U.S. patent application number 13/894562 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-26 for wireless link quality monitoring in network-enabled tvs.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sony Electronics Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Xiangpeng Jing, Aixin Liu, Djung Nguyen, Abhishek P. Patil.
Application Number | 20130250129 13/894562 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43780295 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130250129 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Patil; Abhishek P. ; et
al. |
September 26, 2013 |
WIRELESS LINK QUALITY MONITORING IN NETWORK-ENABLED TVs
Abstract
A networked TV gathers information pertaining to the quality of
a wireless link over which the TV receives streamed multimedia
content, and presents an indication of the quality to a user,
selectively blocks content from display if the quality falls below
a threshold, and/or reports poor link quality to a network server
for diagnostic action by technical personnel.
Inventors: |
Patil; Abhishek P.; (San
Diego, CA) ; Jing; Xiangpeng; (San Diego, CA)
; Liu; Aixin; (San Diego, CA) ; Nguyen; Djung;
(San Diego, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony Corporation |
Park Ridge
Tokyo |
NJ |
US
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Sony Electronics Inc.
Park Ridge
NJ
Sony Corporation
Tokyo
|
Family ID: |
43780295 |
Appl. No.: |
13/894562 |
Filed: |
May 15, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12570369 |
Sep 30, 2009 |
|
|
|
13894562 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
348/192 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 43/0835 20130101;
H04N 17/004 20130101; H04L 43/0852 20130101; H04L 43/0894 20130101;
H04L 43/16 20130101; H04N 17/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
348/192 |
International
Class: |
H04N 17/00 20060101
H04N017/00 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A networked processor configured for executing logic
comprising: gathering information pertaining to quality of a link
over which the processor receives streamed multimedia content;
determining if link quality associated with the link violates a
threshold at least in part by testing current link signal strength
against a minimum threshold, and/or comparing packet loss per
second against a threshold maximum packet loss per second, and/or
comparing streaming delay against a threshold maximum delay period;
and responsive to a determination that the link quality violates
the threshold, presenting a prompt on a display for a user to
select an instruction; and responsive to a user selection of the
instruction on the display, reporting poor link quality to a
network server accessed by technical personnel such that the server
can respond to link quality conditions.
22. Device made by a manufacturer and configured for receiving
audio video (A/V) signals from an audio video signal provider
different from the manufacturer, the device comprising: processor;
and network interface configured for communicating with the
processor to send A/V data received over a network link thereto,
wherein responsive to a determination that at least one quality
index related to the network link exceeds a threshold, the
processor is configured to send, to a network server, a report of
link quality.
23. The device of claim 22, wherein at least a portion of the link
is wireless, the network interface is a wireless transceiver, and
the processor is configured to present on a display a link quality
indication that indicates at least one of wireless signal strength,
data rate, packet loss, supported streaming video quality, and
streaming delay.
24. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is also
configured to cause link status information to be presented on a
display.
25. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
determine if link quality violates a threshold and if so present a
prompt on the system for the user to select an action.
26. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
determine if link quality violates a threshold and in response to a
determination that link quality violates the threshold, send link
quality indicia to a server associated with the manufacturer.
27. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
determine if link quality violates a threshold at least in part by
testing current link signal strength against a minimum
threshold.
28. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
determine if link quality violates a threshold at least in part by
comparing data rate against a threshold minimum data rate.
29. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
determine if link quality violates a threshold at least in part by
comparing packet loss per second against a threshold maximum packet
loss per second.
30. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
determine if link quality violates a threshold at least in part by
comparing streaming delay against a threshold maximum delay
period.
31. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
receive a video having a resolution consistent with a determination
that link quality violates a threshold.
32. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
cancel a streaming video download request responsive to a
determination that link quality violates a threshold.
33. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to
prompt a user if the user desires to cancel a streaming video
download request responsive to a determination that link quality
violates a threshold.
34. Method for receiving audio video (A/V) signals from an audio
video signal provider different from the manufacturer, the system
comprising: receiving A/V data over a network link; determining
whether at least one quality index related to the network link
falls below a threshold; and responsive to a determination that at
least one quality index related to the network link falls below a
threshold, sending, to a network server, a report of link
quality.
35. The method of claim 34, comprising presenting on a display a
link quality indication that indicates at least one of wireless
signal strength, data rate, packet loss, supported video streaming
quality, and streaming delay.
36. The method of claim 34, comprising causing link status
information to be presented on a display.
