Narrowband video codec

• US 7,031,391 B1
• Filed: 02/18/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riffee, Robert Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, RICHARD J
• Application Number:
  US08/800,574
• Time in Patent Office: 3,346 Days
• Field of Search: 348 12- 14, 348/384, 348/390, 348/845, 348/845.1, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.08, 348/14.13, 371/30, 371/37.4, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 386/95, 386/104, 375/240, 375/240.01, 375/240.25, 375/240.27, 375/240.24
• US Class Current: 375/240.27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A narrowband video codec for generating an output stream of control, data, and error correction bits includes means for framing the outputs control and data bits into a series of sequential frames of bytes for transmission over an RF link of a controlled frequency. Each frame includes an identical sequence of bytes. Each frame of bytes includes, in sequence, two control bytes, a plurality of sequential sets of data bytes, and a plurality of error correction bytes. Each set of data bytes includes a sequence of at least one audio byte and a plurality of video bytes. At least one video byte is between each sequential audio byte. Each set of data bytes has its audio and video bytes in the same order as each other set of data bytes.

Claims

1. A narrowband video codec for generating an output stream of control, data, and error correction bits, said narrowband codec comprising:

means for framing the output, control and data bits into a series of sequential frames of bytes for transmission over an rf link of a controlled frequency wherein each frame comprises an identical sequence of bytes;

each frame comprising, in sequence;

two control bytes;

a plurality of sequential sets of data bytes, each set of data bytes comprising a sequence of at least one audio byte and a plurality of video bytes, at least one of said plurality of video bytes between each sequential audio byte, each set of data bytes having its audio and video bytes in the same order as each other set of data bytes; and

a plurality of error correction bytes.

2. The narrowband video codec of claim 1 wherein each set of data bytes has the same number of video bytes between sequential audio bytes.

3. The narrowband video codec of claim 1 wherein the control bytes include data bit signals representative of the number of bytes in the frame.

4. The narrowband codec of claim 1 further comprising means for periodically refreshing a decompressed video image.

5. The narrowband codec of claim 1 further comprising means for controlling of the level of error correction without re-transmitting corrupted data.

6. The narrowband codec of claim 1 further comprising means for synchronizing the frames to the data rate of the rf link.

7. The narrowband codec of claim 1 further comprising a battery power supply.

8. The narrowband codec of claim 7 wherein the power supply voltage is between 18 and 36 volts.

9. The narrowband video codec of claim 1 wherein each frame comprises 200 bytes including two control bytes, 180 data bytes and 18 error correction bytes.

10. The narrowband video codec of claim 1 wherein each frame comprises 150 video bytes and 30 audio bytes.

11. The narrowband video codec of claim 10 wherein sequential audio bytes are separated from each other by five video bytes.

12. The narrowband video codec of claim 9 wherein each frame comprises 165 video bytes and 15 audio bytes.

13. The narrowband video codec of claim 10 wherein sequential audio bytes are separated from each other by eleven video bytes.

14. The narrowband video codec of claim 1 wherein each frame comprises 40 bytes including two control bytes, 18 data bytes and 20 error correction bytes.

15. The narrowband video codec of claim 14 wherein each frame comprises 12 video bytes and 6 audio bytes.

16. The narrowband video codec of claim 15 wherein sequential audio bytes are separated from each other by two video bytes.

17. The narrowband video codec of claim 1 wherein each frame comprises 15 video bytes and 3 audio bytes.

18. The narrowband video codec of claim 15 wherein sequential audio bytes are separated from each other by five video bytes.