Sony Deutschland Gmbh

Sony International (europe) Gmbh

Grundig Ag

Sony Corporation

Markus Zumkeller

Lothar Stadelmeier

Andreas Schwager

Stephen Tiedemann

Gralf Gaedeken

Carsten Merkle

Jens Wildhagen

Thomas Kemp

Dietmar Schill

Peter Buchner

Besma Kraiem

Janos Enderlein

Ralf Schaefer

Rudolf Bittner

Jurgen Grassle

Wolfgang Schafer

Gralf GÄDEKEN

A transmitting device, a receiving device, and a communication method for transmitting and receiving data modulated on frequency subcarriers of an OFDM communication system. An OFDM burst includes a preamble part and payload data part, whereby the preamble includes a section of pilot symbols mapped onto every n-th frequency subcarrier and signaling data mapped onto the frequency subcarriers between the frequency subcarriers with the pilot symbols. A first channel estimation on the basis of the received pilot symbols is performed, the result of which is used to reconstruct the entire section of the received preamble as a training pattern for an accurate channel estimation, which is used for a channel equalization of the received payload part.

Transmitting device, receiving device and communication method for an OFDM communication system with new preamble structure

A power line communication method for realizing data communication between at least one first or sending power line communication partner device and at least one second or receiving power line communication partner device. The method checks transmission conditions of a plurality of possible communication channels, thereby generating transmission condition data descriptive for the communication conditions of the respective possible communication channels. Additionally, communication conditions of the plurality of possible communication channels are selected as actual communication conditions based on the transmission condition data.

Power line communication methods and devices

A method for determining a point in time within an audio signal, the audio signal having been transmitted from a broadcast station to a client and to a server, the method including: deriving, at the server, first signature data from the audio signal, wherein a reference point in time is associated with the beginning or end of the audio data corresponding to the first signature data; deriving, at the client, second signature data from the audio signal, wherein the second signature data are derived in the same manner as the first signature data at the server; comparing the first and second signature data; and determining the point in time to be equal to the reference point in time depending on a result of the comparing.

Method for determining a point in time within an audio signal

A transmitting device, a receiving device, and a communication method are for transmitting and receiving data modulated on frequency subcarriers of an OFDM communication system. An OFDM burst includes a preamble part and payload data part, whereby the preamble includes a section of pilot symbols mapped onto every n-th frequency subcarrier and signaling data mapped onto the frequency subcarriers between the frequency subcarriers with the pilot symbols. A first channel estimation on the basis of the received pilot symbols is performed, the result of which is used to reconstruct the entire section of the received preamble as a training pattern for an accurate channel estimation, which is used for a channel equalization of the received payload part.

A power line communication method is provided for realizing data communication between at least one first or sending power line communication partner device (P) and at least one second or receiving power line communication partner device (P). The inventive method comprises a step of checking transmission conditions of a plurality of possible communication channels (Ch, . . . , Chn). Thereby generating transmission condition data which are descriptive for the communication conditions of the respective possible communication channels (Ch, . . . , Chn). Additionally, a step of selecting communication conditions of the plurality of possible communication channels (Ch, . . . , Chn) as actual communication conditions based on said transmission condition data.

Dynamic FD coexistence method for PLC systems

A radio transmission signal consisting of signal frames that comprise a dynamic data part and a quasi-static data part according to the present invention is characterized in that the dynamic data part of a respective frame contains an indicator showing in which following frame the quasi-static data part of this respective frame will be repeated. Therewith, an alternative frequency of e.g. a digital shortwave signal like a DRM signal can easily and satisfactorily be checked before a fast seamless switching to this alternative frequency can be performed. The inventive method to perform a seamless switching of a receiver from a first currently tuned frequency to a second alternative frequency is characterized by the step of receiving at least one set of samples from a respective signal transmitted on at least one second frequency during a time period during which said indicator assures that it is secure that only data that has been transmitted at least once is transmitted as signal on said first frequency to gather some information about said alternative frequency.

Alternative frequency strategy for DRM

In digital broadcast systems, it is common to broadcast besides main services additional services like news services. Typically, these additional services are regularly updated and broadcasted by a service provider () several times a day. In order to keep service data transmitted by the additional services up to date in a receiving device () receiving the services, a method of accessing services is given according to which a respective service information about the services provided by service providers () is extracted from a service presently received by the receiving device (), and then at least one of the services about which service information was extracted according to the respective extracted service information might be accessed. Thus, the service data can automatically be updated by the receiving device () itself, even if transmission conditions of an additional service like update rates change over the time.

Broadcast receiver

Broadcast based information systems like Teletext use a unidirectional communication scheme in order to get access to information. This means that requests for data objects are not transmitted from a client to a server. Instead the receiver part of the client has to listen for the requested object on the broadcast medium and copy it to the local storage when it goes by. The access time from the receiver point of view is defined as the difference between the reception point in time of the object and the point in time when the request was made. Nowadays realized broadcast based information systems are not able to determine precisely when a requested object will be available. The present invention uses a repetition distance which defines an additional parameter which has to be transmitted with each broadcast data object at the transmitter side. The receiver can use this information to determine the precise repetition point in time of a requested object. This information can be used to realize a progress indicator, so that an user can be informed about the time he has to wait for the requested object. Also this information is essential for the realization of certain caching strategies.

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Schwaikheim, Germany

Markus Zumkeller