Multicast FEC Packet Routing for Timely Streaming Recovery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing forward error correction techniques are ineffective for streaming media multicasts due to the accumulation of errors in tree-based network topologies, where check packets often arrive too late to be useful for decoding missing packets in streaming media transmission.

Innovation Solution

Implementing forward error correction by generating and transmitting check packets in a tree-based network, where nodes at each level use received check packets to decode missing streaming media packets before they are needed, and adjusting check packet transmission rates based on error patterns to ensure timely correction of errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If forward error correction check packets are transmitted in traditional multicast networks, then packet loss can be corrected, but check packets arrive too late to be useful for streaming media playback

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket loss correctionVSAvoidcheck packet arrival time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having nodes generate and forward check packets in advance before the actual data packets are needed for playback. Intermediate nodes proactively create check packets from received data packets and forward them downstream, ensuring that error correction information arrives before the playback deadline, thus resolving the timing conflict between error correction reliability and real-time playback requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If check packets are generated and forwarded at each network level, then error correction capability improves, but network bandwidth consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror correction capabilityVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the error correction function into the existing multicast data transmission infrastructure. Intermediate nodes that already receive and forward data packets also generate and forward check packets, combining multiple functions (data forwarding and error correction) into the same network path and nodes, thereby improving error correction capability without proportionally increasing overall network bandwidth consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of information

If traditional forward error correction is used in streaming media multicast, then missing packets can be reconstructed, but the reconstructed packets arrive too late for timely presentation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemissing packet reconstructionVSAvoidpacket reconstruction timing

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having intermediate nodes generate and forward check packets proactively before the playback deadline occurs. This ensures that when data packets are lost, the check packets are already in transit or have arrived at downstream nodes, enabling timely reconstruction of missing packets before they are needed for presentation, thus resolving the timing conflict between information recovery and real-time playback requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8185805B2Network communication protocol for large scale distribution of streaming content

Publication Date: 2012.05.22 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC

AI summary

Forward error correction may be implemented in a network having first, second, third and fourth nodes. The second node receives streaming media message packets and one or more check packets from an upstream first node. The second node transmits the message packets and check packets to a downstream third node. The second node transmits a second set of one or more check packets to a fourth node that is downstream of the third node.