Systems and methods for efficient event-based synchronization in media file transfer and real-time display rendering between a peripheral system and a host device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9877064-B2
Application number	US-201514808166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2015
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A portable system including a digital connection plug, a processing hardware unit, and a non-transitory storage device including code causing the processing hardware unit to perform operations including dividing a received source video file or virtualized source video into a plurality of equal- or non-equal-sized image components. A resulting data-content package is stored at the system such as at a framebuffer thereof. System operations further comprise generating a meta-index package comprising a plurality of index components, each index component corresponding to a respective one of the equal-sized image components, storing the meta-index package, and sending the data-content package and the meta-index package to the host device for publishing of the image components sequentially, in accord with an order of the meta-index package, for display rendering streaming video corresponding to the source video file or virtualized source video.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable system, enabling event-based synchronization for real-time video streaming, comprising:
a processing hardware unit; and
a non-transitory storage device comprising computer-executable code that, when executed by the processing hardware unit, causes the processing hardware unit to perform operations comprising:
receiving from a video source, a source video file or a virtualized source video;
dividing the source video file or virtualized source video into a plurality of immediately-preceding image components and next image components, yielding respectively an immediately-preceding data-content package and a next data-content package;
sending, from the portable system to a host device, an immediately-preceding data-content package/meta-index package pair comprising the immediately-preceding data-content package and a corresponding immediately-preceding meta-index package, for publishing of image components of the immediately-preceding data-content package, sequentially at the host device, in accord with an order of the immediately-preceding meta-index package, for real-time display rendering of streaming video, corresponding to the source video file or the virtualized source video, by way of the host device and a display component;
determining an amount of the immediately-preceding data-content package read at the host device, yielding a determined read amount;
generating a next data-content package/meta-index package pair comprising a next meta-index package having a plurality of next index components, each next index component corresponding to a respective one of the image components of the next data-content package; and
sending the next data-content package/meta-index package pair from the portable system to the host device for publishing of the image components, of the next data-content package, sequentially at the host device, in accord with an order of the next meta-index package, for real-time display rendering of streaming video, corresponding to the source video file or virtualized source video, by way of the host device and the display component;

wherein the generating and the sending operations are performed according to a write-timing algorithm comprising as a variable, for determining when to write and send, to the host device, the next data-content package/meta-index package pair, the determined read amount of the immediately-preceding data-content package read at the host device.

2. The portable system of claim 1 wherein the operation of dividing the source video file or the virtualized source video into the plurality of components comprises dividing the source video file or the virtualized source video into equal-sized image components, yielding the immediately-preceding data-content package and the next data-content package.

3. The portable system of claim 1 wherein the video source comprises a screen framebuffer of another device.

4. The portable system of claim 1 wherein:
generating the next data-content package/meta-index package pair yields a linkage relationship between the next data-content package and the next meta-index package in real time at the remote portable system; and
the operations further comprise, subsequent to generating the next data-content package/meta-index package pair, adjusting the linkage relationship between the next data-content package and the next meta-index package in real time at the remote portable system.

5. The portable system of claim 1 wherein:
with C 0 indicating an amount of the immediately-preceding data-content package yet read at the host device, the write-timing algorithm is represented as follows:
(a) if the immediately-preceding data-content package is being read at the host device, then an unread-portion variable (U) is C 0 ;
(b) else, U=U−1; and
(c) repeat (a) and (b) until (F 1 )C 0 <U<(F 2 )C 0 , and at which time write the next content package/meta-index package pair;

F 1 is a first fraction greater than 0 and less than 1; and
F 2 is a second fraction greater than F 1 and less than 1.

6. The portable system of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving an instruction sent by the host device; and
altering a setting at the portable system according to the instruction.

7. The portable system of claim 6 wherein the portable system is configured for simultaneous bidirectional communications with the host device via a forward channel, by which the data-content packages and corresponding meta-index packages are sent by the processing hardware unit to the host device, and a back channel by which the instruction sent by the host device is received at the processing hardware unit.

8. The portable system of claim 6 wherein the setting is selected from a group consisting of a quality of the image components and a playback setting affecting a manner by which the data-content packages are delivered by the portable system to the host device.

9. The portable system of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable code comprises instructions configured according to a dynamic programming language to facilitate interactions with the host device also comprising the dynamic programming language.

10. The portable system of claim 1 further comprising a human-machine interface connected to the processing hardware unit, wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving a user-input signal by way of the human-machine interface; and
performing, based on the user-input signal, at least one system-programming routine selected from a group consisting of:
establishing a setting and storing the setting to the non-transitory storage device; and
altering a setting previously stored at the portable system.

11. The portable system of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise generating, based on the source video file or virtualized source video, a subsequent data-content package and a corresponding subsequent meta-index package associated with the subject video, and sending, to the host device, the subsequent data-content package for sequential publishing of content of the subsequent data-content package in accord with an order of the subsequent meta-index package for display rendering via the computer as streaming video, following streaming video display rendered based on the next data-content package/data-index package pair.

12. The portable system of claim 1 wherein:
the host device is a part of an automobile comprising a universal serial bus (USB) port;
the portable system comprises a corresponding USB plug for mating with the automobile; and
the computer-executable code comprises a USB mass-storage-device-class computing protocol for use in sending the data-content packages and the meta-index packages to the portable system also having the USB mass-storage-device-class computing protocol.

13. A host system, enabling event-based synchronization for real-time video streaming, comprising:
a processing hardware unit; and
a non-transitory storage device comprising computer-executable code that, when executed by the processing hardware unit, cause the processing hardware unit to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a portable system, a first data-content package comprising first image components generated at the portable system based on a source video file or virtualized source video;
receiving, from the portable system, a first meta-index package comprising a plurality of first index components, each first index component corresponding to a respective one of the first image components;
publishing in real-time, to a display component in communication with the processing hardware unit, the first image components sequenti

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Bai Fan
• Shan Dan
• Nieman Leonard
• Grimm Donald K
• Juzswik Karen

Classifications

• H04N21/44004

  involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer · CPC title

• H04N21/41422

  located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle (arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62) · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/4302 Primary

  Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation · CPC title

• H04N21/41407

  embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57) · CPC title