Patent ID: 6931371
Filing Date: 2005-08-16
Classification: G10L,H04J,H04L

Abstract:
1. A signal transmission apparatus for transmitting a plurality of pieces of encoded audio information encoded by the same encoding method via a digital interface to a signal reception apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of encoded audio information has a sampling frequency of F or ½×F, the apparatus comprising: a data generating section for, based on one-frame data obtained by dividing the encoded audio information into frames, generating at least one block; and a data output section for outputting the at least one block generated by the data generating section to the digital interface, wherein: each of the at least one block includes a body portion, and a header portion storing management information for managing data stored in the body portion; the management information includes synchronization word information indicating a start of the block, and information indicating whether data stored in the body portion is valid; when the encoded audio information has a sampling frequency of F, the data generating section generates one block for one-frame data of the encoded audio information, stores one-frame data of the encoded audio information in the body portion of the generated block, and stores in the header portion of the generated block the management information including information indicating that data stored in the body portion of the generated block is valid; when the encoded audio information has a sampling frequency of ½×F, the data generating section generates a pair of blocks including a previous block and a subsequent block for one-frame data of the encoded audio information, stores one-frame data of the encoded audio information in the body portion of the generated previous block, stores in the header portion of the generated previous block the management information including information indicating that data stored in the body portion of the generated previous block is valid, and stores in the header portion of the generated subsequent block the management information including information indicating that data stored in the body portion of the generated subsequent block is invalid; and the sizes of the previous block and the subsequent block generated by the data generating section when the encoded audio information has a sampling frequency of ½×F are each equal to the size of the one block generated by the data generating section when the encoded audio information has a sampling frequency of F.