Dynamic mapping of broadcast resources

• US 5,886,995 A
• Filed: 09/05/1996
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: James, Thomas H., Arsenault, Robert G., Leminh, Tam T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US08/708,524
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/316, 370/326, 370/343, 370/345, 370/431, 370/432, 370/436, 370/437, 370/458, 370/465, 370/468, 370/477, 370/478, 370/480, 370/486, 370/487, 370/498, 370/503 , 370/522, 370/528, 370/535, 348/6, 348/7, 348/384, 348/385, 348/388, 348/473, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 370/477
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18523 Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/51 specially adapted for satellite broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

In a data communication system such as a high capacity DBS system, dynamic mapping of broadcast resources is provided to exploit occasional redundancy in the program content of two or more input data streams, freeing at least one broadcast resource to carry alternate bitstreams, such as additional programs or existing programs at higher quality. Transmission maps defining the correspondence between input data streams and broadcast resources, and reception maps defining the correspondence between broadcast resources and output data streams, are updated as needed to dynamically modify broadcast resource mapping to increase effective utilization of available bandwidth. Beneficial n:n-y:m mapping in a high capacity consumer DBS entertainment system is provided. Apparatus and methods for efficiently generating, maintaining and updating allocation maps with reduced overhead requirements, are disclosed.

Claims

1. A data transmission system having a transmission processor for accepting input data streams and transmitting them over a plurality of broadcast resources, and a reception processor for receiving broadcast resources and generating output data streams therefrom, comprising:

at least a first input data stream and a second input data stream, wherein said second input data stream has a degree of identity to said first input data stream during at least a first time period;

a first output data stream intended to correspond to said first input data stream,

a second output data stream intended to correspond to said second input data stream, and

a local map at said reception processor for selectively associating selected broadcast resources to said output data streams;

wherein said broadcast resources carry only one of said first and second input data streams during at least a portion of said first time period, by means of a selected broadcast resource; and

the local map associates both said first and second output data streams to said selected broadcast resource during said at least a portion of said first time period.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the broadcast resources include a frequency designation.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the broadcast resources include a time division multiplex channel designation.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the broadcast resources are provided in a satellite communication system.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the broadcast resources are provided in a cable communication system.

6. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a synchronization mechanism including a transmitted timestamp, to synchronize changes in the local map to selected events, and thereby alter said selective association of at least some of said output data streams to at least some of said broadcast resources.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the timestamp indicates a selected time at which an associated local map is to become active.

8. The invention of claim 6 wherein the timestamp indicates a selected offset after which an associated local map is to become active.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein the timestamp indicates that an associated local map is to become active a selected offset after a trigger event.

10. The invention of claim 6 wherein the timestamp indicates that an associated local map is to become active on or after a trigger event.

11. The invention of claim 9 wherein the trigger event comprises a manual input.

12. A method of carrying a first number of input data streams on a lesser number of broadcast resources in a communication system, comprising:

detecting a period of substantially common content in two or more input data streams;

during at least part of said period of substantially common content, transmitting the substantially common content over an allocated number of broadcast resource(s) which is at least one but fewer than said first number; and

generating at a receiver, from said allocated broadcast resource(s), a number of output data streams greater than said allocated number of broadcast resources, said output data streams being substantially identical in relevant content to a similar number of said input data streams.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein a local map associates said output data streams to said allocated number of broadcast resource(s) during said at least part of said period of substantially common content.

14. The invention of claim 12 wherein a remote map associates said input data streams to said allocated number of broadcast resource(s) during said at least part of said period of substantially common content.

15. The invention of claim 12 wherein said number of output data streams is equal to said first number of input data streams.

16. The invention of claim 12 wherein alternate information is broadcast over at least one of the broadcast resources corresponding to the difference between said first number and said allocated number.