Multimedia client/server system with adjustable packet size and methods for use therewith

• US 20080270528A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dong, SuiWu, Girardeau, James Ward
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0016 involving special memory structures, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0033 arrangements specific to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64792 Controlling the complexity of the content stream, e.g. by dropping packets intermediate media network packet handling H04L65/765; proxy provisioning conversion or adaptation for reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data H04L67/5651; negotiation of resources in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate

Abstract

A circuit for use in a multimedia server module includes an encoder module that encodes a multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size. An RF server transceiver module, coupled to the encoder module, that produces a channel signal that includes the encoded signal, and that wirelessly transmits the channel signal at a link data rate over a wireless communication path to at least one client module The RF server transceiver module includes a quality of service module that adjusts the packet size based on first RF performance signals determined by the RF transceiver, based on second performance signals received from a client module and/or based on adjustments made to the link data rate.

Claims

1. A multimedia client/server system comprising:

a multimedia server module, coupleable to a plurality of multimedia sources that produce at least one multimedia signal, the multimedia server module including;

an encoder module that encodes the at least one multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size; and

an RF server transceiver module, coupled to the encoder module, that produces a channel signal that includes the encoded signal, and that wirelessly transmits the channel signal over a wireless communication path, the RF server transceiver module including a first monitor module that generates first RF performance signals that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, and a quality of service module that receives the first RF performance signals and adjusts the packet size based on the first performance signals; and

a client module, coupleable to at least one client device, the client module including;

an RF client transceiver module that receives and demodulates the channel signal to produce a received encoded signal; and

a decoder module, coupled to the RF client transceiver module, that decodes the received encoded signal into a decoded output signal.

2. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein RF client transceiver module further includes a second monitor module that generates second RF performance signals that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, wherein the RF client transceiver module transmits the second RF performance signals to the RF server transceiver module and wherein the quality of service module adjusts the packet size, based on the second RF performance parameters.

3. The multimedia client/server system of claim 2 wherein the second RF performance signals include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the quality of service module adjusts the range of the link data rate based on the RSSI.

4. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein the encoder module the produces the sequence of packets at a nominal packet size and when the quality of service module adjusts the packet size from the nominal packet size to a reduced packet size, the encoder module fragments packets of the sequence of packets size into packets of the reduced packet size.

5. The multimedia client/server system of claim 4 wherein the first RF performance signals include a re-transmission rate and the quality of service module adjusts the packet size based on the re-transmission rate.

6. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein the first RF performance signals include a coding error rate.

7. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein the first RF performance signals include an air busy rate.

8. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein the encoder module encodes the at least one multimedia signal in accordance with one of a Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard, and a Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard.

9. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein the RF server transceiver module and the RF client transceiver module communicate over a broadband wireless access network that conforms to at least one of the following standards:

802.11x, Ultra Wideband (UWB), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).

10. The multimedia client/server system of claim 1 wherein the encoder module transcodes the at least one multimedia signal.

11. A circuit for use in a multimedia server module that is coupleable to a plurality of multimedia sources that produce at least one multimedia signal, the circuit comprising:

an encoder module that encodes the at least one multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size; and

an RF server transceiver module, coupled to the encoder module, that produces a channel signal that includes the encoded signal, and that wirelessly transmits the channel signal at a link data rate over a wireless communication path to at least one client module, the RF server transceiver module including a first monitor module that generates first RF performance signals that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, and a quality of service module that receives the first RF performance signals and adjusts the packet size based on the first performance signals.

12. The circuit of claim 11 wherein RF server transceiver module receives second RF performance signals, that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, from the at least one client module and wherein the quality of service module adjusts the packet size, based on the second RF performance parameters.

13. The circuit of claim 12 wherein the second RF performance signals include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the quality of service module adjusts the packet size based on the RSSI.

14. The circuit of claim 11 wherein the RF transceiver module adjusts the link data rate based on the second RF performance signals.

15. The circuit of claim 11 wherein the encoder module the produces the sequence of packets at a nominal packet size and when the quality of service module adjusts the packet size from the nominal packet size to a reduced packet size, the encoder module fragments packets of the sequence of packets size into packets of the reduced packet size.

16. The circuit of claim 15 wherein the first RF performance signals include a re-transmission rate and the quality of service module adjusts the packet size based on the re-transmission rate.

17. The circuit of claim 11 wherein the first RF performance signals include a coding error rate.

18. The circuit of claim 11 wherein the first RF performance signals include an air busy rate.

19. The circuit of claim 11 wherein the encoder module transcodes the at least one multimedia signal.

20. A circuit for use in a multimedia server module that is coupleable to a plurality of multimedia sources that produce at least one multimedia signal, the circuit comprising:

an encoder module that encodes the at least one multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size; and

an RF server transceiver module, coupled to the encoder module, that produces a channel signal that includes the encoded signal, and that wirelessly transmits the channel signal at a link data rate over a wireless communication path to at least one client module, the RF server transceiver module including a first monitor module that generates first RF performance signals that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, and a quality of service module that receives the first RF performance signals and adjusts the link data rate based on the first RF performance signals and adjusts the packet size based on the adjustment of the link data rate.

21. A circuit for use in a multimedia server module that is coupleable to a plurality of multimedia sources that produce at least one multimedia signal, the circuit comprising:

an encoder module that encodes the at least one multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size; and

an RF server transceiver module, coupled to the encoder module, that produces a channel signal that includes the encoded signal, and that wirelessly transmits the channel signal at a link data rate over a wireless communication path to at least one client module, the RF server transceiver module that receives second RF performance signals, that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, from the at least one client module and a quality of service module that receives the second RF performance signals and adjusts the packet size based on the second performance signals.

22. The circuit of claim 21 wherein the second RF performance signals include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the quality of service module adjusts the packet size based on the RSSI.

23. The circuit of claim 21 wherein the RF transceiver module adjusts the link data rate based on the second RF performance signals.

24. A method for use in a multimedia server module that is coupleable to a plurality of multimedia sources that produce at least one multimedia signal, the circuit comprising:

encoding the at least one multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size;

generating a channel signal that includes the encoded signal;

transmitting the channel signal at a link data rate over a wireless communication path to at least one client module;

generating first RF performance signals that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path; and

adjusting the packet size based on the first RF performance signals.

25. The circuit of claim 24 further comprising:

receiving second RF performance signals, that are based on the performance of the wireless communication path, from the at least one client module;

wherein the step of adjusting adjusts the packet size, based on the second RF performance parameters.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the second RF performance signals include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the step of adjusting adjusts the packet size based on the RSSI.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the second RF performance signals include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the step of adjusting further adjusts the link data rate based on the RSSI.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the first RF performance signals include a re-transmission rate and the step of adjusting adjusts the packet size based on the re-transmission rate.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the first RF performance signals include a coding error rate.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the first RF performance signals include an air busy rate.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of encoding transcodes the at least one multimedia signal.