APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING DIGITAL TELEVISION OPERATIONS

• US 20100058420A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coppa, Frank, Kennedy, Larry, Medina, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 8,701,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to monitor spectral characteristics of a target channel, a first channel and a second channel, where the target channel is of a digital terrestrial television system, where the first channel is an upper adjacent channel to the target channel, and where the second channel is a lower adjacent channel to the target channel. The controller is adapted to generate an emission mask based on the monitored spectral characteristics and detect interference between the target channel and at least one of the first and second channels based at least in part on the emission mask. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

monitoring a channel power of a target channel of a digital terrestrial television system;

monitoring band edge emissions for first and second channels, the first channel being an upper adjacent channel to the target channel, the second channel being a lower adjacent channel to the target channel;

measuring a delta between the channel power and the band edge emissions;

detecting interference between the target channel and at least one of the first and second channels based at least in part on the delta; and

presenting an alarm based on the detected interference.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the target channel uses 8-level vestigial sideband modulation.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for monitoring the band edge emissions using a single sweep measurement.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for:

monitoring activity associated with at least one of the first and second channels; and

performing the single sweep measurement during a time period that is selected based on the monitored activity.

5. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for performing the single sweep measurement during rise and fall times of the first and second channels.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the target channel uses one of coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing modulation, enhanced vestigial sideband modulation, advanced vestigial sideband modulation, and mobile-pedestrian-handheld modulation.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for obtaining a noise amplitude, a peak signal amplitude and a frequency of the target channel.

8. A server comprising a controller to:

perform a single sweep measurement for spectral characteristics of a target channel, a first channel and a second channel, the target channel being of a digital terrestrial television system, the first channel being an upper adjacent channel to the target channel, the second channel being a lower adjacent channel to the target channel; and

detect interference between the target channel and at least one of the first and second channels based at least in part on the spectral characteristics.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to present an alarm based on the detected interference.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the spectral characteristics comprise a channel power of the target channel and band edge emissions for the first and second channels, and wherein the controller is adapted to measure a delta between the channel power and the band edge emissions.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the spectral characteristics further comprise a noise amplitude, a peak signal amplitude and a frequency of the target channel.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to:

monitor activity associated with at least one of the first and second channels; and

perform the single sweep measurement during a time period that is selected based on the monitored activity

13. The server of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to perform the single sweep measurement during rise and fall times of the first and second channels.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the target channel uses one of 8-level vestigial sideband modulation, coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing modulation, enhanced vestigial sideband modulation, advanced vestigial sideband modulation, and mobile-pedestrian-handheld modulation.

15. A server comprising a controller to:

monitor spectral characteristics of a target channel, a first channel and a second channel, the target channel being of a digital terrestrial television system, the first channel being an upper adjacent channel to the target channel, the second channel being a lower adjacent channel to the target channel;

generate an emission mask based on the monitored spectral characteristics; and

detect interference between the target channel and at least one of the first and second channels based at least in part on the emission mask.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to present an alarm based on the detected interference.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein the spectral characteristics comprise a channel power of the target channel and band edge emissions for the first and second channels, and wherein the controller is adapted to measure a delta between the channel power and the band edge emissions.

18. The server of claim 15, wherein the monitored spectral characteristics are obtained using a single sweep measurement, and wherein the controller is adapted to:

monitor activity associated with at least one of the first and second channels; and

perform the single sweep measurement during a time period that is selected based on the monitored activity

19. The server of claim 15, wherein the monitored spectral characteristics are obtained using a single sweep measurement, and wherein the controller is adapted to perform the single sweep measurement during rise and fall times of the first and second channels.

20. A set top box comprising a controller to receive a target channel from a digital terrestrial television system, wherein interference is detected between the target channel and at least one of an upper adjacent channel and a lower adjacent channel, the detected interference being based on monitored spectral characteristics of the target channel, the upper adjacent channel and the lower adjacent channel, the monitored spectral characteristics being acquired using a single sweep measurement.

21. A method, comprising:

monitoring spectral characteristics of a target channel, a first channel and a second channel, the first channel being an upper adjacent channel to the target channel, the second channel being a lower adjacent channel to the target channel;

generating an emission mask based on the monitored spectral characteristics; and

detecting interference between the target channel and at least one of the first and second channels based at least in part on the emission mask.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising presenting an alarm based on the detected interference.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the spectral characteristics comprise a channel power of the target channel and band edge emissions for the first and second channels.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising:

measuring a delta between the channel power and the band edge emissions; and

detecting the interference based at least in part on the delta.

25. The method of claim 21, comprising performing a single sweep measurement during rise and fall times of the first and second channels to monitor the spectral characteristics.