Process of sending packets of real-time information

• US 6,757,256 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Viswanathan, Vishu R., McCree, Alan V., Anandakumar, Krishnasamy
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US09/461,155
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 370/228, 370/252, 370/350, 370/351, 455/363, 455/427, 375/347, 128/903
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

A process (111,101) of sending packets of real-time information at a sender (311) includes steps of initially generating at the sender the packets of real-time information with a source rate (s11) greater than zero kilobits per second, and a time or path or combined time/path diversity rate (d11), the amount of diversity (d11) initially being at least zero kilobits per second. The process sends the packets, thereby resulting in a quality of service QoS, and optionally obtains at the sender (311) a measure of the QoS. Rate/diversity adaptation decision may be performed at receiver (361′) instead. Another step compares the QoS with a threshold of acceptability (Th1), and when the QoS is on an unacceptable side of said threshold (Th1) increases the diversity rate (d11 to d22) and sends not only additional ones of the packets of real-time information but also sends diversity packets at the diversity rate as increased (d22). Increasing the diversity rate (d11 to d22) while either reducing or keeping unchanged the overall transmission rate (sij+dij) is an important new improvement in even solely-time-diversity embodiments. In another form of the invention a single-chip integrated circuit includes a processor circuit (1511), and a rate-and-diversity control (1561). Here again, the diversity is contemplated to be time diversity, path diversity, and combined time/path diversity in various embodiments. Other embodiments disclosed encompass other processes, improved packets and packet ensembles, integrated circuits, chipsets, computer add-in cards, information storage articles, systems, computers, gateways, routers, cellular telephone handsets, wireless base stations, appliances, and packet networks, and other forms as claimed.

Claims

1. A process of sending packets of real-time information on a network comprising:

A. generating at a sender the packets of real-time information;

B. sending the packets on the network with a first source rate greater than zero kilobits per second and a first diversity rate of at least zero kilobits per second, the sum of the first source rate and the first diversity rate forming a first transmission rate, the sending the packets on the network resulting in a quality of service;

C. comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability; and

D. when the quality of service is on an unacceptable side of the threshold, sending additional packets and diversity packets on the network with a second diversity rate greater than the first diversity rate.

2. The process of claim 1 including generating a report of quality of service at a receiver and sending the report of quality of service to the sender.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the comparing step includes comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability at the sender.

4. The process of claim 1 including generating a report of quality of service at a receiver, wherein the comparing step includes comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability at the receiver.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the comparing step includes comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability at the receiver.

6. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the additional packets at a second source rate less than the first source rate.

7. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as time-diversity packets.

8. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as media-specific time-diversity packets.

9. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as Important-Information-based time-diversity packets.

10. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as forward error correction time-diversity packets.

11. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as multiple description coding time-diversity packets.

12. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as multiple description data partitioning time-diversity packets.

13. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets as path-diversity packets.

14. The process of claim 1 in which sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets with combined time-and-path diversity.

15. The process of claim 1 in which the comparing is executed at a receiver computer, and in which the sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the diversity packets with combined time-and-path diversity.

16. The process of claim 1 in which the diversity packets include path diversity packets.

17. The process of claim 1 in which the sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending additional packets at a second source rate, and the second source rate plus the second diversity rate are in sum less than the first source rate plus the first diversity rate.

18. The process of claim 1 further including replicating the sending the packets, comparing and sending additional packets and diversity packets for packet broadcasting to multiple destinations.

19. The process of claim 1 in which the sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the additional packets at a second source rate and the sum of the second source rate and the second diversity rate forms a second transmission rate equal to the first transmission rate.

20. The process of claim 1 in which the sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the additional packets at a second source rate and the sum of the second source rate and the second diversity rate forms a second transmission rate less than the first transmission rate.

21. The process of claim 1 in which the sending additional packets and diversity packets includes sending the additional packets at a second source rate and the sum of the second source rate and the second diversity rate forms a second transmission rate no greater than the first transmission rate.