37. The method of claim 34, comprising determining if link quality
violates a threshold and if so presenting a prompt on the system
for the user to select an action.
38. The method of claim 34, comprising determining if link quality
violates a threshold and in response to a determination that link
quality violates the threshold, sending link quality indicia to a
server associated with the manufacturer.
39. The method of claim 34, comprising determining if link quality
violates a threshold at least in part by testing current link
signal strength against a minimum threshold.
40. The method of claim 34, comprising determining if link quality
violates a threshold at least in part by comparing data rate
against a threshold minimum data rate.
41. The method of claim 34, comprising determining if link quality
violates a threshold at least in part by comparing packet loss per
second against a threshold maximum packet loss per second.
42. The method of claim 34, comprising determining if link quality
violates a threshold at least in part by comparing streaming delay
against a threshold maximum delay period.
43. The method of claim 34, comprising reducing a resolution of
video responsive to a determination that link quality violates a
threshold.
44. The method of claim 34, comprising blocking video from
presentation responsive to a determination that link quality
violates a threshold.
45. The method of claim 34, comprising prompting a user if the user
desires to block video from presentation responsive to a
determination that link quality violates a threshold.
46. Server computer, comprising: at least one processor accessing
at least one computer readable storage medium bearing instructions
which when executed by the processor cause the processor to
undertake a method comprising: receiving at least on link quality
report from a system to which video is being streamed from a
server; responsive to the link quality report, adjusting streaming
video bandwidth, and/or sending a message to the system that
streamlining video to the system is not possible or of a lower
resolution.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to monitoring
wireless link quality in network-enabled TVs and more specifically
for providing indications thereof to a user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Internet enabled TVs opens doors to a lot of opportunities
and issues that were absent in traditional TVs. With web-enabled
TVs, users now have access to a variety of videos served by various
content providers.
[0003] Video streaming (especially high definition) is bandwidth
intensive and requires sustained throughput for smooth playback.
Nevertheless, with new advancements in wireless technologies, it is
now possible to achieve the necessary speeds required for streaming
HD content within a typical home environment. However, as
understood herein wireless performance is sensitive to surrounding
(RF) conditions which can change over time. Troubleshooting network
related errors can be frustrating for users who are not network
savvy.
[0004] This in turn can lead to a high volume of customer service
calls, a problem that is not resolved simply by providing
indications of link status without any insight as to quality of the
link. As further recognized herein, even with a correctly setup
wireless network, if the surrounding environment is crowded with
several wireless networks on the same channel, the quality of video
playback will not be enjoyable, in which case link quality, and not
the network setup, is the culprit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In order to effectively resolve such issues, as understood
herein it is advantageous to provide enough information to the end
user which can be passed on to the service representative regarding
wireless link quality.
[0006] Accordingly a system includes a video display, a processor
controlling video display, and a TV tuner providing TV signals to
the processor for presentation on the display. The processor
selectively presents on the display an indication of quality of the
link. The display can be the display of a TV. In some example
implementations the link is wireless, the network interface is a
wireless transceiver, and the link quality indication indicates one
or more wireless signal strength, data rate, packet loss, or
streaming delay. If desired, the processor can also cause link
status information to be presented on the display.
[0007] In example embodiments the processor, alone or in concert
with a wireless network interface processor communicating with the
processor, executes a software-implemented link manager module that
may be resident in the TV to determine if link quality violates a
threshold and if so to present a prompt on the system for the user
to take corrective action. In addition or alternatively, if the
processor determines that the link quality violates a threshold it
selectively prevents certain content to be received on the network
from being presented on the display. For example, if the network
conditions are such that they cannot support more than 10 Mbps
streams, then the processor does not show online content that
requires more than 10 Mbps steady bandwidth. In addition or
alternatively, if the processor determines that link quality
violates a threshold it sends link quality information to a network
server which may perform further diagnostics and determine the best
suitable video quality (video transcoded to a lower quality) to be
presented to the TV.
[0008] The processor may determine if link quality violates a
threshold at least in part by testing current link signal strength
against a minimum threshold. In addition or alternatively the
processor may determine if link quality violates a threshold at
least in part by comparing data rate against a threshold minimum
data rate. In addition or alternatively the processor may determine
if link quality violates a threshold at least in part by comparing
packet loss per second against a threshold maximum packet loss per
second. Yet again, the processor can determine if link quality
violates a threshold at least in part by comparing streaming delay
against a threshold maximum delay period.
