Multipath rate adaptation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736548-B2
Application number	US-201113155762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2011
Priority date	Jun 8, 2011
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An end-to-end multimedia streaming system can include a streaming server and a destination. The streaming server includes a content source, which sends multiple description coding-encoded content over a plurality of paths to the destination. The destination includes an aggregator for aggregating the descriptions from the multiple paths, decoding and recombining them to recover the content. A feedback sender at the destination generates traffic performance variables based on the channel conditions of the multiple paths, and sends these variables to a feedback receiver at the streaming server. The feedback receiver utilizes the feedback information to make adjustments to the transmissions of the content, and to synchronize the transmissions over the multiple paths.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method operable at a wireless communication device for multipath rate adaptation, comprising:
transmitting information on each of a plurality of paths;
receiving feedback information comprising one or more traffic performance variables for the plurality of paths;
adapting the transmitting on one or more of the paths in response to the feedback information; and
synchronizing among the plurality of paths to compensate for the adapting of the transmitting.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the information comprises multimedia content.

3. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the multimedia content comprises a plurality of multiple description coding-encoded descriptions of the multimedia content, each of the descriptions being transmitted on a respective one of the plurality of paths.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more traffic performance variables comprise:
a buffer occupancy information element corresponding to a buffer occupancy of at least one receive buffer utilized at a destination of the transmission on one of the plurality of paths;
a buffer difference information element corresponding to a difference in buffer occupancies between at least two of a plurality of receive buffers utilized at a destination of the transmission on respective ones of the plurality of paths;
a packet loss ratio for one of the plurality of paths;
a time interval for a most significant packet loss burst for one or more of the plurality of paths;
a packet delay for one of the plurality of paths;
a delay jitter for one of the plurality of paths; or
a receiving data rate for one of the plurality of paths.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the transmitting is in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, and wherein the adapting of the transmitting comprises determining an adjustment to at least one of the one or more transmission parameters in accordance with the feedback information.

6. The method of claim 5 ,
wherein the at least one of the one or more transmission parameters comprises:
a transmission rate for at least one of the paths; or
a coding rate for at least one of the paths.

7. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the feedback information comprises error handling information for varying an error handling routine in a source coding procedure in accordance with the one or more traffic performance variables for the plurality of paths.

8. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the synchronizing comprises at least one of a throttling operation or a seeking forward operation.

9. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the synchronizing is responsive to the feedback information.

10. The method of claim 1 ,
further comprising:
transmitting a test burst on at least one of the plurality of paths, wherein the test burst corresponds to a traffic level in a future transmission of information following a scene change; and
setting one or more transmission parameters for the future transmission in accordance with feedback information received based on the test burst.

11. An apparatus for multipath rate adaptation, comprising:
means for transmitting information on each of a plurality of paths;
means for receiving feedback information comprising one or more traffic performance variables for the plurality of paths;
means for adapting the transmitting on one or more of the paths in response to the feedback information; and
means for synchronizing among the plurality of paths to compensate for the adapting of the transmitting.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the information comprises multimedia content.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein the multimedia content comprises a plurality of multiple description coding-encoded descriptions of the multimedia content, each of the descriptions being transmitted on a respective one of the plurality of paths.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the one or more traffic performance variables comprise:
a buffer occupancy information element corresponding to a buffer occupancy of at least one receive buffer utilized at a destination of the transmission on one of the plurality of paths;
a buffer difference information element corresponding to a difference in buffer occupancies between at least two of a plurality of receive buffers utilized at a destination of the transmission on respective ones of the plurality of paths;
a packet loss ratio for one of the plurality of paths;
a time interval for a most significant packet loss burst for one or more of the plurality of paths;
a packet delay for one of the plurality of paths;
a delay jitter for one of the plurality of paths; or
a receiving data rate for one of the plurality of paths.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the means for transmitting is configured to transmit in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, and wherein the means for adapting the transmitting comprises means for determining an adjustment to at least one of the one or more transmission parameters in accordance with the feedback information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 ,
wherein the at least one of the one or more transmission parameters comprises:
a transmission rate for at least one of the paths; or
a coding rate for at least one of the paths.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the feedback information comprises error handling information for varying an error handling routine in a source coding procedure in accordance with the one or more traffic performance variables for the plurality of paths.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the means for synchronizing comprises means for executing at least one of a throttling operation or a seeking forward operation.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the means for synchronizing is configured to synchronize responsive to the feedback information.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
further comprising:
means for transmitting a test burst on at least one of the plurality of paths, wherein the test burst corresponds to a traffic level in a future transmission of information following a scene change; and
means for setting one or more transmission parameters for the future transmission in accordance with feedback information received based on the test burst.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium operable at a wireless communication device, comprising:
code for transmitting information on each of a plurality of paths;
code for receiving feedback information comprising one or more traffic performance variables for the plurality of paths;
code for adapting the transmitting on one or more of the paths in response to the feedback information; and
code for synchronizing among the plurality of paths to compensate for the adapting of the transmitting.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 ,
wherein the information comprises multimedia content.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22 ,
wherein the multimedia content comprises a plurality of multiple description coding-encoded descriptions of the multimedia content, each of the descriptions being transmitted on a respective one of the plurality of paths.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 ,
wherein the one or more traffic performance variables comprise at least one of:
a buffer occupancy information element corresponding to a buffer occupancy of at least one receive buffer utilized at a dest

Assignees

• Huang Xiaolong
• Raveendran Vijayalakshmi R
• Luo Xun
• Bhamidipati Phanikumar K
• Sheth Soham V
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Huang Xiaolong
• Raveendran Vijayalakshmi R
• Luo Xun
• Bhamidipati Phanikumar K
• Sheth Soham V

Classifications

• H04N21/64738 Primary

  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

• H04N21/2402

  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 title

• H04N21/2385

  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 title

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04N21/44209

  Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network (arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896) · CPC title