Video bandwidth allocation in a video conference

• US 9,118,940 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Valentine, Matthew F., Ashley, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US13/561,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1409, 348/14.12, 348/14.13, 379/202.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1086 session scope modification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Communicating information exchanged in a video conference. Responsive to detecting a change in an amount of audio information generated by at least one participant in the video conference, identifying a first of the plurality of participants in the video conference that currently is a primary presenter in the video conference, allocating a first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference to a client device, by the primary presenter in the video conference, and allocating a second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference to a client device, by one or more other participants, who currently are not the primary presenter in the video conference, wherein the second level of video bandwidth is less than the first level of video bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information exchanged in a video conference, the method comprising:

responsive to detecting a change in an amount of audio information generated by at least one of a plurality of participants in the video conference;

identifying a first of the plurality of participants in the video conference that currently is a primary presenter in the video conference,

allocating a first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the primary presenter in the video conference, and

allocating a second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by at least a second participant who currently is not the primary presenter in the video conference including;

(i) communicating at least one message to a video encoder that encodes video information generated by the second recipient to encode the video information at a bit rate not to exceed a threshold value,

(ii) receiving the video information generated by the second participant at the bit rate, and

(iii) communicating the video information generated by the second participant to participants in the video conference,

wherein the second level of video bandwidth is less than the first level of video bandwidth, and wherein the second level of video bandwidth is greater than zero; and

responsive to detecting an increase in network bandwidth available to communicate the information exchanged in the video conference;

increasing a level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant from the second level of video bandwidth to the first level of video bandwidth or to a third level of video bandwidth, wherein the third level of video bandwidth is greater than the second level of video bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first of the plurality of participants in the video conference that currently is a primary presenter in the video conference comprises:

detecting audio information generated by each of the plurality of participants during the video conference;

determining which of the plurality of participants is generating the greatest amount of audio information; and

identifying the participant that is generating the greatest amount of audio information as the primary presenter in the video conference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a first of the plurality of participants in the video conference that currently is a primary presenter in the video conference comprises:

detecting a visual presentation presented during the video conference;

determining which of the plurality of participants is providing the visual presentation; and

identifying the participant that is providing the visual presentation as the primary presenter in the video conference.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying the primary presenter in the video conference changing from the first participant to the second participant in the video conference;

allocating the first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant; and

allocating the second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the first participant.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting a decrease in network bandwidth available to communicate the information exchanged in the video conference;

decreasing a level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant from the second level of video bandwidth to a fourth level of video bandwidth, wherein the fourth level of video bandwidth is less than the second level of video bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the level of video bandwidth to communicate information generated in the video conference by the second participant comprises:

ramping up, over a period of time and at a defined rate, the level of video bandwidth that is increased.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting audio information generated by each of the plurality of participants during the video conference; and

ranking each of the plurality of participants based on an amount of audio information each of the plurality participants currently is generating;

wherein allocating the first and second levels of video bandwidth comprises allocating video bandwidth for audio information generated by each of the plurality of participants based on each participant'"'"'s respective ranking.

8. A method of communicating information exchanged in a video conference, the method comprising:

responsive to detecting a decrease in network bandwidth available to communicate the information exchanged in the video conference to at least one participant in the video conference;

identifying a first of the plurality of participants in the video conference that currently is a primary presenter in the video conference based on an amount of audio information generated by the primary presenter in the video conference;

allocating a first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the primary presenter in the video conference; and

allocating a second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by at least a second participant who currently is not the primary presenter in the video conference, wherein the second level of video bandwidth is less than the first level of video bandwidth, wherein the second level of video bandwidth is greater than zero.

9. A video conference system comprising:

a processor configured to initiate executable operations comprising;

responsive to detecting a change in an amount of audio information generated by at least one of a plurality of participants in the video conference;

identifying a first of the plurality of participants in the video conference that currently is a primary presenter in the video conference including;

(i) detecting a visual presentation presented during the video conference,

(ii) determining which of the plurality of participants is providing the visual presentation, and

(iii) identifying the participant that is providing the visual presentation as the primary presenter in the video conference,

allocating a first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the primary presenter in the video conference, and

allocating a second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by at least a second participant who currently is not the primary presenter in the video conference, wherein the second level of video bandwidth is less than the first level of video bandwidth, wherein the second level of video bandwidth is greater than zero; and

responsive to detecting an increase in network bandwidth available to communicate the information exchanged in the video conference;

increasing a level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant from the second level of video bandwidth to the first level of video bandwidth or to a third level of video bandwidth, wherein the third level of video bandwidth is greater than the second level of video bandwidth.

10. The video conference system of claim 9, wherein identifying which of the plurality of participants in the video conference currently is the primary presenter in the video conference further comprises:

detecting audio information generated by each of the plurality of participants during the video conference;

determining which of the plurality of participants is generating the greatest amount of audio information; and

identifying the participant that is generating the greatest amount of audio information as the primary presenter in the video conference.

11. The video conference system of claim 9, the processor further configured to initiate executable operations comprising:

responsive to identifying the primary presenter in the video conference changing from the first participant to the second participant in the video conference;

allocating the first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant; and

allocating the second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the first participant.

12. The video conference system of claim 9, the processor further configured to initiate executable operations comprising:

responsive to detecting a decrease in network bandwidth available to communicate the information exchanged in the video conference;

decreasing a level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant from the second level of video bandwidth to a fourth level of video bandwidth, wherein the fourth level of video bandwidth is less than the second level of video bandwidth.

13. The video conference system of claim 9, wherein increasing the level of video bandwidth to communicate information generated in the video conference by the second participant comprises:

ramping up, over a period of time and at a defined rate, the level of video bandwidth that is increased.

14. The video conference system of claim 9, the processor further configured to initiate executable operations comprising:

detecting audio information generated by each of the plurality of participants during the video conference; and

ranking each of the plurality of participants based on an amount of audio information each of the plurality participants currently is generating;

wherein allocating the first and second levels of video bandwidth comprises allocating video bandwidth for audio information generated by each of the plurality of participants based on each participant'"'"'s respective ranking.

15. The video conference system of claim 9, wherein allocating the second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the second participant comprises:

communicating at least one message to a video encoder that encodes video information generated by the second recipient to encode the video information at a bit rate not to exceed a threshold value;

receiving the video information generated by the second participant at the bit rate; and

communicating the video information generated by the second participant to participants in the video conference.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying, by a computing system, a first participant of a plurality of participants in a video conference that is currently a primary presenter in the video conference;

allocating, by the computing system, a first level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by the primary presenter in the video conference;

allocating, by the computing system, a second level of video bandwidth to communicate video information generated in the video conference by at least a second participant of that plurality of participants that is not currently the primary presenter in the video conference, wherein the second level of video bandwidth is less than the first level of video bandwidth and greater than zero, the allocating including;

(i) obtaining, from a video encoder that encodes video information generated by the second recipient, video information generated by the second recipient at a bit rate not to exceed a threshold value, and

(ii) communicating the video information to other participants in the video conference; and

in response to a change in a network bandwidth available to communicate the information generated in the video conference, adjusting, by the computing system, the second level of video bandwidth.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the second level of video bandwidth includes increasing, by the computing system, the second level of video bandwidth in response to an increase in the network bandwidth.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the second level of video bandwidth includes decreasing, by the computing system, the second level of video bandwidth in response to a decrease in the network bandwidth.