Optical Relay Data Amount Conversion for Adaptive Video Transmission

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing optical network systems face challenges in transmitting high-resolution video data efficiently, as they often require electrical conversion and data processing in cloud data centers, leading to increased power consumption and latency.

Innovation Solution

The optical network system incorporates relay devices with data amount conversion units that reduce the data amount of transmission data as optical signals based on communication speed, allowing for efficient data transmission without increasing power or latency, using optical arithmetic circuits and bit data rearrangement processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If electrical conversion and data processing are performed in a cloud data center to compress video data according to communication speed, then video data can be transmitted adaptively, but power consumption increases and latency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptive video transmissionVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces electrical conversion and processing systems with all-optical processing systems. Optical arithmetic circuits perform data amount conversion directly on optical signals without electrical conversion, and optical wavelength conversion is achieved through optical processes rather than electro-optical conversion. This substitution eliminates the need for power-consuming electrical processing while maintaining adaptive video transmission capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces optical arithmetic circuits as intermediary devices that perform data processing functions directly in the optical domain. These circuits act as mediators between the optical transmission medium and the data processing requirements, enabling adaptive video transmission without requiring electrical conversion at cloud data centers. The optical circuits process optical signals directly, reducing latency and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If electrical conversion and data processing are performed in a cloud data center to compress video data according to communication speed, then video data can be transmitted adaptively, but latency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptive video transmissionVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces electrical conversion and processing systems with all-optical processing systems. Optical arithmetic circuits perform data amount conversion directly on optical signals without electrical conversion, and optical wavelength conversion is achieved through optical processes rather than electro-optical conversion. This substitution eliminates the need for power-consuming electrical processing while maintaining adaptive video transmission capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables continuous optical signal processing without interruption for electrical conversion. The all-optical processing architecture allows data amount conversion and wavelength conversion to occur continuously in the optical domain, eliminating the start-stop nature of electrical processing and reducing overall latency in adaptive video transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Reliability

If high-resolution video data is transmitted without data reduction, then video quality is maintained, but the data exceeds communication speed capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo qualityVSAvoidcommunication speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different processing levels to different video data streams based on their destination and communication requirements. Optical arithmetic circuits perform selective data amount conversion on specific video streams, maintaining high resolution for some streams while reducing data amount for others with limited communication capacity. This local quality adjustment ensures each video stream is optimized for its specific transmission requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the data amount parameter of video signals through optical processing. Optical arithmetic circuits modify the data amount of optical video signals dynamically based on communication speed requirements, enabling the same high-resolution video source to be adapted for different communication capacities without losing the underlying high-quality source material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS20240334096A1Optical network system, relay device, transmission device, reception device, and optical network control device

Publication Date: 2024.10.03 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

To make it possible to convert transmission data from a transmission device into a data amount corresponding to a communication speed of a path and transmit the same to a reception device without causing an increase in power and an increase in latency. A path from a transmission device to a reception device is constructed by an optical network control device. At least any one of a predetermined number of relay devices included in the constructed path includes a data conversion unit configured to reduce a data amount of transmission data as an optical signal as it is. The optical network control device controls the data reduction amount in the data amount conversion unit on the basis of the communication speed of the constructed path.