Electronic device and method for enabling DOCSIS 4.0 FDD/FDX operation in HFC plants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11601711-B2
Application number	US-202117460517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2020
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

An electronic device and method for delivering content to legacy MPEG quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) set-top boxes (STBs) identifies a QAM channel from a bank of QAM modulator channels of the electronic device that has spare capacity to transmit a MPEG/QAM program stream for a program N, and a unique MPEG program number corresponding to the program N, joins an IP multicast from a broadband network that includes the program N, and sets up QAM modulation to send the program N on a target frequency corresponding to the identified QAM channel, transmits the target frequency to the STBs, and transmits the MPEG/QAM program stream for the program N to the STBs on the target frequency corresponding to the identified QAM channel.

First claim

I claim:

1. An electronic device for delivering content to legacy MPEG quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) set-top boxes (STBs), the electronic device comprising:
a memory storing instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the instructions to:
identify a QAM channel from a bank of QAM modulator channels of the electronic device that has spare capacity to transmit a MPEG/QAM program stream for a program N, and a unique MPEG program number corresponding to the program N;
join an IP multicast from a broadband network that includes the program N, and set up QAM modulation to send the program N on a target frequency corresponding to the identified QAM channel;
transmit the target frequency to the STBs, wherein transmitting the target frequency notifies the STBs of the target frequency to which the STB is to be tuned and the program N to look for; and
transmit the MPEG/QAM program stream for the program N to the STBs on the target frequency corresponding to the identified QAM channel.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
receive a request from one of the STBs to deliver the MPEG/QAM program stream for the program N on a preferred frequency,
wherein the target frequency sent by the electronic device corresponds to a same QAM channel as the preferred frequency requested by the one of the STBs in a condition that the preferred frequency has enough spare capacity to transmit the MPEG/QAM program stream.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
receive a request from one of the STBs to deliver the MPEG/QAM program stream for the program N on a preferred frequency,
wherein the target frequency sent by the electronic device corresponds to an available QAM channel that is different from the preferred frequency requested by the one of the STBs in a condition that the preferred frequency does not have enough spare capacity to transmit the MPEG/QAM program stream.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is remotely controlled or configured locally to:
deliver a defined set of “always on” channels to the STBs over an RF f-connector for an in-home QAM/RF network, without requiring a request from the STBs; and
transmit an update for the defined set of “always on” channels to the STBs via a wired/wireless local area network (LAN) interface in response to a change in an MPEG/QAM channel lineup.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a DOCSIS gateway device, the broadband network is an HFC network, and the electronic device further comprises:
a first RF f-connector for the HFC network, wherein the electronic device communicates with a cable modem termination system (CMTS) over the HFC network via the first RF f-connector to receive MPEG/IP single program transport streams (SPTSs) or a multi program transport stream (MPTS) from the IP multicast;
a multiplexer configured to multiplex the received MPEG/IP STPSs into a final MPTS directed to one or more QAM channels;
a QAM modulator configured to modulate and upconvert the received MPTS or the final MPTS on the one or more QAM channels; and
a second RF f-connector for an in-home QAM/RF network, wherein electronic device is configured to transmit the one or more QAM channels output from the QAM modulator to the STBs over the in-home QAM/RF network via the second RF f-connector.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is an xPON gateway device, and the broadband network is an xPON, and the electronic device further comprises:
a fiber optic link for the xPON, wherein the electronic device communicates with an optical line terminal (OLT) over the xPON via the fiber optic link to receive MPEG/IP single program transport streams (SPTSs) or multi program transport streams (MPTSs) from the IP multicast;
a multiplexer configured to multiplex the received MPEG/IP STPSs into a final MPTS directed to one or more QAM channels;
a QAM modulator configured to modulate and upconvert the received MPTS or the final MPTS on the one or more QAM channels; and
an RF f-connector for an in-home QAM/RF network, wherein the electronic device is configured to transmit the one or more QAM channels output from the QAM modulator to the STBs over the in-home QAM/RF network via the RF f-connector.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a standalone (non-DOCSIS) electronic device, the broadband network is an HFC network, and the electronic device further comprises:
a wired/wireless local area network (LAN) interface including one or more Ethernet ports, one or more Wi-Fi radios, or combinations thereof, wherein the electronic device communicates with a DOCSIS gateway device, which communicates with a cable modem termination system (CMTS) via the HFC network, over the LAN via the wired/wireless LAN interface to receive MPEG/IP single program transport streams (SPTSs) or a multi-program transport stream (MPTS) from the IP multicast;
a multiplexer configured to multiplex the received MPEG/IP SPTSs into a final MPTS directed to one or more QAM channels;
a QAM modulator configured to modulate and upconvert the received MPTS or the final MPTS on the one or more QAM channels; and
an RF f-connector for an in-home QAM/RF network, wherein the electronic device is configured to transmit the one or more QAM channels output from the QAM modulator to the STBs over the in-home QAM/RF network via the RF f-connector.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a standalone (non-xPON) electronic device, and the broadband communication network is an xPON, and the electronic device further comprises:
a wired/wireless local area network (LAN) interface including one or more Ethernet ports, one or more Wi-Fi radios, or combinations thereof, wherein the electronic device communicates with an optical network terminal (ONT), which communicates with an optical line terminal (OLT) via the xPON, over the LAN via the wired/wireless LAN interface to receive MPEG/IP single program transport streams (SPTSs) or a multi program transport stream (MPTS) from the IP multicast;
a multiplexer configured to multiplex the received MPEG/IP SPTSs into a final MPTS directed to one or more QAM channels;
a QAM modulator configured to modulate and upconvert the received MPTS or the final MPTS on the one or more QAM channels; and
an RF f-connector for an in-home QAM/RF network, wherein electronic device is configured to transmit the one or more QAM channels output from the QAM modulator to the STBs over the in-home QAM/RF network via the RF f-connector.

9. A method for delivering content to legacy MPEG/QAM set-top boxes (STBs) by an electronic device, the method comprising:
identifying a QAM channel from a bank of QAM modulator channels of the electronic device that has spare capacity to transmit a MPEG/QAM program stream for a program N, and a unique MPEG program number corresponding to the program N;
joining an IP multicast from a broadband network that includes the program N, and setting up QAM modulation to send the program N on a target frequency corresponding to the identified QAM channel;
transmitting the target frequency to the STBs, wherein transmitting the target frequency notifies the STBs of the target frequency to which the STB is to be tuned and the program N to look for; and
transmitting the MPEG/QAM program stream for the program N to the STBs on the target frequency corresponding to the identified QAM channel.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving a request from one of the STBs to deliver the MP

Assignees

• Arris Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Wheelock Ian

Classifications

• H04N21/238

  Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams {(hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} · CPC title

• H04N21/222 Primary

  Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} · CPC title

• H04N21/2383

  Channel coding {or modulation} of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation (arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002) · CPC title

• H04N21/6118

  involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem · CPC title

• H04N21/6125

  involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82) · CPC title