Method and apparatus for transmitting high bandwidth signals with low bandwidth transponders

• US 9,525,978 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pontual, Romulo, Basse, Hanno, Pejhan, Sassan, Santoru, Joseph, Chen, Ernest C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamara, Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEFAUW, THAD N
• Application Number:
  US13/829,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20140140259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting a plurality of elementary data streams to a plurality of receivers is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of generating M data streams comprising K multiplexed elementary data streams in a first entity, transmitting the M data streams to a second entity, generating N transmitter streams from the M data streams in the second entity; and transmitting each of the N transmitter streams to the plurality of receivers using an associated one of N broadcast sub-transmitters.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a plurality of elementary data streams to a plurality of receivers, comprising the steps of:

generating M data streams comprising K multiplexed elementary data streams in a first entity wherein K≠

T, comprising;

statistically multiplexing the K elementary data streams into a single intermediate data stream having a peak bit rate less than a sum of the peak bit rates of each of the K elementary data streams; and

generating the M data streams by demultiplexing the single intermediate data stream;

wirelessly transmitting the M data streams to a second entity;

generating N transmitter streams from the M data streams in the second entity by performing steps comprising;

multiplexing the M data streams in the second entity to generate a single data stream; and

demultiplexing the single data stream into N transmitter streams in the second entity;

transmitting each of the N transmitter streams to the plurality of receivers using an associated one of N broadcast sub-transmitters;

wherein;

each of the K multiplexed elementary data streams has an associated temporally varying bit rate BRD₁(t), BRD₂(t), . . . , BRD_K(t);

the single intermediate data stream comprises a bit rate of

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises the steps of;

error correction encoding the single intermediate data stream; and

the M data streams are generated from the error correction encoded single intermediate data stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein M=1 and N is an integer greater than or equal to two.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein N=1 and M is an integer greater than or equal to two.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein M=N and M and N are integers greater than one.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein MSN and M and N are integers greater than one.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a bit rate of the single intermediate data stream exceeds the bit rate of any of the N broadcast sub-transmitters but does not exceed the combined bit rate of the N broadcast sub-transmitters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

the second entity comprises a plurality of satellites comprising a first satellite and a second satellite;

a subset of the M data streams is transmitted to the first satellite and another subset of the remaining M data streams are transmitted to the second satellite.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter streams are multiplexed to recover the single data stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the N broadcast sub-transmitters each use a different, non-contiguous portions of a signal spectrum.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the recovered single data stream is forward error correction decoded.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the different portions of the signal spectrum comprise guard bands in the signal spectrum.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the N broadcast sub-transmitters has a different bandwidth than the other of the N broadcast sub-transmitters.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the recovered single data stream is demultiplexed to recover at least one of the K elementary data streams.

15. An apparatus for transmitting a plurality of elementary data streams to a plurality of receivers, comprising:

a signal distributor, for generating M data streams comprising K multiplexed elementary data streams wherein K≠

M, comprising;

a statistical multiplexer, for statistically multiplexing the K elementary data streams into a single intermediate data stream having a peak bit rate less than a sum of the peak bit rates of each of the K elementary data streams; and

a demultiplexer for generating the M data streams from the single intermediate data stream;

a broadcast transmitter, having N broadcast sub-transmitters, the broadcast transmitter for wirelessly receiving the M data streams from the signal distributor, for generating N broadcast sub-transmitter data streams from the received M data streams, and transmitting the N broadcast sub-transmitter data streams via an associated one of the N broadcast sub-transmitters to the plurality of receivers;

wherein the broadcast transmitter generates the N transmitter streams from the M data streams by multiplexing the M data streams to generate a single data stream and demultiplexing the single data stream into N transmitter streams in the second entity;

wherein;

each of the K multiplexed elementary data streams has an associated temporally varying bit rate BRD₁(t), BRD₂(t), . . . , BRD_K(t);

the single intermediate data stream comprises a bit rate of

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the signal distributor further comprises:

an encoder, for encoding the single intermediate data stream and providing the encoded single intermediate data stream to the demultiplexer.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein M=1 and N is an integer greater than or equal to two.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein N=1 and M is an integer greater than or equal to two.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein M=N and M and N are integers greater than one.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein M≠

N and M and N are integers greater than one.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a bit rate of the single intermediate data stream exceeds the bit rate of any of the N broadcast sub-transmitters but does not exceed the combined bit rate of the N broadcast sub-transmitters.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the signal distributor comprises an uplink transmitter comprising a plurality of uplink sub transmitters;

the broadcast transmitter comprises a plurality of satellites comprising a first satellite and a second satellite; and

a subset of the M data streams is transmitted to the first satellite by a first subset of the plurality of uplink sub-transmitters and another subset of the remaining M data streams are transmitted to the second satellite by another subset of the plurality of uplink subtransmitters.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing the N broadcast sub-transmitter streams to recover the single data stream; and

a demultiplexer, for demultiplexing the recovered single data stream to recover at least one of the K elementary data streams.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing the N broadcast sub-transmitter streams to recover the single data stream; and

a decoder for decoding the recovered single data stream;

a demultiplexer, for demultiplexing the recovered single data stream to recover at least one of the K elementary data streams.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the N broadcast sub-transmitters each use a different, non contiguous portion of a signal spectrum.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the different portions of the signal spectrum comprise guard bands in the signal spectrum.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the different portions of the signal spectrum comprise legacy bands and guard bands in the signal spectrum.

