KR100841217B1 - Apparatus and method for controlling file streaming - Google Patents

Abstract

A device and a method for controlling file streaming are provided to control traffic in a plurality of clients receiving a moving picture contents through the network without any streaming servers for controlling the traffic. A file streaming controller determines whether a reception speed of data received for a first reception time, which is needed for receiving data from a web server(100), exceeds a first reception speed, which is a reference value stored in a storage device of a client PC(110). The file streaming controller restarts reception after pausing reception as much as a first wait time dividing file data received over the first reception speed among the file data actually received from the web server into the first reception speed when the reception speed exceeds the first reception speed. The file data to be streamed is fixed by file information included in a file request signal inputted to the file streaming controller from a moving picture player.

Description

File streaming controller and control method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FILE STREAMING}

1 is a system configuration diagram of a plurality of client PCs and a web server to which a file streaming controller according to the present invention is applied;

2 is a flowchart of an example of a file streaming control method according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of file streaming between a web server and a client PC according to the file streaming control method according to the present invention;

4 shows a part of FIG. 3 in more detail;

5 is a view showing another part of FIG. 3 in more detail.

The present invention relates to a file streaming controller and a control method, and more particularly, to control traffic without a separate streaming server for controlling file streaming traffic for a plurality of client PCs that download video content through a communication network. A streaming system and method for video.

Recently, due to the increase in bandwidth due to the rapid spread of the high-speed Internet, it is possible to transfer a large amount of video files through the Internet. Accordingly, a large amount of video files can be downloaded from a web server (so-called "download"), or a video file can be accessed in real time without downloading the whole file and continuously downloaded (so-called " Streaming "allows end users to play video files stored on a web server.

However, the problem of providing a moving picture according to the prior art is that when the traffic control for each of the plurality of client PCs connected to the web server is not controlled, the web server is connected to a specific client PC depending on the factors such as the bandwidth of the line or the performance of the client PC. The bandwidth of the furnace was biased. As a result, the file transfer rate is reduced in many other client PCs, and thus, normal video streaming is impossible and continuous buffering is performed.

In order to solve this problem, in the related art, a separate server for controlling streaming traffic for a plurality of client PCs that want to use a video streaming service by accessing a specific web server is provided, for example, a flash media server. Installation on the web server side has become common.

However, in the case of constructing a flash media server separate from the web server as in the related art, there is a problem in that a purchase cost of hardware and software is additionally generated for the construction of the flash media server. Moreover, there is a problem that this cost burden is increased in order to improve the processing capacity of the flash media server in proportion to the increase of users accessing the website.

Due to these problems, requests for the invention of a video streaming controller and a control method capable of implementing traffic control for a plurality of client PCs in streaming video content through a communication network without a separate streaming server have been steadily raised. .

The present invention has been conceived in response to the above-described request, and a file streaming controller and control method capable of controlling traffic for a plurality of clients downloading video content through a communication network without a separate streaming server for traffic control. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the file streaming controller according to the present invention, in the client PC connected to the web server through a communication network, the reception speed of the data received during the first reception time from the web server is received first It is determined whether the speed is exceeded, and when the first reception speed is exceeded, the reception of the file data is paused by a first waiting time and then the reception is resumed.

In addition, the file streaming control method according to another aspect of the present invention, performed in a streaming controller in a client PC connected to a web server via a communication network, receiving a file data forming a file to be streamed from the web server And the streaming controller determines whether the reception speed of the file data received during the first reception time exceeds the first reception speed, and when the reception speed of the file data exceeds the first reception speed. And the streaming controller pauses the reception of the file data by a first waiting time and then resumes the reception.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

On the other hand, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, this means that it can further include other components, except to exclude other components unless otherwise stated.

A file streaming controller and a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a plurality of client PCs and a web server to which a file streaming controller according to the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the client PC 110 to which the file streaming controller according to the present invention is applied is connected to a web server 100 that provides a video through a communication network 120 such as the Internet. The web server includes a database 101 for managing various videos.

