Broadcast Equipment Communication Protocol

Abstract

A method for transmitting data between components of a digital broadcasting system includes: receiving payload data, adding a content layer header to the payload data to form a content layer data frame, adding a transmission and authentication layer header and a cyclic redundancy check field to the content layer data frame to form a transmission and authentication layer data frame, adding an application framing layer header to the transmission and authentication layer data frame to form an application framing layer data frame, and transmitting the application framing layer data frame to a destination component.

1 . A method for transmitting data between components of a digital broadcasting system, the method comprising:
 receiving payload data;   adding a content layer header to the payload data to form a content layer data frame;   adding a transmission and authentication layer header and a cyclic redundancy check field to the content layer data frame to form a transmission and authentication layer data frame;   adding an application framing layer header to the transmission and authentication layer data frame to form an application framing layer data frame; and   transmitting the application framing layer data frame to a destination component.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content layer header includes:
 a protocol version field;   an encryption flag;   a sequence number;   a message identification field; and   a payload length field.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transmission and authentication layer header includes:
 a protocol version field;   a message digest length field;   a message digest type field;   a source processing identification field; and   a destination processing identification field.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the transmission and authentication layer header further includes a message digest field. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the application framing layer header includes:
 a synchronization field;   a payload length field;   a sequence number field;   a protocol version field; and   a protocol type field.   
     
     
         6 . An apparatus for transmitting data between components of a digital broadcasting system, the apparatus comprising:
 a source component including processing circuitry for receiving payload data, adding a content layer header to the payload data to form a content layer data frame, adding a transmission and authentication layer header and a cyclic redundancy check field to the content layer data frame to form a transmission and authentication layer data frame, adding an application framing layer header to the transmission and authentication layer data frame to form an application framing layer data frame, and transmitting the application framing layer data frame to a destination component as an HDP message.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the content layer header includes:
 a protocol version field;   an encryption flag;   a sequence number;   a message identification field; and   a payload length field.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the transmission and authentication layer header includes:
 a protocol version field;   a message digest length field;   a message digest type field;   a source processing identification field; and   a destination processing identification field.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the transmission and authentication layer header further includes a message digest field. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the application framing layer header includes:
 a synchronization field;   a payload length field;   a sequence number field;   a protocol version field; and   a protocol type field.   
     
     
         11 . A data link manager comprising:
 a UDP receiver for receiving HDP or non HDP data using a UDP/IP protocol;   a TCP receiver; and   a router for receiving data from the UDP receiver and the TCP receiver computer software units, for searching for a destination route in a routing table, and for forwarding the data to an identified destination route.   
     
     
         12 . The data link manager of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a configuration database providing link and routing information.   
     
     
         13 . The data link manager of  claim 11 , wherein:
 if the data received by the UDP receiver is on an HDP link, then the UDP receiver unpacks the HDP data and forwards the data to the router.   
     
     
         14 . The data link manager of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the TCP receiver receives the data using TCP/IP protocol and forwards the data to the router.   
     
     
         15 . The data link manager of  claim 11 , wherein:
 if the destination route is a HDP link, then the router packs the received data with HDP and forwards the data to the identified destination route.   
     
     
         16 . The data link manager of  claim 13 , wherein:
 if the HDP link is broken due to network problem or no data activity, then the TCP receiver automatically retries to connect to another broadcast component.   
     
     
         17 . The data link manager of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the router provides data activity or monitoring facility for each HDP link separately.   
     
     
         18 . The data link manager of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the router provides data multicast facility to achieve one exporter communicating to multiple exgine broadcast component.   
     
     
         19 . A method for reordering information frames, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving an information frame;   (b) comparing a sequence number in the information frame with an expected sequence number;   (c) if the sequence number is the same as the expected sequence number, then routing the information frame to a destination process, incrementing the expected sequence number, and repeating steps (a), (b) and (c); and   (d) if the sequence number is not the same as the expected sequence number, determining if the difference between the received sequence number and the expected sequence number is less than a predetermined maximum reorder depth, and if so, storing the information frame.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 following step (a), determining if the received information frame is corrupted.