Apparatus and method for transmitting a plurality of information signals in flexible time-division multiplexing

A method for transmitting a plurality of information signals in accordance with cyclic time-division multiplexing, comprising:

• estimating, for each of the information signals, a data rate with which the respective information signal is most likely to be encoded within a time slice which follows a current time slice;
• determining, for each of the information signals and on the basis of the estimated data rate, a relative waiting time which indicates an estimated starting time of a subsequent time slice of the information signal;
• integrating each of the determined relative waiting times, unmodified, in the current time slice of an associated information signal to transmit the determined relative waiting times to a receiver;
• and
• assigning an actual starting time and an actual data rate to each of the following time slices, such that the actual data rate can deviate from an estimated data rate, wherein in the step of assigning the actual starting times, each of the actual starting times of the subsequent time slices is larger than or equal to the respectively estimated starting time;
• the plurality of information signals are transmitted in accordance with cyclic time-division multiplexing according to a statistical multiplex, and the actual starting times and the actual data rates are assigned in accordance with the statistical multiplex;
• in the step of estimating, the data rate for each of the plurality of information signals is estimated such that each of the plurality of information signals is most likely to be encoded within the time slice which follows the current time slice, using the respective estimated data rate;
• and
• in the step of determining, the estimated data rate for each of the plurality of information signals is directly translated into the estimated starting time such that, if the data of each of the plurality of information signals does not change by more than a predetermined amount, the estimated starting time coincides with the actual starting time for each of the plurality of information signals;
• and
• estimating a data rate of an information signal for the following time slice at least on the basis of preceding and current actual data rates of the information signal.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer program for performing, when the computer program runs on a computer and/or microcontroller, the method for transmitting a plurality of information signals in accordance with cyclic time-division multiplexing, said method comprising:

• estimating, for each of the information signals, a data rate with which the respective information signal is most likely to be encoded within a time slice which follows a current time slice;
• determining, for each of the information signals and on the basis of the estimated data rate, a relative waiting time which indicates an estimated starting time of a subsequent time slice of the information signal;
• integrating each of the determined relative waiting times, unmodified, in the current time slice of an associated information signal to transmit the determined relative waiting times to a receiver;
• and
• assigning an actual starting time and an actual data rate to each of the following time slices, such that the actual data rate can deviate from an estimated data rate, wherein in the step of assigning the actual starting times, each of the actual starting times of the subsequent time slices is larger than or equal to the respectively estimated starting time;
• the plurality of information signals are transmitted in accordance with cyclic time-division multiplexing according to a statistical multiplex, and the actual starting times and the actual data rates are assigned in accordance with the statistical multiplex;
• in the step of estimating, the data rate for each of the plurality of information signals is estimated such that each of the plurality of information signals is most likely to be encoded within the time slice which follows the current time slice, using the respective estimated data rate;
• and
• in the step of determining, the estimated data rate for each of the plurality of information signals is directly translated into the estimated starting time such that, if the data of each of the plurality of information signals does not change by more than a predetermined amount, the estimated starting time coincides with the actual starting time for each of the plurality of information signals;
• and
• estimating a data rate of an information signal for the following time slice at least on the basis of preceding and current actual data rates of the information signal.