Method for providing two-way data integration service and data casting system performing same

Abstract

A method for operation of a data casting system operated by at least one processor comprises the steps of: generating a service packet by packetizing a data packet and a forward error correction (FEC) packet for recovering the data packet; and transmitting the generated service packet to a terminal through a broadcasting network.

Description

Method for providing a two-way data fusion service and a data casting system for performing the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for providing a two-way data fusion service and a data casting system for performing the same.

[0002] The present invention is derived from research conducted as part of the development of new media service technologies through 5G and broadcasting network linkage by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency [Project Management Number: 2021-0-00721, Project Name: Development of Two-Way Data Convergence Service Technology Utilizing Next-Generation Broadcasting and Communications Technology].

[0003] A broadcast network is a communications network specialized in delivering the same information to a large audience simultaneously.

[0004] Broadcast networks are primarily used to transmit high-definition video. These network characteristics are leveraged to simultaneously transmit disaster information, traffic information, and terminal firmware, among other data that require widespread audience reach.

[0005] Due to the one-way nature of broadcast networks, packet loss during transmission can lead to incomplete information. To ensure normal service, methods are employed to minimize information loss through repeated transmission and reception. However, this has the disadvantage of weakening the broadcast network's unique advantage of simultaneity.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a new method that can simultaneously deliver necessary information to a large audience while solving the problem of information incompleteness.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a method and device for providing a two-way data fusion service using a hybrid method that comprehensively utilizes a broadcasting network and a communication network.

[0008] The present disclosure provides a method and device for providing a bidirectional data fusion service that adds FEC (Forward Error Collection) to the application level to minimize packet loss that may occur during transmission, and recovers loss that cannot be resolved through FEC through a request over an IP wired / wireless network.

[0009] According to one aspect, there is provided a method of operating a data casting system operated by at least one processor, comprising the steps of generating a service packet by packetizing a data packet and a forward error correction (FEC) packet for recovering the data packet, and transmitting the generated service packet to a plurality of terminals through a broadcasting network.

[0010] After the above transmitting step, a step of receiving a data recovery request from a terminal and retransmitting the data packet to the terminal may be further included.

[0011] Before the above transmitting step, a step of storing the data packet in preparation for the above retransmission may be further included.

[0012] The above-mentioned transmitting step may transmit the service packet through a one-way broadcasting network, and the above-mentioned retransmitting step may transmit the data packet through a two-way communication network.

[0013] The above data packet may be a data packet of a data service that is transmitted to multiple targets at the same time, including at least one of disaster information transmission, traffic information transmission, and firmware transmission.

[0014] According to another feature, as an operating method of a terminal, the method includes the steps of receiving, from a data casting system, a service packet packetized with a data packet and a forward error correction (FEC) packet for recovering the data packet, and, when a loss occurs in the service packet, recovering the lost packet using the forward error correction packet.

[0015] After the above recovery step, if packet recovery using the forward error correction packet fails, the method may further include a step of transmitting a data recovery request to the data casting system, and a step of receiving the data packet retransmitted from the data casting system.

[0016] The above service packet can be received from the data casting system through a one-way broadcasting network, and the retransmitted data packet can be received from the data casting system through a two-way communication network.

[0017] According to another feature, the data casting system includes a data casting control server that receives service data from an external source, and a data casting transmission server that generates a service packet by packetizing the service data and forward error correction (FEC) data for recovering the service data, and transmits the service packet to a plurality of terminals.

[0018] The data casting transmission server may include a forward error correction encoder that receives the service data from the data casting control server, encodes a data packet encoding the service data and a forward error correction packet for recovering the service data, a transmission protocol encoder that generates metadata of the service data, and a multicast transmission unit that packetizes the metadata, the data packet, and the forward error correction packet to generate a service packet and transmits the service packet.

[0019] The above data casting system may further include a bidirectional data casting server that receives a data recovery request from a terminal and retransmits the data packet to the terminal.

[0020] The above two-way data casting server may include a data storage that receives and stores the service data from the data casting control server, a two-way data casting control unit that receives a data recovery request from the terminal and extracts the requested service data from the data storage, and a two-way data casting transmission unit that retransmits the extracted service data to the terminal.

[0021] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to enable large-scale transmission services through a broadcasting network while minimizing packet loss.

[0022] Figure 1 is a diagram of the entire network configuration that provides a two-way data fusion service according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a data casting transmission server according to one embodiment.

