Data streaming through time-varying transport media

• US 8,255,559 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2012
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vantrix Corporation
• Inventors: Labonte, Francis Roger, Cote, Sebastien, Lefebvre, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): SERRAO, RANODHI N
• Application Number:
  US13/417,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 170 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• 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 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• 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 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method of data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection, is disclosed. The method includes associating an encoding coefficient with said time-varying connection, the encoding coefficient determining a flow rate at an output of said encoder; defining a performance metric of the time-varying connection; defining an acceptance interval of the performance metric having a lower bound and an upper bound; acquiring a set of performance measurements of the time-varying connection over a time window at a current encoding coefficient; determining a current value of the metric of the time-varying connection according to the set of measurements; determining a preferred encoding coefficient according to the current value of the metric; and modifying the current encoding coefficient based on the current value of the metric and the acceptance interval to attain the preferred encoding coefficient. A corresponding streaming server and system for data streaming are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection, comprising:

employing at least one processor for;

associating an encoding coefficient with said time-varying connection, said encoding coefficient determining a flow rate at an output of said encoder;

defining a performance metric of said time-varying connection as a function of occupancy, during a time window, of a decoder buffer holding data received through said time-varying connection;

defining an acceptance interval of said performance metric having a lower bound and an upper bound;

acquiring a set of performance measurements of said time-varying connection over said time window at a current encoding coefficient;

determining a current value of said metric of said time-varying connection according to said set of measurements;

determining a preferred encoding coefficient according to said current value of said metric; and

multiplying said current encoding coefficient by a factor determined as a function of said lower bound, said upper bound, and said current value of said metric.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the current encoding coefficient based on a comparison of said current value and said acceptance interval.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising decreasing said current encoding coefficient to produce said preferred encoding coefficient, provided said current value of said metric exceeds said upper bound.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising increasing said current encoding coefficient to produce said preferred encoding coefficient, provided said current value of said metric is lower than said lower bound.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a first factor for increasing said current encoding coefficient and a second factor for decreasing said current encoding coefficient, wherein a product of said first factor and said second factor is less than 1.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising instructing said encoder to encode a signal according to said preferred encoding coefficient and a nominal encoding rate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said function further accounts for transfer delay from said encoder to said decoder during said time window.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said function further accounts for data loss during said time window.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor, to perform the steps of the method of claim 1.

10. A streaming server for data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection, the streaming server comprising a hardware processor, and a memory device storing computer readable instructions causing said processor to:

associate an encoding coefficient with said time-varying connection, said encoding coefficient determining a flow rate at an output of said encoder;

define a performance metric of said time-varying connection as a function of occupancy, during a time window, of a decoder buffer holding data received through said time-varying connection;

define an acceptance interval of said performance metric having a lower bound and an upper bound;

acquire a set of performance measurements of said time-varying connection over said time window at a current encoding coefficient;

determine a current value of said metric of said time-varying connection according to said set of measurements;

determine a preferred encoding coefficient according to said current value of said metric; and

multiply the current encoding coefficient by a factor determined as a function of the lower bound, the upper bound, and the current value of said metric.

11. The streaming server of claim 10, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to modify the current encoding coefficient based on a comparison of said current value and said acceptance interval.

12. The streaming server of claim 10, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to determine a first factor for increasing said current encoding coefficient and a second factor for decreasing said current encoding coefficient, wherein a product of said first factor and said second factor is less than 1.

13. The streaming server of claim 10, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to increase said current encoding coefficient to produce said preferred encoding coefficient, provided said current value of said metric is lower than said lower bound.

14. The streaming server of claim 10, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to decrease said current encoding coefficient to produce said preferred encoding coefficient, provided said current value of said metric exceeds said upper bound.

15. The streaming server of claim 10 wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to instruct said encoder to encode a signal according to said preferred encoding coefficient and a nominal encoding rate.

16. The streaming server of claim 10 wherein said function further accounts for transfer delay from said encoder to said decoder during said time window.

17. The streaming server of claim 10 wherein said function further accounts for data loss during said time window.

18. The streaming server of claim 10, the streaming server being configured to exchange control data between said encoder and said decoder using a real-time transport protocol (RTP) and the real-time transport control protocol (RTCP).

19. The streaming server of claim 10 wherein said time-varying connection is configured to carry a video signal and wherein said computer readable instructions further cause the processor to modify at least one of:

a frame rate of said video signal; and

content per frame.

20. A system for data streaming, comprising:

a plurality of client devices, each client device having a client processor and a respective decoder; and

a streaming server for data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection, the streaming server comprising a hardware processor, and a memory device having storing computer readable instructions stored thereon, causing said processor to;

associate an encoding coefficient with said time-varying connection, said encoding coefficient determining a flow rate at an output of said encoder;

define a performance metric of said time-varying connection as a function of occupancy, during a time window, of a decoder buffer holding data received through said time-varying connection;

define an acceptance interval of said performance metric having a lower bound and an upper bound;

acquire a set of performance measurements of said time-varying connection over said time window at a current encoding coefficient;

determine a current value of said metric of said time-varying connection according to said set of measurements;

determine a preferred encoding coefficient according to said current value of said metric; and

multiply the current encoding coefficient by a factor determined as a function of the lower bound, the upper bound, and the current value of said metric.