Devices and methods for dynamic broadcast

• US 9,967,130 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2013
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Reimers, Ulrich, Palka, Piotr, Bremer, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Gebre, Messeret f
• Application Number:
  US13/856,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 709231, 370254
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/423 Transmitter side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/41 for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

A dynamic broadcast system and a spectrum management device for use in a dynamic broadcast system. A dynamic white space database unit stores and dynamically updates a dynamic white space database of frequency resources that are assigned for broadcasting broadcast content but can locally not be used for broadcasting. One or more white space devices can access the frequency resources included in the dynamic white space database. A spectrum server dynamically manages the frequency resources included in the dynamic white space database for access by the one or more white space devices.

Claims

1. A network management device for providing content to terminals, the network management device comprising:

circuitry configured to

dynamically decide transmission parameters, transmission times, and transmission paths used for broadcasting the content by a broadcast transmitter via a broadcast network and provide the content by a broadband server via a broadband network to dynamically control multiplex configurations of transmission of the content including allocation of the content to content data streams transmitted over the broadcast network or the broadband network;

dynamically control transmission parameters, transmission times and transmission paths for broadcasting the content via the broadcast network and providing the content via the broadband network;

store and dynamically update a dynamic white space database of frequency resources, which are assigned for broadcasting the content but can locally not be used for broadcasting;

dynamically manage frequency resources that are included in the dynamic white space database for access by one or more white space devices that make use of the frequency resources that are included in the dynamic white space database, the white space devices being put in a dynamic white space database queue when none of the frequency resources are available;

revoke one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the white space devices if the broadcast transmitter requests said one of the frequency resources for broadcasting the content;

send a queue propose message to the one or more of the white space devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the white space devices on the dynamic white space database queue;

determine whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the dynamic white space database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of white space devices in response to the queue propose message, put the one or more of the white space devices in the dynamic white space database queue.

2. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to dynamically grant and revoke the frequency resources based on a prioritization of potential requesters of a particular one of the frequency resources requesting the particular one of the frequency resources.

3. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to register potential requesters of the frequency resources stored in the dynamic white space database, the potential requesters including at least one of one or more of the white space devices and one or more broadcast transmitters.

4. The network management device according to claim 3, wherein

the circuitry is configured to store requester-specific information including at least one or more of a geographical location, transmit power and bandwidth requirements associated with a registered one of the potential requesters.

5. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to store time information in association with each of the frequency resources, the time information indicating at least one of a start time, end time and duration of availability of said each of the frequency resources as white space.

6. The network management device according to claim 5, wherein

the circuitry is configured to identify one of the frequency resources to grant to a requestor based on the time information.

7. The network management device according to claim 6, wherein

the circuitry is configured to identify said one of the frequency resources to grant to the requestor based on a bandwidth of said one of the frequency resources, a permitted transmit power of said one of the frequency resources, a geographical area corresponding to said one of the frequency resources and the time information.

8. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to dynamically manage the frequency resources based on a frequency resource request including at least one of a device type, a database ID, a signature for authentication, an IP address for push-messages, a geographical position, an accuracy of the geographical position, a maximum transmit power, a lowest frequency usable, a lower white space band edge, a highest frequency usable, a higher white space band edge, a minimum required bandwidth of white space, a white space bandwidth, an earliest time of white space, a white space start time, a latest time of white space, a white space end time, a minimum required duration of white space, and a white space duration.

9. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to dynamically decide transmission parameters, transmission times and transmission paths based on monitoring data including information indicating at least one of user specific content usage, transmission quality data indicating a quality of a transmission link between the broadband server and the terminal, and a reception of content broadcast by the broadcast transmitter.

10. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to automatically update the dynamic white space database when the broadcast transmitter reduces a transmission power of a broadcast channel or switches off a broadcast channel.

11. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to dynamically decide transmission parameters, transmission times and transmission paths for broadcasting and providing the content based on information provided by the spectrum server corresponding to spectrum requests by the white space devices.

12. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to dynamically synchronize the content data streams transmitted over the broadcast network and the broadband network for seamless handoff by buffering the content data streams in buffers, locating corresponding packets in the buffers, and setting a time delay in accordance with the corresponding packets.

13. A network management method for providing content to terminals, the method comprising:

dynamically deciding transmission parameters, transmission times, and transmission paths used for broadcasting the content by a broadcast transmitter via a broadcast network and providing the content by a broadband server via a broadband network to dynamically control multiplex configurations of transmission of the content including allocation of the content to content data streams transmitted over the broadcast network or the broadband network;

controlling, initiated by said deciding, transmission parameters, transmission times and transmission paths for broadcasting the content via said broadcast network and providing the content via said broadband network;

storing and dynamically updating a dynamic white space database, residing in circuitry, of frequency resources, which are assigned for broadcasting the content but can locally not be used for broadcasting;

dynamically managing frequency resources that are included in the dynamic white space database for access by one or more white space devices that make use of the frequency resources included in the dynamic white space database, the white space devices being put in a dynamic white space database queue when none of the frequency resources are available;

revoking one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the white space devices if the broadcast transmitter requests said one of the frequency resources for broadcasting the content;

sending a queue propose message to the one or more of the white space devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the white space devices on the dynamic white space database queue;

determining whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the dynamic white space database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, putting the one or more of the white space devices in the dynamic white space database queue.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when carried out on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in claim 13.

15. A system comprising:

circuitry configured to

broadcast content via a broadcast network;

provide the content via a broadband network;

dynamically decide transmission parameters, transmission times, and transmission paths used for broadcasting the content by a broadcast transmitter via the broadcast network and provide the content by a broadband server via the broadband network to dynamically control multiplex configurations of transmission of the content including allocation of the content to content data streams transmitted over the broadcast network or the broadband network;

dynamically control transmission parameters, transmission times and transmission paths for broadcasting the content via the broadcast network and providing the content via the broadband network;

store and dynamically update a dynamic white space database of frequency resources, which are assigned for broadcasting the content but can locally not be used for broadcasting;

dynamically manage frequency resources that are included in the dynamic white space database, white space devices being put in a dynamic white space database queue when none of the frequency resources are available;

make use of the frequency resources that are included in the dynamic white space database;

revoke one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the white space devices if the broadcast transmitter requests said one of the frequency resources for broadcasting the content;

send a queue confirm message to the one or more of the white space devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the white space devices on the dynamic white space database queue;

determine whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the dynamic white space database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, put the one or more of the white space devices in the dynamic white space database queue.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry comprises one or more of a terminal, a broadband server providing a service in a predetermined area, a service provider providing the service in the predetermined area, a sensor network provider, a security network service provider, an ad hoc network, and a control system of wireless devices.

17. A dynamic broadcast method for providing content to terminals, the method comprising:

broadcasting content via a broadcast network;

providing the content via a broadband network;

dynamically deciding transmission parameters, transmission times, and transmission paths used for broadcasting the content by the broadcast transmitter via the broadcast network and providing the content by a broadband server via a broadband network to dynamically control multiplex configurations of transmission of the content including allocation of the content to content data streams transmitted over the broadcast network or the broadband network;

controlling, initiated by said deciding, transmission parameters, transmission times and transmission paths for broadcasting the content via said broadcast network and providing the content via said broadband network;

storing and dynamically updating a dynamic white space database, residing in circuitry, of frequency resources, which are assigned for broadcasting the content but can locally not be used for broadcasting;

dynamically managing frequency resources that are included in the dynamic white space database for access by one or more white space devices that make use of the frequency resources included in the dynamic white space database, the white space devices being put in a dynamic white space database queue when none of the frequency resources are available;

revoking one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the white space devices if the broadcast transmitter requests said one of the frequency resources for broadcasting the content;

sending a queue propose message to the one or more of the white space devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the white space devices on the dynamic white space database queue;

determining whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the dynamic white space database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the white space devices in response to the queue propose message, putting the one or more of the white space devices in the dynamic white space database queue.