System and satellite payload architecture for interactive data distribution services

• US 6,574,794 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Sarraf, Jamal
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US09/216,886
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 725/121, 725/123, 725/126, 725/63, 725/71, 455/12.1, 455/13.2, 370/401, 370/352, 370/351, 370/323, 370/325, 370/486, 370/487
• US Class Current: 725/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A satellite payload architecture for interactive data distribution and broadcasting services preferably for use in the emerging EHF (20-60 GHz) frequency bands. The system allows many individual service-program providers to transmit their service-program data to the satellite, on a bandwidth-on-demand and as-needed basis, directly from their premises through low-power, low-cost broadcast satellite terminals. The satellite payload utilizes high-gain spot beams for low-cost uplinking, digital regeneration and multiplexing of the individual received service-program data into MPEG transport streams, and broadcasting these in a DVB-compatible format via full-area broadcast beams to very small, low-cost end-user satellite terminals. All end-user satellite terminals are also equipped with transmit capability of a reverse-channel in support of interactivity-communications and network signaling/control functions. The proposed system will provide low-cost interactive data distribution and broadcasting services to thousands of small and large content-providers to reach their target customers.

Claims

1. An interactive data distribution and broadcasting satellite system comprising:

at least one satellite configured to receive service-program data transmissions and process and broadcast the service-program data transmissions as wide-band broadcast channels;

at least one broadcast satellite terminal (BST) associated with a respective at least one service-program provider for uplinking the service-program data transmissions to said satellite;

at least one end-user satellite terminal (EST) for receiving the broadcast channels from said satellite; and

a satellite access and broadcast control center (SABCC) for controlling the uplinking of the service-program data transmissions of said at least one broadcast terminal,

wherein said at least one EST terminal and at least one BST terminal each include a reverse channel for transmission of network signaling and interactive-communications (S&

C) data packets to said satellite, said S&

C data packets are internet-protocol (IP) packets, and said service-program data transmissions from said at least one BST terminal to said satellite are single-channel-per-carrier (SCPC) transmissions.

2. The broadcast satellite of claim 1 wherein the service-program data transmissions from said at least one BST terminal to said satellite are single-channel-per-carrier (SCPC) transmissions.

3. The broadcast satellite system of claim 1, wherein the reverse channel S&

C data packet transmissions from said at least one EST terminal are code-division-multiple-access (CDMA) transmissions.

4. The broadcast satellite system of claim 1 wherein broadcast transmissions from said satellite are compatible with MPEG-2 DVB standards.

5. The broadcast satellite system of claim 1 wherein said satellite further comprises:

a receive antenna and radio-frequency electronics sub-system comprising receivers for receiving uplinked transmissions from said at least one BST and EST terminals;

an UFS filter-switch-matrix having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, each input port being in operative communication with a respective receiver, which separates said uplinked transmissions into a plurality of broadcast subbands (B-UFS bands) and S&

C sub-bands (S-UFS bands) and switches said B-UFS and S-UFS bands to said plurality of output ports;

a digital regenerative signal processor (DRSP) sub-system connected to said UFS filter-switch-matrix;

a transmit antenna and radio-frequency electronics sub-system comprising up-converters, amplifiers and downlink antennas for downlinking the broadcast channels to said at least one EST terminal.

6. The broadcast satellite system of claim 5, wherein spot beams are used for uplinked transmissions from said at least one BST and EST terminals.

7. The broadcast satellite system of claim 6, wherein transmissions in the B-UFS bands are SCPC transmissions and the transmissions in the S-UFS bands are CDMA transmissions.

8. The broadcast satellite of claim 7, wherein said digital regenerative signal processor comprises:

a plurality of broadcast-input ports each adapted to receive a plurality of SCPC transmissions from said at least one BST terminal;

a plurality of DVB demodulators, each connected to a respective one of said plurality of broadcast-input ports for recovering service-program data associated with each SCPC transmission;

a plurality of S-input ports each adapted to receive CDMA transmissions from said at least one EST terminal;

a plurality of CDMA demodulators, each connected to a respective one of said plurality of S-input ports for recovering S&

C data associated with the CDMA transmissions;

a stream-switch-matrix having a plurality of input ports for receiving the data streams from said plurality of DVB demodulators and a plurality of output ports to which the data streams are routed;

a plurality of multi-service MPEG-2 transport multiplexers having a plurality of input ports for receiving data streams from respective ones of said plurality of output ports of said stream-switch-matrix;

a packet processor-router for receiving and distributing the S&

C data packets from and to other components of said satellite, and to said at least one EST and BST terminals;

a payload configuration-control processor (PCCP) operatively connected to said SABCC for configuring said satellite in response to control signals from said SABCC;

a broadcast-channel control processor (BCCP), operatively connected to said SABCC, which receives service-program-specific information tables and other information associated with each MPEG-2 transport stream, and sends control signals to said plurality of multi-service MPEG-2 transport multiplexers,

wherein each one of said plurality of multi-service MPEG-2 transport multiplexers is adapted to multiplex the plurality of data streams received from said stream-switch-matrix, S&

C data packets received from said packet processor-router, and control signals received from said BCCP into a plurality of MPEG-2 transport streams; and

a plurality of DVB-compatible modulators each adapted to receive a single MPEG transport stream from a respective one of said plurality of MPEG-2 multi-service transport multiplexers, convert the transport stream into a modulated intermediate-frequency signal and deliver the modulated intermediate-frequency signal to said transmit radio-frequency electronics &

antenna subsystem of said satellite for downlinking as broadcast channels.

