Intelligent Packet Discard for Video Quality in Constrained Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

In capacity and spectrum constrained multiple-access communication systems, there is a conflict between successful information transfer and minimizing disruptions to other transfers, leading to suboptimal system performance due to interference and resource limitations.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a communication device with a video quality measurement module, priority assignment module, and selection module to selectively discard packets based on their impact on video quality, optimizing system performance by managing packet discards and adjusting bandwidth usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If packets are transmitted to maximize information transfer, then successful information transfer is improved, but interference and disruptions to other transfers increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation transfer successVSAvoidinterference to other transfers

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different priorities to different packets based on their individual characteristics (video quality contribution, frame type, temporal importance). This allows the system to treat each packet differently rather than uniformly, enabling selective transmission that maximizes information transfer while minimizing interference to other transfers by prioritizing only the most important packets.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of packet priority dynamically based on video quality measurements and network conditions. By adjusting packet priorities in real-time according to their contribution to perceived video quality, the system can optimize information transfer success while reducing unnecessary transmissions that would cause interference to other transfers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If all packets are transmitted to maintain video quality, then video quality is preserved, but system resources are wasted and throughput is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo qualityVSAvoidsystem resource usage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and identifies the essential packets that contribute most to perceived video quality using objective quality measurements. By separating critical packets from non-critical ones, the system can transmit only the essential packets needed to maintain acceptable video quality, thereby preserving reliability while eliminating waste of system resources on redundant transmissions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system treats low-priority packets as disposable, discarding them when network resources are constrained. These packets have minimal impact on perceived video quality, so their selective discarding allows the system to conserve resources without significantly compromising video quality reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Productivity

If packet discard is implemented to optimize throughput, then system throughput is improved, but video quality may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem throughputVSAvoidvideo quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback through objective video quality measurement modules that continuously assess the impact of packet discard on video quality. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor video quality metrics and adjust packet discard decisions in real-time, ensuring that throughput optimization does not push video quality below acceptable thresholds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary assessment of packet importance before transmission decisions are made. By pre-calculating the contribution of each packet to video quality using objective measurements, the system can make informed discard decisions that optimize throughput while maintaining video quality, avoiding both unnecessary transmissions and harmful discards.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8893198B2Systems and methods for prioritization of data for intelligent discard in a communication network

Publication Date: 2014.11.18 TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO LTD

AI summary

Capacity and spectrum constrained, multiple-access communication systems optimize performance by selectively discarding packets. Changes in the communication systems may be driven using control responses. Control responses include intelligent discard of network packets under capacity constrained conditions. Packets are prioritized and discard decisions are made based on the prioritization. Various embodiments provide an interactive response by selectively discarding packets to enhance perceived and actual system throughout, provide a reactive response by selectively discarding data packets based on their relative impact to service quality to mitigate oversubscription, provide a proactive response by discarding packets based on predicted oversubscription, or provide a combination thereof. Packets may be prioritized for discard using correlations between discards and bandwidth reduction and quality degradation. The quality degradation for video packets may be measured objectively.