METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING REDUNDANCY OF INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS OF A REMOTE FACILITY SYSTEM

• US 20090109836A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miner, Daniel M., Boltz, David T., St. Laurent, Darren M., Wasden, Mitchell B., Arya, Vishal
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/247 ATM or packet multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A remote facility and method for operating the same includes a signal processing system including a primary multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form a multiplexed signal, a primary modulator a primary transport processing system forming a transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal, a primary modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal, a backup multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form the multiplexed signal, a backup modulator a primary transport processing system forming a transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal, a backup modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal. The remote facility includes a controller in communication with the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator, the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator, said controller forming an output signal using at least one of the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, and the primary modulator and at least one of the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator. The remote facility may be part of a television signal collection system that includes an IP network and a local collection facility in communication with the remote collection facility through the IP network.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a signal processing system comprising:

multiplexing IP signals to form a multiplexed signal at a primary multiplexer;

forming a transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal at a primary transport processing system;

modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal at a primary modulator; and

forming a first output signal from the modulated signal;

after the steps of multiplexing, forming a transport stream, modulating and forming a first output signal, controlling one of multiplexing IP signals at the backup multiplexer, forming the transport stream signal at the backup transport processing system or modulating the transport stream at the backup modulator.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to multiplexing, receiving IP signals from a local collection facility.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein prior to receiving, forming IP signals from a plurality of channel signals.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein prior to receiving, forming IP signals from a plurality of over-the-air channel signals.

5. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein prior to receiving, forming IP signals from a plurality of channel signals received through a wire or optical fiber connection at the local collection facility.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming output signals comprises forming uplink signals from the modulated signals;

and

uplinking the uplink signals to a satellite from the remote facility.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of controlling is performed at a remote facility.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of controlling is performed a network operation center.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein controlling one of multiplexing IP signals at the backup multiplexer, forming the transport stream signal at the backup transport processing system or modulating the transport stream at the backup modulator comprises controlling two of multiplexing IP signals at the backup multiplexer, forming the transport stream signal at the backup transport processing system or modulating the transport stream at the backup modulator.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising monitoring the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator and generating a monitoring signal.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein controlling one of multiplexing IP signals at the backup multiplexer, forming the transport stream signal at the backup transport processing system or modulating the transport stream at the backup modulator comprises controlling one of multiplexing IP signals at a backup multiplexer, forming the transport stream signal at a backup transport processing system or modulating the transport stream at a backup modulator in response to the monitoring signal.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein controlling comprises controlling from a monitoring system in a remote facility in response to monitoring.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein controlling comprises controlling using a monitoring system in a network operation center disposed apart from a remote facility in response to monitoring.

20. A system comprising:

an IP network;

a remote facility as recited in claim 10; and

a local collection facility in communication with the remote collection facility through the IP network, said local collection facility receiving channel signals, encoding the channel signals into respective IP signals, communicating the respective IP signals through an IP network to the remote facility.

21. A system as recited in claim 20 wherein the IP signals comprise video-over-IP signals.

22. A system as recited in claim 20 wherein the local channel signals comprise terrestrial over-the air channel signals received through an antenna.

23. A system as recited in claim 20 wherein the local channel signals comprise standard definition terrestrial over-the air channel signals received through an antenna.

24. A system as recited in claim 20 wherein the local channel signals comprise high definition terrestrial over-the air channel signals received through an antenna.

25. A system as recited in claim 20 wherein the local collection facility comprises a plurality of local collection facilities.

14. A remote facility comprising:

a signal processing system including

a primary multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form a multiplexed signal;

a primary transport processing system forming a transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal;

a primary modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal;

a backup multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form the multiplexed signal;

a backup transport processing system forming the transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal;

a backup modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form the modulated signal;

a controller in communication with the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator, the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator, said controller forming an output signal using at least one of the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, and the primary modulator and at least one of the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator.

15. A remote facility as recited in claim 14 wherein the controller is in communication with the primary modulator and the backup modulator through a switch.

16. A remote facility as recited in claim 14 wherein the controller comprises a monitoring system.

17. A remote facility as recited in claim 14 wherein the monitoring system is disposed in a network operations center.

18. A remote facility as recited in claim 14 further comprising a primary IP switch and a backup IP switch.

19. A remote facility as recited in claim 14 wherein the controller monitors the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator and controls forming the output signal in response to monitoring.