System for dynamically allocating a scarce resource

• US 5,838,686 A
• Filed: 10/11/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Ozkan, Mehmet Kemal
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/722,165
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 370/522, 370/477, 370/532, 370/433, 370/533, 370/535, 370/300, 370/337, 370/341, 370/344, 370/347, 370/348, 370/442, 370/439, 370/438, 370/431, 370/461, 370/464, 370/468, 375/257, 348/384, 348/387, 348/407, 348/423, 348/584, 348/385, 348/388, 348/393, 348/304, 348/395, 348/397, 348/401, 348/398, 348/845.1
• US Class Current: 370/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1688 the demands of the users being taken into account after redundancy removal, e.g. by predictive coding, by variable sampling reducing bandwidth of signals in general H04B1/66; in PCM-systems H04B14/046; removal of redundancy in telegraph communication H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams

Abstract

A system for dynamically allocating a resource is disclosed which includes a plurality of resource users and a resource having a maximum utilization level sharable among the plurality of resource users. A plurality of need analyzers, associated with respective resource users, dynamically generate respective signals (COMPLEXITY), each representing the relative need for the resource by the associated resource user. A plurality of access controllers, associated with respective resource users, control access to the resource by the associated user in response to an allocation signal (CONTROL). A resource allocator dynamically generates allocation signals (CONTROL), representing allocated resource utilization levels for associated users, in response to the plurality of need representative signals (COMPLEXITY) from the need analyzers.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically allocating a resource, comprising:

a plurality of resource users (5);

a resource (15,20) having a maximum utilization level sharable among the plurality of resource users (5);

a plurality of need analyzers (10,16), associated with respective resource users (5), for dynamically generating respective signals (COMPLEXITY), each representing the relative need for the resource by the associated resource user (5);

a plurality of access controllers (10,14), associated with respective resource users (5), for controlling access to the resource (15,20) by the associated user (5) in response to an allocation signal (CONTROL); and

a resource allocator (30), for dynamically generating respective allocation signals (CONTROL) representing allocated resource utilization levels, in response to the plurality of need representative signals (COMPLEXITY) from the need analyzers (10,16);

wherein said need representing signals represent the needs of picture signals from different sources, respectively.

2. The resource allocation system of claim 1, wherein the resource allocator (30) generates respective allocation signals (CONTROL) such that a user (5) having a relatively higher need will receive a relatively higher allocation than a user (5) having a relatively lower need.

3. The resource allocation system of claim 2, wherein the resource allocator (30) generates respective allocation signals (CONTROL) such that a user (5) is allocated a proportion of a maximum utilization level equal to the proportion of the need represented by the need representative signal (COMPLEXITY) associated with that user (5) to the combined need represented by all the need representative signals (COMPLEXITY).

4. The resource allocation system of claim 2, wherein:

each user (5) is assigned a respective predetermined minimum resource utilization level; and

the resource allocator (30) generates respective allocation signals (CONTROL) such that a user (5) is allocated its assigned predetermined minimum resource utilization level, and further allocated a proportion of a remaining resource utilization level, the remaining resource utilization level being equal to the maximum resource utilization level less a previously allocated predetermined minimum resource utilization levels, a further allocated proportion being equal to the proportion of the need represented by the need representative signal (COMPLEXITY) associated with that user (5) to a combined need represented by all the need representative signals (COMPLEXITY).

5. The resource allocation system of claim 2, wherein:

each user (3) is assigned a respective predetermined weighting factor; and

the resource allocator (30) generates respective allocation signals (CONTROL) such that a user (5) is allocated a proportion of the maximum resource utilization level equal to the proportion of the need represented by the need representative signal (COMPLEXITY) associated with this user (5) to the combined need represented by all the need representative signals (COMPLEXITY), weighted by the predetermined weighting factor assigned to the associated user (5).

