Terrestrial transmitting station for transmitting a terrestrial broadcast signal, satellite-aided broadcast system and receiver for a satellite-aided broadcast system

• US 8,369,774 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Eberlein, Ernst, Heuberger, Albert, Breiling, Marco, Lipp, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woodall, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/917,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,428 Days
• Field of Search: 455/10, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/16, 455/23, 455/98, 455/101, 455/103, 455/105
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1851 Systems using a satellite or space-based relay H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• 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 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving

Abstract

A terrestrial transmitting station for sending out a terrestrial broadcast signal includes a first receiver for receiving a signal to obtain a satellite receive signal, a second receiver for receiving a local signal to obtain a local receive signal and a signal combiner for combining the first receive signal with the local receive signal to form a combination signal. The signal combiner is implemented to generate the combination signal so that the combination signal is formed according to a hierarchical modulation, wherein the first receive signal is contained in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation and wherein the local receive signal is contained in an overlay layer of the hierarchical modulation. A terrestrial transmitting station further includes a transmitter for sending out the combination signal. A broadcast system includes a first transmitter and at least one terrestrial transmitting station. The information emitted from the satellite-based broadcast system may be received using an associated receiver. An inventive broadcast system allows adding a local information to a supraregionally emitted transmit signal in a frequency-efficient way.

Claims

1. A broadcast system, comprising:

a first terrestrial transmitting station arranged to send out a first terrestrial transmit signal, including an associated first receiver arranged to receive a first transmit signal to obtain a first receive signal, an associated second receiver arranged to receive a first local signal to obtain a local receive signal, a signal combiner arranged to combine the first receive signal with the local receive signal to provide a first combination signal, wherein the signal combiner is implemented to generate the first combination signal so that the first combination signal is configured according to a hierarchical modulation, wherein the first receive signal is included in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation, and wherein the local receive signal is included in an overlay layer of the hierarchical modulation, and a transmitter arranged to send out the first combination signal as the first terrestrial transmit signal; and

a second terrestrial transmitting station arranged to send out a second terrestrial transmit signal, including an associated first receiver arranged to receive the first transmit signal to obtain a second receive signal, an associated second receiver arranged to receive a second local signal, to obtain an associated local receive signal, an associated signal combiner arranged to combine the second receive signal with the associated local receive signal to provide a second combination signal, wherein the associated signal combiner is implemented to generate the second combination signal so that the second combination signal is configured according to a hierarchical modulation, wherein the second receive signal is included in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation, and wherein the associated local receive signal is included in an overlay layer of the hierarchical modulation, and an associated transmitter arranged to send out the second combination signal as the second terrestrial transmit signal;

wherein the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second terrestrial transmitting station are implemented to receive different local signals, and wherein the first local signal is different from the second local signal;

wherein the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second terrestrial transmitting station are implemented so that the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station include an equal carrier frequency and an equal modulation type;

wherein the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second terrestrial transmitting station are further arranged so that an overlapping area exists in which the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station constructively overlap regarding the base layer of the hierarchical modulation;

wherein a carrier frequency of each of the first and second combination signals emitted from the first and second terrestrial transmitting stations is equal to a carrier frequency of a second transmit signal which is a satellite signal and which is receivable in the overlapping area;

wherein the first transmit signal includes a payload data content including a payload data content of the second transmit signal;

wherein information included in the base layer of the first terrestrial transmit signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station is equal to information included in a base layer of the second transmit signal; and

wherein the base layer of the hierarchical modulation of the second terrestrial transmit signal is equal to the base layer of the hierarchical modulation of the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station.

2. The broadcast system according to claim 1, further including a satellite and a satellite base station;

wherein the satellite base station is implemented to transmit a first base station signal to the satellite;

wherein the satellite is implemented to pass on the first base station signal as a first satellite signal and to provide a second satellite signal which is delayed compared to the first satellite signal by a predetermined delay time;

wherein the first satellite signal defines the first transmit signal; and

wherein the second satellite signal defines the second transmit signal.

3. A broadcast system according to claim 1, further comprising a satellite and a satellite base station which is implemented to send a first base station signal and a second base station signal to the satellite;

wherein the satellite is implemented to pass on the first base station signal as a first satellite signal and to pass on the second base station signal as a second satellite signal;

wherein the satellite base station and the satellite are implemented so that the first satellite signal includes a payload data content which includes a payload data content of the second satellite signal, and so that the second satellite signal is delayed compared to the first satellite signal by a predetermined delay time;

wherein the first satellite signal defines the first transmit signal; and

wherein the second satellite signal defines the second transmit signal.

4. The broadcast system according to claim 3, wherein the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal include the same payload data content.

5. The broadcast system according to claim 2, wherein the satellite is implemented so that the second satellite signal has a greater signal strength than the first satellite signal.

