DVB Time-Frequency Slot Scheduling for Single-Tuner Reception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital TV systems face challenges in scheduling service parts for simultaneous reception with a single tuner, especially when transmitting high-definition television (HDTV) services, as they require intelligent scheduling across multiple radio-frequency channels without increasing bandwidth, and existing methods do not efficiently manage time-frequency slicing for shared services like teletext or Multimedia Home Platform (MHP).
Innovation Solution
The method involves dividing a time-frequency frame into slots allocated across multiple radio-frequency channels, determining a maximum slot length that accounts for tuner tuning time, and scheduling service data to ensure all symbols are within this length, allowing for simultaneous reception of common service parts with one tuner by shifting slots based on the frame length and number of channels, enabling efficient multiplexing and single-tuner capability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If time-frequency slicing is used to combine multiple RF channels into one multiplex for HDTV services, then capacity utilization is improved and bandwidth efficiency is increased, but scheduling complexity increases and simultaneous reception of common service parts with a single tuner becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The time-frequency frame is segmented into multiple slots, with each slot corresponding to a specific RF channel. This segmentation allows the system to organize service data across multiple channels in a structured manner, making scheduling manageable while maintaining high capacity utilization. The frame is divided into N slots where N is the number of RF channels, and each slot contains service data that can be received sequentially by a single tuner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic transmission of common service parts across different RF channels in a cyclic manner. The scheduler transmits common service data in slots that are periodically distributed across the N RF channels, allowing a single tuner to receive the complete common service by tuning through the channels in sequence during one frame period. This periodic action ensures that common services are available on all channels at regular intervals.
2Device complexity
If a single tuner is used to receive all parts of a service transmitted over multiple RF channels, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to simultaneously receive multiple common service parts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the limitation of a single tuner by introducing the time dimension. Instead of attempting to receive multiple common service parts simultaneously in frequency, the system transmits them at different time slots across different RF channels. The receiver can sequentially tune to each channel during the frame period and reconstruct the complete common service by combining data from multiple time-frequency slots, effectively achieving simultaneous reception capability through time-division multiplexing.
3Ease of operation
If slots are shifted across RF channels to enable single-tuner reception, then ease of operation is improved, but slot length must be limited which may reduce data transmission efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the slot length parameter based on the maximum tuning time of the receiver. The slot length is set to be sufficient to contain all service data that can be received within the tuning time constraint, optimizing the balance between ease of operation and data transmission efficiency. The system calculates the maximum number of slots that can be received during the frame period and configures slot lengths accordingly, ensuring efficient use of available bandwidth while maintaining single-tuner compatibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method comprises dividing a time frequency frame into a plurality of slots, the frame having one or more radio-frequency (RF) channels, determining a maximum slot length, and scheduling service data in symbols such that all service data symbols are within the maximum slot length of symbols corresponding to at least one common service part.