Video delivery apparatus and method

• US 20050262258A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujita, Takao, Kohno, Akihiro, Fukui, Toshiyuki, Hikida, Yoshiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A video delivery apparatus for delivering a video stream with a property according to a request from a client. The video delivery apparatus includes reception means for receiving a delivery request from one client, first estimation means for estimating a current processing load by calculating a sum total of the processing loads for other clients connected to deliver a video stream upon reception of the delivery request from the one client, second estimation means for estimating a processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request, and delivery control means for performing the delivery control of the video stream on the basis of at least one of the current processing load estimated by the first estimation means and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request, which is estimated by the second estimation means.

Claims

1. A video delivery apparatus for delivering a video stream with a property according to a request from a client, comprising:

reception means for receiving a delivery request from one client;

first estimation means for estimating a current processing load by calculating a sum total of the processing loads for other clients connected to deliver a video stream upon reception of the delivery request from the one client;

second estimation means for estimating a processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request; and

delivery control means for performing the delivery control of the video stream on the basis of at least one of the current processing load estimated by said first estimation means and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request, which is estimated by said second estimation means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said delivery control means rejects the delivery request from the one client when a sum of the estimated current processing load and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request exceeds a predetermined upper limit value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

image sensing device control means for controlling an image sensing device, and

wherein the current processing load and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request are estimated in consideration of the presence/absence of control for the image sensing device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said delivery control means includes:

calculation means for calculating a difference between a predetermined upper limit value and the current processing load as a reserve capacity;

extraction means for extracting candidates of properties of video streams which can be provided within a range of the reserve capacity calculated by said calculation means; and

notification means for notifying the one client of the candidates extracted by said extraction means as options.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when candidates of properties of video streams that can be provided change in correspondence with a variation of the reserve capacity calculated by said calculation means, said notification means notifies the one client again of the changed candidates as new options.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising presentation means for, when a sum of the estimated current processing load and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request exceeds a predetermined upper limit value, presenting candidates of alternative properties that allow delivery of a video stream to the one client according to the delivery request to another, corresponding client or the one client.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

calculation means for calculating a reserve capacity of processing performance on the basis of processing loads required for other clients connected upon reception of the delivery request; and

extraction means for extracting candidates of properties of video streams which can be provided within a range of the reserve capacity using a predetermined evaluating function.

7. A video delivery method for delivering a video stream with a property according to a request from a client, comprising:

a reception step of receiving a delivery request from one client;

a first estimation step of estimating a current processing load by calculating a sum total of the processing loads for other clients connected to deliver a video stream upon reception of the delivery request from the one client;

a second estimation step of estimating a processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery requests; and

a delivery control step of performing the delivery control of the video stream on the basis of at least one of the current processing load estimated in the first estimation step and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request, which is estimated in the second estimation step.

8. A program for controlling a video delivery server that delivers a video stream with a property according to a request from a client, comprising:

a code of a reception step of receiving a delivery request from one client;

a code of a first estimation step of estimating a current processing load by calculating a sum total of the processing loads for other clients connected to deliver a video stream upon reception of the delivery request from the one client;

a code of a second estimation step of estimating a processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery requests; and

a code of a delivery control step of performing the delivery control of the video stream on the basis of at least one of the current processing load estimated in the first estimation step and the processing load upon delivering the video stream to the one client according to the delivery request, which is estimated in the second estimation step.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program of claim 8.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image processing means for performing an image process to image data;

measurement means for, when a plurality of image processes are requested, measuring processing performance required for one of the plurality of image processes;

prediction means for predicting processing performance required for other image processes except for the one image process of the plurality of image processes on the basis of the measurement result; and

control means for selecting image processes which can be completed within a predetermined unit time from the other image processes on the basis of the prediction result, and making said image processing means execute the selected image processes.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising correction means for correcting a prediction condition of said prediction means on the basis of an error between the prediction result of said prediction means and an actual measurement result.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined unit time is a time required to input image data for one frame.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said control means selects image processes to be processed on the basis of information associated with priority of image processes when a processing speed lowers.

17. A video delivery apparatus including an image processing apparatus of claim 11, and delivering a plurality of video streams to clients via a network within the predetermined unit time.

13. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image processing means for performing an image process to image data;

measurement means for measuring processing performance required for one requested image process;

prediction means for predicting processing performance required for another currently requested image process on the basis of the measurement result, and predicting processing performance required for a new image process upon further reception of a request of the new image process; and

control means for checking on the basis of the measurement result of said measurement means and the prediction result of said prediction means whether or not the new image process can be processed within a predetermined unit time in addition to the one image process and the other image process, and determining on the basis of the checking result whether the request of the new image process is accepted or rejected.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the request of the new image process is accepted by the process of said control means, and when a resolution of image data associated with the new image process is lower than a resolution of image data associated with the one process, said control means changes the new image process to the one process.

18. An image processing method comprising:

a measurement step of measuring, when a plurality of image processes are requested, processing performance required for one of the plurality of image processes;

a prediction step of predicting processing performance required for other image processes except for the one image process of the plurality of image processes on the basis of the measurement result in the measurement step; and

an image processing step of selecting image processes which can be completed within a predetermined unit time from the other image processes on the basis of the prediction result in the prediction step, and performing image processes on the basis of parameters associated with the selected image processes.

19. A computer executable program stored on a computer-readable medium for processing image data, the program comprising:

a code of a measurement step of measuring, when a plurality of image processes are requested, processing performance required for one of the plurality of image processes;

a code of a prediction step of predicting processing performance required for other image processes except for the one image process of the plurality of image processes on the basis of the measurement result in the measurement step; and

a code of an image processing step of selecting image processes which can be completed within a predetermined unit time from the other image processes on the basis of the prediction result in the prediction step, and performing image processes on the basis of parameters associated with the selected image processes.

20. An image processing method comprising:

a measurement step of measuring processing performance required for one requested image process;

a first prediction step of predicting processing performance required for another currently requested image process on the basis of the measurement result in the measurement step;

a second prediction step of predicting processing performance required for a new image process upon further reception of a request of the new image process; and

a determination step of checking on the basis of the processing performance required for the one image process measured in the measurement step, the processing performance required for the other image process predicted in the first prediction step, and the processing performance required for the new image process predicted in the second prediction step whether or not the new image process can be processed within a predetermined unit time in addition to the one image process and the other image process, and determining on the basis of the checking result whether the request of the new image process is accepted or rejected.

21. A computer executable program stored on a computer-readable medium for processing image data, the program comprising:

a code of a measurement step of measuring processing performance required for one requested image process;

a code of a first prediction step of predicting processing performance required for another currently requested image process on the basis of the measurement result in the measurement step;

a code of a second prediction step of predicting processing performance required for a new image process upon further reception of a request of the new image process; and

a code of a determination step of checking on the basis of the processing performance required for the one image process measured in the measurement step, the processing performance required for the other image process predicted in the first prediction step, and the processing performance required for the new image process predicted in the second prediction step whether or not the new image process can be processed within a predetermined unit time in addition to the one image process and the other image process, and determining on the basis of the checking result whether the request of the new image process is accepted or rejected.