Adaptive error encoding in multiple access systems

A method of communication comprising:

• periodically transmitting signals, representing information in multiple separate channels of information communication, from a first station to a plurality of second stations;
• varying the form of the transmitted signals representing the information in selected ones of said information channels and not in others of said channels;
• transmitting control signals in association with individual said channels for indicating the form of the associated information signals in each channel at all times;
• receiving said control signals at each of said second stations in association with the respective information representing signals;
• and
• using said control signals at each second station to recover information in channels having destinations in the respective second stations.

A method of communicating multiplexed channels of information relative to various destinations in various formats comprising:

• transmitting signals representing information in said channels from an origin station to a plurality of receiving stations;
• arranging transmitted signals representing information in individual said information channels variously in a plurality of different signalling formats on a selective basis;
• transmitting first control information signals in association with said individual channels for effectively designating destinations in particular receiving stations as destinations of respective channels;
• and
• transmitting second control information signals in association with said first control signals for effectively designating the signalling formats in respective channels.

A method of multiplex communication comprising:

• transmitting signals representing information in a plurality of multiplexed information channels having different reception destinations;
• the signals representing individual ones of said information channels variously occupying single and plural signal communication channels;
• transmitting first control signals in association with said information channels for effectively designating the destinations of associated information channels;
• and
• transmitting second control signals in association with said first control signals for effectively designating the number of signal communication channels instantly occupied by the associated information channels.

In a TDMA communication system in which multiple stations transmit bursts of time multiplexed information signal channels, for time interleaved transfer to other stations via a common satellite repeater, said channels containing data having various destinations to particular other stations and various demultiplexing destinations in said particular other stations, data in individual said channels being arranged variously in error-protected code formats and unprotected formats, data in said unprotected format occupying single said channels and data in said protected format occupying pairs of contiguous said channels;

• data in both of said formats being transmitted at identical bit rates;
• transmission control apparatus for use in any of said stations comprising:
• a source of blocks of data signals arranged in unprotected format and capable of being transmitted to said repeater in single multiplex channels of a said burst;
• means associated with said source for translating data signals in selected ones of said blocks into error-protected format in association with varying noise conditions in a burst transmission path between one of said stations and the repeater;
• means for combining data block outputs of said source and translating means for multiplexed transmission to said repeater in various channels of a burst;
• said blocks in unprotected format occupying single transmission channels in said burst and blocks in protected format occupying pairs of transmission channels;
• and
• means associated with said combining means for producing control information signals represented in an error-protected code format for transmission to said repeater in said burst in association with said data blocks;
• said control signals designating the destinations and formats of the associated data blocks.