System and methods to reclaim unused throughput in an sdars system

Abstract

Systems, algorithms and methods for reclaiming unused portions of a satellite broadcast service's bandwidth for new services, utilizing higher performance coding techniques to yield better throughput, are presented. These systems, algorithms and methods achieve the reclaimed bandwidth in a way that is invisible to a legacy receiver, and that does not interfere with its reception of a legacy signal. In one embodiment, new data may be transmitted within a legacy transmission frame, for example within its cluster structure, using the same modulation and synchronization as used for the legacy data. The new data may be inserted into a channel or other subdivision at a head end. In another embodiment, one or more clusters or subdivisions with only new data may be transmitted, using the same modulation and synchronization as the legacy data clusters, but now employing a higher performing FEC and data interleaving structure on those clusters which contain only new data to yield an increase in available throughput. Finally, in a third embodiment, one or more clusters containing only new data may be transmitted, and in said one or more all new data clusters, different modulation and synchronization may be used then that of the legacy data clusters, thus employing a higher performing FEC and data interleaving structure than that of the legacy clusters. Various combinations of these approaches are also presented, as well as a set of novel receivers, or receiver configurations, to implement them and their combinations

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method of reclaiming unused legacy bandwidth in a broadcasting system having a broadcast transmission frame with at least two divisions, comprising:
 inserting new content data into at least one transmission frame division, of at least one transmission frame, at the head end, the at least one division also containing legacy data;   transmitting the at least one transmission frame division using the same modulation and synchronization as the legacy data in the transmission frame,   wherein said inserting and transmitting are performed such that a legacy receiver would not see the new data, but receivers configured to decode the new content data would.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the legacy transmission frame data is modulated using both a primary and a secondary layer of modulation, the new content data is modulated at the primary layer of modulation, and the secondary layer of modulation operates on both legacy content and the new content data; 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending information describing either the new content data or channels where the new content data may be accessed, in a manner that legacy receivers receiving the transmission frame will not decode it. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to the new content data within the at least one transmission frame, only decodable by specially configured receivers. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to the new content data through one or more out of band messaging schemes. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to the new content data within the at least one transmission frame, said extraction information arranged to instruct a specially configured receiver how to separate the new content data from other data in any division during decoding. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claims 1 - 6 , wherein any division containing both new content data and legacy data is interleaved with other divisions of the transmission frame. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the transmission frame division is one of a cluster, a cluster segment, a channel, or a physical channel. 
     
     
         9 . A method of reclaiming unused legacy bandwidth in a broadcasting system having a broadcast transmission frame with at least two divisions, comprising:
 inserting new content data into at least one transmission frame division, of at least one transmission frame, the at least one division only containing said new content data;   transmitting at least one additional transmission frame division per transmission frame containing legacy data;   transmitting any of said transmission frame divisions containing only new content data using the same modulation and synchronization as for legacy data, but employing a higher performing FEC and data interleaving structure so as to yield an increase in available throughput,   wherein said inserting and transmitting are performed such that a legacy receiver would not see the divisions containing the new content data, but receivers configured to decode the new content data would.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the legacy transmission frame data is modulated using both a primary and a secondary layer of modulation, the new content data in said new content data divisions is modulated at the primary layer of modulation, and the secondary layer of modulation operates on both divisions containing legacy content and divisions containing only new content data. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising additionally sending new content data in one or more transmission frame divisions that contain legacy data. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to any new content data in any combined division having both new content data and legacy data. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to the new content data through one or more out of band messaging schemes. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to the new content data within the at least one transmission frame, said extraction information arranged to instruct a receiver how to separate the new content data from other data during decoding. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein divisions containing solely new content data are interleaved with other divisions containing wholly or partially legacy data. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the transmission frame division is one of a cluster, a cluster segment, a channel, or a physical channel. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said higher performing FEC includes one of Turbo or Low Density Parity Check codes, and wherein said higher performing data interleaving structure includes at least one of a programmable convolutional interleaver, or an interleaver with significantly greater delay spreads over a fixed duration of the legacy system. 
     