6. The resource allocation system of claim 2, wherein:

each user (5) is assigned a respective predetermined minimum resource utilization level and a predetermined weighting factor; and

the resource allocator (30) generates respective allocation signals (CONTROL) such that a user (5) is allocated its assigned predetermined minimum resource utilization level, and further allocated a proportion of a remaining resource utilization level, the remaining resource utilization level being equal to the maximum resource utilization level less a previously allocated predetermined minimum resource utilization levels, a further allocated proportion being equal to the proportion of the need represented by the need representative signal (COMPLEXITY) associated with this user (5) to a combined need represented by all the need representative signals (COMPLEXITY), weighted by the predetermined weighting factor assigned to the associated user (5).

10. The resource allocation system of claim 2, wherein:

each user (5) is assigned a respective predetermined resource utilization level allocation increment limit; and

the resource allocator (30), after generating respective allocation signals (CONTROL), compares the respective resource utilization level allocations to corresponding resource utilization level allocations represented by immediately preceding respective allocation signals (CONTROL) to determine respective resource utilization level allocation increments, and if a resource utilization level allocation increment exceeds an assigned predetermined resource utilization level allocation increment limit, generates a allocation signal (CONTROL) representing the resource utilization level allocation represented by immediately preceding respective allocation signal changed by the predetermined resource utilization level allocation increment limit, instead of the previously generated resource utilization level allocation for the respective user.

11. The resource allocation system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined resource utilization level allocation increment limit is a maximum increment of increase of resource utilization level.

12. The resource allocation system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined resource utilization level allocation increment limit is a maximum increment of decrease of resource utilization level.

7. A system for dynamically allocating a resource, comprising:

a plurality of resource users (5);

a resource (15,20) having a maximum utilization level sharable among the plurality of resource users (5);

a plurality of need analyzers (10,16), associated with respective resource users (5), for dynamically generating respective signals (COMPLEXITY), each representing the relative need for the resource by the associated resource user (5);

a plurality of access controllers (10,14), associated with respective resource users (5), for controlling access to the resource (15,20) by the associated user (5) in response to an allocation signal (CONTROL);

a resource allocator (30), for dynamically generating respective allocation signals (CONTROL) representing allocated resource utilization levels, in response to the plurality of need representative signals (COMPLEXITY) from the need analyzers (10,16);

said resource allocator (30) generates respective allocation signals (CONTROL) such that a user (5) having a relatively higher need will receive a relatively higher allocation than a user (5) having a relatively lower need;

each user (5) is assigned a respective predetermined resource utilization level allocation limit; and

a resource allocator (30), after generating respective resource utilization allocation signals (CONTROL), compares the respective resource utilization level allocations to the respective predetermined resource utilization level allocation limits, and if a resource utilization level allocation exceeds an assigned predetermined resource utilization level allocation limit, generates an allocation signal (CONTROL) representing a predetermined resource utilization level allocation limit, instead of the previously generated resource utilization level allocation for the respective user.

8. The resource allocation system of claim 7, where the predetermined resource utilization level allocation limit is a maximum resource utilization level allocation.

9. The resource allocation system of claim 7, where the predetermined resource utilization level allocation limit is a minimum resource utilization level allocation.

13. A system for dynamically allocating a resource, comprising:

a plurality of resource users (5);

a resource (15,20) having a maximum utilization level sharable among the plurality of resource users (5);

a plurality of need analyzers (10,16), associated with respective resource users (5), for dynamically generating respective signals (COMPLEXITY), each representing the relative need for the resource by the associated resource user (5);

a plurality of access controllers (10,14), associated with respective resource users (5), for controlling access to the resource (15,20) by the associated user (5) in response to an allocation signal (CONTROL); and

a resource allocator (30), for dynamically generating respective allocation signals (CONTROL) representing allocated resource utilization levels, in response to the plurality of need representative signals (COMPLEXITY) from the need analyzers (10,16);

wherein said need representing signals represent the needs of picture signals from different sources, respectively; and

each picture signal represents a picture frame in an MPEG group of pictures (GOP).