Delivery of information over a communication channel

• US 20050259623A1
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Nanda, Sanjiv, Garudadri, Harinath, Lundby, Stein Arne, Sagetong, Phoom
• Application Number:
  US11/129,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259623A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/36 by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/166 IP fragmentation; TCP segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/102 characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/174 the region being a slice, e.g. a line of blocks or a group of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 : involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 : Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 : for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 : Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 : using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 : based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 : Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 : Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 : Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for transmitting information units over a plurality of constant bit rate communication channel. The techniques include encoding the information units, thereby creating a plurality of data packets. The encoding is constrained such that the data packet sizes match physical layer packet sizes of the communication channel. The information units may include a variable bit rate data stream, multimedia data, video data, and audio data. The communication channels include CMDA channels, WCDMA, GSM channels, GPRS channels, and EDGE channels.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

determining possible physical layer packet sizes of a plurality of available constant bit rate communication channels; and

establishing constraints for partitioning information units such that the partitions are sized so as not to exceed the physical layer packet size of at least one of the available physical layer packet sizes provided by the plurality of available constant bit rate communication channels.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein partitioning information comprises a source encoder equipped with a rate controlled module capable of generating partitions of varying size.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information units comprise a variable bit rate data stream

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information units comprise multimedia data.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information units comprise video data.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information units comprise audio data.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are CDMA channels.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels include a supplemental channel.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the constant bit rate communication channel includes a dedicated control channel.

10. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the constant bit rate communication channel includes a packet data channel.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GSM channels.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are EDGE channels.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GPRS channels.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the constraints are used during encoding of the information units.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information units occur at a constant interval.

16. A method of transmitting information in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

determining available physical layer packet sizes for a plurality of available constant bit rate communication channels; and

encoding an information unit into data packets, wherein individual data packet sizes are selected so as not to exceed one of the physical layer packet sizes of the available constant bit rate communication channels.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein encoding information comprises a source encoder equipped with a rate controlled module capable of generating partitions of varying size.

18. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the information unit comprises a multimedia stream.

19. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the information unit comprises video data.

20. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the information unit comprises audio data.

21. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are CDMA channels.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels include a supplemental channel.

23. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein the constant bit rate communication channel includes a dedicated control channel.

24. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein the constant bit rate communication channel includes a packet data channel.

25. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GSM channels.

26. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are EDGE channels.

27. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GPRS channels.

28. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the information units occur at a constant interval.

29. A wireless communication device comprising:

a receiver configured to accept a plurality of constant bit rate communication channels; and

a decoder configured to accept the received plurality of constant bit rate communication channels and to decode the constant bit rate channels, wherein the decoded constant bit rate channels are accumulated to produce a variable bit rate stream of data.

30. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the decoder estimates a size of data packets received from the communication channels.

31. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein a size of data packets received from the communication channels is indicated in additional signaling.

32. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the variable bit rate stream is a multimedia stream.

33. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the variable bit rate stream comprises video data.

34. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the variable bit rate stream comprises audio data.

35. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are CDMA channels.

36. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are GSM channels.

37. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are GPRS channels.

38. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 29, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are EDGE channels.

39. A wireless communication device comprising:

a controller configured to determine a set of physical layer packet sizes from a plurality of available constant bit rate communication channels; and

an encoder configured to partition information units into data packets, wherein an individual data packet size is selected not to exceed at least one of the size of the physical layer packets of the available constant bit rate communication channels.

40. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the encoder further comprises a rate controlled module capable of generating partitions of varying size.

41. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the physical layer packets.

42. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the information units comprise a variable bit rate stream.

43. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the information units comprise multimedia data.

44. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the information units comprise video data.

45. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are CDMA channels.

46. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are GSM channels.

47. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are GPRS channels.

48. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 39, wherein the plurality of constant bit rate channels are EDGE channels.

59. An encoder as defined in claim 46, wherein the encoder is constrained such that the aggregate of the packets is limited to a pre-selected maximum number of bits.

49. An encoder in a wireless communication system, the encoder configured to accept information units and partition the information units into data packets, wherein the data packets are sized so as not to exceed at least one physical layer packet size of an available constant bit rate communication channel.

50. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the information units occur at a constant rate.

51. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the information units comprise a variable rate data stream.

52. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the information units comprise multimedia data.

53. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the information units comprise video data.

54. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the information units comprise audio data.

55. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are CDMA channels.

56. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GSM channels.

57. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GPRS channels.

58. An encoder as defined in claim 49, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are EDGE channels.

60. A decoder in a wireless communication system, the decoder configured to accept data streams from a plurality of constant bit rate communication channels, decode the data streams and accumulate the decoded plurality of data streams into a variable bit rate data stream.

61. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein a size of data packets received from the communication channels is estimated.

62. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein a size of data packets received from the communication channels is indicated in additional signaling.

63. A decoder as defined in claim 60 wherein the variable bit rate stream is a multimedia stream.

64. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein the variable bit rate stream is a video stream.

65. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein the variable bit rate stream is an audio stream.

66. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are CDMA channels.

67. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GSM channels.

68. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are GPRS channels.

69. A decoder as defined in claim 60, wherein the constant bit rate communication channels are EDGE channels.

70. A computer readable media embodying a method of encoding data, the method comprising partitioning information units thereby creating a plurality of data packets wherein each data packet is sized not to exceed the size of at least one physical layer packet size from a set of physical layer packet sizes corresponding to available constant bit rate communication channels.

71. A computer readable media embodying a method of decoding broadcast content, the method comprising:

accepting data streams from a plurality of constant bit rate communication channels; and

decoding the data streams and accumulating the decoded plurality of data streams into a variable bit rate data stream.