Signal injection via power supply

• US 8,621,525 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: James, Thomas H., Shah, Dipak M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tilahun, Alazar
• Application Number:
  US11/097,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20060225101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,196 Days
• Field of Search: 725 63- 72, 725/78, 725/120, 455 301- 306
• US Class Current: 725/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

Multiple systems for delivering satellite video signals are disclosed. An embodiment of the present invention comprises a module comprising a multiswitch, the multiswitch selectively directing the satellite video signals to a plurality of outputs of the multiswitch, an interface for delivering the satellite video signals to at least one receiver, and a power inserter, coupled between the interface and the at least one receiver, for controlling the flow of signals between the multiswitch and the at least one receiver, wherein the power inserter continuously flows the satellite video signals to the at least one receiver while selectively flowing commands between the module and the at least one receiver.

Claims

1. A system for delivering a plurality of broadcast signals to at least one of a plurality of receivers, comprising:

a translation module, having;

a multiswitch, the multiswitch having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, wherein each of the plurality of inputs is configured to receive at least one of the plurality of broadcast signals and the multiswitch is configured to selectably provide the at least one of the plurality of inputs to at least one of the plurality of outputs according to a first command signal from the at least one of the plurality of receivers;

an interface, coupled to the plurality of multiswitch outputs, configured to present the plurality of multiswitch outputs on a single interface output;

a power injector, coupled between the at least one of the plurality of receivers and the interface output, the power injector comprising;

a first communication path configured to pass the first command signal from the at least one receiver to the translation module;

a second communication path, configured to pass a second command signal from the translation module to the at least one receiver; and

a signal path, for providing the at least one broadcast signal on the single interface output.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication path is isolated from the second communication path.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first communication path is isolated from the second communication path by a half-duplex signal blocking circuit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the half-duplex signal blocking circuit comprises a switching network, including

a first switch configured to disable the second communication path when the first command signal from the translation module is detected;

and

a second switch configured to disable the first communication path when the second command signal from the receiver is detected.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the switching network further comprises

a first detection circuit, coupled to the first switch for detecting current in the second communication path and configured to activate the first switch to disable the second communication path;

and

a second detection circuit, coupled to the second switch, for detecting voltage on the first communication path and configured to activate the second switch to disable the second communication path.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first detection circuit is a voltage detection circuit and the second detection circuit is a current detection circuit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first command signal comprises a voltage and a tone.

8. A method of delivering a selected one of a plurality of broadcast signals from a multiswitch to at least one of a plurality of receivers, comprising:

accepting, at a first port of a device, a first command signal from the at least one of the plurality of receivers, the first command signal for commanding the multiswitch to provide a selected one of the plurality of broadcast signals at a multiswitch output communicatively coupled to a second port of the device;

providing the first command signal via a first communication path from the first port to a second port of the device;

detecting the accepted first command signal;

upon detecting the accepted first command signal, disabling a second communication path from the second port to the first port, the second communication path isolated from the first communication path and configured to pass a second command signal from a module having the multiswitch to the at least one of the plurality of receivers; and

providing the selected one of the plurality of broadcast signals from the multiswitch output from the second port to the first port via a third communication path of the device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

accepting, at the second port of the device, the second command signal from the module;

providing the first command signal from the second port to the first port via the second communication path only if the first command signal is no longer detected at the first port;

detecting the accepted second command signal;

upon detecting the accepted second command signal, disabling the first communication path.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first command signal is provided from the second port to the first port while providing the selected one of the plurality of broadcast signals from the multiswitch output from the second port to the first port via the third communication path.

11. A device for delivering a selected one of a plurality of broadcast signals from a multiswitch to at least one of a plurality of receivers, comprising:

a first port configured to accept a first command signal from the at least one of the plurality of receivers, the first command signal for commanding the multiswitch to provide a selected one of the plurality of broadcast signals at a multiswitch output;

a second port, communicatively coupled to the multiswitch output;

a first communication path configured to pass the first command signal from the first port to a second port of the device;

a second communication path configured to provide a second command signal from the second port to the first port;

a isolation circuit, for isolating the first communication path and the second communication path; and

a signal path, for providing the at least one broadcast signal on the second first port.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the isolation circuit comprises a half-duplex signal blocking circuit.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the half-duplex signal blocking circuit comprises:

a first detection circuit configured to detect the first command signal at the first port;

a second switch communicatively coupled to the first detection circuit, configured to disable the second communication path when the first command signal at the first port is detected;

a second detection circuit configured to detect the second command signal at the second port; and

a second switch, communicatively coupled to the second detection circuit, configured to disable the first communication path when the second command signal at the second port is detected.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first detection circuit is a voltage detection circuit and the second detection circuit is a current detection circuit.