Channel bonding synchronization
View Patent ↗Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, the communication architectures distribute data streams to bonded channels that are clocked independently. A system is provided for synchronizing the bonded channels.
1. A system comprising:
an input interface;
output interfaces to individual communication channels; and
a processor in communication with the input interface and the output interfaces, the processor configured to:
determine which of the communications channels to employ together as a bonded channel group; and
obtain source data from the input interface;
break the source data into communication units;
obtain marker packets that flag the communication units for a destination;
distribute marker packets across the communication channels;
distribute the source data across the communication channels; and
monitor and adjust synchronization of the communication channels
a buffer in communication with the processor to receive the source data, the processor being configured monitor fullness of the buffer, and adjust size of the communication units based on the fullness of the buffer.
2. The system of claim 1 , the processor being configured to adjust an amount of data to distributed to each communication channel.
3. The system of claim 1 , the processor being configured to adjust a number of the communication units to distribute to a communication channel based on the fullness of the buffer.
4. The system of claim 1 , the processor being configured to adjust a clock speed of a communication channel based on the fullness of the buffer.
5. The system of claim 1 , the processor being configured to adjust an amount of data to distribute to a communication channel and a clock speed of the communication channel based on the fullness of the buffer.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein processor is configured to receive a feedback signal from a receiving device indicative of a fullness of a receiving buffer and control an amount of data to distribute to a communication channel or a clock speed of the communication channel based on the fullness of the receiving buffer.
7. The system of claim 6 , the processor being configured to assign the source data to communication units, distribute the communication units to the communication channels, and adjust the size of the communication units or a number of communication units to distribute to the communication channel based on the feedback signal.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein processor is configured synchronize a first clock of a first channel to a second clock of a second channel.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to distribute the data in a round-robin manner across the bonded channel group.
10. A method comprising:
obtaining a packet stream created by a statistical multiplexer, the statistical multiplexer comprising a source transport stream output configured to carry a program packet stream of program packets;
reading bonding configuration parameters that identify a bonded channel group of communication channels among a set of available communication channels;
dividing the packet stream into communication units of program packets;
obtaining marker packets that flag the communication units for a destination;
distributing the marker packets across the bonded channel group;
distributing the communication units across the bonded channel group;
monitoring and adjusting synchronization of the communication channels.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting a number of the communication units to distribute to a communication channel based on buffer fullness.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting size of the communication units to distribute to a communication channel based on buffer fullness.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting a clock speed of a communication channel based on buffer fullness.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting the size of the communication units or the number of communication units to distribute to a communication channel based on the feedback signal.
15. A system comprising:
program input sources;
a statistical multiplexer connected to the program input sources, the statistical multiplexer comprising a source transport stream output configured to carry a program packet stream of program packets obtained from the program input sources;
a distributor in communication with the statistical multiplexer, the distributor configured to:
read bonding configuration parameters that identify a bonded channel group of communication channels among a set of available communication channels;
break the packet stream into program packets;
obtain marker packets that flag communication units of program packets for a destination that receives the communication units;
distribute the marker packets across the bonded channel group;
distribute the program packets across the bonded channel group; and
monitor and adjust synchronization of the communication channels.
16. The system of claim 15 , the distributor being configured to monitor fullness of a buffer and adjust a size or number of the communication units to distribute to a communication channel based on the fullness of the buffer.
17. The system of claim 15 , the distributor being configured to receive feedback from a receiving device and adjust size or number of the communication units to distribute to a communication channel based on the feedback from the receiving device.
18. The system of claim 15 , further comprising the distributor being configured to monitor fullness of a buffer and adjust a clock speed of a communication channel based on the fullness of the buffer.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to increase the size of the communication units being sent to the buffer when the fullness of the buffer decreases.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processor is configured to increase the size of the communication units by adding packets to the communication units.