[0024] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of a two-way data casting server.

[0025] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a two-way data fusion service transmission procedure according to one embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a two-way data fusion service retransmission procedure according to one embodiment.

[0027] Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment.

[0028] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted for clarity of explanation, and similar parts are designated with similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0029] Throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise stated.

[0030] Additionally, terms such as “part,” “unit,” and “module” described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0031] In this specification, “transmitting or providing” may include not only direct transmission or providing, but also indirect transmission or providing via another device or by using a bypass route.

[0032] In this specification, expressions described in the singular may be interpreted as singular or plural, unless explicit expressions such as “one” or “single” are used.

[0033] In this specification, the same drawing numbers refer to the same components regardless of the drawings, and “and / or” includes each and every combination of one or more of the mentioned components.

[0034] In this specification, terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first" and "second," may be used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component could be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component could also be referred to as a "first component."

[0035] In the flowcharts described with reference to the drawings in this specification, the order of operations may be changed, several operations may be merged, some operations may be split, and certain operations may not be performed.

[0036]

[0037] Figure 1 is a diagram of the overall network configuration that provides a two-way data casting service according to one embodiment.

[0038] In the present disclosure, the two-way data casting service can support a method of broadcasting and / or multicasting transmission of two-way service data through a broadcasting network and a broadband data transmission method such as a 5G network.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, the data casting system (100) is a system that provides a two-way data casting service and is connected to a terminal (200) through a broadcasting network (300) and a communication network (400).

[0040] The terminal (200) is a terminal that is connected to a broadcast network (300) to receive broadcast signals and is connected to a communication network (400) to transmit and receive data. It is capable of playing and outputting media and executing apps. The terminal (200) may include a mobile terminal capable of receiving broadcast signals, a TV, a set-top box, an AI speaker connected to a TV or a set-top box, etc.

[0041] The broadcasting network (300) may use the ATSC (Advanced Television System Committee) 3.0 standard. According to one embodiment, the broadcasting network (300) may be a terrestrial UHD (Ultra High Definition) broadcasting network.

[0042] The communication network (400) is a concept that includes both wired and wireless networks, such as broadband communication networks, and is not limited to specific standards.

[0043] The data casting system (100) transmits metadata for a two-way data casting service, and the terminal (200) is developed to be able to receive data related to the two-way data casting service in both directions using the metadata.

[0044] The terminal (200) can transmit a request to the data casting system (100) using the data casting API (Application Programming Interface).

[0045] The data casting system (100) can provide data recovery using forward error correction (FEC) packets and data recovery using a server for service QoS (Quality of Service) in the event of data loss.

[0046] The terminal (200) is connected to the data casting system (100) in a broadcast shadow area where the broadcast reception rate is very low, for example, where broadcast reception is almost non-existent, and performs data recovery using a server, thereby ensuring the QoS of a high-priority two-way data casting service (e.g., autonomous driving vehicle data service).

[0047] The data casting system (100) may include a data casting control server (110), a data casting transmission server (120), and a two-way data casting server (130).

[0048] At this time, the data casting system (100) is composed of a plurality of servers (110, 120, 130), but according to another embodiment, the data casting system (100) is implemented as one server device, and the data casting control server (110), the data casting transmission server (120), and the bidirectional data casting server (130) may be composed of modules within the server device.

[0049] The data casting control server (110) receives service data from the outside.

[0050] Here, service data may include data for a data service that simultaneously transmits to multiple audiences. For example, the data service may be a transmission service targeting a large audience, such as disaster information transmission, traffic information transmission, or firmware transmission.

[0051] Accordingly, the data casting control server (110) can receive corresponding disaster service data, traffic service data, and firmware service data from, for example, a disaster-related server, a traffic-related server, and a firmware-related server, respectively.

[0052] The data casting control server (110) receives two-way service data for a two-way data casting service from an external server. Here, the external server may be a server of a two-way service provider, such as an advertising provider server, a content provider, a server of a business operator wishing to transmit data using a broadcasting network, or a server of an organization wishing to provide public information such as public data.

[0053] The data casting control server (110) can dynamically set the transmission bandwidth for transmitting the two-way service data according to at least one of the urgency and / or importance of the two-way service data received from the external server.

[0054] Bandwidth determines how long it takes for data to be received. Broadcast networks have a set maximum bandwidth for data transmission.

