Information processing apparatus, information processing method, data communication system and program

• US 20040199659A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morita, Takao, Ishikawa, Masayuki, Imiya, Daisuke
• Application Number:
  US10/744,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199659A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/26 using explicit feedback to the source, e.g. choke packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/431 using padding or de-padding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a first receiver operable to receive predetermined information including a transmission state of data transmitted from another information processing apparatus, a congestion estimation unit operable to estimate congestion of a network on the basis of the predetermined information received by the first receiver, a control signal generator operable to generate a first control signal for controlling a data transmission rate of the another information processing apparatus based on the congestion estimated by the congestion estimation unit, and a first transmitter operable to transmit the first control signal generated by the control signal generator to the another information processing apparatus.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for receiving data from another information processing apparatus through a network, comprising:

a first receiver operable to receive from the another information processing apparatus predetermined information including a transmission state of the data;

a congestion estimation unit operable to estimate congestion of the network on the basis of the predetermined information received by said first receiver;

a control signal generator operable to generate a first control signal for controlling a data transmission rate of the another information processing apparatus on the basis of the congestion estimated by said congestion estimation unit; and

a first transmitter operable to transmit the first control signal generated by said control signal generator to the another information processing apparatus.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said congestion estimation unit includes a delay detection unit operable to detect a delay in data transmission in the network on the basis of the predetermined information received by said first receiver, and

said control signal generator generates the first control signal on the basis of the delay in data transmission detected by said delay detection unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the predetermined information includes a first clock for data transmission processing in the another information processing apparatus and, when said first clock coincides with a second clock used for data reception processing in the delay detection unit, said delay detection unit detects the delay in data transmission using the first and second clocks as a first reference clock, and

when the first clock is different from the second clock, said delay detection unit detects the delay in data transmission using a second reference clock different from the first reference clock.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the data is an RTP packet based on RFC 1889;

and

the first reference clock is NTP.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a reception time measurement unit operable to measure time when the predetermined information is received by said first receiver, wherein

said delay detection unit detects a relative delay in data transmission on the basis of a plurality of pieces of reception time of the predetermined information measured by said reception time measurement unit when the first clock is different from the second clock, and when mapping functions of the second reference clock and the first reference clock cannot be calculated.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the data is composed of a packet in a predetermined size, and

the predetermined information includes information of a reception number of the packet and a number of packet losses.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

said congestion estimation unit further includes a packet loss rate detection unit operable to detect a packet loss rate of the packets transmitted from the another information processing apparatus on the basis of the predetermined information received by said first receiver, and

said control signal generator generates the first control signal on the basis of the packet loss rate detected by said packet loss rate detection unit and the delay in data transmission detected by said delay detection unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said control signal generator causes the first control signal to lower when said delay detection unit detects an increase in the delay in data transmission equal to or greater than a first predetermined quantity, or when said packet loss rate detection unit detects a packet loss rate equal to or greater than a second predetermined quantity.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said control signal generator causes the first control signal to rise when said delay detection unit does not detect an increase in the delay in data transmission equal to or greater than a first predetermined quantity for a predetermined time, and when said packet loss rate detection unit does not detect a packet loss rate equal to or more than a second predetermined quantity for the predetermined time.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said congestion estimation unit includes

a first congestion condition detection unit operable to detect a first condition for estimating the congestion of the network referring to a first time as a reference on the basis of the predetermined information;

and

a second congestion condition detection unit operable to detect a second condition for estimating the congestion of the network referring to a second time as a reference on the basis of the predetermined information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said control signal generator causes the first control signal to lower when said first congestion condition detection unit and said second congestion condition detection unit detect at least one of the first condition and the second condition.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said control signal generator causes the first control signal to rise when said first congestion condition detection unit and said second congestion condition detection unit do not detect the first condition and the second condition for a predetermined time.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second transmitter operable to transmit the data to the another information processing apparatus;

a second receiver operable to receive a second control signal for controlling a data transmission rate by said second transmitter from the another information processing apparatus; and

a controller operable to control the data transmission rate transmitted from said second transmitter on the basis of the second control signal received by said second receiver.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data is an RTP packet in conformity with RFC 1889.

15. A method for receiving data in a first information processing apparatus from another information processing apparatus through a network, comprising:

receiving from the another information processing apparatus predetermined information including a transmission state of the data;

estimating congestion of the network on the basis of the received predetermined information; and

generating a control signal for controlling a data transmission rate of the another information processing apparatus on the basis of the estimated congestion.

16. A recording medium recorded with a computer-readable program for receiving data from another information processing apparatus through a network, comprising:

controlling reception from the another information processing apparatus of predetermined information including a transmission state of the data;

estimating congestion of the network on the basis of the predetermined information; and

generating a control signal for controlling a data transmission rate of the another information processing apparatus on the basis of the estimated congestion.

17. An information processing apparatus for transmitting data to another information processing apparatus through a network, comprising:

a transmitter operable to transmit the data to the another information processing apparatus;

a receiver operable to receive from the another information processing apparatus a control signal for controlling a data transmission rate by said transmitter; and

a controller operable to control the data transmission rate of the data transmitted by said transmitter on the basis of the control signal received by said receiver.

18. A method for transmitting data from a first information processing apparatus to another information processing apparatus through a network, comprising:

receiving from the another information processing apparatus a control signal for controlling a data transmission rate by the first information processing apparatus; and

controlling the data transmission rate of the data transmitted by the first information processing apparatus on the basis of the received control signal.

19. A recording medium recorded with a computer-readable program for transmitting data from a first information processing apparatus to another information processing apparatus through a network, comprising:

controlling reception from the another information processing apparatus of a control signal for controlling a data transmission rate by the first information processing apparatus; and

controlling the data transmission rate of the data transmitted by the first information processing apparatus on the basis of the received control signal.

20. A data communication system, comprising:

a first information processing apparatus for receiving data through a network; and

a second information processing apparatus for transmitting data through the network;

said first information processing apparatus including;

a first receiver operable to receive from said second information processing apparatus predetermined information including a transmission state of the data;

a congestion estimation unit operable to estimate congestion of the network on the basis of the predetermined information received by said first receiver;

a control signal generator operable to generate a control signal for controlling a data transmission rate of said second information processing apparatus on the basis of the congestion estimated by said congestion estimation unit; and

a first transmitter operable to transmit the control signal generated by said control signal generation unit to said second information processing apparatus, and

said second information processing apparatus including;

a second transmitter operable to transmit the predetermined information and the data to said first information processing apparatus;

a second receiver operable to receive from said first information processing apparatus the control signal for controlling the data transmission rate by said second transmitter; and

a controller operable to control the data transmission rate of the data transmitted by said second transmitter on the basis of the control signal received by said second receiver.