Burst Mode Communication Encoding for Mobile TV Reception

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing ATSC A53 standard for digital television broadcasting is not robust enough to support mobile, pedestrian, and handheld devices, as it lacks sufficient redundancy for effective signal reception with smaller antennas, leading to issues with error correction and data recovery in mobile applications.

Innovation Solution

The introduction of a GF(256) Serial Concatenated Block Coder (SCBC) and packet interleaving techniques to generate a more robust data stream, which includes systematic and non-systematic packets, along with a-priori tracking packets, to enhance error correction and compatibility with legacy receivers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the existing ATSC A53 standard is used for digital television broadcasting, then compatibility with legacy receivers is maintained, but robustness for mobile and handheld devices is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal reception reliabilityVSAvoidadaptability to mobile devices

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The data stream is divided into two distinct types of packets: systematic packets that contain original data and can be decoded by legacy receivers, and non-systematic packets that contain redundant information for enhanced error correction. This segmentation allows the system to maintain backward compatibility while providing improved reliability for mobile devices through the optional non-systematic packets.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-calculates and inserts a-priori tracking packets into the data stream before transmission. These packets contain forward error correction information that is prepared in advance, allowing mobile receivers to correct errors without requiring real-time communication with the transmitter, thereby improving signal reception reliability in mobile environments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If redundancy is added to improve error correction, then signal recovery capability is enhanced, but effective data rate is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror correction capabilityVSAvoideffective data rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of adding maximum redundancy throughout the entire data stream, the system applies partial redundancy only to specific portions of the data stream through non-systematic packets. This selective approach provides sufficient error correction capability for mobile devices while minimizing the impact on overall effective data rate compared to full redundancy schemes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

Different types of packets are assigned different quality characteristics: systematic packets provide the minimum required information for legacy receiver compatibility, while non-systematic packets provide enhanced redundancy only where needed for mobile device operation. This local differentiation of quality allows optimized error correction without unnecessarily reducing the effective data rate for all packets.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9078034B2Apparatus and method for communicating burst mode activity

Publication Date: 2015.07.07 INTERDIGITAL CE PATENT HOLDINGS SAS

AI summary

Information is transmitted indicating when a burst mode will take place which intervenes during a regular transmission mode. The information transmitted can also include information indicating how long such a burst mode will be and the contents of the burst mode where such contents can be identified as video, audio, system information, advertisements, or interactive content.