Cooperative D2D Media Delivery via Sidelink Caching
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Solution Overview
Problem
In scenarios where multiple users stream the same content simultaneously, network capacity is often insufficient, leading to issues such as video stalling, quality fluctuations, and increased bandwidth and energy consumption. Additionally, devices may experience poor network connections, especially in areas with limited mobile network capacity or coverage.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves creating a D2D cluster using sidelink connections among devices to cache media segments and distribute them efficiently. Each device in the cluster shares connection metrics to determine which device should download the next media segment from the content server, optimizing video streaming by leveraging multiple network connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple users stream the same content simultaneously through traditional network infrastructure, then network coverage and accessibility are maintained, but network capacity becomes insufficient leading to video stalling and quality fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple device resources (cache memories, processing capabilities, network connections) into a cooperative cluster where devices work together to deliver media content. This merging of distributed resources creates a virtual content delivery network that increases overall system capacity without requiring additional infrastructure, directly resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliable video streaming and overcoming network capacity limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of content delivery by enabling direct device-to-device communication alongside traditional network paths. This creates parallel delivery channels where content can flow through multiple routes (direct broadcast, unicast, cached segments from neighboring devices), effectively adding spatial and topological dimensions to the delivery network to bypass capacity bottlenecks.
2Reliability
If the same media segments are streamed to multiple devices independently, then each device receives its content, but bandwidth consumption and energy usage increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary caching of media segments in distributed device memories before they are needed for playback. Devices proactively store popular or anticipated content segments in their cache memories based on usage patterns, popularity metrics, or predicted demand, so that when multiple users request the same content, it can be served from local caches rather than being re-transmitted over the network, significantly reducing bandwidth and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates and distributes copies of media segments across multiple device caches within the cooperative cluster. Instead of transmitting the same content multiple times over the network to different devices, the system generates copies of segment data and distributes them to neighboring devices that are likely to request the content, enabling efficient local serving and reducing redundant network transmissions.
3Productivity
If devices rely solely on public network connections for media streaming, then network infrastructure is充分利用, but service accessibility deteriorates in areas with poor network coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces relay devices as intermediaries that bridge the gap between content sources and devices in coverage areas. These relay devices receive content segments from devices with network connectivity and forward them to devices in poor coverage areas through direct wireless communication, effectively acting as mobile base stations that extend network reach without requiring additional infrastructure deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a direct device-to-device communication dimension to the traditional network architecture, creating hybrid delivery paths that combine infrastructure-based and ad-hoc wireless communication. This multi-dimensional approach allows content to reach devices in coverage areas through multiple possible routes (direct network, relayed through neighboring devices, or peer-to-peer within the cluster), significantly improving service accessibility in areas with poor network coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
A sidelink connection is created between each device of a plurality of devices. If the sidelink connection quality is not sufficient to transmit a first version of a segment encoded at a first quality level, a lower quality version of the segment may also be retrieved. The lower quality version of the segment may be retrieved by a different device than the device that retrieved the first version of the segment. If the segment is requested from a first device by a second device and the sidelink connection between the first device and the second device is not sufficient to transmit the first version of the segment, the first device may cause transmission of the lower quality version of the segment retrieved by a third device to the second device.