Audio/Video Channel Bonding Configuration Adaptations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016134479-A1
Application number	US-201614988193-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2016
Priority date	Mar 11, 2012
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A data communication architecture delivers a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architecture employs channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, the communication architecture communicates content according to an initial bonding configuration. The communication architecture may adjust the bonding configuration to adapt to bonding environment changes affecting the communication capabilities or requirements associated with transmitting the content.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A method comprising:
obtaining a bonding configuration specifying a bonded channel group comprising a first number of channels compliant with a first communication protocol and a second number of channels compliant with a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol; communicating data over the bonded channel group; after communicating the data, obtaining a configuration change specifying a change to the first number of channels; and adjusting the bonded channel group by adjusting the first number.

3 . The method of claim 2 , where obtaining the configuration change comprises obtaining the configuration change responsive to an environmental bonding characteristic that affects the first communication protocol.

4 . The method of claim 2 , where obtaining the configuration change comprises obtaining the configuration change responsive to a change in a data type to be sent over the bonded channel group.

5 . The method of claim 2 , where obtaining the configuration change comprises obtaining the configuration change responsive to a change in channel eligibility for the bonded channel group.

6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving an indication of a bonding characteristic change from an intermediate node between a source and destination; and responsive to the indication, generating the configuration change.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising sending the bonding configuration to a destination device after obtaining the bonding configuration.

8 . The method of claim 7 , where sending the bonding configuration to the destination device comprises sending the bonding configuration over an out-of-band channel outside the bonded channel group.

9 . The method of claim 2 , where adjusting the first number comprises removing the first number of channels compliant with the first communication protocol from the bonded channel group.

10 . The method of claim 2 , where adjusting the first number comprises replacing a first channel of the first number of channels with an additional channel compliant with the second communication protocol.

11 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising adjusting a bit-rate for the first communication protocol responsive to the configuration change.

12 . A device comprising:
first interface circuitry configured to couple to first-type physical channels compliant with a first communication protocol; second interface circuitry configured to couple to second-type physical channels compliant with a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol; and control circuitry in data communication with the first and second interface circuitry, the control circuitry configured to:
determine a bonding configuration that specifies a bonded channel group comprising a first number of the first-type physical channels and a second number of the second-type physical channels;
responsive to the bonding configuration, establish the bonded channel group using the first number of the first-type physical channels the second number of the second-type physical channels;
after establishing the bonded channel group, obtain a configuration change that specifies a change to the first number; and
responsive to the configuration change, adjust the bonded channel group by changing the first number of the first-type physical channels included in the bonded channel group.

13 . The device of claim 12 , where the control circuitry is configured to obtain the configuration change responsive to a change in throughput for the bonded channel group.

14 . The device of claim 12 , where the control circuitry is configured to obtain the configuration change responsive to a change in channel reliability for the bonded channel group.

15 . The device of claim 12 , where the control circuitry is configured to change the first number of the first-type physical channels included in the bonded channel group by increasing the first number of the first-type physical channels included in the bonded channel group.

16 . The device of claim 12 , where the control circuitry is configured to send the bonding configuration to a destination node before establishing the bonded channel group.

17 . The device of claim 16 , further comprising out-of-band interface circuitry configured in data communication with the control circuitry, the out-of-band interface circuitry to couple to an out-of-band channel; and
where the control circuitry is configured to send the bonding configuration to the destination node via the out-of-band channel.

18 . The device of claim 12 , where control circuitry is further configured adjust a transmit power for the first number of the first-type physical channels responsive to configuration change.

19 . A product comprising:
a machine-readable medium other than a transitory signal; and instructions stored on the machine-readable medium, the instructions configured to, when executed, cause a processor to:
obtain a bonding configuration that specifies a bonded channel group comprising first channel compliant with a first communication protocol and second channel compliant with a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol;
responsive to the bonding configuration, establish the bonded channel group using the first channel compliant with the first communication protocol and the second channel compliant with the second communication protocol;
responsive to a bonding characteristic change affecting the first communication protocol, obtain a configuration change for the first channel; and
responsive to the configuration change, adjust the bonded channel group by perform an adjustment on the first channel in accord with the configuration change.

20 . The product of claim 19 , where the adjustment comprises a removal of the first channel from the bonded channel group.

21 . The product of claim 19 , where the adjustment comprises an adjustment to a transmit power for the first channel.

Assignees

• Broadcom Corp

Inventors

• Hou Victor
• Mamidwar Rajesh Shankarrao
• Chen Xuemin

Classifications

• H04L41/0896 Primary

  Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities (flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76) · CPC title

• H04N21/236 Primary

  Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream {(multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00)} · CPC title

• H04L41/0816

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title

• H04L41/0813

  characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings · CPC title

• H04N21/64738

  Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level (data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10) · CPC title