US 6,201,798 B1Granted

Signaling protocol for satellite direct radio broadcast system

AssigneeWorldSpace Management Corporation

InventorsS. Joseph Campanella, Ernst Eberlein, Olivier Courseille, Stefan Meltzer, Etienne Dunas

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Abstract

A satellite direct radio broadcast system is provided which assembles bits of broadcast programs into prime rate increments, several of which are assembled into a frame. Frames are divided into symbols which are demultiplexed into alternating ones of a plurality of prime rate channels. The prime rate channels are demultiplexed onto a corresponding number of broadcast frequencies for transmission to a satellite. The satellite payload switches the symbols into time division multiplexed (TDM) data streams. The receivers process the TDM streams using service control headers (SCHs) provided therein by broadcast stations. The SCHs facilitate transmission of different service components within broadcast channel frames, association of a primary broadcast channel with one or more secondary broadcast channels on a frame-to-frame basis, and the transmission of multiframe bit streams, or auxiliary data throughout a broadcast channel that are independent of a service, in contiguous or non-contiguous frames.

Claims44

Dependent claims

A method of formatting a signal for broadcast transmission to remote receivers comprising the steps of:

receiving a service comprising at least a first service component and a second service component each selected from the group consisting of audio, data, static images, dynamic images, paging signals, text, messages and panographic symbols;
and
generating a broadcast channel bit stream frame by appending a service control header to said service to dynamically control reception of said service at said remote receivers, said service control header comprising service control data, said service comprising an overall bit rate of K bits per second, said overall bit rate corresponding to n multiples of a minimum bit rate of L bits per second, said frame having a period of M seconds, said service having n×L×M=n×P bits per frame, said frame comprising n×P bits for said service and n×Q bits for said service control header, wherein K, n, L, M, P and Q are numerical values, respectively;
providing said service control header with first service component control data for dynamically controlling the reception of said first service component at said remote receivers;
and
providing said service control header with second service component control data for dynamically controlling reception of said second service component at said remote receivers;
wherein at least one of said first service component control data and said second service component control data comprises at least one of a plurality of fields comprising a service component length field, a service component type field, an encryption field, a program type field and a language field, wherein said service component length field indicates the bit rate of the corresponding one of said first service component and said second service component, said service component type field indicates which of a plurality of signals is contained in the corresponding one of said first service component and said second service component, said encryption field indicates which of a plurality of encryption methods is used to encrypt the corresponding one of said first service component and said second service component, said program type field indicates which of a plurality of programs is transmitted via the corresponding one of said first service component and said second service component, and said language field indicates in which of a plurality of languages the corresponding one of said first service component and said second service component is generated.

4 more elements

A method of formatting a signal for broadcast transmission to remote receivers comprising the steps of:

receiving a service comprising at least a first service component selected from the group consisting of audio, data, static images, dynamic images, paging signals, text, messages and panographic symbols;
generating a broadcast channel bit stream frame by appending a service control header to said service to dynamically control reception of said service at said remote receivers, said service control header comprising service control header data selected from the group consisting of a preamble indicating the beginning of said frame, a bit rate index indicating the bit rate of said service, encryption control data, an auxiliary data field, an auxiliary field content indicator relating to the content of said auxiliary data field, data relating to multiframes in said auxiliary data field when said auxiliary data field is multiplexed, and data indicating the number of service components which constitute said frame, said service corresponding to a primary service transmitted to said broadcast remote receivers on a primary broadcast channel;
receiving a second service comprising at least one service component selected from the group consisting of audio, data, static images, dynamic images, paging signals, text, messages and panographic symbols, said second service being transmitted to said remote receivers on a secondary broadcast channel;
generating a second broadcast channel bit stream frame by appending a second service control header to said second service to dynamically control reception of said second service at said remote receivers;
and
providing bits in said service control header corresponding to said primary broadcast channel to indicate to said remote receivers that said primary broadcast channel is related to said secondary broadcast channel.

