Utility-Maximization Framework For Dynamic Adaptive Video Streaming Over Hypertext Transfer Protocol In Multiuser-Multiple Input Multiple Output Long-Term Evolution Networks

• US 20140317241A1
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wu, Mingquan, Yu, Hong Heather, Zhao, Miao, Jia, Bin
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• 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 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A method for scheduling user equipment (UE) devices comprising sorting the plurality of UE devices based on a weight of priority associated with each of the UE devices with respect to a plurality of subbands, and assigning one or more of the UE devices to each of the subbands using the weight of priority associated with the UE devices, wherein the weight of priority is based on one or more network utility functions associated with the UE devices. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions to receive a media content segment using a dynamic adaptive video streaming over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) (DASH) protocol, monitor a playback buffer size of a UE device, monitor a battery energy level of the UE device, and adjust a representation quality level in a segment request based on the target requested video rate, the playback buffer size and the battery energy level.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling user equipment (UE) devices, the method comprising:

sorting the plurality of UE devices based on a weight of priority associated with each of the UE devices with respect to a plurality of subbands; and

assigning one or more of the UEs to each of the subbands using the weight of priority associated with the UE devices,

wherein the weight of priority is based on one or more network utility functions associated with the UE devices, and

wherein a plurality of media content segments are communicated using a dynamic adaptive video streaming over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) (DASH) protocol when the UE devices are assigned to the subbands.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more network utility functions are functions of an average video rate, a playback buffer size, and a battery energy level associated with one of the UE devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the weight of priority is determined from the following

4. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning one or more of the UE devices to each of the subbands comprises assigning UE devices having a larger weight of priority before UE devices having a smaller weight of priority.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a plurality of precoding matrix indicators (PMIs) and channel quality indicators (CQIs) associated with a plurality of UE devices within a wireless network, wherein assigning the one or more UE devices to the subbands comprises selecting UE devices associated with different PMIs within each of the subbands.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one or more of the UE devices are assigned to multiple subbands;

maintaining the assignments of the UE devices with the largest weight of priority for the UE devices assigned to multiple subbands; and

removing the remaining UE device assignments for the UE devices assigned to multiple subbands that do not have the largest weight of priority for the UE devices assigned to multiple subbands.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one or more of the subbands can support one or more UE devices; and

assigning one or more of the UEs to each of the subbands that can support one or more UE devices using the weight of priority associated with the UE devices.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sorting the subbands according to the weight of priority of the UE devices within the subband.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) long-term evolution (LTE) network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the UE devices assigned to the subbands is configured to adjust a representation quality level in a segment request based on a target requested video rate, a playback buffer size, and a battery energy level of the UE devices.

11. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that when executed by a processor causes a user equipment (UE) device to perform the following:

receive a media content segment using a dynamic adaptive video streaming over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) (DASH) protocol;

monitor a target requested video rate of the UE;

monitor a playback buffer size of the UE device;

monitor a battery energy level of the UE device; and

adjust a representation quality level in a segment request based on the target requested video rate, the playback buffer size and the battery energy level,

wherein monitoring the target requested video rate comprises comparing the target requested video rate to a video rate of the media content segment,

wherein monitoring the playback buffer comprises comparing the playback buffer size to a playback buffer threshold,

wherein monitoring the battery energy level comprises comparing the battery energy level to a battery energy level threshold, and

wherein the UE device implements the DASH protocol using a multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) long-term evolution (LTE) network connection.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions when executed by the processor cause the UE to reduce the representation quality level, set the representation quality level to a target requested video rate, or both when the playback buffer size is less than the playback buffer threshold and the battery energy level is greater than the battery energy threshold.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein monitoring the target requested video rate further comprises deriving the target requested video rate based on an average video rate and a current supportable data rate on a physical-layer with respect to a plurality of subbands.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions when executed by the processor cause the UE to reduce the representation quality level when the battery energy level is less than the battery energy threshold.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein when the UE device is in a buffering mode the target requested video rate is

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions when executed by the processor cause the UE to maintain a switch-up counter, wherein the switch-up counter incremented when a target requested video rate is greater than a video rate of the media content segment, and wherein the switch-up counter is reset when the target requested video rate is less than the video rate of the media content segment.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions when executed by the processor cause the UE to:

maintain a switch-up counter; and

set the representation quality level to the target video rate when the playback buffer size is greater than the playback buffer threshold, the battery energy level is greater than the battery energy threshold, and the switch-up counter is greater than a counter threshold.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to;

receive data from one or more user equipment (UE) devices using a multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) long-term evolution (LTE) network connection; and

receive a segment request;

a processor coupled to a memory device and the receiver, wherein the memory comprises computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium such that when executed by the processor causes the processor to;

establish a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) connection with the UE devices;

implement a dynamic adaptive video streaming over HTTP (DASH) protocol; and

schedule the UE devices to receive a video service based on a weight of priority associated with each of the UE devices with respect to a plurality of subbands; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor, wherein the transmitter is configured to;

send a plurality of media content segments in response to the segment request,

wherein the weight of priority is derived from a gradient of a function of an average video rate, a playback buffer size, and a battery energy level associated with the UEs.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the weight of priority is based on one or more utility functions associated with the UEs.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein one or more of the UE devices are configured to adjust a representation quality level in a segment request based on the target requested video rate, the playback buffer size, and the battery energy level of the UE devices.