Packet Generator

• US 20100280832A1
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ojala, Pasi, Lakaniemi, Ari
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/500
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/24 Variable rate codecs, e.g. for generating different qualities using a scalable representation such as hierarchical encoding or layered encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation

Abstract

A packet generator for generating packets from an input signal configured to: generate at least one first signal, dependent on the input signal, the first signal comprising a first relative time value; generate at least one second signal, dependent on the input signal and associated with the at least one first signal; and generate at least one indicator associated with each of the at least one second signal, each indicator dependent on the first relative time value.

Claims

1-74. -74. (canceled)

75. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

generate packets from an input signal;

generate at least one core layer encoded signal, based at least in part on the input signal, the core layer encoded signal comprising a first relative time value;

generate at least one enhancement layer signal, based at least in part on the input signal and associated with the at least one core layer encoded signal;

generate at least one indicator associated with each of the at least one enhancement layer signal, each indicator based at least in part on the first relative time value, wherein the indicator comprises an identifier identifying the at least one core layer encoded signal

76. The apparatus claimed in claim 75, wherein the first relative time value comprises a real-time transport protocol time stamp and wherein the identifier comprises the real-time transport protocol time stamp of the at least one core layer encoded signal.

77. The apparatus as claimed in claim 75, wherein each enhancement layer signal comprises an associated second relative time value, and wherein the indicator comprises the difference between the first relative time value and the associated second relative time value.

78. The apparatus generator for generating packets from the input signal as claimed in claim 75, wherein the first signal further comprises:

a sequence number, wherein the each indicator comprises the sequence number value, and

a first identifier value based at least in part on the first relative time value.

79. The apparatus as claimed in claim 78, wherein each indicator comprises the first identifier value.

80. The apparatus as claimed in claim 78, wherein each indicator comprises at least one second identifier value, the second identifier value being based at least in part on the first identifier value and the at least one enhancement layer signal.

81. The apparatus for as claimed in claim 75 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine if a synchronization point has been reached; and

generate the indicator only if a synchronization point has been reached.

82. The apparatus as claimed in claim 81, wherein the synchronization point is determined based at least in part on receiving a synchronization request.

83. The apparatus as claimed in claim 81, wherein the at least core layer encoded signal comprises a plurality of packets and wherein the synchronization point is determined based at least in part on detecting any of a predetermined number of packets, wherein the predetermined number of packets comprise at least one of:

the first predetermined number of packets of the plurality of packets;

at least one of the predetermined number of packets separated from a second of the predetermined number of packets by a second predetermined number of packets;

at least one of the predetermined number of packets separated from a second of the predetermined number of packets by a predetermined time period.

84. The apparatus as claimed in claim 81, wherein the at least core layer encoded signal comprises a plurality of packets and wherein the synchronization point is determined based at least in part on detecting one of the following:

a discontinuity in the stream of packets;

the change of the configuration of at least one of the core layer encoded and enhancement layer signals; and

detect a talk spurt or a restarting of a session.

85. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

receive an encoded signal comprising at least one core layer encoded signal, comprising a first relative time value, at least one enhancement layer encoded signal comprising a second relative time value, and at least one indicator associated with each of the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal;

synchronize each of the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal with at least one of at least one core layer encoded signal based at least in part on the associated at least one indicator first relative time value, wherein the indicator comprises an identifier identifying one of the at least one core layer encoded signal; and

decode each of the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal synchronized with the at least one of the core layer encoded signals to generate a decoded signal.

86. The apparatus as claimed in claim 85, wherein each first relative time value comprises a first time stamp value, and the indicator comprises the first time stamp value for one of the core layer encoded signals associated with one of the enhancement layer encoded signals.

87. The apparatus as claimed in claim 86, wherein each second relative time value comprises a second time stamp value and the apparatus is further configured to determine a time offset value between the first time stamp value and the second time stamp value of the associated one of the enhancement layer encoded signals.

88. The apparatus as claimed in claim 85 wherein the indicator comprises the difference between the first relative time value and the associated second relative time value.

89. The apparatus as claimed in claim 85, wherein the core layer encoded signal further comprises a sequence number;

and wherein the each indicator comprises the sequence number value of the associated core layer encoded signal.

