Device and method for multistream bandwidth control in videoconferencing

• US 9,118,806 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bright-Thomas, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US13/760,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory that stores executable instructions and a processor that executes the instructions. The processor may determine, for plural received compressed video inputs received from one or more endpoints in a video conference, at least one motion vector included in each of the plural compressed video inputs. The processor may calculate, based on the determined motion vectors, a motion value corresponding to each of the plural compressed video inputs, the motion values representing a level of motion over several frames for each of the plural compressed video inputs. The processor may allocate, based on the calculated motion values, bandwidth to the one or more endpoints in the video conference.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions in order to

determine, for plural received compressed video inputs received from one or more endpoints in a video conference, at least one motion vector included in each of the plural compressed video inputs,

calculate, based on the determined motion vectors, a motion value corresponding to each of the plural compressed video inputs, the motion values representing a level of motion over several frames for each of the plural compressed video inputs, and

allocate, based on the calculated motion values, a portion of a maximum aggregate bandwidth to the each of the compressed video inputs based on the corresponding motion value, wherein the aggregate bandwidth is constant and a distribution of the bandwidth among the compressed video inputs is variable as a function of the motion values.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor determines a maximum negotiated bandwidth, and allocates portions of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the one or more endpoints.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor allocates a highest portion of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the endpoint, of the one or more endpoints in the video conference, having a highest magnitude calculated motion value.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor generates an ordered list of the motion values, the ordered list being based on relative magnitudes of the calculated motion values.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor allocates the portions of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the one or more endpoints in the video conference based on the ordered list.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to rank a plurality of streams based on the motion values.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify a frame without a corresponding motion vector and calculate a predictive value for the frame based on neighboring frames.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions in order to;

determine, for plural received compressed video inputs received from one or more endpoints in a video conference, at least one motion vector included in each of the plural compressed video inputs,

calculate, based on the determined motion vectors, a motion value corresponding to each of the plural compressed video inputs, the motion values representing a level of motion over several frames for each of the plural compressed video inputs, and

allocate, based on the calculated motion values, bandwidth to the one or more endpoints in the video conference,

wherein the processor determines a maximum negotiated bandwidth, and allocates portions of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the one or more endpoints,

wherein the processor allocates the portions of the maximum negotiated bandwidth based on a cost function result, where a maximum boundary of the cost function is based on an encoding capacity of the one or more endpoints in the video conference and a number of concurrent video conferencing streams to be output.

7. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor for plural received compressed video inputs received from one or more endpoints in a video conference, at least one motion vector included in each of the plural compressed video inputs;

calculating, by the processor based on the determined motion vectors, a motion value corresponding to each of the plural compressed video inputs, the motion values representing a level of motion over several frames for each of the plural compressed video inputs; and

allocating, by the processor based on the calculated motion values, bandwidth to the one or more endpoints in the video conference based on a cost function result, where a maximum boundary of the cost function is based on an encoding capacity of the one or more endpoints in the video conference and a number of concurrent video conferencing streams to be output.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the processor determines a maximum negotiated bandwidth, and allocates portions of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the one or more endpoints.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor allocates a highest portion of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the endpoint, of the one or more endpoints in the video conference, having a highest magnitude calculated motion value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor generates an ordered list of the motion values, the ordered list being based on relative magnitudes of the calculated motion values.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processor allocates the portions of the maximum negotiated bandwidth to the one or more endpoints in the video conference based on the ordered list.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein that when executed by a processor causes a computer to execute a method comprising:

determining, for plural received compressed video inputs received from one or more endpoints in a video conference, at least one motion vector included in each of the plural compressed video inputs;

calculating, based on the determined motion vectors, a motion value corresponding to each of the plural compressed video inputs, the motion values representing a level of motion over several frames for each of the plural compressed video inputs; and

allocating, based on the calculated motion values, bandwidth to the one or more endpoints in the video conference based on a cost function result, where a maximum boundary of the cost function is based on an encoding capacity of the one or more endpoints in the video conference and a number of concurrent video conferencing streams to be output.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein a maximum aggregate bandwidth is allocated to the endpoints of the video conference based on the motion values.