching to a back-up multiplexer at the local collection facility. The back-up multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals to form a second multiplexed signal and communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility. The remote facility generating an output signal in response to the second multiplexed signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of channel signals;

generating a plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signals at a local collection facility;

multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals at a primary multiplexer to form a first multiplexed signal;

communicating the first multiplexed signals to a remote facility;

commanding switching to a back-up multiplexer at the local collection facility from a remote facility;

after commanding, multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals at the back-up multiplexer to form a second multiplexed signal;

communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility; and

generating an output signal at the remote facility in response to the second multiplexed signal.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the second multiplexed signal comprises forming an ATM signal from the second multiplexed signal and communicating the ATM signal through a network.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein generating an output signal comprises receiving the ATM signal at a remote ATM switch to form a remote ATM signal;

forming a serial signal at a network adapter from the remote ATM signal; and

forming a transport signal from the serial signal.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 further comprising modulating the transport signal to form a modulated signal.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising uplinking the modulated signal to a satellite.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising uplinking the output signal to a satellite.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a plurality of channel signals comprises receiving a plurality of digital television channel signals.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein commanding switching comprises commanding switching from a monitoring system.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein commanding switching comprises commanding switching from a monitoring system at the remote facility.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the second multiplexed signals to the remote facility comprises communicating the second multiplexed signals to the remote facility through a network adapter.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the second multiplexed signals to the remote facility comprises communicating the second multiplexed signals to the remote facility through a network adapter and an ATM switch.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility comprises communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility through a network adapter and an ATM switch through an ATM network.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining whether the back-up multiplexer is available prior commanding switching.

14. A system comprising:

a remote facility;

a local collection facility having a plurality of receivers receiving a plurality of channel signals and a plurality of encoders generating a plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signals, said local collection facility further comprising a primary multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals to form a first multiplexed signal and communicating the first multiplexed signal to the remote facility; and

a monitoring system at a remote facility commanding switching to a back-up multiplexer at the local collection facility;

the back-up multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals to form a second multiplexed signal and communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility;

said remote facility generating an output signal in response to the second multiplexed signal.

15. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein further comprising a network adapter forming an ATM signal from the second multiplexed signal and communicating the ATM signal through a network.

16. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein the remote facility comprises a remote ATM switch forming a serial signal at a remote network adapter and a transport processing system forming a transport signal from the serial signal.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a modulator modulating the transport signal to form a modulated signal.

18. A system as recited in claim 17 further comprising an uplink system uplinking the modulated signal to a satellite.

19. A system as recited in claim 14 further comprising an uplink system uplinking the output signal to a satellite.

20. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the plurality of channel signals comprises a plurality of digital television channel signals.

21. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the monitoring system is disposed at the remote facility.

22. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein further comprising a network adapter communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility.

23. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein further comprising a network adapter and ATM switch communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility.

24. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein further comprising a network adapter and ATM switch communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility through an ATM network.

25. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the monitoring system determines whether the back-up multiplexer is available prior commanding switching.