Unequal FEC Packet Fragmentation for Bandwidth-Efficient Stream Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing FEC schemes in multimedia systems often require separate error correction for each media stream, leading to inefficiencies in bandwidth usage and redundancy, as they do not effectively support varying protection levels across different types of media streams.
Innovation Solution
A bandwidth-efficient FEC scheme that splits packets of multiple data streams into fragments and recovery symbols, allowing for unequal levels of error correction by controlling the number of fragments per packet, and multiplexes these to form new packets, enabling different streams to receive varying levels of protection within a single aggregated stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate error correction is applied to each media stream, then each stream receives adequate protection, but bandwidth efficiency deteriorates due to redundancy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple media streams into a single aggregated stream and applies a unified FEC encoding scheme. Instead of treating each stream separately with independent FEC codes, the invention merges them and uses a shared set of recovery symbols, thereby reducing redundant error correction data and improving bandwidth efficiency while maintaining protection for all streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified FEC scheme serves multiple media streams simultaneously with a single error correction mechanism. The recovery symbols generated by the FEC encoder provide universal protection across all aggregated streams, allowing one error correction system to fulfill multiple protection functions that would otherwise require separate dedicated FEC systems for each stream.
2Device complexity
If uniform error correction is applied to all streams, then implementation is simplified, but flexibility in protecting different media types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables different protection levels for different streams within the unified FEC framework by allowing each stream to have a customized number of fragments. This local customization of fragment count per stream provides tailored error correction strength where needed while maintaining the overall simplicity of the unified encoding scheme, thus achieving both ease of implementation and protection flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the number of fragments for each stream based on its specific protection requirements. This dynamic configuration allows the FEC scheme to adapt to varying reliability needs of different media types (e.g., audio vs. video vs. data streams) without requiring completely different error correction mechanisms, maintaining implementation simplicity while providing versatile protection levels.
3Reliability
If more recovery symbols are generated for higher protection, then error resilience improves, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial error correction to different streams by allowing each stream to receive only the necessary amount of protection it requires. Instead of providing maximum protection (excessive action) to all streams uniformly, the system selectively applies appropriate levels of error correction based on individual stream requirements, reducing overall bandwidth consumption while maintaining adequate resilience where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a device in a network splits each of a plurality of packets of two or more data streams into an equal number of fragments. The number of fragments for packets of a particular one of the streams controls the level of error correction for that stream. The device generates recovery symbols for the fragments for each of the plurality of packets. Each of the plurality of packets has an equal sum of fragments plus recovery symbols. The device multiplexes the fragments and recovery symbols for each of the packets, to form a set of new packets. The device sends the set of new packets to one or more recipients in the network.