Systems, methods, apparatus and computer program products for highly reliable file delivery using compound and braided FEC encoding and decoding

• US 9,071,274 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KenCast Inc.
• Original Assignee: KenCast Inc.
• Inventors: Fang, Weimin
• Primary Examiner(s): Rizk, Sam
• Application Number:
  US14/220,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 714/699, 714/755, 714/776, 370/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/05 using block codes, i.e. a predetermined number of check bits joined to a predetermined number of information bits H03M13/2906 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/11 using multiple parity bits
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/15 Cyclic codes, i.e. cyclic shifts of codewords produce other codewords, e.g. codes defined by a generator polynomial, Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem [BCH] codes H03M13/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/2909 Product codes
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/2921 wherein error correction coding involves a diagonal direction
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/2927 Decoding strategies
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/293 with erasure setting
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/3746 with iterative decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/005 Iterative decoding, including iteration between signal detection and decoding operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0057 Block codes H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0065 Serial concatenated codes

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus and computer program products provide highly reliable file delivery using a combination of packet-level FEC on source data packets which are arranged in matrices, where encoding is performed on both rows and columns or on rows, columns and diagonals.

Claims

1. A method for encoding a source file to be transmitted to a receiver, comprising the steps of:

dividing a source file into a plurality of source packets;

dividing the plurality of source packets into a plurality of groups;

generating an n-dimensional source packet cube from the plurality of source packets in one of the plurality of groups, wherein the source packet cube has a plurality of directions, each direction including at least two of the source packets, each of the source packets being included in a plurality of non-parallel directions, and wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 3;

grouping the plurality of directions into a plurality of sets, wherein directions within each set are parallel;

calculating a plurality of Forward Error Correction (FEC) packets for each of the plurality of directions of the source packet cube; and

transmitting the source packets in the source packet cube and the plurality of FEC packets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises:

adding corresponding header information to each of the plurality of source packets in the source packet cube and each of the plurality of FEC packets.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform:

dividing a source file into a plurality of source packets;

dividing the plurality of source packets into a plurality of groups;

generating an n-dimensional source packet cube from the plurality of source packets in one of the plurality of groups, wherein the source packet cube has a plurality of directions, each direction including at least two of the source packets, each of the source packets being included in a plurality of non-parallel directions, and wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 3;

grouping the plurality of directions into a plurality of sets, wherein directions within each set are parallel;

calculating a plurality of Forward Error Correction (FEC) packets for each of the plurality of directions of the source packet cube; and

transmitting the source packets in the source packet cube and the plurality of FEC packets.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, further having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by the computer system, causes the computer system to perform:

adding corresponding header information to each of the plurality of source packets in the source packet cube and each of the plurality of FEC packets.

5. An apparatus for encoding a source file to be transmitted to a receiver, comprising:

a processor configured to divide the source file into a plurality of source packets and divide the plurality of source packets into a plurality of groups;

a memory configured to store an n-dimensional source packet cube including the plurality of source packets in one of the plurality of groups, wherein the source packet cube has a plurality of directions, each direction including at least two of the source packets, each of the source packets being included in a plurality of non-parallel directions, wherein the plurality of directions are grouped into a plurality of sets, wherein directions within each set are parallel, and wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 3;

an encoder configured to generate a plurality of Forward Error Correction (FEC) packets for each of the plurality of directions of the source packet cube; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the source packets in the source packet cube and the plurality of FEC packets.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is further configured to:

add corresponding header information to each of the plurality of source packets in the source packet cube and each of the plurality of FEC packets.