Dynamic Bandwidth Adaptation Using Historical Constraints

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing bandwidth measurement techniques for communication channels are either too inflexible, leading to congestion when adapting to changing conditions, or too reactive, resulting in perceptually annoying artefacts and congestion issues, as they often rely on instantaneous or fixed percentile-based methods that fail to account for broader bandwidth trends.

Innovation Solution

A method that dynamically adapts the encoded bandwidth within a calculated range, defined by an upper and lower bandwidth constraint, based on historical measurements and current conditions, allowing for flexible adjustment while preventing congestion by setting a cap and floor that can be adjusted during or between sessions, optionally using machine learning for optimization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the encoded bitrate tracks the instantaneous bandwidth estimate to dynamically adapt to current conditions, then the adaptability of the encoded bandwidth is improved, but the system becomes too reactive leading to perceptually annoying artefacts and congestion problems

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability of encoded bandwidthVSAvoidperceptual quality and congestion stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by calculating upper and lower bandwidth constraints based on historical bandwidth measurements before dynamically adapting the encoded bitrate. These constraints are established in advance to guide the adaptive process, ensuring that the encoded bitrate does not exceed reliable bandwidth thresholds that could cause congestion or perceptual degradation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring actual bandwidth conditions and comparing them against the calculated constraints. The encoded bitrate is adjusted based on feedback from bandwidth measurements, ensuring that adaptability is maintained while preventing congestion and perceptual artefacts through constraint-based control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If a fixed percentile of the PDF of historical bandwidth measurements is used to determine the encoded bandwidth, then the reliability is improved by avoiding congestion, but the adaptability deteriorates as the encoded bandwidth cannot flexibly respond to current instantaneous conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecongestion avoidanceVSAvoidflexibility of encoded bandwidth

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies dynamics by making the encoded bandwidth selection process adaptive rather than static. Instead of using a fixed percentile, the system dynamically calculates upper and lower constraints based on historical data and adjusts the encoded bitrate within this range in response to current bandwidth conditions, combining reliability with flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes parameters by transitioning from a single fixed percentile value to a dynamic range defined by upper and lower constraints. These constraints are derived from historical bandwidth measurements and are updated over time, allowing the encoded bandwidth to flexibly adapt while maintaining reliability through constraint-based control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If the encoded bandwidth always uses the maximum instantaneous bandwidth available, then the productivity is improved by maximizing bandwidth utilization, but the stability deteriorates due to rapid variations causing perceptually annoying artefacts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth utilizationVSAvoidperceptual quality stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by establishing upper and lower bandwidth constraints based on historical measurements before maximizing bandwidth utilization. These constraints are calculated in advance to define a reliable operating range, ensuring that productivity is improved through high bandwidth usage while stability is maintained by preventing rapid variations outside the constrained range.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10116715B2Adapting encoded bandwidth

Publication Date: 2018.10.30 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A method comprising: conducting a communication session between a first terminal and a second terminal, the session comprising transmitting an encoded bitstream from an encoder of the first terminal over a channel to the second terminal; measuring a bandwidth capacity experienced over the channel at multiple different times, thereby collecting a history of bandwidth measurements for the channel; based on the history of bandwidth measurements, obtaining at least a selected upper bandwidth constraint for the encoded bitstream; and during the session, dynamically adapting an encoded bandwidth with which to encode the bitstream, by dynamically selecting the encoded bandwidth based on one or more current conditions of the channel, but constrained by at least said upper bandwidth constraint.