Apparatus and method for re-synthesizing signals

• US 8,005,121 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: McNeely, David Lowell
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masur; Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/919,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20100067431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 370/281, 370/319, 370/343, 370/480, 370/316, 370/535, 455/13.2
• US Class Current: 370/535
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18526 Arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session data switching networks H04L12/00

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to an apparatus and a method for re-synthesizing signals. The apparatus includes a receiver for receiving a plurality of digitally multiplexed signals, each digitally multiplexed signal associated with a different physical transmission channel, and for simultaneously recovering from at least two of the digital multiplexes a plurality of bit streams. The apparatus also includes a transmitter for inserting the plurality of bit streams into different digital multiplexes and for modulating the different digital multiplexes for transmission on different transmission channels. The method involves receiving a first signal having a plurality of different program streams in different frequency channels, selecting a set of program streams from the plurality of different frequency channels, combining the set of program streams to form a second signal, and transmitting the second signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a plurality of digitally multiplexed signals, each digitally multiplexed signal associated with a different physical transmission channel, and for simultaneously recovering from at least two of the digital multiplexes a plurality of bit streams, said receiver including a sampler for sampling the signal to provide a plurality of decimated sample streams and a distributor operatively connected to said sampler for processing said plurality of decimated sample streams to provide output signals representative of said one or more different physical channels; and

a transmitter for inserting the plurality of bit streams into different digital multiplexes and for modulating the different digital multiplexes for transmission on different transmission channels,

wherein said receiver includes a transform element including a first plurality of filters and said transmitter includes an inverse transform element including a second plurality of filters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampler further comprises:

a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the signal into said plurality of decimated sample streams.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said receiver further comprises a selector operatively connected to said distributor for selecting a subset of output signals representative of said one or more different physical channels.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said receiver further comprises a demodulator operatively coupled to said selector for processing said subset of output signals and generating said plurality of bit streams.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transmitter further comprises:

a bit stream processor for processing said plurality of bit streams into said new digital multiplexes; and

a modulator connected to said bit stream processor for modulating said new digital multiplexes into a set of selected physical channels.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said bit stream processor includes a processor for inserting new bit streams into said new digital multiplexes not present in said plurality of digital multiplexes.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said bit stream processor includes a processor for re-arranging said bit streams between said plurality of digital multiplexes and said new digital multiplexes.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said modulator is a modulator capable of modulating signals for reception by a satellite signal receiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transmitter further comprises:

an assembler operative on said selected physical channels to provide a set of parallel data streams representing the combination of said selected physical channels; and

a converter for converting said parallel data streams into said different physical transmission channels.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said converter further comprises:

a multiplexer connected to said second plurality of filters for multiplexing said plurality of parallel data streams into a single sample stream containing said different physical transmission channels.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said different transmission channels are included in one signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of bit streams include a plurality of program streams containing audio, video, or data information.

13. A method for re-synthesizing signals comprising:

receiving a first signal having a plurality of different program streams in different frequency channels;

selecting a set of program streams from said plurality of different frequency channels, wherein the step of selecting said set of program streams also includes decimating said first signal into a plurality of decimated sample streams and performing a transform on said plurality of decimated sample streams to provide said set of program streams;

combining said set of program streams to form a second signal, wherein said step of combining said set of program streams includes performing an inverse transform on said set of program streams to provide a plurality of parallel decimated data streams and processing said plurality of parallel decimated data streams to provide said second signal; and

transmitting said second signal.

14. The method claim 13, wherein the step of decimating includes:

demultiplexing the signal into the number of decimated sample streams; and

processing the number of decimated sample streams with a plurality of filters for matching the discrete cosine transform.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of selecting includes re-ordering said set of program streams.

16. An integrated circuit for use in a receiving system, which receives signals representing a plurality of channels, the integrated circuit comprising:

a demultiplexing element for demultiplexing a received sampled signal to produce a plurality of first data streams;

a transform element for performing a transform on said plurality of first data streams to produce a plurality of transform output signals, and for performing an inverse transform on at least two of a plurality of transform input signals to produce a plurality of second data streams;

a bit stream processing element for processing said plurality of transform output signals to select a set of bit streams and to combine said selected bit streams into said at least two of a plurality transform input signals; and

a multiplexing element for multiplexing said plurality of second data streams and outputting a sampled signal.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein said transform element uses a type IV discrete cosine transform.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 16, further comprising:

a first filter element operative to filter said plurality of first data streams prior to providing said plurality of first data streams to said transform element ; and

a second filter element operative to filter said plurality of second data streams prior to providing said plurality of second data streams to said multiplexing element.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 16, further comprising:

a demodulator element for demodulating said plurality of transform output signals prior to providing said plurality of transform output signals to said bit stream processing element; and

a modulator element for modulating said at least two transform output signals prior to providing said least two transform output signals to said transform element.

20. An apparatus for re-synthesizing signals comprising:

means for receiving a first signal having a plurality of bit streams from different frequency channels;

means for decimating said first signal into a plurality of decimated sample streams;

means for performing a transform on said plurality of decimated sample streams to provide a set of signals representing said first signal;

means for selecting a set of bit streams from said set of signals;

means for performing an inverse transform on said set of selected bit streams to provide a plurality of parallel decimated data streams;

means for processing said plurality of parallel decimated data streams to provide a set of second data streams;

means for combining said set of second data streams to form a second signal; and

means for transmitting said second signal.