1, the file streaming controller according to the present invention is embedded in software or hardware in each of a plurality of client PCs 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d. Here, reference numerals 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d do not mean that the present invention is applied to four client PCs, but it means that there are a plurality of client PCs. The present invention may be applied to any number of client PCs.

The file streaming controller according to the present invention is embedded in each client PC (110a ~ 110d) by software or hardware to control the video streaming of the client PC does not exceed the already set streaming rate, consequently the communication network Through this, the streaming traffic is not biased for all the client PCs 110 accessing the web server 100.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a file streaming control method according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 2, the file streaming control method through the file streaming controller according to the present invention, the step of setting the file data reception rule (S20), the step of receiving data from the web server (S21), exceeds the set reception speed And the step S22 of determining whether or not the file streaming controller determines whether or not the file streaming controller performs processing according to the determination result (S23, S24).

First, in order to implement the file streaming control method according to the present invention, the step of setting the file data reception rule on the file streaming controller embedded in each of the client PC must be preceded (S20).

This step is a step for setting a rule regarding the reception speed of file data when the client PC connects to a web server and wants to stream a file, for example, a specific video file.

As a rule that can be set at this stage, the file streaming controller describes a rule (hereinafter referred to as "first rule") indicating that "the reception speed should not exceed a few bytes per second".

In order to set a first rule, which is a rule for specifying a reception speed of file data, the file streaming controller may refer to a setting value of a reception speed of a corresponding file included in file data to be received.

For example, if the setting value for setting the reception speed to 50 kilobytes per second is stored in a specific part such as a header in the file data, the file streaming controller reads this setting value in the file data regarding the reception speed and then sets the value accordingly. Rate rules can be set to ensure that data in the file does not exceed 50 kilobytes per second.

Meanwhile, an embodiment in which a rule regarding a reception speed of file data does not refer to a setting value of a reception speed in file data to be received, but sets the first rule according to a reception speed value set by the file streaming controller itself. It is also possible.

Further, in the step of setting the file data reception rule, a rule indicating "to pause file data reception for a predetermined time" when the reception speed exceeds the first rule (hereinafter referred to as "second rule") It may be set further with this first rule.

Depending on the traffic situation in the network between server and client, the reception speed of the file data may be faster or slower. However, according to the present invention, the file streaming controller does not receive the file data faster than the reception speed setting value according to the first rule.

Therefore, when the actual reception speed exceeds the reception speed setting value according to the first rule, the file data reception is paused for a predetermined waiting time so that the average reception speed does not exceed the reception speed setting value according to the first rule. Will be maintained.

At this time, the waiting time is calculated as follows.

(Latency) = {(size of file data actually received) / (receive speed setting)}-(actually received time)

For example, suppose that you are streaming a video whose reception rate is set to 50 kilobytes per second.

If 60 kilobytes / sec of file data is transmitted for one second in a specific section of the video streaming process, more than 10 kilobytes of data is originally transmitted in the corresponding section.

Therefore, the waiting time t at which the file streaming controller should pause the reception of file data so that the average value of the actual reception speed is a value not exceeding 50 kilobytes / sec, which is the reception speed setting value,

Wait time (t) = 60/50-1 = 0.2 (seconds)

Becomes

In this example, the case where the actual reception speed is set to 1 second is used as an example. However, the file streaming controller repeatedly monitors a time unit smaller than this, for example, a time unit within 1/1000 second. Accordingly, at that time, the first waiting time is changed.

After the step S20 of setting the file data reception rule is performed, the client PC receives data constituting the file to be streamed from the web server (S21). In the present invention, since there is no separate flash media server managing video streaming traffic, the client PC directly receives the file data from the web server.

When the client PC receives the data constituting the file from the web server, the file streaming controller next determines whether the reception speed of the data exceeds the value set in the step S20 (S22).

If the reception speed of the data exceeds the reception speed value set in the first rule, the step of suspending the reception of the file data for the first waiting time set by the file streaming controller according to the second rule is performed (S23). ). As described above, the file streaming controller variably sets the appropriate first waiting time by repeatedly monitoring the reception speed while receiving the file data.

