Method and system for controlling redundancy of individual components of a remote facility system

• US 8,077,706 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wasden, Mitchell B., Arya, Vishal, Miner, Daniel M., St. Laurent, Darren M., Boltz, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Warner
• Application Number:
  US11/930,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20090109836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-350, 370/359, 370/419, 370/463, 370/532, 370/535, 370/537, 370/540, 725/105, 725/115
• US Class Current: 370/359
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/247 ATM or packet multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A remote facility and method for operating the same includes a signal processing system including a primary multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form a multiplexed signal, a primary modulator a primary transport processing system forming a transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal, a primary modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal, a backup multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form the multiplexed signal, a backup modulator a primary transport processing system forming a transport stream signal from the multiplexed signal, a backup modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal. The remote facility includes a controller in communication with the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator, the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator, said controller forming an output signal using at least one of the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, and the primary modulator and at least one of the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator. The remote facility may be part of a television signal collection system that includes an IP network and a local collection facility in communication with the remote collection facility through the IP network.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a signal processing system comprising:

receiving channel signals at a local collection facility;

encoding the channel signals into IP signals;

communicating IP signals from the local collection facility to a remote facility;

multiplexing IP signals to form a multiplexed signal at a primary multiplexer at the local collection facility;

multiplexing IP signals to form the multiplexed signal at a backup multiplexer at the local collection facility;

forming a transport stream signal by encrypting the multiplexed signal at a primary transport processing system;

forming the transport stream signal by encrypting the multiplexed signal at a backup transport processing system;

modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal at a primary modulator;

modulating the transport stream signal to form the modulated signal at a backup primary modulator;

forming a first output signal from the modulated signal; and

forming an output signal using at least one of the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, and the primary modulator and at least one of the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving channel signals comprises receiving a plurality of over-the-air channel signals at the local collection facility.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving channel signals comprises receiving, channel signals through a wire or optical fiber connection at the local collection facility.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming an output signal comprises forming an uplink signal from the modulated signal;

and

uplinking the uplink signal to a satellite from the remote facility.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising controlling the local collection facility from the remote facility.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising controlling the local collection facility from a network operation center.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising monitoring the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator and generating a monitoring signal.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein controlling comprises controlling from a monitoring system in a remote facility in response to monitoring.

9. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein controlling comprises controlling using a monitoring system in a network operation center disposed apart from a remote facility in response to monitoring.

10. A system comprising:

an IP network;

a remote facility comprising;

a signal processing system including

a primary multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form a multiplexed signal;

a primary transport processing system forming a transport stream signal by encrypting the multiplexed signal;

a primary modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form a modulated signal;

a backup multiplexer multiplexing IP signals to form the multiplexed signal;

a backup transport processing system forming the transport stream signal by encrypting the multiplexed signal;

a backup modulator modulating the transport stream signal to form the modulated signal; and

a controller in communication with the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator, the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator, said controller forming an output signal using at least one of the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, and the primary modulator and at least one of the backup multiplexer, the backup transport processing system and the backup modulator; and

a local collection facility in communication with the remote facility through the IP network, said local collection facility receiving channel signals, encoding the channel signals into respective IP signals, communicating the respective IP signals through an IP network to the remote facility.

11. A remote facility as recited in claim 10 wherein the controller is in communication with the primary modulator and the backup modulator through a switch.

12. A remote facility as recited in claim 10 wherein the controller comprises a monitoring system.

13. A remote facility as recited in claim 12 wherein the monitoring system is disposed in a network operations center.

14. A remote facility as recited in claim 10 further comprising a primary IP switch and a backup IP switch.

15. A remote facility as recited in claim 10 wherein the controller monitors the primary multiplexer, the primary transport processing system, the primary modulator and controls forming the output signal in response to monitoring.

16. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the IP signals comprise video-over-IP signals.

17. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the channel signals comprise terrestrial over-the air channel signals received through an antenna.

18. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the channel signals comprise standard definition terrestrial over-the air channel signals received through an antenna.

19. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the channel signals comprise high definition terrestrial over-the air channel signals received through an antenna.

20. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the local collection facility comprises a plurality of local collection facilities.