Synchronous Control Device for Multi-Source Video and Audio Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in achieving complete synchronization of video/audio data from multiple imaging system devices to a remote video monitoring apparatus, where differences in imaging processing delay and jitter cause frame timestamp shifts, making it difficult to perfectly synchronize the data.
Innovation Solution
A synchronous control device and method that acquires frame data from multiple sources, assigns new timestamps to ensure synchronized start times and intervals, detects and corrects for missing or redundant frames, using a frame acquisition unit, frame shaping unit, missing frame detecting unit, and surplus frame detecting unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If frame timestamp assignment is performed based on acquisition time from multiple imaging system devices, then each device can independently timestamp its frames, but frame timestamp shifts occur due to differences in imaging processing delay and jitter
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary timestamp assignment based on acquisition time at each imaging system device, then subsequently corrects the timestamps through frame shaping processing. This preliminary action allows each device to independently timestamp frames while maintaining the ability to synchronize them later, resolving the contradiction between independent timestamping and synchronization reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame shaping unit compares frame timestamps from multiple devices and adjusts them based on detected shifts caused by processing delays and jitter. This feedback mechanism continuously monitors and corrects timestamp deviations, ensuring synchronization reliability while allowing each device to maintain its own timestamping process.
2Measurement precision
If frame shaping is performed to equalize start times and time intervals of frame data from multiple sources, then synchronization accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame shaping unit changes the timestamp parameter of frame data by adding or subtracting time values to equalize start times and time intervals. Instead of complex temporal alignment, the system simply adjusts the timestamp parameter, achieving synchronization accuracy through parameter modification rather than complex processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the timestamp information from frame data for synchronization purposes, leaving the actual frame content unchanged. This extraction approach simplifies processing by focusing solely on the temporal parameter that needs adjustment, rather than processing the entire frame data.
3Reliability
If log checking and packet data analysis are performed to identify frame timestamp shifts, then synchronization issues can be detected, but the processing becomes very complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The frame shaping unit automatically detects and corrects timestamp shifts by comparing timestamps from multiple devices directly, without requiring external log checking or packet data analysis. The system performs self-diagnosis and self-correction of synchronization issues, eliminating the need for complicated detection processing while maintaining reliable synchronization.
4Reliability
If frame timestamps are adjusted to account for internal time fluctuations in collection devices, then synchronization is improved, but the system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary timestamp assignment that accounts for expected internal time fluctuations, then applies additional frame shaping adjustments as needed. This preliminary consideration of time fluctuations simplifies subsequent processing by pre-compensating for known variations in collection device timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame shaping unit adjusts the timestamp parameter to compensate for internal time fluctuations in collection devices by adding or subtracting calculated time values. This parameter change approach handles time variability simply through arithmetic operations on the timestamp, avoiding complex time compensation mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
To more reliably control synchronous between pieces of video/audio data from a plurality of imaging system devices. A synchronous control unit 15 that synchronizes a plurality of pieces of video/audio data transmitted individually from a plurality of imaging system devices 2 includes a frame acquisition unit 151 configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of frame data from the pieces of video/audio data and assign a frame timestamp based on an acquisition time to each of the plurality of pieces of frame data, for each of the pieces of the video/audio data, and a frame shaping unit 152 configured to assign a new frame timestamp to the plurality of pieces of frame data based on a value of the frame timestamp so that start times of the plurality of pieces of frame data that are close in time among the plurality of pieces of video/audio data are equal to each other, and time intervals between the plurality of pieces of frame data are equal to each other.