Optimization of streaming data throughput in unreliable networks

• US 7,796,517 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Videopression LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Zakhor, Avideh, Chen, Minghua
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung; Hoon J
• Application Number:
  US11/147,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20060029037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 370235-236, 370/248, 370252-253, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370231-234, 370/255, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370412-418, 714/18, 714748-751, 714/708, 709/228, 709232-235
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0835 One way packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0242 Determining whether packet losses are due to overload or to deterioration of radio communication conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

Multiple TRFC connections transport streaming data through a wireless channel, and the difference between measured round trip times of packets and minimum round trip time is used to adjust the number of TFRC connections to fully utilize bandwidth through the wireless channel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

using a device to open at least one transmission friendly rate control (TFRC) connection between a sending device and a receiving device, wherein the at least one TFRC connection is at least partially over a wireless network;

using the device to calculate a threshold according to a minimum round trip time for a plurality of packets in a data stream transmitted over the at least one TFRC connection;

using the device to accumulate round trip times for a predetermined number of the plurality of packets;

using the device to calculate an average round trip time by dividing a sum of the accumulated round trip times by the predetermined number of the plurality of packets;

using the device to decrease a count if a difference between the average round trip time and the minimum round trip time exceeds the threshold, otherwise increasing the count; and

using the device to open another TFRC connection responsive to increasing an integer portion of the count.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

closing one of a plurality of TFRC connections between the sending device and the receiving device responsive to decreasing the integer portion of the count provided at least a single TFRC connection remains open between the sending device and the receiving device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein increasing the count further comprises:

increasing the count by an amount inversely proportional to the count.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decreasing the count by an amount additively associated with the count.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

increasing a packet size of the data stream responsive to increasing the count.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

increasing a data rate of the data stream in accordance with the count.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decreasing a data rate of the data stream in accordance with the count.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

multiplicatively decreasing the count.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, result in operations comprising:

opening at least one transmission friendly rate control (TFRC) connection between a sending device and a receiving device, wherein the at least one TFRC connection is at least partially over a wireless network;

determining a minimum performance metric for a plurality of packets in a data stream transmitted over the at least one TFRC connection;

calculating a threshold responsive to the minimum performance metric;

calculating an average performance metric by dividing a sum of a predetermined number of accumulated performance metrics for the plurality of packets by the predetermined number;

decreasing a count if a difference between the average performance metric and the minimum performance metric exceeds the threshold, otherwise increasing the count; and

opening another TFRC connection responsive to increasing an integer portion of the count;

wherein the minimum performance metric is a minimum round trip time for the plurality of data packets in the data stream; and

wherein the average round trip time is calculated by sampling round trip times for the plurality of packets in the data stream over time.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise:

closing one or a plurality of TFRC connections between the sending device and the receiving device responsive to decreasing the integer portion of the count provided at least a single TFRC connection remains open between the sending device and the receiving device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the operations further comprise:

increasing the count by an amount inversely proportional to the count.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise:

decreasing the count by an amount additively associated with the count.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise:

multiplicatively decreasing the count.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise:

maintaining the at least one TFRC connection regardless of the count.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise:

increasing a packet size of the data stream responsive to the integer portion of the count.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprise:

decreasing the packet size of the data stream responsive to the integer portion of the count.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the average round trip time is calculated by sampling round trip times for the plurality of packets in the data stream over time.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the threshold is proportional to the minimum performance metric.

19. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor; and

a data sending module (i) which executes in the processor from the memory and (ii) which, if executed by the processor, results in;

opening a plurality of transmission friendly rate control (TFRC) connections between a sending device and a receiving device, wherein at least some of the plurality of TFRC connections extend at least partially over a wireless network;

calculating a threshold according to a minimum performance metric associated with a plurality of packets in a data stream transmitted over the plurality of TFRC connections;

accumulating a predetermined number of performance metrics associated with a predetermined number of the plurality of packets in the data stream;

calculating an average performance metric by dividing a sum of the accumulated performance metrics by the predetermined number of the plurality of packets in the data stream;

decreasing a count if a difference between the average performance metric and the minimum performance metric exceeds the threshold, otherwise increasing the count; and

opening another TFRC connection or closing at least one TFRC connection responsive to a change in an integer portion of the count;

wherein the minimum performance metric is a minimum round trip time for the plurality of packets in the data stream; and

wherein the average performance metric is an average round trip time for the plurality of packets in the data stream.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein increasing the count further comprises:

increasing the count by an amount inversely proportional to the count.

21. The computer system of claim 20 wherein decreasing the count further comprises:

decreasing the count by an amount additively associated with the count.

22. The computer system of claim 20 wherein decreasing the count further comprises:

multiplicatively decreasing the count.

23. The computer system of claim 19 wherein decreasing the count comprises:

maintaining at least one TFRC connection regardless of the count.

24. The computer system of claim 19 wherein increasing the count further comprises:

increasing a packet size of the data stream responsive to the integer portion of the count.

25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein decreasing the count further comprises:

decreasing the packet size of the data stream responsive to the integer portion of the count.

26. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the average round trip time is calculated by sampling round trip times for the plurality of packets in the data stream over time.

27. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the threshold is proportional to the minimum performance metric.

28. The computer system of claim 19 wherein decreasing the count further comprises:

multiplicatively decreasing the count.

29. The computer system of claim 19 wherein increasing the count further comprises:

increasing the count by an amount inversely proportional to a previous value of the count.