Dynamic mapping of broadcast resources

• US 6,501,770 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2001
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• 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
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US09/893,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20010036198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/343, 370/345, 370/349, 370/350, 370/389, 370/390, 370/431, 370/432, 370/436, 370/437, 370/442, 370/458, 370/462, 370/465, 370/468, 370/473, 370/477, 370/478, 370/498, 370/499, 370/503, 370/521, 370/522, 370/528, 370/535, 370/537, 370/542, 370/326, 348/38, 348/385.1, 348/388, 348/473
• 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. In a communication system supporting a plurality of input data streams at a transmission processor, a plurality of time slots conveying information in one or more of the input data streams to a reception processor to provide a plurality of output data streams at the reception processor, a method of broadcast resource mapping, comprising:

generating a first map that maps a first input data stream of the input data streams to a first group of time slots and a second input data stream of the input data streams to a second group of time slots; and

combining the time slots in the first group of time slots with the time slots in the second group of time slots according to the first map;

generating a second map that maps at least a portion of a third input data stream of the input data streams to at least a portion of the second group of time slots according to a comparison with at least one of the input data streams; and

combining the time slots in the first group of time slots with the time slots in the second group of time slots according to the second map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparison is between the first input data stream and the second input data stream and the comparison determines if the first input data stream and the second input data stream include substantially identical relevant content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the first map to the reception processor;

transmitting the information conveyed by the combined time slots in the first group of time slots with the time slots in the second group of time slots during a first time period;

transmitting the second map to the reception processor; and

transmitting the information conveyed by the combined time slots in the first group of time slots with the time slots in the second group of time slots during a second time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparison is between a priority of the second input data stream and the third input data stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third input data stream includes content not present in the first input stream an the second input stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the third input data stream includes content not present in any of the input data streams.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first map and the second map are transmitted with program guide information.

8. In a communication system supporting a plurality of input data streams at a transmission processor, a plurality of broadcast resources conveying information in one or more of said input data streams to a reception processor, and a plurality of output data streams at the reception processor, a method of broadcast resource mapping, comprising:

mapping at least two of the input data streams, at least one of the broadcast resources, and the output data streams according to the relationship (IN=n);

(BR=n−

y);

(OUT=m);

wherein IN is the number of the at least a subset of input data streams, BR is the number of the at least a subset of broadcast resources, OUT is the number of the at least a subset of the output streams, and wherein n≧

2, n>

y≧

1, and m≧

n; and

wherein each of the plurality of broadcast resources is distinguished from the other broadcast resources at least in part according to one or more multiplexing techniques selected from the group comprising;

frequency band multiplexing; and

phase multiplexing.

9. In a communication system supporting a plurality of input data streams at a transmission processor, a plurality of broadcast resources conveying information in one or more of the input data streams to a reception processor to provide a plurality of output data streams at the reception processor, a method of broadcast resource mapping, comprising:

generating a first map mapping at least a first subset of the input data streams, the broadcast resources, and the output data streams according to the relationship (IN=n);

(BR=n−

y);

(OUT=m) during a first time period;

transmitting the first map to the reception processor;

generating a second map mapping at least a second subset of the input data streams, the broadcast resources, and the output data streams according to the relationship (IN=n);

(BR=n−

y);

(OUT=m) during a second time period; and

transmitting the second map to the reception processor;

wherein IN is the number of input data streams in the subset of input data streams, BR is the number of broadcast resources in the subset of broadcast resources, OUT is the number of output data streams in the subset of the output data streams, and wherein n≧

2, n>

y≧

1, and m≧

n.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein first subset of the input data streams are related.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the input data streams of first subset of the input data streams are related in content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first subset of the input data streams include substantially identical content.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the m output data streams includes data that is not present in the first data stream or the second data stream.