Hierarchical rate control of receivers in a communication system transmitting layered video multicast data with retransmission (LVMR)

• US 6,215,766 B1
• Filed: 01/30/1998
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Paul, Sanjoy, Li, Xue, Pancha, Pramod, Ammar, Mostafa
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US09/016,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/237, 370/256, 370/401, 370/418, 370/465, 709/219, 709/234, 709/235, 709/247
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64769 for rate control flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

Layered Video Multicast with Retransmissions (LVMR) is a system for distributing video content using layered coding over the Internet. The two key contributions of the system are (1) improving the quality of reception within each layer by retransmitting lost packets given an upper bound on recovery time and applying an adaptive playback point scheme to help achieve more successful retransmission, and (2) adapting to network congestion and heterogeneity using a hierarchical rate control mechanism. A hierarchical rate control system and method is disclosed for regulating the flow of video information in a network by establishing subnet agents for each subnet, and by establishing intermediate agents for each domain. The subnet agents gather information concerning add-layer experiments conducted by receivers in a subnet, and the information is provided to intermediate agents of the domains for regulating data traffic.

Claims

1. A method for hierarchically controlling the transmission rate of a transmitted video signal having layers of data from a sender to a plurality of receivers in a communications network for regulating the addition of video data layers to an existing video signal received by the receivers to thereby form the transmitted video signal, comprising the steps of:

dividing the communication network into domains;

appointing an intermediate agent (IA) for each domain;

dividing each domain into subnets, with each receiver being associated with one of said subnets;

appointing a subnet agent (SA) for each subnet;

gathering, in said SAs, add-layer experiment history data from prior attempts by receivers associated with respective ones of said SAs to add a video data layer to a receiver'"'"'s respective existing video signal; and

communicating information, based on said gathered experiment history data, from said SAs to said plurality of receivers and to said IAs to provide collected information to said plurality of receivers concerning conditions for adding desired video data layers to, and for dropping video data layers from, each receiver'"'"'s respective existing video signal so as to avoid network data congestion by preventing video layer addition when certain of said conditions exist and so as to efficiently reduce data congestion by directing specific ones of the receivers to drop selected ones of the video data layers from corresponding existing video signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said add-layer experiment history data comprises congestion data resulting from an increase in the transmission rate of said transmitted video signal from prior add-layer experiments performed by said plurality of receivers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said video signal data layers are hierarchically designated from a lowest status to a highest status and wherein said step of communicating comprises instructing a receiver, in one of a domain and a subnet, having a greater number of video data layers in its respective existing video signal to drop a data layer having a highest status level in said respective existing video signal when a congestion condition is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video signal data layers comprise a base layer and at least two enhancement layers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the video signal data layers comprise a base layer and at least two enhancement layers, and wherein the base layer is designated as the layer having the lowest status.

6. A device for hierarchically controlling the transmission rate of a transmitted video signal having layers of data from a sender to a plurality of receivers in a communications network for regulating the addition of video data layers to an existing video signal received by the receivers to thereby form the transmitted video signal, comprising:

means for dividing the communication network into domains;

an intermediate agent (IA) associated with each domain;

means for dividing each domain into subnets, with each receiver being associated with one of said subnets;

a subnet agent (SA) associated with each subnet, each of said SAs being in communication with a respective IA associated with a corresponding subnet;

means for obtaining, in said SAs, add-layer experiment history data from prior attempts by receivers associated with respective ones of said SAs to add a video data layer to a receiver'"'"'s respective existing video signal; and

means for communicating information, based on said gathered experiment history data, from said SAs to said plurality of receivers and to said IAs to provide collected information to said plurality of receivers concerning conditions for adding desired video data layers to, and for dropping video data layers from, each receiver'"'"'s respective existing video signal so as to avoid network data congestion by preventing video layer addition when certain of said conditions exist and so as to efficiently reduce data congestion by directing specific ones of the receivers to drop selected ones of the video data layers from corresponding existing video signals.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said add-layer experiment history data comprises congestion data resulting from an increase in the transmission rate of said transmitted video signal from prior add-layer experiments performed by said plurality of receivers.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said video signal data layers are hierarchically designated from a lowest status to a highest status and wherein said means for communicating comprises means for instructing a receiver, in one of a domain and a subnet, having a greatest number of video data layers in its respective existing video signal to drop a data layer having a highest status level in said respective existing video signal when a congestion condition is detected.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the video signal data layers comprise a base layer and at least two enhancement layers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the video signal data layers comprise a base layer and at least two enhancement layers, and wherein the base layer is designated as the layer having the lowest status.