28. A method for transmitting a plurality of elementary data streams to a plurality of receivers, comprising the steps of:

generating M data streams comprising K multiplexed elementary data streams in a first entity, comprising;

statistically multiplexing the K elementary data streams into a single intermediate data stream having a peak bit rate less than a sum of the peak bit rates of each of the K elementary data streams; and

generating the M data streams by demultiplexing the single intermediate data stream;

wirelessly transmitting the M data streams to a second entity;

generating N transmitter streams from the M data streams in the second entity by performing steps comprising;

multiplexing the M data streams in the second entity to generate a single data stream; and

demultiplexing the single data stream into N transmitter streams in the second entity;

transmitting each of the N transmitter streams to the plurality of receivers using an associated one of N broadcast sub-transmitters;

wherein;

each of the K multiplexed elementary data streams has an associated temporally varying bit rate BRD₁ (t), BRD₂(t), . . . , BRD_K (t);

the single intermediate data stream comprises a bit rate of

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

the method further comprises the steps of;

error correction encoding the single intermediate data stream; and

the M data streams are generated from the error correction encoded single intermediate data stream.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein

the second entity comprises a plurality of satellites comprising a first satellite and a second satellite;

a subset of the M data streams is transmitted to the first satellite and another subset of the remaining M data streams are transmitted to the second satellite.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the transmitter streams are multiplexed to recover the single data stream.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the N broadcast sub-transmitters each use a different, non-contiguous portions of a signal spectrum.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the different portions of the signal spectrum comprise guard bands in the signal spectrum.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one of the N broadcast sub-transmitters has a different bandwidth than the other of the N broadcast sub-transmitters.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the recovered single data stream is forward error correction decoded.

36. An apparatus for transmitting a plurality of elementary data streams to a plurality of receivers, comprising:

a signal distributor, for generating M data streams comprising K multiplexed elementary data streams, comprising;

a statistical multiplexer, for statistically multiplexing the K elementary data streams into a single intermediate data stream having a peak bit rate less than a sum of the peak bit rates of each of the K elementary data streams; and

a demultiplexer for generating the M data streams from the single intermediate data stream;

a broadcast transmitter, having N broadcast sub-transmitters, the broadcast transmitter for wirelessly receiving the M data streams from the signal distributor, for generating N broadcast sub-transmitter data streams from the received M data streams, and transmitting the N broadcast sub-transmitter data streams via an associated one of the N broadcast sub-transmitters to the plurality of receivers;

wherein;

the broadcast transmitter generates the N transmitter streams from the M data streams by multiplexing the M data streams to generate a single data stream and demultiplexing the single data stream into N transmitter streams in the second entity; and

each of the K multiplexed elementary data streams has an associated temporally varying bit rate BRD₁(t), BRD₂(t), . . . , BRD_K(t);

the single intermediate data stream comprises a bit rate of

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the recovered single data stream is demultiplexed to recover at least one of the K elementary data streams.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the signal distributor further comprises:

an encoder, for encoding the single intermediate data stream and providing the encoded single intermediate data stream to the demultiplexer.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein:

the signal distributor comprises an uplink transmitter comprising a plurality of uplink sub transmitters;

the broadcast transmitter comprises a plurality of satellites comprising a first satellite and a second satellite; and

a subset of the M data streams is transmitted to the first satellite by a first subset of the plurality of uplink sub-transmitters and another subset of the remaining M data streams are transmitted to the second satellite by another subset of the plurality of uplink subtransmitters.

40. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing the N broadcast sub-transmitter streams to recover the single data stream; and

a demultiplexer, for demultiplexing the recovered single data stream to recover at least one of the K elementary data streams.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing the N broadcast sub-transmitter streams to recover the single data stream; and

a decoder for decoding the recovered single data stream;

a demultiplexer, for demultiplexing the recovered single data stream to recover at least one of the K elementary data streams.

42. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the N broadcast sub-transmitters each use a different, non contiguous portion of a signal spectrum.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the different portions of the signal spectrum comprise guard bands in the signal spectrum.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the different portions of the signal spectrum comprise legacy bands and guard bands in the signal spectrum.