Multi-partition radio frames

• US 10,389,569 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: One Media LLC (Sinclair, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Coherent Logix, Incorporated, Sinclair Television Group, Inc. (Sinclair, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simon, Michael J., Shelby, Kevin A., Earnshaw, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Janice N
• Application Number:
  US15/231,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26025 Numerology, i.e. varying one or more of symbol duration, subcarrier spacing, Fourier transform size, sampling rate or down-clocking allocating sub-channels of the transmission path H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2649 Demodulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Techniques relating to generating and receiving radio frames with multiple partitions are disclosed. A mobile device may include a wireless radio, one or more antennas, and one or more processors. In some embodiments, the mobile device is configured to receive a frame of wireless data that includes a plurality of partitions and partition data. In some embodiments, at least one of the partitions encodes local content and at least one of the partitions encodes regional content. In some embodiments, partition data indicates which partitions encode which type of content. In some embodiments, the mobile device is configured to select, based on the partition data, one or more of the plurality of partitions and decode the selected one or more partitions to determine data represented by the OFDM symbols in the selected one or more partitions.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a wireless receiver configured to receive a data frame that includes a first partition comprising a first symbol corresponding to local content transmitted within a local geographic area and a second partition comprising a second symbol corresponding to regional content transmitted within a regional geographic area that is larger than the local geographic area; and

a processor configured to decode at least one of the first symbol and second symbol.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first symbol comprises a first cyclic prefix, and wherein the second symbol comprises a second cyclic prefix.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the first cyclic prefix is smaller than the second cyclic prefix.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the data frame further includes partition data that indicates that the first partition comprises the first symbol corresponding to local content.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the partition data further indicates that the second partition comprises the second symbol corresponding to regional content.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the wireless receiver is further configured to receive an indication to decode local content, and wherein the processor is further configured to decode the first partition based at least on the received indication and the partition data.

7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the wireless receiver is further configured to receive an indication to decode regional content, and wherein the processor is further configured to decode the second partition based at least on the received indication and the partition data.

8. A gateway, comprising:

a processor configured to generate a data frame that includes a first partition comprising a first symbol corresponding to local content to be transmitted within a local geographic area and a second partition comprising a second symbol corresponding to regional content to be transmitted within a regional geographic area that is larger than the local geographic area; and

a transmitter configured to send the data frame to at least one base station.

9. The gateway of claim 8, wherein the first symbol comprises a first cyclic prefix, and wherein the second symbol comprises a second cyclic prefix.

10. The gateway of claim 9, wherein the first cyclic prefix is smaller than the second cyclic prefix.

11. The gateway of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is further configured to:

transmit the first partition to a first base station; and

transmit the second partition to a second base station.

12. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the first base station is configured to wirelessly broadcast the first partition, and wherein the second base station is configured to wirelessly broadcast the second partition.

13. The gateway of claim 12, wherein the first base station is further configured to refrain from transmitting in a frequency resource used by the second base station to transmit the second partition.

14. The gateway of claim 12, wherein the second base station is further configured to refrain from transmitting in a frequency resource used by the first base station to transmit the first partition.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to generate a data frame; and

one or more transmitters configured to wirelessly broadcast the data frame,

wherein the data frame includes;

a first partition comprising a first symbol corresponding to local content transmitted within a local geographic area, and

a second partition comprising a second symbol corresponding to regional content transmitted within a regional geographic area that is larger than the local geographic area.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first symbol comprises a first cyclic prefix, and wherein the second symbol comprises a second cyclic prefix.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first cyclic prefix is smaller than the second cyclic prefix.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the data frame further includes partition data, and wherein the partition data indicates that the first partition comprises the first symbol corresponding to local content.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the partition data further indicates that the second partition comprises the second symbol corresponding to local content.

20. A mobile device, comprising:

one or more processing elements configured to;

receive a frame of wireless data that includes;

a plurality of frame portions that each include multiple orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, wherein at least a first frame portion encodes local content transmitted within a local geographic area and at least a second frame portion encodes regional content transmitted within a regional geographic area that is larger than the local geographic area; and

frame portion data that indicates whether different frame portions include local or regional content;

select, based on the frame portion data, one or more but not all of the plurality of frame portions; and

decode the selected one or more frame portions to determine data represented by the OFDM symbols in the selected one or more frame portions.

21. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the one or more processing elements are configured to select the one or more of the plurality of frame portions based on user input selecting regional or local content.

22. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the first frame portion has a shorter cyclic prefix than the second frame portion.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving or generating, by a wireless base station, a payload region for a frame of wireless data, wherein the payload region includes a plurality of partitions that each include multiple orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, wherein at least a first partition encodes local content transmitted within a local geographic area and at least a second partition encodes content transmitted to a larger geographic area than the local geographic area; and

broadcasting, by the wireless base station, the frame of wireless data including the payload region.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first partition has a shorter cyclic prefix than the second partition.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

blanking transmission instead of broadcasting during one or more partition intervals in the frame of wireless data, thereby avoiding interference with one or more other base stations broadcasting local content in the one or more partition intervals.