90. The apparatus as claimed in claim 85, wherein the core layer encoded signal further comprises a first identifier value based at least in part on the first relative time value, wherein each indicator comprises the first identifier value, and wherein each indicator comprises at least one second identifier value, the second identifier value being based at least in part on the first identifier value and the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal.

91. A method for comprising:

generating packets from an input signal;

generating at least one core layer encoded signal, based at least in part on the input signal, the core layer signal comprising a first relative time value;

generating at least one enhancement layer signal, based at least in part on the input signal and associated with the at least one core layer encoded signal;

generating at least one indicator associated with each of the at least one enhancement layer signal, each indicator based at least in part on the first relative time value, wherein the indicator comprises an identifier identifying the at least one core layer encoded signal.

92. The method as claimed in claim 91, wherein the first relative time value comprises a real-time transport protocol time stamp and wherein the identifier comprises the real-time transport protocol time stamp of the at least one core layer encoded signal.

93. The method as claimed in claim 91, wherein each enhancement layer signal comprises an associated second relative time value, and wherein the indicator comprises the difference between the first relative time value and the associated second relative time value.

94. The method as claimed in claim 91, wherein the first signal further comprises:

a sequence number, wherein the each indicator comprises the sequence number value; and

a first identifier value based at least in part on the first relative time value.

95. The method as claimed in claim 94, wherein each indicator comprises the first identifier value.

96. The method as claimed in claim 94, wherein each indicator comprises at least one second identifier value, the second identifier value being based at least in part on the first identifier value and the at least one enhancement layer signal.

97. The method as claimed in claims 91 further comprising:

determining if a synchronization point has been reached; and

generating the indicator only if a synchronization point has been reached.

98. The method as claimed in claim 97, wherein the synchronization point is determined based at least in part on receiving a synchronization request.

99. The method as claimed in claim 97, wherein the at least core layer encoded signal comprises a plurality of packets and wherein the synchronization point is determined based at least in part on detecting any of a predetermined number of packets, wherein the predetermined number of packets comprise at least one of:

the first predetermined number of packets of the plurality of packets;

at least one of the predetermined number of packets separated from a second of the predetermined number of packets by a second predetermined number of packets;

at least one of the predetermined number of packets separated from a second of the predetermined number of packets by a predetermined time period.

100. The method as claimed in claim 97, wherein the at least core layer encoded signal comprises a plurality of packets and wherein the synchronization point is determined based at least in part on detecting one of the following:

a discontinuity in the stream of packets;

the changing of the configuration of at least one of the first and second signals; and

detecting a talk spurt or a restarting of a session.

101. A method comprising:

receiving an encoded signal comprising at least one core layer encoded signal, comprising a first relative time value, at least one enhancement layer encoded signal comprising a second relative time value, and at least one indicator associated with each of the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal; and

synchronizing each of the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal with at least one of at least one core layer encoded signal based at least in part on the associated at least one indicator first relative time value, wherein the indicator comprises an identifier identifying one of the at least one core layer encoded signal; and

decoding each of the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal synchronized with the at least one of the core layer encoded signals to generate a decoded signal.

102. The method as claimed in claim 101, wherein each first relative time value comprises a first time stamp value, and the indicator comprises the first time stamp value for one of the core layer encoded signals associated with one of the enhancement layer encoded signals.

103. The method as claimed in claim 102, wherein each second relative time value comprises a second time stamp value and the method further comprises determining a time offset value between the first time stamp value and the second time stamp value of the associated one of the enhancement layer encoded signals.

104. The method as claimed in claim 101 wherein the indicator comprises the difference between the first relative time value and the associated second relative time value.

105. The method as claimed in claim 101, wherein the core layer encoded signal further comprises a sequence number;

and wherein the each indicator comprises the sequence number value of the associated core layer encoded signal.

106. The method for as claimed in claim 101, wherein the core layer encoded signal further comprises a first identifier value based at least in part on the first relative time value, wherein each indicator comprises the first identifier value, and wherein each indicator comprises at least one second identifier value, the second identifier value being based at least in part on the first identifier value and the at least one enhancement layer encoded signal.