As the file streaming controller performs this step, in the file streaming method according to the present invention, a reception rate value in which the average reception speed in a time band in which the data reception time and the paused first waiting time are added is set as the first rule. Traffic can be controlled so as not to exceed.

If the reception speed of the data does not exceed the reception speed value set in the first rule or after step S23 is performed, the client PC continues to receive the file data from the web server (S24).

3 is a flowchart illustrating in detail a flow of a file streaming procedure and a file playback procedure between a web server and a client PC according to the file streaming control method according to the present invention.

If the file that the client PC streams from the web server is a specific video file, the video player and the streaming controller according to the present invention are included in the client PC as shown in FIG. In addition, a web server stores a video file to be streamed. The web server and the client PC are connected to each other through a communication network such as the Internet.

In order to perform video streaming on the client PC, a file request signal is first transmitted from the video player to the streaming controller (300). After receiving the file request signal from the video player (310), the streaming controller identifies a web server where the file is stored and makes a file streaming request to the web server (320).

When the web server receives the file streaming request signal (321), the web server starts transmitting data constituting the video file corresponding to the signal to the client PC (322).

The streaming controller of the client PC initiates the reception of the file data transmitted from the web server, and temporarily stores the received file data in a storage space such as a local hard disk.

When the stored file data reaches a predetermined buffering size, the streaming controller transmits a file playback start message 341 in response to the file request signal 300 input from the video player (340). Accordingly, the video player starts playing the video file according to the content requested by the file request signal 300 (342).

Even after starting the file playback in the video player, the streaming controller continues to receive the file data from the web server until the transmission of the video file to be streamed ends. At this time, it is continuously determined whether the data reception rate has not exceeded the transmission rate limit according to the first rule as set in step S20 of FIG. 2, and when the transmission rate limit is exceeded, according to the second rule. The streaming controller controls the received traffic of the client PC so that the average transfer rate does not exceed the limit according to the first rule by pausing the transmission for the first waiting time that the file transfer controller is variably set (350). The same as described above with reference to FIG.

When the entire file storage is completed by receiving the entire video file data from the web server, the streaming controller may inform the video player that the storage of the entire file is completed (360). The video player then plays back up to the end of the data file received from the web server by the streaming controller and temporarily stored in the storage space of the client PC and ends file playback (362).

4 is a view showing a portion of FIG. 3 in more detail.

4 illustrates a step 310 of receiving a file request signal from a video player among steps performed by the streaming controller shown in FIG. 3 and transmitting a file streaming request signal to a specific web server according to the received file request signal (320). ) Is shown in more detail.

The video player may play a specific video file from the beginning, but may play the video from the middle according to the user's selection.

In the streaming controller and control method according to the present invention, the procedure for processing each request varies somewhat depending on whether the video file is played from the beginning or from a specific part in the middle.

First, a case in which a video file is played from the beginning will be described.

When the user selects a specific video file to stream, the video player inputs the file request signal 300 to the streaming controller according to the selection.

The file request signal 300 includes data on the position of the video on the communication network (including the server's ip address information, the location of the video in the server and the file name), and whether the video is played from the beginning or in the middle. Data on whether to reproduce from a specific portion (including information on the exact position of the reproduction start section if the reproduction from a specific portion in the middle) is included.

After receiving the file request signal 300, the streaming controller reads information about the playback request position included in the file request signal 300 to determine whether the target file should be streamed from the beginning (310a).

If it is determined that the file should be played from the beginning, the streaming controller sends a general download Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message to send a request to stream the video from the beginning to the web server storing the video file. (310b).

Thereafter, the file streaming request step 320 of FIG. 2 is performed by connecting to a web server, transmitting the written message to the web server, and waiting for a response according to the full text from the web server.

On the other hand, when the video player transmits the file request signal 300 to play the video from a specific section in the middle, the streaming controller reads information on the file request signal from the file request signal (310a), the file request signal 300 On the basis of the information on the position of the playback start section included in the file, a downloaded HTTP full text including a range header is created (310c).

