Multiple channel modulator

• US 20090310025A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Pugel, Michael Anthony, Virag, David Emery, McNeely, David Lowell, Shiue, Dong-Chang
• Application Number:
  US11/919,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20090310025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/660
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/51 specially adapted for satellite broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method for processing digital communication signals. An exemplary system comprises a first input adapted to receive a first digital communication signal, a second input adapted to receive a second digital communication signal, an upconverter adapted to generate a multichannel digital signal that incorporates data corresponding to the first digital signal at a first frequency and data corresponding to the second digital signal at a second frequency, and a digital-to-analog converter adapted to convert the multichannel digital signal to a multichannel analog signal.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a first input adapted to receive a first digital communication signal;

a second input adapted to receive a second digital communication signal;

a combiner for generating a multichannel digital signal that incorporates data corresponding to the first digital signal and data corresponding to the second digital signal; and

an upconverter for converting the frequency of said multichannel digital signal to position the data corresponding to the first digital communication signal as a first channel at the first frequency in the multichannel digital signal and to position the data corresponding to the second digital communication signal as a second channel at the second frequency in the multichannel digital signal.

2. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal comprise video data.

3. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal each comprise a digital video transport stream.

4. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal each comprise a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) digital video transport stream.

5. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, comprising:

a first forward error correction encoder adapted to provide error correction data for the first digital communication signal; and

a second forward error correction encoder adapted to provide error correction data for the second digital communication signal.

6. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, comprising:

a first baseband digital modulator adapted to modulate the first digital communication signal before delivering the first digital communication signal to the upconverter; and

a second baseband digital modulator adapted to modulate the second digital communication signal before delivering the second digital communication signal to the upconverter.

7. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the upconverter is adapted to perform a polyphase rotation operation on the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal.

8. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the upconverter is adapted to perform an interpolated upconversion operation on the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal.

9. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 1, comprising an analog upconverter adapted to adjust a frequency band of the multichannel analog signal.

10. A method of processing digital signals, comprising:

receiving a first digital communication signal;

receiving a second digital communication signal;

combining said first and second digital communication signals into a multichannel digital signal; and

upconverting said multichannel digital signal to position the data corresponding to the first digital communication signal as a first channel at the first frequency in the multichannel digital signal and to position the data corresponding to the second digital communication signal as a second channel at the second frequency in the multichannel digital signal.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal comprise video data.

12. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal each comprise a digital video transport stream.

13. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal each comprise a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) digital video transport stream.

14. The method recited in claim 10, comprising:

providing error correction data for the first digital communication signal; and

providing error correction data for the second digital communication signal.

15. The method recited in claim 10, comprising:

modulating the first digital communication signal before generating the multichannel digital signal; and

modulating the second digital communication signal before generating the multichannel digital signal.

16. The method recited in claim 10, comprising performing a polyphase rotation operation on the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal.

17. The method recited in claim 10, comprising performing an interpolated upconversion operation on the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal.

18. The method recited in claim 10, adjusting a frequency band of the multichannel analog signal.

19. A signal processing apparatus, comprising:

means for generating a multichannel digital signal that incorporates data corresponding to a first digital communication signal at a first frequency and data corresponding to a second digital communication signal at a second frequency; and

means for converting the multichannel digital signal to a multichannel analog signal.

20. The signal processing apparatus recited in claim 19, wherein the first digital communication signal and the second digital communication signal each comprise a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) digital video transport stream.