Low latency data stream encoding and transmission

• US 7,349,675 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mitchell, William H., Karr, Lawrence J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Application Number:
  US10/713,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20040097194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 455/560, 455/561, 455/102, 455/108, 455/110, 370203-204, 370319-321, 714/746, 714/786, 714/795
• US Class Current: 455/102
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Described is a communication system including mobile communication devices. In the described system, the mobile devices may be wrist-worn watches such as are in common use today, except that the watches are specially configured to receive data in a “broadcast” mode and transmit and/or receive data in a “localcast” mode. The localcast mode includes the ability to transmit and receive data in a peer-to-peer fashion, allowing mobile devices to communicate directly with each other. The ability to combine two of these communication modes in a small, integrated and hence inexpensive and low-power package provides many advantages over existing personal communication device solutions.

Claims

1. A method of encoding a data stream, comprising the steps of:

partitioning the data stream into data packets at a transmission network center;

transmitting the data packets to a broadcast generator;

receiving the transmitted data packets at the broadcast generator;

writing the received data packets into an I/O memory of the broadcast generator;

reading extracted data packets from the I/O memory in an order that differs from the order in which the received data packets arrived at the I/O memory block;

encoding the extracted data packets into a first portion of encoded data streams for transmission at a first latency and a second portion of encoded data streams for transmission at a second latency, wherein the second latency is lower than the first latency; and

interleaving said first and second portions over a broadcast frame that includes sub frames, wherein each sub frame includes data associated with the first portion and data associated with the second portion that are interleaved together, and wherein each of the extracted data packets that are associated with the first portion is interleaved across multiple subframes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a threshold amount of memory within said I/O memory has been filled by said received data packets; and

initiating encoding of said received data packets if said determination is affirmative.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein interleaving said first and second portions of encoded data streams over a broadcast frame further comprises interleaving individual packets of said first portion of encoded data streams into segments over the full broadcast frame and interleaving individual packets of said second portion of encoded data streams into segments over individual sub frames.

4. The method of claim 1, the encoding further comprising the steps of:

performing a bitwise-exclusive-OR between each bit of said extracted data packets and each bit of a data pattern to produce a plurality of whitened data streams; and

convolutionally encoding said whitened data streams thereby producing said encoded data streams.

5. A method of transmitting data, comprising the steps of:

receiving a data stream including a first portion of data packets for transmission at a first latency and a second portion of data packets for transmission at a second latency, wherein the second latency is lower than the first latency; and

interleaving the first and second portions of data packets over a broadcast frame that includes sub frames, wherein each sub frame includes data associated with the first portion and data associated with the second portion that are interleaved together, and wherein each of the first portion of data packets is interleaved across multiple subframes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said sub frame is one-fourth of said broadcast frame.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

writing said plurality of data packets into an I/O memory;

reading said plurality of data packets from said I/O memory in an order that differs from the order in which said plurality of data packets arrived at said I/O memory; and

encoding said read data packets into encoded data streams, wherein said encoded data streams include said data packets that are interleaved over said broadcast frame.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing a bitwise-exclusive-OR between each bit of said read data packets and each bit of a data pattern to produce a plurality of whitened data streams; and

convolutionally encoding said whitened data streams thereby producing said encoded data streams.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

modulating the frame of interleaved data segments for transmission across an FM subcarrier to a mobile device when the mobile device is in a broadcast mode.

10. A method, comprising:

transmitting data packets of a data stream to a broadcast generator;

writing the received data packets into an input-output memory of the broadcast generator;

reading extracted data packets from the input-output memory in an order that differs from the order in which the data packets arrived at the input-output memory;

encoding the extracted data packets into a first portion of encoded data streams for transmission at a first latency and a second portion of encoded data streams for transmission at a second latency, wherein the second latency is lower than the first latency;

interleaving the first and second portions of encoded data streams over a broadcast frame that includes sub frames, wherein each sub frame includes data associated with the first portion and data associated with the second portion that are interleaved together, and wherein each of the extracted data packets associated with the first portion is interleaved across multiple subframes;

modulating the broadcast frame to produce a subcarrier signal for transmission across an FM subcarrier to a mobile device when the mobile device is in a broadcast mode; and

receiving the subcarrier signal at the mobile device, wherein the subcarrier signal is processed to produce content on the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether a threshold amount of memory within the I/O memory has been filled by said received data packets; and

initiating encoding of the received data packets if the determination is affirmative.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein interleaving said first and second portions of encoded data streams over a broadcast frame further comprises interleaving individual packets of said first portion of encoded data streams into segments over the full broadcast frame and interleaving individual packets of said second portion of encoded data streams into segments over individual sub frames.

13. The method of claim 10, the encoding further comprising:

performing a bitwise-exclusive-OR between each bit of the extracted data packets and each bit of a data pattern to produce a plurality of whitened data streams; and

convolutionally encoding the whitened data streams in producing the encoded data streams.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating segment headers for each interleaved data segment, such that the segments are identifiable by the mobile device when the mobile device receives the subcarrier signal.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein modulating the broadcast frame further comprises modulation of the broadcast frame symbol by symbol under transmit clock timing.