Method and apparatus for communicating a plurality of asynchronous signals over a digital communication path
First Claim
1. Apparatus for communicating signals over a digital communication path comprising:
- means for digitizing an information signal at a first rate to provide digital data for processing into data packets;
means for providing a periodic begin signal synchronous with said first rate and indicative of the occurrence of successive new data packets;
means for outputting said data packets for transmission at a second rate greater than and asynchronous with said first rate, thereby producing a variable time interval between successive transmitted packets; and
means, operatively associated with said outputting means and responsive to said begin signal, for filling the time intervals between successive packets with pad bits to provide a continuous data stream for transmission.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Multiple asynchronous signals are transmitted and received through a digital link. Each of a plurality of information signals is digitized at a digitizing rate derived from a component of the signal. For example, the color subcarrier of a television signal can be used to establish the digitizing rate for video and audio signal portions. Each digitized signal is packetized for communication at a transmission rate greater than and asynchronous with its digitizing rate. A variable time interval results between successive transmitted packets for each signal. The time interval between each successive packet for each signal is filled with a variable number of pad bits to provide a continuous data stream. The data streams for all of the signals are multiplexed to provide a combined data stream for transmission. Each packet for each of the signals contains a fixed number of data bits digitized over a fixed time interval related to the digitizing rate for the signal. The transmitted combined data stream is received, and the receipt of successive packets is monitored for each signal to determine the fixed time interval for that signal. The digitizing rate for each signal is computed from its fixed time interval. The received data packets for each signal are then converted to an analog form at the signal'"'"'s digitizing rate to reconstruct the original information signals.
111 Citations
60 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for communicating signals over a digital communication path comprising:
-
means for digitizing an information signal at a first rate to provide digital data for processing into data packets; means for providing a periodic begin signal synchronous with said first rate and indicative of the occurrence of successive new data packets; means for outputting said data packets for transmission at a second rate greater than and asynchronous with said first rate, thereby producing a variable time interval between successive transmitted packets; and means, operatively associated with said outputting means and responsive to said begin signal, for filling the time intervals between successive packets with pad bits to provide a continuous data stream for transmission. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. Apparatus for communicating a plurality of asynchronous signals over a digital transmission path comprising:
-
means for digitizing an information signal at a first rate to provide digital data; buffer means coupled to receive said data at said first rate for storage; packetizing means coupled to receive said data from said buffer means at a second rate greater than said first rate for processing into data packets; means for providing a periodic begin signal that is synchronous with said first rate and indicative of the occurrence of successive data packets; means for outputting said data packets for transmission at said second rate with a time interval between successive packets resulting from the difference in time it takes the buffer means to receive data at said first rate and the outputting means to output data at said second rate; and means, operatively associated with said outputting means and responsive to said begin signal, for filling the time intervals between successive packets with pad bits to provide a continuous data stream for transmission. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A data receiver for processing data packets from a digital communication path comprising:
-
means for receiving serially transmitted data packets at a serial transmission rate, said data packets containing data representing a digitized information signal; means, responsive to an interval in which successive data packets are received, for generating a timing signal corresponding to a digitizing rate at which said information signal was digitized; and means responsive to said timing signal for reconstructing said information signal from the received data packets. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
-
-
51. A method for communicating signals over a digital communication path comprising the steps of:
-
digitizing an information signal at a first rate; packetizing said digitized signal for transmission at a second rate greater than and asynchronous with said first rate, wherein a variable time interval results between successive transmitted packets; and filling the time interval between each successive packet with pad bits to provide a continuous data stream for transmission. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
-
-
58. A method for communicating a plurality of asynchronous communication signals over a digital communication path comprising the steps of:
-
digitizing each of a plurality of information signals at a digitizing rate derived from a component of the signal; packetizing each digitized signal for communication at a transmission rate greater than and asynchronous with its digitizing rate, wherein a variable time interval results between successive transmitted packets for each signal; filling the time interval between each successive packet for each signal with pad bits to provide a continuous data stream; and multiplexing the data streams for all of said signals to provide a combined data stream for transmission. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60)
-
Specification