     
         18 . A method of reclaiming unused legacy bandwidth in a broadcasting system having a broadcast transmission frame with at least two divisions, comprising:
 transmitting one or more transmission frame divisions with only new content data;   transmitting one or more other transmission frame divisions that contain legacy content data;   wherein in said one or more transmitted solely new content data divisions, different modulation and synchronization schemes are used than those used on the other transmission frame divisions that contain legacy content data, and   wherein said transmitting is performed such that a legacy receiver would not see the divisions containing new data, but receivers configured to decode the new content data would.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more transmission frame divisions containing solely new content data are processed using a higher performing FEC and data interleaving structure than that of the other divisions that contain any legacy content data. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein in addition to the divisions containing solely new content data, transmitting additional new data within at least one of the other transmission frame divisions that contain legacy content data, using the same modulation and synchronization as the legacy data divisions. 
     
     
         21 . A system, comprising:
 a transmitter comprising a legacy encoding module, a hierarchical modulation encoding module and a multiplexer; and   a receiver comprising a demodulator, a legacy decoding module and a hierarchical modulation decoding module,   wherein the transmitter is configured to encode and transmit both new content data and legacy content data that are combined in one or more transmission frame divisions, and wherein the receiver is configured to demodulate the data and then separate the new content data from the legacy content data in the legacy decoder module using received extraction information.   
     
     
         22 . A system, comprising:
 a transmitter comprising a legacy encoding module, a hierarchical modulation encoding module and a multiplexer; and   a receiver comprising a demodulator, a legacy decoding module, a hierarchical modulation decoding module, and a new data decoding module,   wherein the transmitter is configured to encode and transmit new content data and legacy content data, the new content data sent in one or more transmission frame divisions containing only new content data, and   wherein the receiver is configured to demodulate the data and then send the new content data to the new content data decoder, and send the legacy content data to the legacy decoder.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to also encode and transmit combination divisions containing both new content data and legacy content data. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to send extraction information relative to any new content data in any combination division. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising sending extraction information relative to the new content data through one or more out of band messaging schemes. 
     
     
         26 . The system of any of  claims 23 - 25 , wherein the receiver is configured to demodulate the data in said combination divisions and then, at the legacy decoder, separate the new content data from the legacy content data using received extraction information. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the transmitter is configured to modulate all data in any division with a secondary modulation layer containing hierarchical modulation content. 
     
     
         28 . A system, comprising:
 a transmitter comprising a legacy encoding module, a hierarchical modulation encoding module and a multiplexer; and   a receiver comprising a legacy demodulator, a new data demodulator, a legacy decoding module, a hierarchical modulation decoding module, and a new data decoding module,   wherein the transmitter is configured to encode and transmit new content data and legacy content data, the new content data sent in one or more transmission frame divisions containing only new content data, and   wherein the receiver is configured to:   demodulate the legacy content data divisions in a legacy demodulator and send the demodulated data to a legacy decoder and a hierarchical modulation decoder, and   demodulate the new content data in a new data demodulator, and send the demodulated new data divisions to the new decoder.   
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the only new content containing divisions are modulated differently by the transmitter than the other divisions containing legacy data. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the only new content containing divisions are modulated using include a combination of QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM, C16QAM or other multi-symbol scheme. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the only new content containing divisions are not hierarchically modulated, but integrated as a singly modulated division. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to also encode and transmit combination divisions containing both new content data and legacy content data. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to send extraction information relative to any new content data in any combination division. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein extraction information relative to the new content data is sent through one or more in band or out of band messaging schemes. 
     
     
         35 . The system of any of  claims 32 - 34 , wherein the receiver is configured to demodulate the data in said combination divisions and then, at the legacy decoder, separate the new content data from the legacy content data using received extraction information.