Matching encoder output to network bandwidth

• US 10,218,818 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lloyd, Matthew, Kristjansson, Trausti
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US14/282,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20140254613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/24 Variable rate codecs, e.g. for generating different qualities using a scalable representation such as hierarchical encoding or layered encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Implementations include a method, systems, and computer program products for adaptively configuring codecs to transmit encoded data to better utilize available bandwidth of reachable networks. One implementation is a method of transmitting encoded data from a host to a target. The method includes, selecting a communication network reachable by the host, estimating an available bandwidth from the host to the target via the selected communication network, configuring a codec from a plurality of codecs implemented in the host according to the estimated available bandwidth, encoding data using the configured codec, and transmitting the encoded data to the target.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of communication networks reachable by a host mobile device;

selecting, from the plurality of communication networks reachable by the host mobile device, a communication network providing higher bandwidth than one or more other communication networks of the plurality of communication network, the selecting being based on bandwidth characteristics of the plurality of communication networks;

obtaining from an external data store, one or more performance properties corresponding to the selected communication network;

measuring, by a processing device, one or more network performance metrics of the selected communication network using a plurality of data units sent from the host mobile device to a target via the selected communication network;

determining an estimated available bandwidth based on the measured network performance metrics, the performance properties obtained from the external data store, and a reliability attributed to the performance properties stored in the external data store;

configuring, by the processing device and according to the estimated available bandwidth, a codec selected from a plurality of codecs implemented in the host mobile device to achieve an output rate of the codec that is optimal for the available bandwidth from the host mobile device to the target via the selected communication network, the configuring comprises adjusting one or more parameters of the codec based upon the estimated available bandwidth;

encoding, by the processing device, data using the configured codec; and

transmitting, by the processing device, the encoded data to the target via the selected network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises:

determining an identifier associated with the selected communication network; and

accessing the external data store using the identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the external data store with the measured network performance metrics.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises:

transmitting the plurality of data units to the target using the selected communication network;

receiving from the target a plurality of responses corresponding to the transmitted data units; and

determining the measured network performance metrics based upon at least one of the plurality of data units and the plurality of responses.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the measured network performance metrics comprise at least one of a packet loss rate determined based upon the plurality of data units and the plurality of responses, or a mean round trip time for the plurality of data units and a standard deviation of the mean round trip time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the measuring comprises:

determining a relationship between size of respective said data units and corresponding round trip times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises:

transmitting a data file of predetermined size to the target using a file transfer protocol; and

determining a time required to transmit the file.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting metadata associated with the encoded data to the target.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring comprises:

adjusting quality of data input to the codec based upon matching the estimated available bandwidth.

10. A host mobile device, comprising:

at least one network interface;

at least one codec communicatively coupled to the at least one network interface; and

at least one processor, coupled to the network interface and the codec, to;

identify a plurality of communication networks reachable by the host mobile device;

select, from the plurality communication networks reachable by the host mobile device, a communication network providing higher bandwidth than one or more other communication networks of the plurality of communication network, the selecting being based on bandwidth characteristics of the plurality of communication networks;

obtain from an external data store, one or more performance properties corresponding to the selected communication network;

measure one or more network performance metrics of the selected communication network using a plurality of data units sent from the host mobile device to a target via the selected communication network;

determine an estimated available bandwidth based on the measured network performance metrics, the performance properties obtained from the external data store, and a reliability attributed to the performance properties stored in the external data store;

configure, according to the estimated available bandwidth, a codec selected from a plurality of codecs implemented in the host mobile device to achieve an output rate of the codec that is optimal for the available bandwidth from the host mobile device to the target via the selected communication network, wherein to configure the codec, the at least one processor is to adjust one or more parameters of the codec based upon the estimated available bandwidth;

encode data using the configured codec; and

transmit the encoded data to the target via the selected network.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the measured network performance metrics comprise at least one of a packet loss rate determined based upon the plurality of data units and the plurality of responses, or a mean round trip time for the plurality of data units and a standard deviation of the mean round trip time.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

identifying a plurality of communication networks reachable by a host mobile device;

selecting, from the plurality of communication networks reachable by the host mobile device, a communication network providing higher bandwidth than one or more other communication networks of the plurality of communication network, the selecting being based on bandwidth characteristics of the plurality of communication networks;

obtaining from an external data store, one or more performance properties corresponding to the selected communication network;

measuring one or more network performance metrics of the selected communication network using a plurality of data units sent from the host mobile device to a target via the selected communication network;

determining an estimated available bandwidth based on the measured network performance metrics, the performance properties obtained from the external data store, and a reliability attributed to the performance properties stored in the external data store;

configuring, according to the estimated available bandwidth, a codec selected from a plurality of codecs implemented in the host mobile device to achieve an output rate of the codec that is optimal for the available bandwidth from the host mobile device to the target via the selected communication network, the configuring comprises adjusting one or more parameters of the codec based upon the estimated available bandwidth;

encoding data using the configured codec; and

transmitting the encoded data to the target via the selected network.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the measuring comprises:

transmitting the plurality of data units to the target using the selected communication network;

receiving from the target a plurality of responses corresponding to the transmitted data units; and

determining the measured network performance metrics based upon at least one of the plurality of data units and the plurality of responses.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the measured network performance metrics comprise at least one of a packet loss rate determined based upon the plurality of data units and the plurality of responses, or a mean round trip time for the plurality of data units and a standard deviation of the mean round trip time.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the measuring comprises:

determining a relationship between size of respective said data units and corresponding round trip times.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the measuring comprises:

transmitting a data file of predetermined size to the target using a file transfer protocol; and

determining a time required to transmit the file.