Method for Monitoring Quality of Service in Multimedia Communications

• US 20080192646A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Luo, Zhong, Song, Bin
• Application Number:
  US12/104,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192646A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a method for monitoring the quality of service of H.264 multimedia communications. The present disclosure achieves the in-band QoS monitoring of the H.264 multimedia communications, thereby reducing extra overhead introduced by the QoS monitoring. The present disclosure makes direct use of the extension message mechanism of the high level media protocol H.264 per se to bear QoS report information without use of any extra channel, so as to achieve an “in-band” QoS report mechanism. The H.264 message extended mechanism, e.g., an SEI message, is used to self-define user data for transmission of the QoS report to monitor a transmission quality of the H.264 multimedia communications, without influence upon communications of any existing device in the H.264 protocol while reducing extra bandwidth overhead. Various protection measures are also provided based upon the use of the H.264 in-band report to improve the reliability of the RTCP/UDP.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring quality of service in multimedia communications, comprising:

obtaining data related to quality of service of the multimedia communications;

generating a report on quality of service of the multimedia communications;

bearing the report on quality of service in an extension message of a data frame in a multimedia compression codec standard;

sending the extension message to communication terminals.

2. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia compression codec standard is H.264 standard.

3. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 2, wherein:

the extension message comprises supplement enhancement information, and

the supplement enhancement information is borne in a network abstract layer unit of the data frame in the standard, and the supplement enhancement information comprises information of the report on quality of service.

4. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 3, wherein the supplement enhancement information comprises:

a payload type field configured to indicate that payload is a corresponding report on quality of service;

a payload length field configured to indicate the length of the report on the corresponding quality of service; and

the payload configured to be filled with the report on quality of service.

5. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 3, wherein the supplement enhancement information bearing the quality of the service report is further borne by the network abstract layer unit;

and

a network abstract layer reference identifier of the network abstract layer unit is set in accordance with a reliability requirement on transmission of the report on quality of service and takes corresponding protection measures in accordance with the identifier.

6. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 1, wherein:

the extension message comprises supplement enhancement information; and

the supplement enhancement information is borne in a network abstract layer unit of the data frame in the standard, and the supplement enhancement information comprises information of the report on quality of service.

7. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 6, wherein the supplement enhancement information of the report on quality of service comprises:

a payload type field configured to indicate that payload is a corresponding report on quality of service;

a payload length field configured to indicate the length of the corresponding report on quality of service; and

the payload configured to be filled with the corresponding report on quality of service.

8. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 7, wherein the report on quality of service comprises a sender report or a receiver report which are distinguished by the payload type field.

9. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 6, wherein the supplement enhancement information bearing the report on quality of service is further borne by the network abstract layer unit;

and

a network abstract layer reference identifier of the network abstract layer unit is set in accordance with a reliability requirement on transmission of the report on quality of service and takes corresponding protection measures in accordance with the identifier.

10. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 6, wherein when the report on quality of service of at least one media stream is borne in the supplement enhance message, the report on quality of service comprises a reception report block corresponding to the borne at least one media stream.

11. The method for monitoring the quality of service of multimedia communications according to claim 1, wherein the extension message of H.264 or the real-time transport control protocol is selectively used to bear the report on quality of service.

12. The method for monitoring quality of service in multimedia communications according to claim 1, further comprising:

extracting the report on quality of service from the received extension message of the data frame in the standard; and

carrying out the quality of service policy in accordance with the report on quality of service by each of the communication terminals.

13. A system for monitoring quality of service in multimedia communications, the system comprising:

means for obtaining data related to quality of service of the multimedia communications;

means for generating a report on quality of service of the multimedia communications;

means for bearing the report on quality of service in an extension message of a data frame in a multimedia compression codec standard; and

means for sending the extension message to communication terminals.

14. The system for monitoring quality of service in multimedia communications according to claim 13, further comprising:

means for extracting the report on quality of service from the received extension message of the data frame in the standard; and

mean for carrying out the quality of service policy in accordance with the report on quality of service by each of the communication terminals.