Method and apparatus for serial transmission and/or reception of nonsynchronous, multiplexed signals

• US 5,523,795 A
• Filed: 08/16/1994
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ueda, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Application Number:
  US08/291,194
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 348/423, 348/434, 348/435, 348/480, 348/481, 348/482, 348/483, 348/484, 348/485, 348/479, 348/478, 348/477, 348/472, 348/462, 348/465, 348/464, 348/467, 348/512, 348/515 , 348/516, 348/537, 348/432, 348/474, 348/473, 348/489, 348/495, 348/496, 348/517-519, 348/520, 348/524, 348/521, 348/546, 348/540, 348/536
• US Class Current: 348/480
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/56 Synchronising systems therefor

Abstract

A method and an apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving multiplexed signals as serial data in such a manner that, even in a state where a continuous signal such as an audio digital signal is not in synchronism with another signal such as a video digital signal, the continuous signal can be properly reproduced on a reception side. Address data based on a word clock of another digital signal is sampled on a transmission side in accordance with a sampling clock of the continuous signal, and the sampled address value is included in the multiplexed signals to be thereby transmitted together to the reception side. Then on the reception side, a word clock synchronously locked to the word clock of the transmission-side another digital signal is reproduced from the received serial data, and address data is generated on the basis of the reproduced word clock, so that the reception-side clock of the continuous signal is reproduced from the generated address data and the transmitted address value included in the multiplexed signals, whereby the continuous signal is reproduced in accordance with the clock thus reproduced.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of multiplexed signals as serial data obtained by multiplexing a first digital sample signal of a continuous signal with a second digital sample signal, said method comprising the steps of:

generating an address based on a clock signal of said second digital sample signal;

sampling the generated address by the use of a sampling clock signal of said continuous signal to produce a sampled address value; and

transmitting the multiplexed signals inclusive of the sampled address value inserted therein.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving serial data on a reception side and reproducing, from the received serial data, a first clock signal synchronized with a transmission-side clock signal of said second digital sample signal;

generating address data on the basis of the reproduced first clock signal;

generating a second clock signal for reproduction of said continuous signal from both the generated address data and an address value separated from the received serial data; and

reproducing said continuous signal in accordance with the generated second clock signal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a word clock signal of said second digital sample signal is equal to a word clock signal of the multiplexed signals.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said continuous signal is an audio signal, and said second digital sample signal is a digital video signal, and the sample signal of said audio signal is multiplexed during a blanking period of said digital video signal.

5. An apparatus for transmission of multiplexed signals as serial data obtained by multiplexing a first digital sample signal of a continuous signal with a second digital sample signal, said apparatus comprising:

a circuit for generating an address based on a clock signal of said second digital sample signal;

a circuit for sampling the generated address by the use of a sampling clock signal of said continuous signal to produce a sampled address value;

a circuit for inserting the sampled address value into said multiplexed signals; and

a circuit for converting said multiplexed signals, where the address value is inserted, into serial data for transmitting the same.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a circuit for receiving serial data and separating, on a reception side, the received serial data into said first digital sample signal of the continuous signal, said second digital sample signal and said address value;

a circuit for reproducing a first clock signal synchronized with the clock signal of said second digital sample signal;

a circuit for generating address data on the basis of the reproduced first clock signal;

a comparator circuit for comparing the generated address data with the address value of the received received serial data;

a circuit for generating a second clock signal for reproduction of said continuous signal on the basis of an output of said comparator circuit; and

a circuit for reproducing said continuous signal in accordance with the generated second clock signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a word clock signal of said second digital sample signal is equal to a word clock signal of said multiplexed signal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said continuous signal is an audio signal, and said second digital sample signal is a digital video signal, and the sample signal of said audio signal is multiplexed during the blanking period of said digital video signal.

9. An apparatus for transmitting and receiving multiplexed signals as serial data obtained by multiplexing a first digital sample signal of a continuous signal with a second digital sample signal, said apparatus comprising:

a circuit for generating a word address based on a word clock signal of said second digital sample signal;

a circuit for sampling the generated word address in accordance with the sampling clock signal of said continuous signal to produce a word address value;

a circuit for inserting the word address value into said multiplexed signals;

a circuit for converting said multiplexed signals, where the word address value is inserted, into serial data for transmitting the same;

a circuit for receiving the serial data and separating the received serial data into said first digital sample signal of the continuous signal, said second digital sample signal and said word address value;

a circuit for reproducing a first word clock signal synchronized with a word clock signal of said second digital sample signal;

a circuit for generating word address data on the basis of the reproduced first word clock signal;

a comparator circuit for comparing the generated word address data with the word address value of the received serial data;

a circuit for generating a second word clock signal for reproduction of said continuous signal on the basis of the output of said comparator circuit; and

a circuit for reproducing said continuous signal in accordance with the generated second word clock signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the word clock signal of said second digital sample signal is equal to the word clock signal of the multiplexed signal.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said continuous signal is an audio signal, and said second digital sample signal is a digital video signal, and the sample signal of said audio signal is multiplexed during the blanking period of said digital video signal.