3 more elements

A method of formatting a signal for broadcast transmission to remote receivers comprising the steps of:

receiving a service comprising at least a first service component selected from the group consisting of audio, data, static images, dynamic images, paging signals, text, messages and panographic symbols;
generating a broadcast channel bit stream frame by appending a service control header to said service to dynamically control reception of said service at said remote receivers, said service control header comprising service control header data selected from the group consisting of a preamble indicating the beginning of said frame, a bit rate index indicating the bit rate of said service, encryption control data, an auxiliary data field, an auxiliary field content indicator relating to the content of said auxiliary data field, data relating to multiframes in said auxiliary data field when said auxiliary data field is multiplexed, and data indicating the number of service components which constitute said frame;
providing said auxiliary data field with data relating to said service for reception at said remote receivers;
and
providing said auxiliary field content indicator in said service control header with bits for indicating a method of encryption used on the contents of said auxiliary data field.

2 more elements

A method of formatting data for transmission to remote receivers comprising the steps of:

receiving broadcast channels from at least one broadcast station, each of said broadcast channels comprising a plurality of prime rate channels, each of said prime rate channels comprising a plurality of symbols;
routing each of said plurality of prime rate channels to at least one of a plurality of time division multiplexed downlinks, each of said plurality of time division multiplexed downlinks comprising a plurality of time slots;
multiplexing said symbols corresponding to each of said prime rate channels and routed to the same one of said plurality of time division multiplexed downlinks into said time slots in said same downlinks to generate a corresponding plurality of serial, time division multiplexed or TDM frame bit streams;
and
appending a time slot control word to each of said TDM frame bit streams to control the recovery of said prime rate channels corresponding to a selected one of said broadcast channels by at least one of said remote receivers, said time slot control word comprising at least one field selected from the group consisting of a broadcast channel identifier type field, a broadcast channel identifier number field, a last prime rate channel flag, a format identifier field, and a broadcast audience field;
wherein said appending step further comprises the step of adding at least two bits to said time slot control word to indicate which of a plurality of different identification code types corresponds to said identification code of said selected one of said broadcast channels, said type of code being selected from the group consisting of a local code, a regional code and a worldwide code, said local code being useful to uniquely identify one of a plurality of broadcast channels transmitted to a geographic area by a spot beam from a satellite transmitter, said regional code identifying one of a plurality of broadcast channels transmitted to one of a predetermined contiguous geographic area and predetermined non-contiguous geographic areas, said worldwide code being useful to distinguish said second broadcast channel from other ones of a plurality of broadcast channels transmitted worldwide.

3 more elements

A method of formatting a signal for broadcast transmission to remote receivers comprising the steps of:

receiving a service comprising at least a first service component selected from the group consisting of audio, data, static images, dynamic images, paging signals, text, messages and panographic symbols;
generating a broadcast channel bit stream frame by appending a service control header to said service to dynamically control reception of said service at said remote receivers, said service control header comprising service control header data selected from the group consisting of a preamble indicating the beginning of said frame, a bit rate index indicating the bit rate of said service, encryption control data, an auxiliary data field, an auxiliary field content indicator relating to the content of said auxiliary data field, data relating to multiframes in said auxiliary data field when said auxiliary data field is multiplexed, and data indicating the number of service components which constitute said frame;
and
encrypting one of a broadcast channel comprising said service and said service control header, and a plurality of broadcast channels comprising different services and corresponding service control headers, said encryption control data comprising bits to indicate a type of key needed by said remote receivers to decrypt a corresponding one of said broadcast channel and said plurality of broadcast channels, said type of key being selected from a group of keys consisting of a static key, a common key and a specific key, said static key being useful to encrypt and broadcast said service in said broadcast channel to selected ones of said remote receivers which are configured perform decryption using said static key, said common key being useful for decryption at all of said remote receivers of each of said plurality of broadcast channels which were encrypt ed using the same encryption scheme, and said specific key being useful for decryption at all of said remote receivers of said broadcast channel when said broadcast channel has been encrypted using a selected encryption scheme.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/112,349Filed 9 Jul 1998 · continuation in part
Priority: 14 Nov 1997
Granted: 13 Mar 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04B 7/18526
Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service: arrangements for data linking,…
H04H 20/74
Wireless systems: of satellite networks
H04H 60/07
Arrangements for generating broadcast information; Arrangements for generating broadcast-related information with a direct linking to broadcast…:…
H04H 60/23
Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services: using cryptography, e.g. encryption,…