VSB Broadcast Signaling and FEC for Robust Mobile Reception
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Vestigial Sideband (VSB) transmission mode used in digital broadcasting in North America and Korea is prone to performance deterioration in poor channel environments, especially when using portable or mobile receivers, and struggles with noise resistance and error resilience for mobile service data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A digital broadcasting system that encodes mobile data for forward error correction (FEC) using Reed-Solomon frames, divides them into Serially Concatenated Convolutional Code (SCCC) blocks, and maps these blocks to data segments, including scalable data blocks, to ensure robust transmission and reception of mobile service data, even in poor channel conditions, by using Fast Information Channel (FIC) segments and headers for accurate signaling and error correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If VSB transmission mode is used for digital broadcasting, then compatibility with conventional systems is maintained, but receiving performance deteriorates in poor channel environments and mobile service data transmission suffers from noise and error issues
Solution Approach 1:
The FIC chunk is segmented into multiple FIC segments that are transmitted through different data groups. Each segment contains a portion of the signaling information, allowing the receiver to reconstruct the complete FIC chunk even if some segments are lost or corrupted during transmission in poor channel conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The FIC segment header acts as an intermediary that carries protocol version information and identification information. This header enables the receiver to correctly interpret and reconstruct the FIC chunk by providing metadata about the segment structure and content, facilitating accurate service acquisition while maintaining system compatibility
2Reliability
If FIC chunk is transmitted as a single unit, then signaling information is complete, but data segments may be wasted when the amount of data does not match the transmission capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The FIC chunk is divided into multiple FIC segments that can be flexibly allocated across different data groups. This segmentation allows the system to utilize transmission capacity more efficiently by distributing segments across available data groups, reducing waste while maintaining complete signaling information delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines the number and distribution of FIC segments based on the actual amount of signaling data and available transmission capacity. This dynamic allocation optimizes both error resilience (by distributing segments for redundancy) and transmission efficiency (by filling data groups without excessive overhead)
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple FIC chunks of different protocol versions coexist in one NMH frame, then system versatility is improved, but accurate restoration of FIC chunks becomes difficult without version identification
Solution Approach 1:
The FIC segment header serves as an intermediary that carries protocol version information for each segment. This header enables the receiver to identify the protocol version of each FIC segment, correctly interpret the signaling information, and accurately reconstruct FIC chunks even when multiple protocol versions coexist in the same transmission frame
Solution Approach 2:
Each FIC segment is tagged with its specific protocol version information in the header, allowing different parts of the transmission (different segments) to have different protocol versions. This local quality approach enables multi-version support without requiring the entire system to conform to a single protocol version
4Productivity
If signaling information is transmitted without clear identification, then transmission overhead is reduced, but accurate restoration of FIC chunks fails when current and next M/H frame information coexist
Solution Approach 1:
The FIC segment header acts as an intermediary that carries identification information indicating whether the signaling information belongs to the current M/H frame or the next M/H frame. This header enables the receiver to accurately attribute signaling information to the correct frame, ensuring precise FIC chunk restoration without excessive transmission overhead
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for transmitting and receiving broadcast signals are provided. The method for transmitting a broadcast signal includes encoding mobile data for forward error correction (FEC), encoding signaling data, forming data groups including the encoded mobile data and the encoded signaling data and transmitting a signal frame that includes the data groups.