Error encoding method and apparatus for satellite and cable signals

• US 6,216,250 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Williams, Jim C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung, Phung M.
• Application Number:
  US09/239,077
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 714/799, 714/755, 714/752, 714/746
• US Class Current: 714/799
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem

Abstract

A signal distribution system and method distributes an error-encoded satellite communication signal over a cable network to a number of receiver units within a multiple dwelling unit. The system and method receives and decodes the satellite communication signal to produce a data signal and an error indication that indicates whether an uncorrected transmission error is present in the data signal. The error indication is then combined with the data signal and an information signal to produce a combined signal which is then error encoded and transmitted over the cable network to the receiver units. The receiver units decode the combined signal to produce the data signal, the information signal, the error indication and a further error indication that indicates whether the data signals have experienced an uncorrected error during communication over the cable network. The receiver units use both the error indication and the further error indication to determine if the received data signal has one or more errors therein.

Claims

1. A signal distribution system for distributing an error-encoded communication signal over a communication channel, the signal distribution system comprising:

a receiver that receives a first error-encoded communication signal;

a decoder that decodes the received first error-encoded communication signal to produce a data signal and an error indication that indicates whether an uncorrected transmission error is present in the data signal;

a signal encoder that produces a second error-encoded communication signal including information related to both the data signal and the error indication; and

a transmitter that transmits the second error-encoded communication signal over the communication channel.

2. The signal distribution system of claim 1, further including a combiner that combines the error indication with the data signal to produce a combined signal.

3. The signal distribution system of claim 2, further comprising a receiver unit coupled to the communication channel, wherein the receiver unit includes a further decoder that decodes the second error-encoded communication signal to produce the error indication, the data signal, and a further error indication that indicates whether an uncorrected error is present in the data signal as a result of transmission over the communication channel, and an error detector that detects the presence of an error within the data signal based on the error indication or the further error indication.

4. The signal distribution system of claim 1, wherein the first error-encoded communication signal is modulated according to a first modulation scheme, and wherein the transmitter includes a modulator that modulates the second error-encoded communication signal according to a second modulation scheme.

5. A method of distributing an error-encoded communication signal over a communication channel, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first error-encoded communication signal;

decoding the first error-encoded communication signal to produce a data signal and an error indication that indicates whether an uncorrected transmission error is present in the data signal;

producing a second error-encoded communication signal including information related to both the data signal and the error indication; and

transmitting the second error-encoded communication signal over the communication channel.

6. The method of distributing an error-encoded communication signal over a communication channel according to claim 5, further including the step of combining the error indication with the data signal.

7. The method of distributing an error-encoded communication signal over a communication channel according to claim 5, further including the steps of receiving the second error-encoded communication signal from the communication channel, decoding the received second error-encoded communication signal to derive the error indication, the data signal, and a further error indication that indicates whether an uncorrected error is present in the data signal as a result of transmission over the communication channel, and detecting the presence of an error within the data signal based on the error indication or the further error indication.

8. The method of distributing an error-encoded communication signal over a communication channel according to claim 5, wherein the first error-encoded communication signal is modulated according to a first modulation scheme, and further including the step of modulating the second error-encoded communication signal according to a second modulation scheme prior to the step of transmitting.