Wireless transmission of real-time media

• US 9,525,714 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Smadi, Mohammed Nawaf, Badawy, Ghada
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael
• Application Number:
  US13/957,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20150036735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/239, 37524001-24029, 709/232, 709/239
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1074 for supporting data block transmission mechanisms file transfer H04L67/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/177 the unit being a group of pictures [GOP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method, wireless communication device, and computer readable medium, are disclosed, for encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from a source to a sink over a wireless transmission channel. The wireless device initiates a peer-to-peer communication session between the sink and the source, then determines based on a time-allocation for the wireless transmission, an available bandwidth for the wireless transmission. The wireless device then encodes the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the available bandwidth or a throughput constraint.

Claims

1. A method for encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from a source device to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel, the method comprising:

determining an available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device for the wireless transmission based on a time-allocation of the source device for wireless transmission defined by a Notice-of-Absence schedule; and

encoding the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on a minimum of the available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device or a throughput constraint between the source device and the sink device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on a hardware limitation associated with one or both of the source device and the sink device, the throughput constraint for the wireless transmission;

when the available bandwidth is less than the throughput constraint, encoding the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the available bandwidth; and

when the available bandwidth is greater than or equal to the throughput constraint, encoding the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the throughput constraint.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring for a new time-allocation for the wireless transmission; and

when the new time-allocation is available, determining a new available bandwidth for the wireless transmission, and encoding the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the new available bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the time-allocation using the Notice-of-Absence schedule.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, based on a hardware limitation associated with one or both of the source device and the sink device, the throughput constraint for the wireless transmission; and

when the available bandwidth is greater than the throughput constraint, setting a new time-allocation for the wireless transmission to limit the available bandwidth in correspondence with the throughput constraint.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising encoding the media for the wireless transmission based on the new available bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time media comprises a plurality of a Group of Pictures (GOP), each GOP having a key-frame and wherein encoding the real-time media comprises adjusting any of a GOP structure or GOP size.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the hardware limitation is due to any of a sink buffer limitation for storing received data from the source device, a sink decoder limitation for decoding received data from the source device, a source buffer limitation for storing data for sending to the sink device, and a source encoder limitation for encoding data for sending to the sink device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication session between the sink device and the source device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time media is a Miracast video-stream.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-allocation is a period-of-availability defined by the Notice-of-Absence schedule.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the throughput constraint is a maximum throughput constraint between the source device and the sink device.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the hardware limitation is due to any of a sink buffer limitation for storing received data from the source device, a sink decoder limitation for decoding received data from the source device, a source buffer limitation for storing data for sending to the sink device, and a source encoder limitation for encoding data for sending to the sink device.

14. A wireless communication device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and storing media and instructions for encoding the media for wireless transmission from a source device to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel, wherein the processor is configured to;

determine an available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device for the wireless transmission based on a time-allocation of the source device for wireless transmission defined by a Notice-of-Absence schedule; and

encode the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on a minimum of the available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device or a throughput constraint between the source device and the sink device.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, based on a hardware limitation associated with one or both of the source device and the sink device, the throughput constraint for the wireless transmission;

when the available bandwidth is less than the throughput constraint, encode the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the available bandwidth; and

when the available bandwidth is greater than or equal to the throughput constraint, encode the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the throughput constraint.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

monitor for a new time-allocation for the wireless transmission; and

when the new time-allocation is available, determine a new available bandwidth for the wireless transmission, and encode the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the new available bandwidth.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to set the time-allocation using the Notice-of-Absence schedule.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, based on a hardware limitation associated with one or both of the source device and the sink device, the throughput constraint for the wireless transmission; and

when the available bandwidth is greater than the throughput constraint, set a new time-allocation for the wireless transmission to limit the available bandwidth in correspondence with the throughput constraint.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to encode the media for the wireless transmission based on the new available bandwidth.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the real-time media comprises a plurality of a Group of Pictures (GOP), each GOP having a key-frame and wherein encoding the real-time media comprises adjusting any of a GOP structure or GOP size.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the hardware limitation is due to any of a sink buffer limitation for storing received data from the source device, a sink decoder limitation for decoding received data from the source device, a source buffer limitation for storing data for sending to the sink device, and a source encoder limitation for encoding data for sending to the sink device.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication session between the sink device and the source device.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the real-time media is a Miracast video-stream.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the time-allocation is a period-of-availability defined by the Notice-of-Absence schedule.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the throughput constraint is a maximum throughput constraint between the source device and the sink device.

26. The wireless communication device of claim 18, wherein the hardware limitation is due to any of a sink buffer limitation for storing received data from the source device, a sink decoder limitation for decoding received data from the source device, a source buffer limitation for storing data for sending to the sink device, and a source encoder limitation for encoding data for sending to the sink device.

27. A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions for execution by a processor of a wireless communication device to perform a method for encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from a source device to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the wireless communication device, cause the processor to:

determine an available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device for the wireless transmission based on a time-allocation of the source device for wireless transmission defined by a Notice-of-Absence schedule; and

encode the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on a minimum of the available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device or a throughput constraint between the source device and the sink device.