Network bandwidth management

• US 20040184406A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: SONY CORPORATION AND SONY ELECTRONICS, INC.
• Inventors: Iwamura, Ryuichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,947,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data

Abstract

An apparatus and method for equitably allocating bandwidth to virtual networks operating on a common physical network, such as a power-line network for homeowners sharing a single power-line distribution transformer. An ad-hoc master is selected from the virtual power-line network controllers. The master allocates bandwidth to streams based on their priority group categorization. By way of example, four priority groups (A-D) are described into which stream priority is classified, with the highest priority group for communicating isochronous streams, the lowest priority for transferring asynchronous streams and the other priority groups for communicating streams having an intermediate level of transmission priority. Within a given priority group all bandwidth requests are fulfilled for virtual networks requesting up to their fair share of the bandwidth within the priority group, and bandwidth available from virtual networks not utilizing their full share is allocated equally amongst those requesting more bandwidth.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing bandwidth allocated to a plurality of virtual networks on the same physical network, comprising:

a device connected to the physical network and configured to communicate with at least one other device connected to the physical network; and

means associated with at least one said device for dynamically allocating bandwidth to each virtual network on said physical network, and for reallocating said bandwidth if sufficient bandwidth on said physical network is not available to simultaneously support bandwidth requirements of said virtual networks.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said physical network comprises a power-line communication network.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for allocating bandwidth is configured to allocate the available bandwidth across a set of priority groups into which data streams are categorized on the basis of data stream content.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising means for establishing a minimum amount of bandwidth to be allocated to each priority group.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein data streams having an isochronous nature are categorized into a high priority group, while data streams having an asynchronous nature are categorized into a lower priority group.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for dynamically allocating bandwidth is configured to categorize isochronous streams into group A or B, and asynchronous streams into group C or D.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and audio or video streams for live-recordings are categorized in group A, playback of audio/video streams is categorized in group B, web accesses are categorized in group C, and file transfers are categorized in group D.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said means is configured to fulfill all bandwidth requests of any virtual network requesting up to its equal share of bandwidth within a given priority group, and to equally share remaining bandwidth amongst virtual networks requesting more bandwidth within a given priority group.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said means is integrated within a device selected from the group of audio and video devices consisting essentially of set-top boxes, computer servers, television sets, audio and/or video recording devices, and audio and/or video playback devices.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for dynamically allocating bandwidth comprises:

a computer processor within said device; and

programming executable by said computer processor for carrying out the operations of

dividing the available bandwidth of the physical network into assignable units,

ordering streams, being transmitted over the physical network, into priority groups,

assigning units of bandwidth to said priority groups in response to the bandwidth requirements of said streams and the transmission priority of said priority group, and

assigning specific units of bandwidth to specific streams within each of said priority groups in response to an equitable sharing of bandwidth between said virtual networks sharing said physical network.

11. An apparatus for managing bandwidth allocated to virtual networks sharing the bandwidth of a common physical network, comprising:

a computer processor within a device configured for communicating over said physical network with other devices; and

programming executable on said computer processor for carrying out the operations of

dividing the available bandwidth of the physical network into assignable units,

categorizing streams for transmission over said physical network into priority groups,

assigning sections of bandwidth to said priority groups in response to the bandwidth requirements of said streams and the transmission priority of said priority group, and

assigning units of bandwidth to specific streams within each of said priority groups.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said bandwidth within a given priority group is assigned on an as-needed basis to virtual networks utilizing up to their equal share of bandwidth within said given priority group, with additional available bandwidth being equally divided between virtual networks with unfulfilled bandwidth requests.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said bandwidth is divided into assignable time slots.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein one or more specific time slots can be assigned when dividing bandwidth.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said programming dynamically reassigns time slots in response to changes in available bandwidth, the number of streams being transmitted, and the priorities of the transmitted streams.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said dynamic reassignment is performed by an algorithm which is independently applied to each of said priority groups.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16:

wherein said algorithm is passed parameters comprising the requested number of time slots per stream, the priority group for each stream, and the targeted total number of slots allocated for each group;

wherein said algorithm returns the reassigned slot number for each stream, and the total number of slots allocated as equal to or less than the targeted number.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein said algorithm comprises:

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer is configured for communicating audio and/or video streams as received from stream input devices and as transmitted to stream output devices, said input and output devices being those connected to said virtual network.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising encrypting data transmitted over said virtual networks.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising data storage within said device configured for recording and playing back audio and video streams.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said device with data storage is configured as an audio and/or video server.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising an output means integrated with said device and configured for playing audio and/or video streams.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising an audio and/or video tuner integrated with said device and configured for receiving audio and/or video streams from an antenna or cable connection.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a codec for encoding and decoding audio and/or video streams.

26. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising at least one user interface on said device configured for controlling communications of audio and video streams over said virtual network.

27. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said physical network comprises a portion of a power line distribution system.

28. An apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein each of said virtual networks is associated with an individual dwelling, structure, or entity.

29. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a remote communication link on said device configured for communicating with remote systems which can not accessed over said physical network.

30. A method of allocating bandwidth among a plurality of virtual networks sharing a common physical network, comprising:

dividing the available bandwidth of the physical network into assignable units;

ordering streams, being transmitted over the physical network, into priority groups;

assigning units of bandwidth to said priority groups in response to the bandwidth requirements of said streams and the transmission priority of said priority group; and

assigning specific units of bandwidth to specific streams within each of said priority groups in response to an equitable sharing of bandwidth between said virtual networks sharing said physical network.

31. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein said assignable units comprise time slots within a data stream subject to time division multiplexing.

32. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein said priority groups comprise four groups.

33. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the highest priority group is configured for transmitting isochronous data streams.

34. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the lowest priority group is configured for transmitting asynchronous data streams.

35. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein said priority groups can be subject to a minimum assignable number of time slots.