Adaptive Bandwidth Estimation via Inter-Arrival Time Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bandwidth estimation techniques for network connections are inaccurate due to unpredictable system overhead and network buffering, leading to suboptimal video and audio quality in conferencing applications.
Innovation Solution
A method that combines multiple data streams into a single stream by associating packets from one stream with a reference packet from another, allowing for accurate bandwidth estimation based on inter-arrival times and packet sizes, and adjusts sequence lengths to improve estimation accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple data streams are combined into a single stream for bandwidth estimation, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the combined stream into individual streams by inserting reference packets at specific intervals. Each reference packet serves as a delimiter that allows the receiving end to separate and analyze individual streams independently, thereby improving bandwidth estimation accuracy without overwhelming system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Reference packets act as intermediary elements inserted into the combined stream. These reference packets carry timing information and serve as synchronization markers, enabling accurate inter-arrival time measurements while simplifying the complexity of stream separation at the receiving end
2Productivity
If packet sequences are sent back-to-back for bandwidth estimation, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to system overhead and network buffering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by inserting reference packets with known timing information before the actual data packets. This allows the receiving end to pre-calculate expected arrival times and compensate for system overhead and network buffering effects, thereby improving measurement precision without reducing productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback by comparing the actual inter-arrival times of packets against the expected inter-arrival times derived from reference packets. This feedback mechanism enables the system to adjust for network conditions and system overhead, improving bandwidth estimation accuracy while maintaining efficient packet transmission
3Ease of operation
If video and audio streams generate high bitrate, then user experience is improved, but loss of information increases due to packet loss when bitrate exceeds available bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The bandwidth estimation system provides continuous feedback about available network capacity. This feedback enables the video and audio streaming system to dynamically adjust bitrates to match available bandwidth, preventing packet loss while maintaining the highest possible quality user experience
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies dynamics by making the bitrate adaptive rather than static. Based on real-time bandwidth estimation from the combined stream analysis, the system dynamically adjusts the bitrates of video and audio streams to optimize user experience while avoiding packet loss caused by exceeding available bandwidth
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a method of combining multiple streams of data packets into a single combined stream in a manner that facilitates accurate estimation of bandwidth of a connection over a network between two devices. When combining the streams into the combined stream, the method associates a set of packets from a first stream and a reference packet from a second stream to form a longer sequence of packets in the combined stream. The method sends the combined stream from a first device to a second device so that the second device can estimate the bandwidth of the connection between the first and second devices based on the inter-arrival times of the packets in the sequence of packets.