Audio PDU Recovery From Corrupted Digital Radio Frame Headers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional digital radio broadcasting technologies face challenges in recovering audio transport elements from digital radio broadcast signals with errors in the signal frame header or within individual packets, leading to prolonged signal blending issues.

Innovation Solution

A processor-implemented method and apparatus use predetermined signal parameters to recover audio packets and frame boundary information by identifying valid and invalid audio packet location fields in the protocol data unit (PDU) header, even when PDU header decoding fails, and dynamically or statically throttle the recovery process based on available computation resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If error detection and correction mechanisms are used in the signal decoding process, then signal decoding reliability is improved, but the ability to recover transport elements within a frame when there are errors in the frame header is not provided

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal decoding reliabilityVSAvoidtransport element recovery capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing valid packet length combinations in a lookup table before decoding occurs. When header errors are detected, the system can immediately query this pre-prepared table to recover transport element locations without performing complex real-time calculations, thus maintaining both reliability and recovery capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary recovery process that acts as a mediator between error detection and full decoding. When frame header errors are detected, this intermediate recovery mechanism uses packet length validation and lookup tables to partially recover transport element information, bridging the gap between error detection and complete signal reconstruction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If conventional error detection mechanisms are used, then decoding accuracy is improved, but prolonged signal blending from digital to analog or silence occurs when frame header errors are detected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedecoding accuracyVSAvoidsignal blending duration
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By pre-calculating valid packet length combinations and storing them in lookup tables before decoding, the system eliminates time-consuming real-time calculations. When header errors occur, the recovery process can immediately query pre-computed values, significantly reducing the time signal blending lasts while maintaining decoding accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies skipping by bypassing the normal lengthy decoding process when header errors are detected. Instead of attempting to fully decode the corrupted header, the system skips directly to querying the lookup table with available partial information, rapidly recovering transport element locations and minimizing signal blending duration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

3Loss of information

If audio packet location fields are extracted from the PDU header, then audio packet recovery is enabled, but the process fails when PDU header decoding fails

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaudio packet location recoveryVSAvoidheader decoding reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing and storing valid audio packet length combinations in lookup tables before actual decoding occurs. When PDU header decoding fails, the system can still query these pre-prepared tables using available partial header information to recover audio packet locations, making the recovery process independent of complete header decoding success.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary recovery mechanism that mediates between failed header decoding and audio packet location recovery. This intermediate process uses validation rules and lookup tables to extract packet location information without requiring complete header decoding, bridging the gap between decoding failure and successful recovery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Reliability

If a recovery process is implemented to salvage audio transport elements, then signal quality is improved, but computation resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal qualityVSAvoidcomputation resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing valid packet length combinations in lookup tables before runtime. During recovery operations, the system only needs to query these pre-computed tables rather than performing complex calculations, significantly reducing computation resource consumption while maintaining signal quality improvement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by implementing a tiered recovery process that performs only the necessary minimum computations. Instead of fully decoding all header information, the system performs partial recovery using validation rules and lookup tables, consuming fewer computation resources while still achieving adequate signal quality improvement for the most critical transport elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9219573B2System and method for recovering audio PDU transport elements in digital radio broadcast receiver
Publication Date: 2015.12.22 IBIQUITY DIGITAL CORP
  • US9219573B2 patent drawing
  • US9219573B2 patent drawing
  • US9219573B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and apparatus are provided for recovering audio packet location fields and/or frame boundary information from a received digital radio broadcast signal frame in which there are detected errors in the signal frame header by using selected header elements and/or protocol data unit (PDU) structured data block parameters relating to minimum, maximum, and average packet length or PDU length in a scalable recovery process that may be throttled dynamically or configured statically based on available computation resources within a specific implementation and/or at a specific time.