Signal Synchronization via Content-Based Frame Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital communication systems face challenges in maintaining synchronization between transmitting and receiving apparatuses, leading to buffer underflow or overflow issues, resulting in data interruptions and noticeable distortions due to independent time clocks, which existing synchronization techniques attempt to address through frame skipping or repeating but introduce complexity and distortion.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for signal synchronization that utilizes a system clock, decoder, and controller to determine the difference between source and local time references, selecting a target frame based on content and performing synchronization operations such as skipping, inserting, or repeating frames to maintain synchronization without significant distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If frame skipping or repeating is used to resynchronize the decoder, then synchronization is achieved, but noticeable distortion and discontinuities are introduced in audio and video presentation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the frame into multiple subframes, allowing synchronization operations to be performed at a finer granularity level. Instead of skipping or repeating entire frames which cause audible discontinuities, the system can adjust individual subframes, thereby maintaining synchronization while minimizing perceptible distortion in the audio and video output.
2Reliability
If subframe skipping or repeating is used to resynchronize the decoder, then synchronization is achieved with less distortion, but buffer memory size increases and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic buffer management approach where the buffer size is adjusted based on the actual synchronization requirements and decoder state. The system can dynamically allocate and deallocate buffer resources, allowing it to handle subframe-level synchronization operations without requiring a fixed, oversized buffer that would increase complexity and memory usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the synchronization parameters dynamically based on the time difference between transmitter and receiver clocks. By adjusting the synchronization operation parameters (such as which subframes to skip or repeat) based on real-time clock differences, the system achieves synchronization without requiring large fixed buffers or complex predetermined synchronization tables.
3Reliability
If subframe skipping or repeating is used to resynchronize the decoder, then synchronization is achieved, but computational resources increase due to complicated calculations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service synchronization mechanism where the decoder automatically adjusts its operation based on the time difference between transmitter and receiver clocks. The system monitors its own state and autonomously determines when and how to perform synchronization operations, eliminating the need for complex external control calculations or intensive computational resources to manage the synchronization process.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for performing signal synchronization of data streams having frames associated with source time reference. A system clock generates a local time reference. A decoder processes the data stream. A system controller determines a difference between the source time reference and the local time reference, compares the difference against a first threshold, selects a target frame from the data stream according to content thereof, and directs the decoder to process the target frame or a frame adjacent thereto.