[0055] By allocating a large amount of bandwidth to a high-priority two-way service among the remaining bandwidth allocated to media stream (AV) transmission in a broadcasting network, data reception can be completed at a terminal (200) in the shortest possible time.

[0056] Accordingly, the data casting control server (110) can dynamically change the bandwidth of the service being transmitted by using the service priority (urgency) and / or importance.

[0057] For example, if any received two-way service data is at least one of the following cases: relatively high urgency or high importance compared to other two-way service data, the data casting control server (110) may allocate a relatively larger transmission bandwidth among the entire transmission bandwidth to the two-way service data. As a result, the time it takes for the terminal (200) to receive the two-way service data may be relatively shortened.

[0058] Additionally, two-way service data can be mapped to converged services depending on the type of two-way service data. For example, if the two-way service is a disaster service, it can be mapped to a two-way content service for the underprivileged (the visually impaired). Furthermore, if the two-way service is a traffic information service, it can be mapped to a location-based two-way service to provide additional services.

[0059] The data casting transmission server (120) can generate a service packet by packetizing the bidirectional service data received from the data casting control server (110) and the FEC data for recovering the bidirectional service data, and multicast the generated service packet to multiple terminals (200).

[0060] At this time, the data casting transmission server (120) transmits the service packet to the head end (500), and the head end (500) transmits the service packet to multiple terminals (200) through the broadcast network (300). Since the head end (500) is a generally known device, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] The data casting transmission server (120) can add an FEC packet to the application level to minimize packet loss that may occur during transmission.

[0062] Here, the application level refers to data that can be applied to the application immediately without any processing when two-way service data is received.

[0063] A ROUTE (Real-Time Object Delivery over Unidirectional Transport) packet is an application-level packet. When a terminal (200) receives a ROUTE packet, it recognizes the ROUTE packet as data used in the application. Accordingly, the data casting transmission server (120) transmits an FEC packet using the header information of the ROUTE packet, thereby enabling immediate recovery using the FEC packet when packet loss occurs in the terminal (200).

[0064] The data casting transmission server (120) can perform FEC packet setup by setting '10' in the PSI (Program Specific Information) field of the ROUTE (Real-Time Object Delivery over. Unidirectional Transport) packet. For reference, the ROUTE Packet is defined in RFC (Request for Comments) 5775.

[0065] The two-way data casting server (130) receives and stores two-way service data from the data casting control server (110). At this time, the two-way service data to be stored is identical to the two-way service data transmitted by the data casting control server (110) to the data casting transmission server (120).

[0066] When a two-way data casting server (130) receives a data recovery request from a terminal (200), it retransmits the stored two-way service data to the terminal (200).

[0067] At this time, the two-way data casting server (130) receives a data recovery request from the terminal (200) through the communication network (400) and retransmits the two-way service data to the terminal (200) through the communication network (400).

[0068] Here, the broadcasting network (300) may be a terrestrial UHD (Ultra High Definition Television) broadcasting network that follows the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) 3.0 standard.

[0069] The communication network (400) is a wired or wireless communication network that uses an IP (Internet Protocol) address, and may include the Internet, a mobile communication network, etc.

[0070] The terminal (200) is a terminal that can be connected to both a broadcasting network (300) and a communication network (400), and may include a set-top box, an IP terminal, a mobile terminal capable of receiving terrestrial waves, an IP TV, an AI speaker (artificial intelligence speaker) connected to a TV or a set-top box, etc.

[0071]

[0072] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a data casting transmission server according to one embodiment.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 2, the data casting transmission server (120) may include a receiving unit (121), an FEC encoder (122), a transmission protocol encoder (123), and a multicasting transmission unit (124).

[0074] The receiving unit (121) can receive file data of two-way service data and file metadata for two-way service data from the data casting control server (110).

[0075] The FEC encoder (122) encodes the bidirectional service data received from the receiver (121) and the FEC packet for recovering the bidirectional service data. The FEC encoder (122) outputs the encoded symbol-based bidirectional service data packet and the FEC packet to the multicast transmitter (124).

[0076] The transport protocol encoder (123) generates metadata of the two-way service data received from the receiver (121). Here, the metadata can be defined as a complete collection of all program definitions for the transport stream. The program information transmitted as a packet is identified by a Transport Session ID (TSI) and a Transport Object ID (TOI), and these identifiers, i.e., the TSI and TOI, are described in the Service-based Transport Session Instance Description (S-TSID), which is service signaling data.

