Method and apparatus for receiving packets transmitted from transmission apparatus

• US 20050117583A1
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Satoshi, Matsumoto, Takaaki, Wakutsu, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US10/960,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20050117583A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5681 Buffer or queue management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• 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 47/286 Time to live
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An apparatus includes a reception unit which receives packets, to each of which a time stamp is added, sequentially transmitted from a transmission apparatus, a buffer which stores packets received by the reception unit, a timer which counts time, a unit which determines an output timing at which each packet stored in the buffer is output from the buffer, based on a value of a time stamp corresponding to each packet received by the reception unit and a value of the timer, a unit configured to adjust the output timing to holds a given data amount of packets in the buffer, based on a relationship between a data amount of packets stored in the buffer and a given threshold value, a unit which detects a transmission rate of packets, and a unit configured to change the threshold value based on the detected value of the transmission rate.

Claims

1. A data reception apparatus comprising:

a packet reception unit which receives packets, to each of which a time stamp is added, sequentially transmitted from a transmission apparatus;

a buffer which stores packets received by the packet reception unit;

a timer which counts time;

a determining unit which determines an output timing at which each packet stored in the buffer is output from the buffer, based on a value of a time stamp corresponding to each packet received by the packet reception unit and a value of the timer;

an output timing adjustment unit configured to adjust the output timing to holds a given data amount of packets in the buffer, based on a relationship between a data amount of packets stored in the buffer and a given threshold value;

a transmission rate detecting unit which detects a transmission rate of packets received by the packet reception unit; and

a control unit configured to change the threshold value based on the detected value of the transmission rate.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output timing adjustment unit is configured to advance the output timing if the data amount of packets stored in the buffer exceeds the threshold value, and delay the output timing if the data amount of packets stored in the buffer is smaller than the threshold value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output timing adjustment unit increases a counting speed of the timer if the data amount of packets stored in the buffer exceeds the threshold value, and decreases the counting speed of the timer if the data amount of packets stored in the buffer is less than the threshold value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission rate detecting unit is configured to detect the number of packets received by the packet reception unit per unit time to detect the transmission rate.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a processor, and

the transmission rate detecting unit includes a detector which detects the number of packets received by the packet reception unit per unit time, and a interrupt signal generator which generates an interrupt signal to the processor when a value of a transmission rate detected by the detector deviates from a given transmission rate range.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission rate detecting unit is configured to detect the transmission rate of the packets from transmission rate information transmitted from the transmission apparatus.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

each packet received by the packet reception unit includes compression-encoded digital broadcast program data, and

the packet reception unit includes a wireless communication unit which receives the packets transmitted from the transmission apparatus by a radio signal.

8. A method of receiving packets, to each of which a time stamp is added, sequentially transmitted from a transmission apparatus to a reception apparatus, the method comprising:

storing the received packets in a buffer of the reception apparatus;

determining an output timing at which each packet stored in the buffer is output from the buffer, based on a value of a time stamp corresponding to each of the received packets and a value of a timer provided in the reception apparatus;

adjusting the output timing to holds a given data amount of packets in the buffer, based on a relationship between a data amount of packets stored in the buffer and a given threshold value;

detecting a transmission rate of the received packets; and

changing the threshold value based on the detected value of the transmission rate.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the adjusting includes increasing a counting speed of the timer if the data amount of packets stored in the buffer exceeds the threshold value, and decreasing the counting speed of the timer if the data amount of packets stored in the buffer is less than the threshold value.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the detecting includes detecting the number of packets received per unit time to detect the transmission rate.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the detecting includes detecting the transmission rate from transmission rate information transmitted from the transmission apparatus.