RTP Packet Notification for Metronome Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In remote musical instrument performances, existing technologies fail to accurately synchronize the timing of metronomes across different locations, leading to deviations between performance and metronome sounds, causing user discomfort during ensemble playing.
Innovation Solution
A communication method that determines and transmits timing information as notification data within packet data, allowing connected devices to reproduce sound data while maintaining the temporal relationship between performance and metronome sounds, using a communication system with a server facilitating P2P communication and packetizing sound and notification data using RTP protocol.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If timing information is transmitted separately from sound data, then synchronization accuracy may be improved, but network communication efficiency deteriorates due to increased data transmission overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges timing information (notification data) and sound data into a single packet structure using RTP protocol. The notification data indicating timing information presence/absence is embedded within the same packet as sound data, reducing network overhead while maintaining synchronization accuracy through efficient data consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The packet structure is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it transports sound data for audio playback, carries timing information for synchronization, and includes notification data for coordination. This multi-functional packet reduces the need for separate communication channels and improves overall network efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If timing information is transmitted frequently, then synchronization precision is improved, but data transmission overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transmitting timing information in every packet, the system uses notification data to indicate only when timing information is present. This partial transmission approach reduces data overhead while maintaining synchronization precision by providing timing cues only when necessary for coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential timing indication (presence/absence notification) from the full timing information and transmits it separately within the packet. This extraction reduces the quantity of transmitted data while preserving the critical synchronization function.
3Productivity
If notification data is embedded within sound packets, then communication efficiency is improved, but timing information reliability may deteriorate due to packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The notification data provides feedback to the receiving device about the presence of timing information in each packet. This allows the receiving device to properly process and synchronize based on timing cues when present, while handling packets without timing information appropriately, thus maintaining reliability through adaptive processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification data about timing information presence is prepared and embedded in advance within each packet before transmission. This preliminary indication allows the receiving device to prepare for synchronization events in advance, improving both efficiency and reliability by preventing timing mismatches.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication method according to an embodiment includes determining, by a first communication device, whether timing information, which is repeatedly generated at a predetermined interval and is used for a notification process executed by the first communication device, has been generated; and transmitting, as packet data, notification data and sequentially acquired sound data to a second communication device connected to the first communication device via a network, the notification data being based on a presence or an absence of the timing information during a period in which the sound data, contained in the packet data, was sequentially acquired.