[0077] The transmission protocol encoder (123) outputs metadata to the multicast transmitter (124). Here, the transmission protocol may be ROUTE. Accordingly, the transmission protocol encoder (123) may be a ROUTE encoder.

[0078] The multicasting transmitter (124) generates a service packet, e.g., a ROUTE packet, by packetizing data packets, FEC packets, and metadata received from the transmission protocol encoder (123) received from the FEC encoder (122), and transmits the generated ROUTE packet.

[0079]

[0080] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of a two-way data casting server.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 3, a two-way data casting server (130) may include a receiving unit (131), a data storage unit (132), a two-way data casting control unit (133), and a two-way data casting transmission unit (134).

[0082] The receiving unit (131) receives two-way service data from the data casting control server (110) and stores it in the data storage (132).

[0083] When a two-way data casting control unit (133) receives a data recovery request from a terminal (200) through a communication network (400), it can extract the two-way service data for which data recovery has been requested from the data storage (132).

[0084] The two-way data casting transmission unit (134) transmits the two-way service data received from the two-way data casting control unit (133) to the terminal (200) via the communication network (400).

[0085] At this time, the terminal (200) can transmit a data recovery request to the bidirectional data casting control unit (133) using the data casting API (Application Programming Interface) and receive the bidirectional service data requested for recovery from the bidirectional data casting transmission unit (134).

[0086]

[0087] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a two-way data fusion service transmission procedure according to one embodiment, and is described using the same drawing symbols as those used in connection with the descriptions of FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 4, the data casting control server (110) can receive two-way service data from an external server and set a transmission bandwidth based on at least one of the service priority (urgency) and / or importance of the received two-way service data (S101).

[0089] The data casting control server (110) can generate data information including FEC information, file recovery metadata, and transmission bandwidth information set in S101 (S102).

[0090] Here, the data casting control server (110) can determine the number of FEC blocks. The more FEC blocks generated, the higher the data recovery rate, but this also increases network traffic. Therefore, considering this, the data casting control server (110) can generate a large number of FEC blocks, as the data reception rate is low in areas with poor broadcast reception.

[0091] Conversely, the data casting control server (110) can dynamically reduce network overhead by generating fewer FEC blocks when transmitting to an area with a good data reception rate.

[0092] The data casting control server (110) can set in advance the region where the two-way service data is to be multicast or the region where the terminals (200) are located, and can differentially determine the number of FEC blocks depending on whether the region is a broadcast reception shadow region or a region with good data reception rate.

[0093] The data casting control server (110) can transmit two-way service data received from an external server and data information generated in S102 to the data casting transmission server (120) and the two-way data casting server (130) (S103, S104).

[0094] The two-way data casting server (130) stores the two-way service data received from S104 in a data storage (S105). Here, the stored service data is used for data recovery.

[0095] The data casting transmission server (120) can use the data information received from S103 to generate a ROUTE packet that packetizes data packets, FEC packets, and metadata (S106).

[0096] The data casting transmission server (120) transmits the ROUTE packet generated in S106 to the headend (500) (S107).

[0097] The headend (500) transmits the ROUTE packet received from S107 to multiple terminals (200) (S108). At this time, S107 and S108 are performed via a broadcast network (300).

[0098]

[0099] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a two-way data fusion service retransmission procedure according to one embodiment, which can be performed after the operation of FIG. 4.

[0100] Referring to Fig. 5, the terminal (200) receives (S201) and processes a ROUTE packet, and at this time, determines whether packet loss has occurred (S202).

[0101] The terminal (200) terminates the step if no packet loss has occurred. Here, the step termination is merely the termination of the packet recovery procedure, and the general terminal operation of receiving and outputting packets is performed.

[0102] If the terminal (200) determines that packet loss has occurred, it recovers the lost packet using an FEC packet (S203). The method for generating the recovery packet is a method already known in FEC technology, and a detailed description thereof is omitted in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] The terminal (200) determines whether packet recovery is successful (S204), and if successful, terminates the step. Here, the step termination is merely the step termination of the recovery procedure, and the general terminal operation of receiving and outputting packets is performed.

[0104] If packet recovery using an FEC packet fails, the terminal (200) transmits a data recovery request including lost packet information, i.e., file recovery information, to a two-way data casting server (130) via a communication network (400) (S205).

[0105] The two-way data casting server (130) extracts the corresponding two-way service data from among the stored two-way service data using the file recovery information received from S205 (S206).