[0009] In another aspect, a TV system includes a display, a
processor controlling display, and a network interface
communicating with the processor to send multimedia (audio, still
picture, and video) data received over a network link thereto. The
processor presents on the display a link quality user interface
(UI) indicating at least the quality of the link.
[0010] In another aspect, a networked TV executes logic that
includes gathering information pertaining to quality of a wireless
link over which the TV receives streamed multimedia, and then
presenting an indication of the quality to a user on, e.g., a
network link status screen.
[0011] The details of the present invention, both as to its
structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to
like parts, and in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example TV system in
accordance with present principles;
[0013] FIG. 2 is example logic that may be executed in accordance
with present principles; and
[0014] FIG. 3 is a screen shot of a link quality user interface
that can be presented on the TV display.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] Referring initially to FIG. 1, a TV system 10 includes a TV
chassis 12 holding a TV processor 14 accessing a computer-readable
storage medium 16 such as disk-based or solid state storage that
can be non-volatile memory (NVM). The medium 16 may bear a
software-implemented network manager module executable by the TV
processor 14 alone or acting in concert with the below-described
network interface processor to undertake logic herein. Furthermore,
the medium 16 may bear software executable by the TV processor 14
to enable reception and display of Internet content on the TV.
[0016] The chassis 12 may also hold a TV tuner 18 communicating TV
signals to the TV processor 14. There need be only a single
analog/digital TV tuner 18 provided in the TV system 10, it being
understood that the single analog/digital TV tuner 18 may be
physically implemented by one and only one combined digital/analog
tuner or by a single digital tuner or by one and only one digital
tuner in combination with one and only one analog tuner. In other
embodiments only a single analog tuner and no digital tuners may be
provided. The tuner 18 may be provided in the chassis 12 or in a
set-top box, and the tuner 18 may receive TV signals from a
satellite, cable head end, terrestrial broadcast antenna, etc.
[0017] A network interface device 20 such as but not limited to an
Internet enabled wireless modem may be provided to send Internet
signals to the TV processor 14. The device 20 typically includes a
processor 20a and a lower level wireless driver 21 that is
programmed to gather link quality information including one or more
of wireless signal strength, data rate, packet loss, and streaming
delay. The interface device 20 may be supported y the TV chassis 12
or it may be external to the chassis but communicating with the TV
processor 14. Without limitation the network interface 20 may be a
802.11a/b/g/n transceiver, a 60 GHz transceiver, or other
transceiver that can stream high quality multimedia content.
[0018] As shown, the TV system 10 also includes a portable
hand-holdable TV remote control (RC) 22. The RC 22, among other
things, can have cursor control keys 24 for sending wireless
signals to a receiver 26 on the chassis 12. The signals detected by
the receiver 26 are sent to the TV processor 14.
[0019] In some embodiments the TV system 10 may receive video from
a game console 28 such as but not limited to a console in the Sony
Playstation.RTM. family and/or from a digital disk player 30 such
as a Blu Ray.RTM. disk player. The console 28 typically includes a
game processor 32 accessing a game storage medium 34 storing audio
and/or video data and likewise the disk player 30 typically
includes a disk processor 36 accessing a disk storage medium 38
storing audio and/or video data. The game console can have a game
remote control 28a and the disk player can be associated with a
wireless disk player remote control 30a.
[0020] Content from the TV tuner 18 and, when provided, from the
game console 28/disk player 30 may be presented under control of
the TV processor 14 on a TV display 40 such as but not limited to a
plasma display or flat panel matrix-type display, either standard
definition (SD) and/or high definition (HD).
[0021] In one example embodiment the components shown in FIG. 1
communicate multimedia data to each other over high definition
multimedia interface (HDMI) links 42, and the components also
communicate control data over consumer electronics control (CEC)
links 44 that typically accompany HDMI links. In the example
non-limiting architecture shown in FIG. 1 the TV 12 is the central
node of the network but it is to be understood that all components
may be linked together directly or only some components may be
linked together directly, with communication to other components
potentially passing through intervening components. In any case,
additional content sources such as but not limited universal serial
bus (USB) mass storage, personal video recorders (PVR), digital
cameras, set-top boxes, removable memory media, etc. may be used in
conjunction with the TV system 10.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows that the TV can wirelessly receive multimedia
data such as audio, video, or still picture data from a network 42
that includes one or more content sources 44. The network 42 may be
the Internet and the sources 44 may be established by servers that
stream content over wireless links 46 to the TV for reception
thereof by the wireless interface 20. As intended herein, an
indication of the quality of the wireless link 21 can be provided
to the end user of the TV.
