Combined data, audio and video distribution system in passenger aircraft
First Claim
1. A method for transmitting a plurality of audio and video signals comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of digitized audio signals,multiplexing said signals to provide a serial bit stream of digitized audio signals,modulating said serial bit stream upon a radio frequency audio carrier having a frequency above a predetermined high frequency,providing a plurality of video carriers in a frequency range below said predetermined high frequency,modulating a plurality of video signals on said video carriers,combining said audio and video carriers to provide a combined RF output,transmitting said combined RF output to at least one remote station,separating said audio carrier from said video carriers at said remote station, andseparately transmitting said audio carrier and said video carriers to a user station.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A passenger aircraft video distribution system distributes modulated RF carrier signals from a central signal source (10) to be used at each passenger seat (S1, S2, S3). The carriers are modulated to contain both audio and video data (12,14) and also other digital data, such as graphics, slide shows and the like. Analog video signals (14) from the video source are modulated (100) on individually discrete carriers in the range of 54 to 300 megahertz. Audio information, including audio sound channels and the video audio, are digitized (80,84) and combined with digital data in a combined serial bit stream that is multiplexed (82), and then modulated (96) on an RF carrier having a frequency sufficiently above the frequency band of the video signals so that the resulting spectrum of the modulated audio RF carrier does not interfere with the modulated video carriers. The RF carrier signals are combined (104) and distributed to individual seats. The modulated audio carrier (112) is separated from the video carriers (110) at each seat or each group of seats and then demodulated (116) and demultiplexed (120) for selection at each individual seat of a chosen audio channel.
248 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method for transmitting a plurality of audio and video signals comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of digitized audio signals, multiplexing said signals to provide a serial bit stream of digitized audio signals, modulating said serial bit stream upon a radio frequency audio carrier having a frequency above a predetermined high frequency, providing a plurality of video carriers in a frequency range below said predetermined high frequency, modulating a plurality of video signals on said video carriers, combining said audio and video carriers to provide a combined RF output, transmitting said combined RF output to at least one remote station, separating said audio carrier from said video carriers at said remote station, and separately transmitting said audio carrier and said video carriers to a user station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A multiple signal distribution system comprising:
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audio source means for providing a plurality of audio source signals, means for digitizing the audio source signals to provide digitized audio signals, means for multiplexing said digitized audio signals to provide a serial bit stream, RF modulator means for modulating said serial bit stream upon an audio carrier having a frequency above a predetermined frequency, video source means for providing a plurality of video signals, video modulator means for modulating said video signals upon a plurality of video carriers, each having a frequency below said predetermined frequency, means for combining said audio and video carriers, and means for transmitting a combination of said audio and video carriers to a remote station. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A passenger aircraft entertainment signal distribution system comprising:
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a passenger entertainment service controller station (PESC) having audio and video inputs and including; analog to digital converter means responsive to said audio inputs for providing digitized audio signals, multiplexer means for multiplexing said digitized audio signals, RF modulator means for modulating multiplexed digitized audio signals to provide an audio carrier having said digitized audio signals modulated thereon, said audio carrier having a frequency above 300 megahertz, video modulator means for modulating said video inputs upon a plurality of video carriers, said video carriers having frequencies below 300 megahertz, and means for combining said modulated video carriers and modulated audio carrier to provide a combined radio frequency output, means for transmitting said combined radio frequency output to a remote station, a plurality of video seat electronic box stations (VSEB) adjacent said remote station, each said VSEB comprising disassembler and selection means for receiving a transmitted combined radio frequency output, said disassembler and selection means comprising; filter means for separating said audio carrier from said video carriers, means for demodulating said audio carrier to provide a serial bit stream of audio signals, means for selecting an audio signal from said serial bit stream, means for converting said selected audio signal to an analog audio signal for use at an individual passenger seat, and means for selecting a modulated video input for use at an individual passenger seat.
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21. A system for transmitting a large number of audio and video signals comprising:
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means for digitizing and multiplexing said audio signals to provide a serial bit stream of digitized audio signals, means for modulating said serial bit stream of digitized audio signals upon a radio frequency carrier having a frequency above the highest frequency of a predetermined band of frequencies, means for modulating said video signals on individual ones of a group of video carriers having frequencies within said predetermined band of video frequencies, means for combining said groups of video carriers and audio carrier, means for transmitting combined carriers, and means for separating a modulated audio carrier from modulated video carriers to provide a separated audio carrier and a plurality of separated video carriers. - View Dependent Claims (22, 26, 27, 28)
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23. A method of transmitting a plurality of signals comprising:
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providing a group of lower radio frequency carriers within a relatively lower frequency band, providing a higher radio frequency carrier having a frequency above said relatively lower frequency band, modulating said lower radio frequency carriers utilizing a first modulation technique with a first group of signals to provide a group of lower modulated carriers, modulating said higher radio frequency carriers utilizing a second modulation technique with a second group of signals to provide a higher modulated carrier, combining said lower and higher modulated carriers to provide a combined signal, and transmitting said combined signal on a common transmission line. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification