Digital signal multiplexing method and apparatus and digital signal recording medium

• US 5,894,328 A
• Filed: 12/19/1996
• Issued: 04/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Negishi, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Tung T.
• Application Number:
  US08/769,902
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 348/423, 348/424, 348/148, 348/462, 348/464, 348/845.2, 348/845.3, 348/13, 348/484, 386/70, 386/96, 386/82, 386/47, 386/92, 386/68, 386/98, 386/99, 386/94, 386/105, 386/106, 386/109, 386/125, 370/474, 370/487, 370/476, 370/537, 370/538, 370/60.1, 370/412, 360/60, 360/20, 358/426
• US Class Current: 375/240.25
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence

Abstract

A digital signal multiplexing method in which plural bitstreams can be multiplexed without buffer rupture at the time of decoding. At a step S1, the time of extracting each accessing unit AU, which is a processing unit prescribed from one bitstream to another, from a buffer to an associated decoder, from input plural bitstreams, is computed. At the next step S2, the constraint time concerning the delivery start time to the buffer of each accessing unit, is back-computed by processing proceeding in a temporally retrogressive direction, using the data of the extraction time of the accessing units AU, and by reading charging of the accessing units to the decoder buffers for the extraction of the accessing units from the decoder buffers. At the next step S3, the schedule of packetizing the accessing units is determined on the basis of the constraint time as found at step S2, by way of performing the scheduling. The plural bitstreams are multiplexed in accordance with the schedule.

Claims

1. A signal multiplexing method for multiplexing plural input bitstreams of digital signals for generating a multiplexed bitstream, comprising:

computing, from the input plural bitstreams, the time point of extracting each accessing unit, as a processing unit prescribed from bitstream to bitstream, from a buffer of an associated decoder;

back-computing delivery start time to the buffer of each accessing unit by processing proceeding in a temporally retrogressive direction, using data of the extraction time of each accessing unit, and by reading charging of the accessing unit to the buffer for extraction of the accessing unit from the decoder buffer; and

determining the scheduling of packetizing of the accessing units based on the thus computed delivery start time of the accessing units to the buffer.

2. The digital signal multiplexing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input time to the buffer of the last byte of the past packet of the accessing unit is set so as to be temporally previous to the extraction time point of the accessing unit.

3. The digital signal multiplexing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input time to the buffer of the last byte of the past packet of the accessing unit is set so as to be temporally previous to the input time point to the buffer of the first byte of the first packet of the next accessing unit.

4. The digital signal multiplexing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the last byte of the last packet of the accessing unit is removed from the buffer within one second after the input time to the buffer.

5. The digital signal multiplexing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input time point of the last byte of the last packet of the accessing unit to the buffer is temporally posterior to the limit time of producing buffer overflow.

6. The digital signal multiplexing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input time point of the first byte of the first packet of the accessing unit is within one second from the time of extraction of the accessing unit.

7. The digital signal multiplexing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input time point of the first byte of the first packet of the accessing unit to the buffer is posterior to the limit time of buffer overflow.

8. A signal multiplexing apparatus for multiplexing plural in a multiplexed bitstream, comprising:

means for computing, from the input plural bitstreams, the time point of extracting each accessing unit, as a processing unit prescribed from bitstream to bitstream, from a buffer of an associated decoder;

means for back-computing delivery start time to the buffer of each accessing unit by processing proceeding in a temporally retrogressive direction, using data of the extraction time of each accessing unit, and by reading charging of the accessing unit to the buffer for extraction of the accessing unit from the decoder buffer; and

means for determining the scheduling of packetizing of the accessing units based on the thus computed delivery start time of the accessing units to the buffer.

9. A digital signal recording medium on which is recorded a signal obtained by multiplexing a plurality of input bitstreams in such a manner that, from the input plural bitstreams, the time point of extracting each accessing unit, as a processing unit prescribed from bitstream to bitstream, from a buffer of an associated decoder, is computed, the delivery start time to the buffer of each accessing unit is back-computed by processing proceeding in a temporally retrogressive direction, using data of the extraction time of each accessing unit, and by charging of the accessing unit to the buffer is read for extraction of the accessing unit from the decoder buffer, and the scheduling of packetizing of the accessing units is determined based on the thus computed delivery start time of the accessing units to the buffer.