An advanced channel storage and retrieving
system is achieved that is capable of simultaneously transporting multiple-
stream data concurrently, with encryptions and error detection and limited correction capability using
wavefront (WF)
multiplexing (muxing) at the pre-
processing and WF demultiplexing (de-muxing) in the post-
processing. The WF muxing and demuxing
processing can be applied for multiple
signal streams with similar contents and format such as cable TV delivery systems or multiple
signal streams with very distinct contents and format such as Karaoke
multimedia systems. The stored or transported data are preprocessed by a WF muxing processor and are in the formats of multiple sub-channels. Signals in each sub-channel are results of unique linear combination of all the input signals streams. Conversely, an input
signal stream is replicated and appears on all the sub-channels. Furthermore the replicated streams in various sub-channels are “linked” together by a unique phase weighting vector, which is called “
wavefront” or WF. Various input signal streams will feature different WFs among their replicated signal streams in the sub-channels. The WF muxing processing is capable to generating a set of orthogonal WFs, and the WF demuxing processing is capable of reconstituting the input signal streams based on the retrieved sub-
channel data only if the orthogonal characteristics of a set of WFs are preserved. Without the orthogonality among the WF, the signals in sub-channels are mixed and become effectively pseudo
random noise. Therefore, an electronic
locking mechanism in the preprocessing is implemented to make the WFs un-orthogonal among one another. Similarly, an electronic un-
locking mechanism in the post-processing is implemented to restore the orthogonal characteristics among various WFs embedded in the sub-channel signals. Some of the phenomena due to the selected locking mechanisms are reproducible in nature, such as wave propagating effects, and other are distinctively man-made; such as switching sub-channel sequences. There are other conventional
encryption techniques using public and private keys which can be applied in conjunction with the WF muxing and de-muxing processor, converting plain data streams into ciphered data streams which can be decoded back into the original plain data streams. An
encryption algorithm along with a key is used in the
encryption and decryption of data. As to the optional parallel to serial and serial to parallel conversions in the
pre and post processing, respectively, we assume that transmissions with single carrier are more efficient than those with multiple carriers. We also assume single channel recording is more cost effective than multiple channel recording. However, there are occasions that
continuous spectrum is hard to come-by. We may use fragmented spectrum for transmissions. There are techniques to convert
wideband waveforms using continuous spectra into multiple fragmented sub-channels distributed on non-continuous frequency slots. Under these conditions we may replace the parallel to serial conversion processing by a frequency mapping processor.