Patent ID: 8699622
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for transmitting a concatenated convolutional coded (CCC) signal embedded in an 8-VSB digital television (DTV) signal for reception by mobile/handheld (M/H) receivers, which 8-VSB DTV signal conveys main-service data that is encoded with 2/3 trellis coding and further conveys M/H-service data that is encoded within said CCC signal, said method comprising steps of: (a) encapsulating said randomized main-service data within successive 187-byte transport stream packets that have three-byte headers; (b) randomizing said M/H-service data to generate randomized M/H-service data; (c) convolutionally coding said randomized M/H-service data to generate outer convolutional coding results; (d) symbol-interleaving bit-pairs of said outer convolutional coding results to generate symbol-interleaving results; (e) encapsulating successive bytes of said symbol-interleaving results within convolutionally byte-interleaved 187-byte M/H-encapsulation (MHE) packets of successive interleaved M/H Group formats; (f) de-interleaving bytes of each of said successive interleaved M/H Group formats to generate respective M/H Groups; (g) time-division multiplexing said M/H Groups with groups of said transport stream packets encapsulating said randomized main-service data to generate time-division multiplexing results; (h) randomizing selected portions of said time-division multiplexing results essentially consisting of headers within said MHE packets containing packet-identification (PID) bits and said transport stream packets encapsulating said randomized main-service data, thus to generate selectively randomized time-division multiplexing results including randomized transport stream packets and partially randomized MHE packets; (i) Reed-Solomon encoding said randomized transport stream packets to generate a first set of systematic (207, 187) Reed-Solomon codewords; (j) Reed-Solomon encoding said partially randomized MHE packets to generate a first set of non-systematic (207, 187) Reed-Solomon codewords; (k) maintaining the order of said randomized transport stream packets and said partially randomized MHE packets following their respective said Reed-Solomon encoding while forming said resulting first sets of systematic and non-systematic (207, 187) Reed-Solomon codewords into a first succession of fields of Reed-Solomon codewords, each of said fields of Reed-Solomon codewords in said first succession thereof composed of a respective succession of 312 segments each 207 bytes in length; (l) convolutionally interleaving bytes of each of said fields of Reed-Solomon codewords in said first succession thereof to one sixth the depth of that said field, to generate a respective one of a first set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields each composed of 312 successive segments each 207 bytes in length, each byte therein consisting of four respective bit-pairs, each bit-pair therein composed of a respective more significant bit (MSB) and a respective less significant bit (LSB); (m) selectively interference-filter pre-coding the MSBs of ones of bit-pairs from said first set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields that convey coded main-service data, but withholding interference-filter pre-coding of the MSBs of ones of said bit-pairs from said first set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields that convey coded M/H-service data, thus to generate selectively pre-coded bit-pairs from each of said first set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields; (n) post-comb filtering said selectively pre-coded bit-pairs from each of said successive byte-interleaved-data fields to generate successive post-comb-filtered byte-interleaved-data fields; (o) de-interleaving the convolutional byte interleaving of said successive post-comb-filtered byte-interleaved-data fields to reproduce said first set of said randomized transport stream packets and said first set of said partially randomized MHE packets; (p) generating a second set of systematic (207, 187) Reed-Solomon codewords responsive to respective ones of said reproduced first set of said randomized transport stream packets; (q) generating a second set of non-systematic (207, 187) Reed-Solomon codewords responsive to respective ones of said reproduced first set of said partially randomized MHE packets; (r) maintaining the order of said reproduced randomized transport stream packets and said reproduced partially randomized MHE packets following their respective said Reed-Solomon encoding while forming said resulting second sets of systematic and non-systematic (207, 187) Reed-Solomon codewords into a second succession of fields of said Reed-Solomon codewords, each of said fields of Reed-Solomon codewords in said second succession thereof composed of a respective succession of 312 segments each 207 bytes in length; (s) convolutionally interleaving bytes of each of said fields of Reed-Solomon codewords in said second succession thereof to one sixth the depth of that said field, to generate a respective one of a second set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields each composed of 312 successive segments each 207 bytes in length, each byte therein consisting of four respective bit-pairs, each bit-pair therein composed of a respective MSB and a respective LSB; (t) interference-filter pre-coding the MSBs of ones of bit-pairs from said second set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields to generate respective Z-sub-2 bits; (u) one-half-rate convolutional coding the LSBs of ones of bit-pairs from said second set of successive byte-interleaved-data fields to generate respective Z-sub-1 bits and as many Z-sub-0 bits, thus providing inner convolutional coding of the symbol-interleaved bit-pairs of said one-half-rate outer convolutional coding results encapsulated in said MHE packets, and thus providing 2/3 trellis coding of said transport stream packets; (v) mapping triads each composed of one of said Z-sub-2 bits, one of said Z-sub-1 bits and one of said Z-sub-0 bits to respective successive eight-level symbols arranged in fields of eight-level symbols, each of said successive fields composed of a respective succession of 312 segments each 828 symbols in length; (w) introducing a respective 828-symbol data-field-synchronizing (DFS) sequence as a respective additional segment before each said succession of 312 segments in each of said successive fields of eight-level symbols; (x) introducing a respective 4-symbol data-segment-synchronizing (DSS) sequence before each of said segments of said successive fields of eight-level symbols; (y) generating a 8-level modulating signal from said successive fields of eight-level symbols and their accompanying DFS and DSS sequences; and (z) generating an 8-VSB amplitude-modulated radio-frequency carrier wave, the amplitude of which is modulated in accordance with said 8-level modulating signal and includes a pilot carrier component, said steps (l), (m), (n), (o), (p), (q) and (c) defining an improvement over a previous method for transmitting a CCC signal embedded in an 8-VSB DTV signal for reception by M/H receivers.