CONTROLLING RESOURCE USAGE OF ADAPTIVE STREAMING SESSIONS FOR TRANSMISSION VIA A RADIO ACCESS NETWORK

• US 20150156243A1
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Skog, Robert, Eriksson, Ann-Christine, Lohmar, Thorsten, Sintorn, Mathias
• Application Number:
  US13/812,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156243A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• 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 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource

Abstract

A method (400) of controlling resource usage of adaptive streaming sessions for transmission via a Radio Access Network (RAN) is provided. The method comprises identifying (401) at least one adaptive streaming session, determining (402) available bitrates for the identified adaptive streaming sessions, determining (403) a resource allocation of the RAN, determining (404) a target bitrate for each of the identified adaptive streaming sessions, and throttling (405) each of the identified adaptive streaming sessions having a current bitrate which is larger than their respective target bitrate. The respective target bitrates are determined (404) based on the available bitrates and the current resource allocation of the RAN. In this way, an improved distribution of shared air interface resources of the RAN may be achieved. Further, a network node for controlling resource usage of adaptive streaming sessions for transmission via a RAN is provided.

Claims

1. A method of controlling resource usage of one or more adaptive streaming sessions for transmission via a Radio Access Network, RAN, the method comprising:

identifying the one or more adaptive streaming sessions,

determining available bitrates for the one or more adaptive streaming sessions,

determining a resource allocation of the RAN,

determining, based on the available bitrates and the current resource allocation of the RAN, a target bitrate for the one or more adaptive streaming sessions, and

throttling the one or more adaptive streaming sessions having a current bitrate which is larger than their respective target bitrate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more adaptive streaming sessions are an Adaptive HTTP Streaming, AHS, session.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the available bitrates are determined by inspecting a manifest file.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein information pertaining to the available bitrates is acquired from a network node providing media content for streaming.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the available bitrates are determined by inspecting a media segment.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the available bitrates are determined by Deep Packet Inspection, DPI.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the throttling is performed by a node of the RAN.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the throttling is performed by a proxy.

9. A network node for controlling resource usage of one or more adaptive streaming sessions for transmission via a Radio Access Network, RAN, the network node being arranged for:

identifying the at least one or more adaptive streaming sessions,

determining available bitrates for the one or more adaptive streaming sessions,

determining a resource allocation of the RAN,

determining, based on the available bitrates and the current resource allocation of the RAN, a target bitrate for the one or more adaptive streaming sessions, and

throttling the one or more adaptive streaming sessions having a current bitrate which is larger than their respective target bitrate.

10. The network node according to claim 9, comprising control means being arranged for determining the target bitrate for the one or more adaptive streaming sessions.

11. The network node according to claim 9, comprising a video parser being arranged for:

identifying the one or more adaptive streaming sessions, and

determining the available bitrates for the one or more adaptive streaming sessions.

12. The network node according to claim 9, comprising a Radio Resource Management, RRM, unit, being arranged for determining the resource allocation of the RAN.

13. The network node according to any claim 9, comprising a scheduler being arranged for throttling the one or more adaptive streaming sessions having a current bitrate which is larger than their respective target bitrate.

14. The network node according to claim 9, wherein the one or more adaptive streaming sessions is an Adaptive HTTP Streaming, AHS, session.

15. The network node according to claim 9, being arranged for determining the available bitrates by inspecting a manifest file.

16. The network node according to claim 9, being arranged for acquiring information pertaining to the available bitrates from a network node providing media content for streaming.

17. The network node according to claim 9, being arranged for determining the available bitrates by inspecting a media segment.

18. The network node according to claim 17, being arranged for determining the available bitrates by Deep Packet Inspection, DPI.

19. The network node according to claim 9, being an access node of the RAN.

20. The network node according to claim 9, being a proxy.