6. The broadcast system according to claim 1, wherein the first receiver of the first terrestrial transmitting station is implemented to receive a first satellite signal, and wherein the first receiver of the second terrestrial transmitting station is implemented to receive the first satellite signal.

7. The broadcast system according to claim 1, further comprising a satellite base station and a satellite that are implemented so that a satellite signal includes information only in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation.

8. The broadcast system according to claim 1, further comprising a satellite ground station and a satellite that are implemented so that information included in the base layer of the first terrestrial transmit signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station is equal to information included in a base layer of a second satellite signal.

9. The broadcast system according to claim 1, further including a satellite.

10. The broadcast system according to claim 1, wherein a modulation type of at least one of the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station is equal to a modulation type of the second transmit signal regarding the base layer of the hierarchical modulation.

11. A broadcast system, comprising:

a first transmitter which is implemented to emit a first transmit signal;

a first terrestrial transmitting station arranged to send out a first terrestrial transmit signal, including a first receiver arranged to receive the first transmit signal to obtain a first receive signal, a second receiver arranged to receive a first local signal to obtain a local receive signal, a signal combiner arranged to combine the first receive signal with the local receive signal to provide a first combination signal, wherein the signal combiner is implemented to generate the first combination signal so that the first combination signal is configured according to a hierarchical modulation, wherein the first receive signal is included in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation, and wherein the local receive signal is included in an overlay layer of the hierarchical modulation, and a transmitter arranged to send out the first combination signal as the first terrestrial transmit signal; and

a second terrestrial transmitting station arranged to send out a second terrestrial transmit signal including an associated first receiver arranged to receive a satellite signal to obtain an associated satellite receive signal, an associated second receiver arranged to receive a second local signal to obtain an associated local receive signal, an associated signal combiner arranged to combine the associated satellite receive signal with the associated local receive signal to provide a second combination signal, wherein the signal combiner is implemented to generate the second combination signal so that the second combination signal is configured according to a hierarchical modulation, wherein the associated satellite receive signal is included in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation and wherein the associated local receive signal is included in an overlay layer of the hierarchical modulation, and an associated transmitter arranged to send out the second combination signal as the second terrestrial transmit signal;

wherein the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second terrestrial transmitting station are implemented to receive different local signals;

wherein a base layer of a hierarchical modulation of a second satellite signal is equal to the base layer of the hierarchical modulation of the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station;

wherein carrier frequencies of the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station are equal;

wherein the first local signal is different from the second local signal; and

wherein the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second terrestrial transmitting station are further arranged so that an overlapping area exists in which the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station overlap.

12. The broadcast system according to claim 11, further including a satellite and a satellite base station which is implemented to send a first base station signal to the satellite;

wherein the satellite is implemented to pass on the first base station signal as a first satellite signal and to provide a second satellite signal which is delayed compared to the first satellite signal by a predetermined delay time.

13. The broadcast system according to claim 11, further comprising a satellite and a satellite base station which is implemented to send a first base station signal and a second base station signal to the satellite;

wherein the satellite is implemented to pass on the first base station signal as a first satellite signal and to pass on the second base station signal as a second satellite signal;

wherein the satellite base station and the satellite are implemented so that the first satellite signal includes a payload data content which includes a payload data content of the second satellite signal, and that the second satellite signal is delayed compared to the first satellite signal by a predetermined delay time.

14. The broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal include the same payload data content.

15. The broadcast system according to claim 12, wherein the satellite is implemented so that the second satellite signal has a greater signal strength than the first satellite signal.

16. The broadcast system according to claim 11, wherein the first receiver of the first terrestrial transmitting station is implemented to receive a first satellite signal and wherein the first receiver of the second terrestrial transmitting station is implemented to receive the first satellite signal.

17. The broadcast system according to claim 11, wherein the first terrestrial transmitting station, the second terrestrial transmitting station and a satellite are implemented so that a second satellite signal, the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station and the second combination signal emitted from the second terrestrial transmitting station have an equal carrier frequency and an equal modulation type.

18. The broadcast system according to claim 11, further comprising a satellite base station and a satellite that are implemented so that a satellite signal includes an information only in a base layer of the hierarchical modulation.

19. The broadcast system according to claim 11, further comprising a satellite ground station and a satellite that are implemented so that information included in the base layer of the first terrestrial transmit signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station is equal to information included in a base layer of a second satellite signal.

20. The broadcast system according to claim 11, wherein the broadcast system is a satellite-aided broadcast system which is implemented so that a base layer of a hierarchical modulation of a second satellite signal is equal to the base layer of the hierarchical modulation and the first combination signal emitted from the first terrestrial transmitting station.

21. The broadcast system according to claim 11, further including a satellite.