9. The broadcast satellite system of claim 1 wherein the primary operating uplink frequency-spectrum in each polarization is divided into a plurality of uplink frequency subbands (UFS) wherein (a) a plurality of said UFS are dynamically assigned on a demand-basis to each uplink spot-beam for SCPC broadcast transmissions to said satellite in accordance to system frequency-reuse constraints, and (b) at least one single UFS is assigned and reused in all uplink spot-beams for S&

C CDMA transmissions from EST and BST terminals to said satellite, and (c) an appropriately-sized SCPC in one of the broadcast UFS is assigned for uplink S&

C transmissions from SABCC to said satellite.

10. The broadcast satellite system of claim 1 wherein each end-user satellite terminal EST comprises:

an RF electronics and antenna subsystem adapted to receive a plurality of broadcast TDM carriers on each polarization from said satellite to convert said carriers to corresponding intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and (b) to convert IF signals comprising reverse-channel S&

C CDMA transmissions to required RF frequency and power for transmission to said satellite;

a DVB demodulator adapted to recover a plurality of broadcast MPEG-2 transport streams from said IF signals;

a MPEG-2 transport-stream demultiplexer to recover (a) a plurality of individual service-program data streams associated with a plurality of broadcast channels selected by an end-user, and (b) a plurality of S&

C data packets addressed to said EST terminal,

an IP-packet processor-router for distribution of incoming and outgoing S&

C data packets;

a service-program adaptation unit to (a) convert, in the receive direction from the satellite, the service-program data recovered by said demultiplexer, and the S&

C data packets from said IP-packet processor-router, to a format required by the end-user application system; and

(b) deliver in the transmit direction to the satellite, any S&

C IP-packets coming from the end-user to said IP-packet processor-router for transmission to said satellite; and

a terminal control unit to manage and control the overall operation of said EST.

11. The broadcast satellite system of claim 1 wherein each broadcast satellite terminal BST comprises:

a service-program adaptation unit to (a) convert, in the transmit direction to the satellite, the service-program data received from the service-program server system into a MPEG-2 compatible stream, and any S&

C data packets from the service-program server system into S&

C IP-packets; and

(b) in the receive direction from the satellite, to recover S&

C data from IP-packets coming from said SABCC or any EST end-user application system, into a suitable format;

a DVB modulator unit to convert the MPEG-2 compatible stream from said service-program adaptation-unit to a modulated IF signal;

an IP-packet router for distribution of incoming and outgoing S&

C IP-packets;

a DVB demodulator unit;

an MPEG-2 demultiplexer unit adapted to recover (a) S&

C data packets addressed to said BST and (b) BST service-program for monitoring purposes;

a CDMA modulator for transmission of S&

C data packets to said satellite;

an RF electronics and antenna unit adapted to convert the IF signal received from said DVB and CDMA modulator to required RF frequency and power for transmission to said satellite, and to convert a plurality of broadcast TDM carriers from said satellite to corresponding IF signals;

a TDM demodulator, and

a terminal control unit to manage and control the overall operation of said BST terminal.

12. A method for interactive data-distribution using a satellite, comprising the steps of:

transmitting internet-protocol (IP) packets to said satellite using CDMA transmissions from at least one broadcast satellite terminal (BST) and at least one end-user satellite terminal (EST);

transmitting dedicated single-channel-per-carder (SCPC) transmissions between said satellite and broadcast control center (SABCC); and

processing said IP packets onboard the satellite, Including recovering, routing and multiplexing onto a plurality of downlink broadcast time-division-multiplexed TDM carriers and transmitting said TDM carriers to the EST and BST terminals and the SABCC.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the primary operating uplink frequency-spectrum in each polarization is divided into a plurality of uplink frequency subbands (UFS bands) wherein (a) a plurality of said UFS bands are dynamically assigned on a demand-basis to each uplink spot-beam for SCPC broadcast transmissions to said satellite in accordance to system frequency-reuse constraints, and (b) at least one single UFS band is assigned and reused in all uplink spot-beams for S&

C COMA transmissions from EST and BST terminals to said satellite, and (c) an appropriately-sized SCPC in one of the broadcast UFS bands is assigned for uplink S&

C transmissions from SABCC to said satellite.

14. A method for interactive data distribution using a satellite, comprising the steps of:

transmitting service-program data transmissions from at least one broadcast satellite terminal (BST) to a satellite;

processing the service-program data transmissions onboard the satellite;

broadcasting the service-program data transmissions as wide-band broadcast channels to at least one end-user satellite terminal (EST); and

transmitting reverse channel network signaling and interactive-communication (S&

C) data packets from at least one EST and at least one BST, to said satellite, wherein said S&

C data packet transmissions are code-division-multiple access (CDMA) transmissions, and said S&

C data packets are internet-protocol (IP) packets, and wherein said service-program data transmissions are single-channel-per-carrier (SCPC) transmissions.