[0023] Accordingly and now referring to FIG. 2, at block 48 the TV
processor 14 may periodically move to block 50 to gather link 46
quality information from, e.g., the driver 21 and also, if desired,
link 46 status information such as "connected" or "disconnected".
The link quality information can include one or more of wireless
signal strength, data rate, packet loss, and streaming delay.
[0024] At block 52 the data collected in block 50 may be stored in,
e.g., non-volatile memory 16 of the TV. Proceeding to block 54, the
link quality data and, if desired, link status information can be
displayed on the TV audibly or visually. An example visual
indication is shown in FIG. 3, discussed further below.
[0025] If desired, the processor 14 can determine at decision
diamond 56 whether one or more link quality indicia fall below a
threshold. For example, decision diamond 56 may test current link
signal strength against a minimum threshold. In addition or
alternatively, data rate may be compared against a threshold
minimum data rate, and/or packet loss per second may be compared
against a threshold maximum packet loss per second, and/or
streaming delay may be compared against a threshold maximum delay
period.
[0026] If one or more quality indicia fall below the respective
thresholds, the user may be prompted at block 58 to take corrective
action. In addition or alternatively, network content that is of a
character, e.g., high bandwidth HD, which prevents proper display
under current link quality conditions, may be blocked by the
processor 14 from display on the TV. As yet another alternative or
added feature, at block 60 the link quality indicia may be sent to
a network server associated with the TV manufacturer, so that
technical personnel are automatically made aware of deficient link
quality conditions. In another embodiment, the link quality indicia
may be sent to the content provider's network server so that the
server can send to the TV only content that can be supported by
current network conditions, e.g., lower bandwidth content.
[0027] Still further, if desired at block 62 the network server
receiving the report of deficient link quality may perform a link
speed test, and the server may then deliver the same content as the
content currently being delivered except with a lower resolution or
different encoding to match the current link speed. For example,
when link speed is low, a lower quality version of a HD video can
be transcoded at the server side and delivered to the end user.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a link quality user interface (UI) 64 that can
be presented on the TV display 40 on, e.g., a network status screen
or a few clicks away under a higher level menu entry of "link
quality details". The non-limiting example UI 64 shown in FIG. 3
includes two columns. The first column 66 lists various parameters
including connection method, physical connection where applicable,
Internet access status, and various network address parameters. The
second column 68 lists entries for the first column parameters,
e.g., whether Internet access is "OK", numeric values for the
various network addresses, etc.
[0029] Additionally, as shown a link status entry 70 may be
provided in the first column 66 with the second column 68
indicating status (e.g., "connected"). Also, a link quality entry
72 may be provided in the first column 66 and the current quality
index (in the example shown, "poor" as might be inferred by the
processor 14 from, e.g., signal strength falling below a threshold)
is displayed in the second column 68. Further, as shown at 74, if
desired when the link quality can no longer satisfy the threshold
(and thus cannot sustain the necessary network bandwidth for good
quality video streaming applications), a prompt with such
information can be presented to the user to fix potential network
problems. Clicking on the prompt may cause the link conditions to
be uploaded to a network server. This additional information helps
customer service technicians understand the environmental
conditions in the event that the user decides to seek technical
support assistance.
[0030] It may now be appreciated that present principles provide
users with information about link quality in addition to link
status. This can help troubleshoot network performance issues which
may not be related to network setup, thus improving customer
satisfaction and maintaining brand value. Also, present principles
help reduce customer service calls or TV returns, and help customer
service handle calls/complains in an effective way since the link
quality provides additional information necessary for debugging.
Furthermore, the user can be prompted if the current quality is
inadequate for smooth video playback over the network. Some
implementations may incorporate a SpeedTest widget which can
provide the users with information on their Internet connection
bandwidth. In this way, users would know if the problem exists
outside their home network. Such a system of overall bandwidth
reporting functions regardless of the type of network (wired or
wireless).
[0031] While the particular WIRELESS LINK QUALITY MONITORING IN
NETWORK-ENABLED TVs is herein shown and described in detail, it is
to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by
the present invention is limited only by the claims.
* * * * *