[0106] The two-way data casting server (130) retransmits the two-way service data extracted from S206 to the terminal (200) via the communication network (400) (S207). Then, the terminal (200) receives and processes the retransmitted two-way service data.

[0107]

[0108] Meanwhile, Fig. 6 is a configuration diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment.

[0109] Referring to FIG. 6, the data casting system (100), data casting control server (110), data casting transmission server (120), bidirectional data casting server (130), and terminal (200) described in FIGS. 1 to 5 can be implemented as a computing device (600) operated by at least one processor.

[0110] A computing device (600) may include one or more processors (610), a memory (620) for loading a computer program executed by the processor (610), a storage device (630) for storing the computer program and various data, a communication interface (640), and a bus (650) connecting the same. In addition, the computing device (600) may further include various components.

[0111] The processor (610) is a device that controls the operation of the computing device (600), and may be a processor of various types that processes instructions included in a computer program, and may be configured to include, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or any other type of processor well known in the technical field of the present disclosure.

[0112] The memory (620) stores various data, commands, and / or information. The memory (620) can load the computer program described to execute the operations of the present disclosure from the storage device (630) so that the processor (610) can process the commands. The memory (620) can be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0113] The storage device (630) can non-temporarily store computer programs and various data. The storage device (630) can be configured to include non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any form of computer-readable recording medium well known in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0114] The communication interface (640) may be a wired / wireless communication module that supports wired / wireless communication.

[0115] The bus (650) provides communication capabilities between components of the computing device (600).

[0116] A computer program includes instructions executed by a processor (610) and stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions causing the processor (610) to perform the operations of the present disclosure. The computer program may be downloaded over a network or sold in product form.

[0117] A computer program according to one embodiment may include commands for performing each of the steps of FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0118]

[0119] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of operating a data casting system operated by at least one processor, A step of generating a service packet by packetizing a data packet and a forward error correction (FEC) packet for recovering the data packet, and A step of transmitting the above-generated service packet to multiple terminals through a broadcasting network. A method comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, After the above sending step, A step of receiving a data recovery request from a terminal and retransmitting the data packet to the terminal. A method further comprising:

3. In paragraph 2, Before the above sending step, A step of storing the data packet in preparation for the above retransmission. A method further comprising:

4. In paragraph 2, The above sending step is, Transmit the above service packets through a one-way broadcast network, The above retransmission step is, A method for transmitting the above data packets through a two-way communication network.

5. In paragraph 4, The above data packet is, A method for transmitting data packets of a data service to multiple targets at the same time, the method including at least one of disaster information transmission, traffic information transmission, and firmware transmission.

6. As a method of operating the terminal, A step of receiving a service packet that is packetized with a data packet and a forward error correction (FEC) packet for recovering the data packet from a data casting system, and A step of recovering a lost packet using the forward error correction packet when a loss occurs in the above service packet. A method comprising:

7. In paragraph 6, After the above recovery step, If packet recovery using the above forward error correction packet fails, a step of transmitting a data recovery request to the data casting system, and A step of receiving the data packet retransmitted from the data casting system. A method further comprising:

8. In paragraph 7, Reception of the above service packet is Receive from the above data casting system through a one-way broadcasting network, The above retransmitted data packet is, A method for receiving from the above data casting system via a two-way communication network.

9. A data casting control server that receives service data from the outside, and A data casting transmission server that generates a service packet by packetizing the above service data and forward error correction (FEC) data for recovering the above service data and transmits the service packet to multiple terminals. A data casting system including:

10. In paragraph 9, The above data casting transmission server, A forward error correction encoder that receives the service data from the data casting control server, encodes a data packet encoding the service data, and a forward error correction packet for recovering the service data; A transmission protocol encoder that generates metadata of the above service data, and A multicasting transmitter that packetizes the above metadata, the above data packet, and the above forward error correction packet to create a service packet and transmits the service packet. A data casting system including:

11. In paragraph 9, A two-way data casting server that receives a data recovery request from a terminal and retransmits the data packet to the terminal. A data casting system that further includes:

12. In paragraph 11, The above two-way data casting server, A data storage that receives and stores the service data from the data casting control server; A two-way data casting control unit that receives a data recovery request from the terminal and extracts the requested service data from the data storage, and A two-way data casting transmission unit that retransmits the extracted service data to the terminal. A data casting system including:

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