Transport layer modification to enable transmission gaps

• US 9,319,737 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2011
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Raveendran, Vijayalakshmi R., Bhamidipati, PhaniKumar K., Determan, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, M Mostazir
• Application Number:
  US12/984,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20110164176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 348/470, 348/723, 348/E05.093, 348/E07.04, 370/239, 370/528, 370/522, 370/498, 370/480, 370/433, 370/435, 370/254, 370/242, 370/354, 370/342, 370/245, 370/516, 370/423, 370/535, 370/474, 370/476, 370/395, 370/397, 370/503, 370/508, 370/517, 370/519, 37524001-24029
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4346 involving stuffing data, e.g. packets or bytes synchronisation arrangements in time-division multiplex systems with different or fluctuating information rates H04J3/073
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01

Abstract

White space devices are operable to communicate information over white space and, more specifically, to quiet a transmitter to enable sensing signals in the white space. A method for inconspicuous quieting of a transmitter in a white space communication device modifies a transport stream for transmission by the transmitter of the white space device to provide a null window of time. The null window does not contain essential information. At least a portion of the modified transport stream is transmitted by the transmitter of the white space device. The transmitter is quieted during the null window, and white space sensing is performed during the null window.

Claims

1. A method for inconspicuous quieting of a transmitter in a white space device, the method comprising:

modifying, with transport layer information, a transport stream for transmission by the transmitter of the white space device to include a null window of time at a predetermined position within the transport stream;

performing white space detection of licensed Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) signals at a timing synchronized with an occurrence of the predetermined position of the null window, wherein the null window does not interfere with the white space detection; and

transmitting the modified transport stream by the transmitter of the white space device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

quieting the transmitter during the null window.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the null window comprises non-essential information.

4. The method of claim 1 in which modifying the transport stream further comprises:

aggregating a plurality of null packets present in a defined time interval of the transport stream; and

positioning the aggregated plurality of null packets at the predetermined time within the defined time interval of the transport stream, thereby forming the null window.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the defined time interval is a one-second interval.

6. The method of claim 4 in which modifying the transport stream further comprises:

modifying a program clock reference associated with at least one multimedia frame present in the defined time interval of the transport stream.

7. The method of claim 1 in which modifying the transport stream further comprises:

identifying individual multimedia frames present in a defined time interval of the transport stream;

removing a predetermined number of null packets from each frame;

aggregating the removed null packets; and

positioning the aggregated null packets at the predetermined time within the defined time interval of the transport stream, thereby forming the null window.

8. The method of claim 1 in which modifying the transport stream further comprises:

multiplexing an additional higher priority program having null packets at the predetermined time with the transport stream, thereby forming the null window at the predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the transport stream comprises a moving pictures experts group (MPEG)-2 transport stream, a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) transport stream, and a Transport Control Protocol (TCP) stream.

10. A white space device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit multimedia information in a transport stream via white space;

a white space sensor configured to sense licensed Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) signals present in the white space at a timing synchronized with an occurrence of a null window, wherein the null window does not interfere with the sensing of ATSC signals; and

a transport layer stream processor configured to process the transport stream, to include the null window of time at a predetermined time and a predetermined position within the transport stream, the null window not containing multimedia information.

11. The device of claim 10 in which the transmitter is quieted during the null window.

12. The device of claim 10 in which the transport layer stream processor is further configured:

to aggregate a plurality of null packets present in a defined time interval of the transport stream; and

to position the aggregated plurality of null packets at the predetermined time within the defined time interval of the transport stream, forming the null window.

13. The device of claim 12 in which the transport layer stream processor is further configured:

to modify a program clock reference associated with at least one multimedia frame present in the defined time interval of the transport stream.

14. The device of claim 10 in which the transport layer stream processor is further configured:

to identify individual multimedia frames present in a defined time interval of the transport stream;

to remove a predetermined number of null packets from each frame;

to aggregate the removed null packets; and

to position the aggregated null packets at the predetermined time within a defined time interval of the transport stream, forming the null window.

15. The device of claim 10 in which the transport layer stream processor is further configured:

to multiplex an additional program having null packets at the predetermined time into the transport stream, forming the null window at the predetermined time.

16. A white space device comprising:

means for transmitting multimedia information in a transport stream via white space;

means for sensing white space licensed Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) signals at a timing synchronized with an occurrence of a null window, wherein the null window does not interfere with the sensing of ATSC signals; and

means for modifying, with transport layer information, the transport stream to include the null window of time at a predetermined time and a predetermined position within the transport stream, the null window not containing multimedia information.

17. The device of claim 16 in which the means for modifying comprises:

means for aggregating a plurality of null packets present in a defined time interval of the transport stream; and

means for positioning the aggregated plurality of null packets at the predetermined time within the defined time interval of the transport stream, to form the null window.

18. The device of claim 16 in which the means for modifying comprises:

means for modifying a program clock reference associated with at least one multimedia frame present in a defined time interval of the transport stream.

19. The device of claim 16 wherein the means for modifying comprises:

means for identifying individual multimedia frames present in a defined time interval of the transport stream;

means for removing a predetermined number of null packets from each frame;

means for aggregating the removed null packets; and

means for positioning the aggregated null packets at the predetermined time within the defined time interval of the transport stream, to form the null window.

20. The device of claim 16 wherein the means for modifying comprises:

means for multiplexing an additional program having null packets at the predetermined time into the transport stream, to form the null window at the predetermined time.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon for inconspicuous quieting of a transmitter of a white space device, the program code comprising:

program code to modify, with transport layer information, a transport stream for transmission by the transmitter of the white space device to include a null window of time at a predetermined position within the transport stream, the null window not containing multimedia information,

program code to sense white space licensed Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) signals at a timing synchronized with an occurrence of the null window, wherein the null window does not interfere with the white space sensing; and

program code to transmit the modified transport stream.