Telecom Network Scheduling for Video Distortion and Buffer Management

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing scheduling methods in cellular radio-communication networks struggle to minimize video distortion and ensure continuous playback for mobile users, especially when multiple users request different video streams simultaneously, due to varying channel conditions and resource allocation challenges.

Innovation Solution

A scheduling method that estimates the capacity of serving nodes and data transmission buffer states to minimize distortion, allocates bandwidth based on calculated parameters, and transcodes or filters video content to maintain a reference number of frames in buffers, ensuring fair playback margin and spectral efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If max rate scheduler allocates radio air interface resources to users with best radio conditions, then spectral efficiency is improved, but video distortion increases for users in bad radio conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespectral efficiencyVSAvoidvideo distortion
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating resource allocation based on user-specific channel conditions. Users with good radio conditions receive higher data rates, while users with bad conditions receive lower rates but with adjusted encoding parameters to maintain acceptable video quality. This resolves the contradiction by allowing spectral efficiency optimization for good users without completely sacrificing video quality for bad users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes encoding parameters dynamically based on channel conditions. For users in bad radio conditions, the system adjusts video encoding parameters (such as bitrate, resolution, or frame rate) to compensate for poor channel quality, thereby reducing video distortion while still allowing the max rate scheduler to allocate resources efficiently overall.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If round robin scheduler fairly shares radio air interface resources among users, then video distortion is reduced, but spectral efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevideo distortionVSAvoidspectral efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces dynamics by making the scheduling approach adaptive rather than static. While the base scheduler may be round robin for fairness, the system dynamically adjusts resource allocation and encoding parameters based on real-time channel conditions, allowing it to achieve both fairness (reduced video distortion) and efficiency (maintained spectral efficiency) under varying conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If multiple users request video streams simultaneously in the same cell, then network capacity utilization is improved, but playback continuity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork capacity utilizationVSAvoidplayback continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-buffering video data at the transmitter side before transmission. The system anticipates potential transmission errors and channel variations by preparing additional video frames or segments in advance, which can be used to compensate for lost or delayed packets, thereby ensuring playback continuity even when multiple users are served simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements beforehand cushioning by introducing redundancy and error protection mechanisms in advance. This includes forward error correction codes, retransmission buffers, and pre-encoded alternative quality versions of video content that can be deployed if transmission conditions deteriorate, thus cushioning against playback interruptions when network capacity is fully utilized.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP2434702B1Scheduling method for data streaming in a telecommunication network infrastructure
Publication Date: 2013.06.12 ALCATEL LUCENT SA
  • EP2434702B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2434702B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2434702B1 patent drawingFigure 4~7

AI summary

A plurality of telecommunication terminal (TD1, TD2, TDN) in a same coverage zone (CL) are served by at least one serving node (BS) in a telecommunication network infrastructure. Each telecommunication terminal (TD1, TD2, TDN) requests a specific data content (VC1, VC2, VCN). A scheduling method for data streaming in the telecommunication network infrastructure comprises: - estimating a capacity (Cn,j) of the at least one serving node (BS) with respect to each telecommunication terminal (n, TD1, TD2, TDN), - estimating a state of a plurality of data transmission buffer (Bn,j, B1, B2, BN), - calculating at least one parameter (QPn,j, αn,j) based on said estimated capacity (Cn,j) and said data transmission buffer state (Bn,j, B1, B2, BN) that minimize a data distortion (Dn,j) of each data stream (VS1, VS2, VSN) received by each telecommunication terminal (TD1, TD2, TDN) and maintain a number of data frames stored in each data transmission buffer (Bn,j, B1, B2, BN) at a reference number of frames (Δ0), - transcoding or filtering each data content at an output rate (RSn,j) based on said parameter (QPn,j, αn,j), and storing each transcoded or filtered data content (VC1, VC2, VCN) as data frames into each data transmission buffer (Bn,j, B1, B2, BN), - allocating an amount of bandwidth (Wn,j) to each telecommunication terminal (n, TD1, TD2, TDN) based on said parameter (QPn,j, αn,j), and - scheduling and transmitting each data frames as data streams (VS1, VS2, VSN) to each telecommunication terminal (n, TD1, TD2, TDN).