Synchronized Formatting Modules for Seamless Modulator Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Single Frequency Network (SFN) broadcasting, synchronization issues between modulators can lead to interference and service interruptions due to loss of synchronization, which existing redundancy measures fail to prevent effectively, causing modulators to desynchronize and require time-consuming resynchronization.
Innovation Solution
A duplicated formatting module system with a master/slave synchronization scheme, where modules periodically exchange time labels and continuity counters to maintain synchronized streams, allowing seamless switching between streams without resynchronization, ensuring continuous service delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a duplicated formatting module is introduced to improve reliability, then service continuity is improved, but switching between modules causes loss of synchronisation requiring resynchronisation that interrupts service
Solution Approach 1:
The slave formatting module proactively generates and buffers output data in advance using its own internal timing, so that when switching from master to slave occurs, the slave already has synchronized output data ready, eliminating resynchronisation interruption
Solution Approach 2:
The slave module creates a copy of the master's formatting function and maintains an identical output stream structure, allowing seamless substitution without requiring the receiving system to re-synchronise
2Productivity
If modulators transmit on the same frequency in SFN mode to improve resource efficiency, then spectral efficiency is improved, but synchronisation errors cause interference in boundary regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors synchronisation status and automatically adjusts the slave module's timing based on feedback from synchronisation markers, ensuring that even in SFN mode, all modulators remain precisely synchronised to prevent boundary interference
Solution Approach 2:
The slave module dynamically adjusts its output timing parameters based on the master module's synchronisation markers, changing its transmission parameters in real-time to maintain perfect synchronisation with the master in SFN mode
Data Source
AI summary
In the field of the broadcasting of digital services intended for terminals retrieving these services, the concern is with the problem of synchronization in the context of a network transmitting on a single modulation frequency and the reliability of the broadcasting channel by redundancy of equipment.The present invention proposes a broadcasting system having a duplicated formatting module. This system enables a modulator to switch between the two streams generated by the two formatting modules without becoming desynchronized. These formatting modules are synchronized with each other in order to generate synchronized streams. Thus, when a modulator is caused to switch from a first stream generated by one of the formatting modules onto a second stream generated by a second formatting module, this switching can be effected without requiring a resynchronization step. This prevents an incident occurring on the generation of the stream routinely causing an interruption of service due to the resynchronization of the modulator.