Apparatus and method for encoding and decoding signals

• US 8,873,620 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Citta, Richard W., LoPresto, Scott M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAHAMAN, MOHAMMED S
• Application Number:
  US12/599,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20100246664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,356 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.01, 375/E7.026
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/00 Coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or error correction; Coding theory basic assumptions; Coding bounds; Error probability evaluation methods; Channel models; Simulation or testing of codes error detection or error correction for analogue/digital, digital/analogue or code conversion H03M1/00 – H03M11/00; specially adapted for digital computers G06F11/08; for information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B, e.g. G11B20/18; for static stores G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/03 Error detection or forward error correction by redundancy in data representation, i.e. code words containing more digits than the source words
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/09 Error detection only, e.g. using cyclic redundancy check [CRC] codes or single parity bit
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/095 Error detection codes other than CRC and single parity bit codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/096 Checksums
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/134 Non-binary linear block codes not provided for otherwise
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/151 using error location or error correction polynomials
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/253 with concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/2906 using block codes H03M13/2957 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/41 using the Viterbi algorithm or Viterbi processors
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/6356 by repetition or insertion of dummy data, i.e. rate reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/6362 by puncturing
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/6538 ATSC VBS systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/005 Iterative decoding, including iteration between signal detection and decoding operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0065 Serial concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0079 Formats for control data H04L1/16 takes precedence; training sequences H04L25/00 and H04L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/157 Assigned coding mode, i.e. the coding mode being predefined or preselected to be further used for selection of another element or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 : the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 : Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

New capabilities will allow conventional broadcast transmission to be available to mobile devices. A method is described including the steps of receiving data, encoding the data using a first encoding process, inserting training data into the encoded data, and encoding the encoded data and the training data using a second encoding process. An apparatus is also described including a first encoder receiving at least a portion of data and encoding the portion of data using a first encoding process, a training data inserter inserting training data into the first encoded data, and a second encoder encoding the first encoded data and the training data using a second encoding process.

Claims

1. A method for encoding data in a data encoder, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving data at the input of the data encoder;

encoding a first portion of the received data using a first encoding process, the first portion of received data for reception by a first type of receiver, the first encoded data including systematic packets representing the first portion of the received data and non-systematic packets generated by encoding the first portion, the first encoding process using a Galois Field generator matrix to supplement the data;

inserting training data into the first encoded data;

combining the first encoded data and training data into a second portion of the received data, the second portion not being encoded using a first encoding process, the second portion of the received data for reception by a second type of receiver, wherein the second type of receiver is not capable of decoding the first encoded data; and

encoding the combined data using a trellis encoding process, the trellis encoding process being the same for all the combined data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the training data is used to assist in decoding the second encoding process.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data in the step of receiving is arranged in packets, each packet including 187 bytes of data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the training data is arranged in packets, each packet including 187 bytes of data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the packets of training data are one of a-priori tracking packets, a-priori training packets, pseudo-training packets or trellis obscured training packets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encoding process is a Galois Field Serial Concatenated Block Coding process.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used in a television broadcast system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of receiver is a receiver capable of receiving mobile broadcast signals and the second type of receiver is a legacy terrestrial broadcast receiver.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a first encoder, the first encoder receiving a first portion of data and encoding the portion of data using a first encoding process, the first portion of received data for reception by a first type of receiver, the first encoded data including systematic packets representing the first portion of the received data and non-systematic packets generated by encoding the first portion, the first encoding process using a Galois Field generator matrix to supplement the data;

a training data inserter coupled to the output of the first encoder, the training data inserter inserting training data into the first encoded data; and

a second encoder coupled to the output of the training data inserter, the second encoder combining the first encoded data and training data into a second portion of data, the second portion not being encoded by the first encoder, the second portion of the received data for reception by a second type of receiver, wherein the second type of receiver is not capable of decoding the first encoded data, the second encoder further encoding the combined data using a trellis encoding process, the trellis encoding process being the same for all the combined data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the training data is used to assist in decoding the second encoding process.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the received data is arranged in packets, each packet including 187 bytes of data.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the training data is arranged in packets, each packet including 187 bytes of data.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the training data is one of a-priori tracking packets, a-priori training packets, pseudo-training packets or trellis obscured training packets.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first encoding process is a Galois Field Serial Concatenated Block Coding process.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first type of receiver is a receiver capable of receiving mobile broadcast signals and the second type of receiver is a legacy terrestrial broadcast receiver.