Digital TV Relay Transmitter Using Programmable Filters

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing relay transmitter apparatuses for digital television broadcasting face challenges in efficiently managing channel frequency bands, leading to increased circuit scale and manufacturing costs as the number of channels grows, and fail to adapt to changes in propagation circumstances or frequency band allocations.

Innovation Solution

A digital television broadcasting signal relay transmitter apparatus that includes a reception unit, A/D converter, digital filter, D/A converter, channel acquisition unit, characteristics calculation unit, and characteristics setting unit, which allows for flexible filter characteristics determination and adjustment based on channel codes, reducing the need for hardware changes across different areas and enabling efficient relay transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If individual in-channel-band amplifier units are provided for each channel frequency band, then intermodulation disturbance is minimized, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase with the number of channels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal qualityVSAvoidcircuit scale
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple in-channel-band amplifier units processing different channel frequency bands are merged into a single broadband amplifier unit that can handle multiple frequency bands simultaneously, reducing the number of components while maintaining signal quality through digital filter processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical/analog frequency selection and filtering approach using multiple dedicated amplifier units is replaced with a digital signal processing system where a single broadband amplifier is controlled by programmable digital filters that can be dynamically configured through software based on channel codes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of manufacture

If fixed hardware configurations are used for different areas, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to changes in propagation circumstances and frequency band allocations is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehardware standardizationVSAvoidfrequency band adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The static hardware configuration is transformed into a dynamic system where filter characteristics can be changed in real-time through software control based on channel codes, allowing the same hardware to adapt to different propagation circumstances and frequency band allocations without physical reconfiguration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of changing hardware parameters physically for different areas, the system changes operational parameters through software by loading different tap coefficients that correspond to different channel codes, enabling flexible adaptation while maintaining standardized hardware manufacturing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP1912348B1Relay transmitter apparatus
Publication Date: 2015.01.14 JAPAN RADIO CO LTD
  • EP1912348B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1912348B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(d)
  • EP1912348B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A relay transmitter apparatus wherein a single constituent component is used to process a plurality of digital modulated signals occupying different frequency bands. A frequency converter (16a) converts the frequency band of a signal received via a reception antenna (10) and a reception amplifier (14), and inputs the resultant signal to an analog input/output filter (18a). The analog input/output filter (18a) passes a digital modulated signal, while attenuating an analog modulated signal. The analog input/output filter (18a) inputs a band-limited signal to a frequency converter (22a). The frequency converter (22a) converts the frequency band of the input signal. The frequency-band-converted signal is then transmitted via a transmission amplifier (24), a transmission filter (26), and a transmission antenna (28).