Comprehensive network monitoring at broadcast satellite sites located outside of the broadcast service area

• US 7,580,708 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barrett, Ronald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US11/222,085
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/12.1, 455/13.4, 455/522, 455/526, 725/36, 725/107, 725/125, 375/295, 375/200, 370/325, 370/315, 348/180
• US Class Current: 455/427
• 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 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring the quality of signals transmitted to a remote service area that is located outside of the broadcast area of a main broadcast site. The present invention converts and combines the signals that are to be broadcast from the main broadcast site to a satellite for redistribution to the remote service areas. The converted and combined signals are looped back to a network monitoring operations located at the main broadcast site before being transmitted to the satellite. In another embodiment, the remote broadcast sites send signal strength measurements to the network monitoring operations to provide an indication of satellite transmission problems not related to the quality of the signal being broadcast from the main broadcast site.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring signal quality of signals to be broadcast to a satellite and broadcast in spot beams to a service area outside of a broadcast area comprising:

a broadcast site within a predefined broadcast area, the broadcast site transmits the signals to the satellite and the satellite transmits the signals to the service area foreign to the broadcast;

a network monitoring operations located at the broadcast site for monitoring signal quality of the signals before the signals are transmitted to a satellite;

at least one remote site in the service area that receives the signals broadcast by the satellite;

a signal strength meter at said at least one remote site for measuring a strength of signals to detect problems with the satellite transmission to the foreign service area; and

means for collecting and monitoring the signal strength measurements at the network monitoring operations;

wherein the satellite transmits spot beams and the broadcast site further comprises;

a radio frequency (RF) multiplexer coupled to an unlink antenna transmitting the signals to the satellite;

a signal converter, coupled to the RF multiplexer to downconvert the signals to frequencies bands upon which the signals are received by customer receivers at the remote site;

a combiner, coupled to the signal converter, for combining the downconverted signals into groups to simulate the signals received by the customer receivers in the spot beams, further comprising a signal router disposed between the combiner and the network monitoring operations.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for collecting and monitoring the signal strength measurements further comprises:

software for analyzing the signal strength measurements; and

means for raising an alarm upon loss or degradation of the signal.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the means for raising an alarm further comprises means for avoiding alarms for signal degradation that is a result of rain fade.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a database for storing signal strength measurements from the at least one remote site thereby providing a history of satellite transponder performance.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the database further comprises using data stored in the database to support long term trend analysis of the satellite transponder.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the signal strength meter measures the signal strength of a CONUS transponder carrier signals.

7. A method for monitoring a quality of signals broadcast to remote broadcast service areas located outside of a main broadcast area, the remote broadcast service areas having signal strength meters, the main broadcast area having a broadcast site having a network monitoring operations, said method comprising the steps of:

multiplexing, at the broadcast site, the signals to provide the signals to an uplink antenna for transmission to a satellite and to provide the signals to a converter;

converting, at the broadcast site, signals provided to the converter into frequencies upon which the signals received by customer receivers in the remote broadcast service areas;

looping, at the broadcast site, the converted signals provided to the converter to the network monitoring operations;

monitoring a quality of the looped signals at the network monitoring operations to determine if modifications to the signal quality are necessary;

making necessary modifications to the broadcast site to improve the signal quality;

broadcasting a high quality signal to the satellite for spot beam transmission to the remote broadcast service areas after completing the step of making necessary modifications to improve the signal quality;

measuring signal strength at the remote broadcast area;

sending signal strength measurements from the remote broadcast service areas to the network monitoring operations; and

determining the existence of a satellite transmission problem from the signal strength measurements received at the network monitoring operations.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising the step of logging signal strength measurements into a database at the network monitoring operations.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising the step of raising an alarm indicating degradation or loss of the signals based on the signal strength measurements.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

determining signal degradation that is a result of rain fade;

preventing the step of raising an alarm for signal degradation that is a result of rain fade.