Safety Audio Transfer Channels for Deterministic Low-Latency Playback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing audio systems face issues with deterministic low latency transfer of safety audio, as hang situations can occur due to delays or stops in non-safety audio sources, impacting occupant safety in vehicles.

Innovation Solution

The system employs separate memory operations and channels for safety and non-safety audio sources, ensuring independent and deterministic low latency transfer of safety audio by using a host processor to manage DMA operations and stream descriptor registers, decoupling the transfer of safety audio from non-safety audio.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If blocks of audio samples from multiple audio sources are transferred sequentially in a single memory operation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of safety audio transfer deteriorates due to potential hang situations caused by non-safety audio sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of safety audio transferVSAvoidcomplexity of memory operation management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the audio transfer system into separate memory operations for safety audio sources and non-safety audio sources. Safety audio transfers are isolated in dedicated memory operations that do not depend on the status of other audio sources, eliminating hang situations while maintaining manageable system complexity through structured separation of critical and non-critical paths

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts safety audio transfer logic from the general audio transfer pipeline by creating independent memory operations specifically for safety audio sources. This extraction ensures that safety audio transfers are not blocked by issues in non-safety audio sources, directly improving reliability without requiring complex coordination mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If safety audio transfer is made independent from non-safety audio sources, then the reliability of safety audio transfer is improved, but the device complexity increases due to separate memory operations and channels

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeterministic low latency transfer of safety audioVSAvoidcomplexity of separate memory operations

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the audio transfer system into distinct memory operations for safety and non-safety audio sources, with safety audio using dedicated channels that are independent of other audio sources. This segmentation achieves deterministic low latency transfer for safety audio while managing complexity through clear functional separation and dedicated resource allocation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces separate memory operations and dedicated memory channels as intermediaries between safety audio sources and the audio processor. These intermediaries act as isolated transfer paths that prevent blocking from non-safety audio sources, ensuring reliable deterministic transfer without requiring complex synchronization mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If sequential transfer of audio blocks from multiple sources is used, then the ease of operation is improved, but the loss of time for safety audio increases due to potential delays from non-safety audio sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelatency in safety audio transferVSAvoidsimplicity of audio transfer process

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the audio transfer process into independent memory operations for safety and non-safety audio sources. Safety audio transfers execute in dedicated time slots without waiting for non-safety audio sources, significantly reducing latency while maintaining operational simplicity through automated memory management and dedicated transfer channels

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary identification and classification of audio sources as safety or non-safety before transfer initiation. This preliminary action enables the system to allocate separate memory operations and channels in advance, ensuring safety audio receives priority treatment and avoiding time loss due to non-safety audio delays

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250390270A1Method and apparatus for transfer of safety audio to and from an audio processor

Publication Date: 2025.12.25 NXP BV

AI summary

Transferring audio samples in an audio system comprises receiving respective streams of audio samples at a same time from a safety audio source and non-safety audio sources, where a sampling frequency of the audio samples of the safety audio source is the same as the sampling frequency of the audio samples of the non-safety audio sources. A determination is made whether the audio samples which are received is from a safety audio source or non-safety audio sources. A first memory operation to transfer the audio samples from the safety audio source to an audio processor in a first memory channel and a second memory operation to transfer the audio samples from the non-safety audio sources to the audio processor in a second memory channel are performed based on the determination.