Method and device for forming a common datastream according to the ATSC standard

• US 9,800,897 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Hagemeier, Denis, Goerig, Torsten
• Primary Examiner(s): BEDNASH, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US12/332,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20090175356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,240 Days
• Field of Search: 37039562, 725 62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• 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 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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

Abstract

A method and a device for forming a common transport datastream from several mobile-digital television signal datastreams and a common stationary-digital television signal datastream. A constant number of data units of respectively-constant size in every successive time interval with constant cycle duration for the transmission of every individual datastream is determined. A data structure is specified for the common datastream with successive sequences in each case of a constant number of data units with respectively-identical positions for data units of the stationary-digital television signal and respectively-identical positions for data units of the mobile-digital television signal. Data units of each of the datastreams of the mobile-digital television signal are transmitted in each case in associated, identical positions of at least one successive sequence, and define the individual positions of the data structure of the common datastream with data units of the respectively associated datastreams.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a device cause the device to perform operations comprising:

generating, by at least one stationary-digital television coding unit at least one stationary-digital television signal datastream from respective stationary-digital television channels;

generating, by at least one mobile-digital television coding unit a plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams from respective mobile-digital television channels;

generating, by a first multiplexer a common stationary-digital television signal datastream from the at least one stationary-digital television signal datastream;

determining, by a mobile-digital television coding unit acting as a master;

for each of the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams, a first respective number of data units, the first respective number of data units being constant across each successive time interval, and each successive time interval including a plurality of sequences and having a constant cycle duration;

for the common stationary-digital television signal datastream, a second number of data units, the second number of data units being constant across each successive time interval;

a number of first positions for data units of the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams for each of the plurality of sequences by computing a greatest common divisor for the first respective numbers of data units, the number of first positions being constant across each of the plurality of sequences;

a number of second positions for data units of the common stationary-digital television signal datastream for each of the plurality of sequences by dividing the second number of data units by the greatest common divisor, the number of second positions being constant across each of the plurality of sequences;

a data structure for a common transport datastream arranged to contain the plurality of sequences, each of the plurality of sequences including the number of first positions and the number of second positions;

arranging the first positions successively in each of the plurality of sequences and identically across each successive time interval; and

arranging the second positions successively in each of the plurality of sequences and identically across each successive time interval; and

packing, by a second multiplexer of the device, the first positions of the data structure of the common transport datastream with the data units of the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams and the second positions with the data units of the common stationary-digital television signal datastream.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium according to claim 1, further having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the device cause the device to perform an operation comprising:

transmitting the first respective number of data units for each one of the plurality of the mobile-digital television signal datastreams in a predetermined number of the plurality of sequences, wherein the predetermined number of the plurality of sequences are transmitted successively.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium according to claim 1, further having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the device cause the device to perform an operation comprising:

obtaining the plurality of sequences within each successive time interval by summing a number of successive ones of the plurality of sequences determined respectively for each mobile-digital television signal datastream.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium according to claim 1, further having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the device cause the device to perform an operation comprising:

combining, in each case, a constant number of the plurality of sequences with data units of a single mobile-digital television signal datastream to form a first subordinate combination of data units.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium according to claim 4, further having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the device cause the device to perform an operation comprising:

combining, in each case a constant number of data units, which are stored in respectively identical positions for data units of at least one of the stationary-digital television signal datastream and the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams successively within a sequence of data units and in successive sequences of data units, to form a second subordinate combination of data units.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium according to claim 5, further having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the device cause the device to perform an operation comprising:

combining, a plurality of first or second subordinate combinations of data units in each case to form a first or a second superordinate combination of data units.

7. A device for forming a common transport datastream from a plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastream and from a common stationary-digital television signal datastream, the device comprising:

at least one stationary-digital television coding unit configured to generate at least one stationary-digital television signal datastream from respective stationary-digital television channels;

at least one mobile-digital television coding unit configured to generate the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams from respective mobile-digital television channels;

a first multiplexer configured to generate the common stationary-digital television signal datastream from the at least one stationary-digital television signal datastream; and

a second multiplexer in communication with the first multiplexer and the at least one stationary-digital television coding unit and the at least one mobile-digital television coding unit and configured to generate the common transport datastream from the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams and the common stationary-digital television signal datastream,

wherein one of the at least one mobile-digital television coding unit operates as a master and is connected to the other at least one mobile-digital television coder operating as a subordinate slave, and

the master is configured to;

determine, for each of the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams, a first respective number of data units, the first respective number of data units being constant across each successive time interval, and each successive time interval including a plurality of sequences and having a constant cycle duration;

determine, for the common stationary-digital television signal datastream, a second number of data units, the second number of data units being constant across each successive time interval;

determine a number of first positions for data units of the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams for each of the plurality of sequences by computing a greatest common divisor for the first respective numbers of data units, the number of first positions being constant across each of the plurality of sequences;

determine a number of second positions for data units of the common stationary-digital television signal datastream for each of the plurality of sequences by dividing the second number of data units by the greatest common divisor, the number of second positions being constant across each of the plurality of sequences;

form a data structure for the common transport datastream arranged to contain the plurality of sequences, each of the plurality of sequences including the number of first positions and the number of second positions;

arrange the first positions successively in each of the plurality of sequences and identically across each successive time interval; and

arrange the second positions successively in each of the plurality of sequences and identically across each successive time interval; and

the second multiplexer further configured to pack the first positions of the data structure of the common transport datastream with the data units of the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams and the second positions with the data units of the common stationary-digital television signal datastream.

8. The device for forming a common transport datastream according to claim 7, wherein the second multiplexer is configured to transmit the first respective number of data units for each one of the plurality of the mobile-digital television signal datastreams in a predetermined number of the plurality of sequences, wherein the predetermined number of the plurality of sequences are transmitted successively.

9. The device for forming a common transport datastream according to claim 7, wherein the master is further configured to obtain the plurality of sequences within each successive time interval by summing a number of successive ones of the plurality of sequences determined respectively for each mobile-digital television signal datastream.

10. The device for forming a common transport datastream according to claim 7, wherein the master further configured to combine, in each case, a constant number of the plurality of sequences with data units of a single mobile-digital television signal datastream to form a first subordinate combination of data units.

11. The device for forming a common transport datastream according to claim 10, wherein the master is further configured to combine, in each case, a constant number of data units, which are stored in respectively identical positions for data units of at least one of the stationary-digital television signal datastream and the plurality of mobile-digital television signal datastreams successively within a sequence of data units and in successive sequences of data units, to form a second subordinate combination of data units.

12. The device for forming a common transport datastream according to claim 11, wherein the master is further configured to combine a plurality of first or second subordinate combinations of data units in each case to form a first or a second superordinate combination of data units.