Broadcast Frame Pilot Symbols for Fast Service Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital broadcast networks face inefficiencies in service discovery and channel search due to insufficient PSI or SI signaling, leading to slow and bandwidth-intensive processes, particularly in systems like DVB-H, where trial-and-error methods are required to detect non-DVB-H channels, resulting in sub-optimal user experience and high search times.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a pilot synchronization symbol with known characteristics at the beginning of digital broadcast frames allows for efficient detection of digital video broadcast channels without trial-and-error methods, using two pilot symbols (P1 and P2) for fast channel search and service discovery, and defining a P2-1 packet structure to carry OSI layer 1 and L2 signaling information, enabling rapid identification of digital video broadcast services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If PSI or SI signaling is used for service discovery in DVB-H systems, then service information can be transmitted, but the process becomes slow and requires large bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a known preamble sequence at the beginning of each broadcast frame that enables preliminary synchronization and service identification before full PSI/SI decoding is required. This preliminary action allows receivers to quickly identify available services without waiting for the complete PSI/SI tables, thereby reducing channel search time while maintaining accurate service information transmission.
2Loss of information
If blind service discovery is performed to detect all available channels, then complete service information is obtained, but the search process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service discovery process into two stages: a fast initial detection stage using the known preamble sequence to identify broadcast frames and basic service information, followed by a secondary stage for detailed service acquisition using PSI/SI tables. This segmentation allows receivers to quickly identify available services in the first stage without performing complete blind search, thereby improving discovery speed while maintaining completeness through the second stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The known preamble sequence performs preliminary service identification by containing embedded service identifiers and basic information that can be decoded immediately upon frame synchronization. This preliminary action eliminates the need for receivers to perform complete blind search across all frequencies to identify available services, significantly reducing discovery time while maintaining information completeness.
3Measurement precision
If trial-and-error methods are used to detect non-DVB-H services, then accurate identification is achieved, but channel search time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the previously harmful effect of non-DVB-H services (which caused failed synchronization attempts and extended search times) into a beneficial feature by designing the known preamble sequence to be uniquely recognizable. This allows receivers to immediately identify and skip non-DVB-H channels by detecting the absence or mismatch of the expected preamble pattern, transforming the identification challenge into a fast correlation-based detection process that improves both accuracy and speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical trial-and-error decoding process with a correlation-based detection mechanism using the known preamble sequence. Instead of attempting to decode unknown service types through multiple trial attempts, the receiver performs a single correlation operation between the received signal and the known preamble pattern, enabling instant identification of valid DVB-H channels and immediate skipping of invalid channels, thereby eliminating time-consuming trial-and-error processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the invention are directed to service and channel discovery in a digital broadcast network. A pilot synchronization symbol, which has known characteristics, is included as a first symbol of digital broadcast frames. The pilot symbol, which can be decoded without having to resort to trial and error methods, contains parameters for the rest of the signal. In another aspect of the invention, at least two pilot symbols may be defined and used at the beginning of each frame. The at least two pilot symbols P1 and P2 may enable fast channel search and service discovery within the frame. Signaling may be realized as a combination of L1 and L2 signaling.