Alternating Voice and Video Over Shared Telephone Line
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Personal emergency response systems (PERS) typically use a single voice grade telephone line, limiting the ability to transmit continuous video signals alongside two-way voice communication over the same line, which is essential for assessing a user's physical condition effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that alternately establish and disestablish communication connections to enable simultaneous voice and continuous video transmission over a single voice grade telephone line, using a video transmitter panel and alarm panel connected to the public switched telephone network, allowing for in-band DTMF signaling to switch between voice and video modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single voice grade telephone line is used for two-way voice communication, then the system maintains simplicity and cost-effectiveness, but the ability to transmit continuous video signals is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches the telephone line between voice and video modes by establishing and disestablishing communication connections in sequence. The alarm panel actively manages the state transitions, making the single line adaptable to different transmission needs without requiring permanent dedicated channels for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic alternation between voice and video transmission modes. Rather than attempting simultaneous transmission, the line is used alternately for voice communication and video signal transmission, with the alarm panel coordinating the timing and sequence of these periodic actions to satisfy both functional requirements.
2Productivity
If voice and video signals are transmitted simultaneously over the same telephone line, then both functions are available at once, but signal interference and quality degradation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic alternation between voice and video modes to prevent signal interference. By switching the transmission mode in time-division manner rather than attempting simultaneous transmission, the system maintains high signal quality for each function while achieving overall productivity through efficient use of the single telephone line.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for alternately transmitting an audio signal and a video signal over a single voice grade telephone line is disclosed. The system includes an apparatus located at a subscriber location which establishes a first communication connection between a user at the subscriber location and a dispatcher at a dispatch station, over which first communication connection transmission of voice signals are enabled to be simultaneously transmitted between the subscriber's premise and the dispatcher, and which disestablishes the first communication connection and establishes a second communication connection over which a continuous video signal is transmitted from the subscriber location to the dispatcher.