Aircraft Data Playback Synchronization Under Network Jitter
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multimedia systems in environments like aircraft and cooperative robots face challenges in maintaining synchronized data playback due to network jitter and clock synchronicity issues, leading to reduced media quality and task coordination effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A system with an offset calculation device and synchronized clients, using a shared reference timeframe and timestamped data frames, ensures precise playback timing across multiple devices by determining and enforcing a synchronized playback time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple clients receive and playback timestamped data frames independently, then each client can operate autonomously, but network jitter and clock differences cause loss of synchronicity in data playback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary synchronization mechanism that mediates between independent clients and the central server. This intermediary layer translates server timestamps into client-specific playback schedules, accounting for network jitter and clock differences. The intermediary buffer on each client side acts as a mediator that absorbs timing variations and ensures synchronized playback across all clients without requiring complex inter-client communication.
2Reliability
If a centralized synchronization mechanism is implemented to ensure synchronized playback, then synchronicity is improved, but system complexity and control overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables each client to self-synchronize by independently calculating its playback schedule based on server-provided timestamps and its own measured network conditions. Each client maintains a local buffer and autonomously determines when to play back each frame to achieve synchronization with other clients. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex centralized real-time control while maintaining reliable synchronicity.
3Measurement precision
If data frames are transmitted with timestamps for synchronized playback, then playback timing precision is improved, but network transmission overhead and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and embedding timestamps in data frames during encoding, and pre-allocating buffer spaces in clients before playback begins. The server prepares synchronization metadata in advance, and clients pre-load frames into their buffers according to predicted playback times. This preliminary preparation simplifies real-time processing during actual playback while maintaining high timing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for synchronized data playback in an aircraft comprising at least one offset calculation device; and a plurality of clients; wherein the plurality of clients are each synchronized to a shared reference timeframe, each of the plurality of clients is configured to receive a common set of timestamped data frames, the offset calculation device is configured to determine a synchronized playback time for each of the common set of timestamped data frames with respect to the shared reference timeframe; and each of the plurality of clients is configured to playback each of the common set of timestamped data frames at the respective determined playback time.