Integrated video and audio signal distribution system and method for use on commercial aircraft and other vehicles

Claim 1

A digital audio distribution system for use on aircraft and other vehicles comprising: a plurality of digital signal sources for generating a plurality of compressed digital audio signal outputs; a multiplexer having a plurality of signal input terminals for receiving said compressed digital audio signal outputs, said multiplexer being adapted to time domain multiplex said compressed digital audio signal outputs to produce a single composite data signal; a demultiplexer adapted to receive said composite data signal and to select a desired channel from said composite data signal; a decompression circuit adapted to receive said selected channel from said demultiplexer and to decompress said selected channel to produce a decompressed digital output signal; and a digital-to-analog converter adapted to receive said decompressed digital output signal and to convert said decompressed digital output signal to an analog audio signal; wherein said composite data signal comprises a plurality of compression blocks having F frames per block, C digital audio channels per frame, and P compression parameters per channel; said multiplexer is configured to allocate N time slots per frame for said compression parameters, N being an integer equal to or greater than (C×P)/F; and said multiplexer assigns selected groups comprising N of said compression factors to selected frames within each compression block.

Claim 3

A method of distributing within an commercial aircraft or other passenger vehicle, said method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of compressed digital audio signal outputs; providing said plurality of compressed digital audio signal outputs directly to a multiplexer; time domain multiplexing said compressed digital audio signal outputs to produce a composite digital audio data signal; delivering said composite digital audio data signal to a demultiplexer disposed at a location remote from said multiplexer; selecting a channel from said composite digital audio data signal; decompressing said selected channel to produce an expanded digital audio signal; converting said expanded digital audio signal to an analog signal; and providing said analog audio signal to an audio transducer; wherein said composite digital audio data signal comprises a plurality of compression blocks having F frames per block, C digital audio channels per frame, and P compression parameters per channel; and said time domain multiplexing step comprises the steps of: allocating N time slots per frame for said compression parameters, N being an integer equal to or greater than (CxP)/F; and assigning selected groups comprising N of said compression factors to selected frames within each compression block.

Claim 4

A method of distributing within an commercial aircraft or other passenger vehicle, said method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of compressed digital audio signal outputs; providing said plurality of compressed digital audio signal outputs directly to a multiplexer; time domain multiplexing said compressed digital audio signal outputs to produce a composite digital audio data signal; delivering said composite digital audio data signal to a demultiplexer disposed at a location remote from said multiplexer; selecting a channel from said composite digital audio data signal; decompressing said selected channel to produce an expanded digital audio signal; converting said expanded digital audio signal to an analog signal; and providing said analog audio signal to an audio transducer; wherein said composite digital audio data signal comprises a plurality of compression blocks having F frames per block, C digital audio channels per frame, and P compression parameters per channel; and said time domain multiplexing step comprises the steps of: allocating N time slots per frame for said compression parameters, N being an integer equal to or greater than (CxP)/F; and assigning selected groups comprising N of said compression factors to selected frames within each compression block.