Reliable audio-video transmission system using multi-media diversity

• US 8,374,087 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2005
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dacosta, Behram Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crompton, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US11/203,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20060062243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,742 Days
• Field of Search: 370/232
• US Class Current: 370/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/3065 for real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A system and method for switching data packet traffic distribution across diverse transmission medium according to detected quality of service characteristics for a given data packet rate from server to client. It should be recognized that diverse medium are not interdependent with regard to fading or signal strength considerations. Two general modes of switching are described, switching all the data packets, and switching according to a media-time coding mechanism. In one embodiment the data is encoded using Fountain encoding prior to transmission. The data packet transmissions preferably comprise audio-video data packet streams, such as MPEG-2 streams. By way of example, the diverse transmission medium may comprise a wireless connection (i.e., WiFi) used in combination with a power-line network connection, such as within a home network.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing increased transmission quality of service, comprising:

a server configured for simultaneously transmitting packet data through different transmitters, co-located with said server, over parallel diverse transmission medium along an entire path to a client having different receivers co-located with said client;

wherein said diverse medium are subject to different forms of interference;

means of detecting quality of service of said transmission;

means for Fountain encoding packet data using media-time coding and interleaving across said parallel diverse transmission medium; and

means for transmitting Fountain encoded packet data across said diverse transmission medium and distributing said packet data, which is interleaved and media-time coded with alternate packets transmitted, across said diverse medium in response to changes in the detected quality of service;

wherein said multiple diverse transmission medium comprise both a wireless connection and a power-line connection;

wherein said Fountain encoded data is transmitted simultaneously over said wireless connection and said power-line connection;

wherein said diverse medium comprise medium in which fading or signal strength vary independently when comparing at least two of the diverse medium; and

wherein said diverse medium comprise wireless medium, at least two of which provide different propagation characteristics.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the diversity of transmission medium provides compensation by a second or subsequent medium for any temporary fading or outage experienced in a first medium over which data is transmitted to said client.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for transmitting is configured for segmenting the data into time intervals over which data is encoded using a Fountain encoding scheme.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein upon being received the Fountain encoded data can be reconstructed intact from any subset of the encoded packets which is approximately equal in total size to the data which was transmitted.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said packet data comprises forms of streaming data including video, audio, or a combination.

6. An apparatus for providing increased data packet transmission quality of service, comprising:

a server coupled to different transmitters, co-located with said server, having multiple diverse forms of transmission medium configured in parallel for simultaneously communicating data along an entire path to a client having different receivers;

wherein said diverse medium comprises both a wireless connection and a power-line connection which are subject to different forms of interference;

a computer processor configured for controlling data packet transmissions over said diverse forms of medium; and

programming configured for execution by said computer processor for,

detecting changes in the quality of service (QoS),

segmenting data into time intervals over which data is encoded using a Fountain encoding scheme with media-time coding and interleaving across said parallel diverse transmission medium, and

distributing Fountain encoded packet data transmission, which is interleaved and media-time coded with alternate packets transmitted across said diverse medium in response to said changes in quality of service;

wherein said Fountain encoded data is transmitted simultaneously over both said wireless connection and said power-line connection;

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise medium in which fading or signal strength vary independently when comparing at least two of the diverse transmission medium; and

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise wireless medium, at least two of which provide different propagation characteristics.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the diversity of transmission medium provides compensation by a second or subsequent medium for any temporary fading or outage experienced in a first medium over which data is transmitted to said client.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, further comprising automatically increasing the transmission rate of packet data to utilize higher available bandwidths, or decreasing the packet data transmission rate to reduce error rates in response to lower available data bandwidth.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said packet data comprises forms of streaming data including video, audio, or a combination.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise medium in which fading or signal strength vary independently when comparing at least two of the diverse transmission medium.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 6:

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise medium in which fading or signal strength vary independently when comparing at least two of the diverse transmission medium; and

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise at least one wireless medium utilized with at least one power-line medium.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 6:

wherein said server comprises a network server; and

wherein said network server is configured for communicating within a home based network.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 6:

wherein said server comprises a network server;

wherein said network server is configured for communicating within a home based network; and

wherein said home based network is configured for communicating audio-video packet data between audio-video capture devices, audio-video player devices and audio-video output devices.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein upon being received the Fountain encoded data can be reconstructed intact from any subset of the encoded packets which is approximately equal in total size to the data which was transmitted.

15. A method of increasing quality of service for packet based transmissions, comprising:

configuring a client and server for simultaneous communication of data packets through different transmitters over diverse forms of parallel transmission medium along an entire path to a client having different receivers;

wherein said different transmitters are collocated with said server;

wherein said different receivers are collocated with said client;

wherein said diverse medium comprise both wireless connection and power-line connection which are subject to different forms of interference;

detecting the quality of service of said communication of data packets for a given data packet rate between the client and server;

segmenting the data into time intervals over which data is encoded using a Fountain encoding scheme with media-time coding and interleaving across said parallel diverse transmission medium; and

distributing Fountain encoded data packet transmissions, which are interleaved and media-time coded with alternate packets transmitted across diverse medium in response to detected quality of service for the given data packet rate between the client and server;

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise medium in which fading or signal strength vary independently when comparing at least two of the diverse transmission medium;

wherein said Fountain encoded data is transmitted simultaneously over both said wireless connection and said power-line connection;

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise medium in which fading or signal strength vary independently when comparing at least two of the diverse transmission medium; and

wherein said diverse forms of transmission medium comprise wireless medium, at least two of which provide different propagation characteristics.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, further comprising reconstructing received Fountain encoded data in response to receipt of any subset of the Fountain encoded packets approximately equal in total size to the data which was transmitted.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the transmission of data packets across said diverse transmission medium provides compensation by a second or subsequent medium for any temporary fading or outage experienced in a first medium over which data is transmitted to said client.

18. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the diversity of said diverse medium provides compensation by a second or subsequent medium for any temporary fading or outage experienced in a first medium over which data is transmitted to said client.

19. A method as recited in claim 15, further comprising automatically increasing transmission rate of data packets to utilize higher available bandwidths, or decreasing the transmission rate of data packets to reduce error rates in response to lower available data bandwidth.

20. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said data packets comprise forms of streaming data including video, audio, or a combination.