Dynamic Video Transmission Rate Control for Energy-Saving Meetings

Solution Overview

Problem

Virtual meetings consume significant energy due to the large amount of video data transmitted, often powered by non-sustainable sources, leading to environmental impacts.

Innovation Solution

A system that dynamically adjusts video transmission rates based on sustainability attributes and detected events, using key frames and in-between frames to reduce data transmission while maintaining user experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If video transmission rate is increased to maintain user experience, then user experience is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser experienceVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the video transmission rate based on detected events and sustainability attributes. During events requiring high quality (e.g., gestures, speech), the transmission rate increases to maintain user experience. During non-event periods, the rate decreases to reduce energy consumption, thus resolving the contradiction between user experience and energy usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the video transmission rate parameter based on sustainability attributes and event detection. By varying this parameter dynamically, the system optimizes the balance between maintaining adequate user experience during critical moments and minimizing energy consumption during less critical periods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Use of energy by moving object

If video transmission rate is reduced to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but user experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoiduser experience

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the video transmission rate based on detected events and sustainability attributes. During events requiring high quality (e.g., gestures, speech), the transmission rate increases to maintain user experience. During non-event periods, the rate decreases to reduce energy consumption, thus resolving the contradiction between user experience and energy usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses event detection as feedback to adjust the video transmission rate. When events are detected (e.g., gestures, speech), the system increases the transmission rate to maintain user experience. When no events are detected, it reduces the rate to save energy, creating a feedback loop that balances both requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Object-generated harmful factors

If video data transmission is reduced to minimize environmental impact, then sustainability is improved, but information quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental impactVSAvoidinformation quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the video transmission rate based on detected events and sustainability attributes. During events requiring high quality (e.g., gestures, speech), the transmission rate increases to maintain user experience. During non-event periods, the rate decreases to reduce energy consumption, thus resolving the contradiction between user experience and energy usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different transmission qualities to different temporal segments of the video stream. During event periods, high quality transmission is applied locally to maintain information accuracy. During non-event periods, reduced quality is applied to minimize environmental impact, thus resolving the contradiction between information quality and sustainability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12470671B2Dynamic energy-saving video transmissions for sustainable collaboration

Publication Date: 2025.11.11 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

Devices, systems, methods, and processes for dynamically reducing the size of a video transmission are described herein. An energy-saving video transmission device can include a controller, a memory, a communication port coupled with at least a second device, and a virtual meeting logic configured to establish a virtual meeting with a video transmission. The video transmission is transmitted to at least the second device. The virtual meeting logic can determine a virtual meeting configuration and collect sustainability attributes data. Based on the collected data, an energy-saving video transmission rate can be selected. Often, this can indicate how often to capture and transmit keyframes of the video transmission instead of the entire video transmission. Finally, based on the energy-saving video transmission rate, a reduced size video transmission can be transmitted over a network. Subsequently, additional events can be detected that allow for the dynamic adjustment of the energy-saving video transmission rate.