Subsequently, the procedure for performing the file streaming request step 320 is the same as the procedure performed for reproducing the video from the beginning, and thus it will be omitted.

5 is a view showing another part of FIG. 3 in more detail.

5 shows a step 330 of starting a file reception and storage from a web server among steps performed by the streaming controller shown in FIG. 3, a file playback start message response to a file request signal of a video player 340, The step 350 of performing streaming control while continuing to receive and store the file and the step 360 of completing the entire file reception are shown in more detail.

When video file data is transmitted in response to the file streaming request signal to the web server (A), the streaming controller starts receiving data from the web server (320a).

At this time, the streaming controller determines whether the received data is the first data received from the web server with respect to the video file (320b), and in the case of the first data, the temporary file to store the data in a storage space such as a local hard disk. Parse the HTTP header (320c), generate additional header information (320d), and store the data in a data file (320e).

Thereafter, the streaming controller determines whether the file data stored in the storage space of the client PC has reached the initial buffering size (340a), and if not yet, continues to receive the file data from the web server, and if the initial buffering size has been reached The video player transmits a playback start event signal to inform that the video player may start playing the video file (340c). If the play start event signal is once transmitted to the video player, it does not need to be transmitted again, so the streaming controller determines whether the play start event has been transmitted to the video player with respect to the video file (340b). Before the signal transmission step 340c.

Next, a detailed description will be given of a procedure 350 for performing streaming control in the case where the streaming controller continues to receive and store file data.

The streaming controller determines whether the reception speed of the data file transmitted to the client PC including the streaming controller exceeds the reception speed limit value (first rule of FIG. 2) (350a). If the file data is received below the reception speed limit value of the first rule, the file data is not continuously occupied by the web server.

However, if the file data is received at a reception speed exceeding the reception speed limit value of the first rule, the client PC may be occupying too much bandwidth of the web server, and the reception speed should be lowered. Accordingly, the streaming controller variably designates the first waiting time as described above with reference to FIG. 2 so that the reception speed is not faster than the first rule, and pauses file data reception for the first waiting time (350b). ). As a result, the streaming controller is a time interval in which the file data is actually transmitted and the paused first waiting time, so that the average receiving speed divided by the size of the received file data is kept below the receiving rate limit of the first rule. You will control traffic to your PC.

After the operation according to the determination result in step 350a is performed, the streaming controller further performs a step of transmitting a buffering event (350c).

As such, the streaming controller controls the traffic of the client PCs in all client PCs accessing the web server, thereby enabling overall traffic control of video streaming by the web server.

Next, the streaming controller determines whether the file data transmission from the web server is completed, and continues to receive the file data if the reception is not completed, and if the reception is complete, the streaming controller performs the procedure of receiving the video file data. This is the end. In this case, as described above, the streaming controller may transmit a signal indicating that the reception of the corresponding video file data is completed to the video player.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not implemented only through the apparatus and the method, but may be implemented through a program for realizing a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium on which the program is recorded. Implementation may be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the above-described embodiments.

In addition, although the above-described embodiment has described a file streaming controller and a control method according to the present invention taking a streaming service of a video file as an example, the present invention is not intended to limit the object to only the streaming service of a video file. In other words, the streaming controller and the control method according to the present invention can be applied to any type of file to which the spirit of the present invention can be applied even if it is not a video file.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of rights.

As described above, using the file streaming controller and the control method according to the present invention, it is possible to control the traffic for a plurality of clients to download the video content through a communication network without a separate streaming server for traffic control There is an effect that can implement a file streaming controller and control method.

Claims (12)

A file streaming controller in a client PC connected to a web server via a communication network, Determining whether the reception speed of the received data exceeds a first reception speed-a reference value stored in a storage device in the client PC-during a first reception time-the time taken to receive data from the web server; When the first reception speed is exceeded, the reception of the file data is exceeded by the first waiting time-the first reception speed of the file data actually received from the web server by the file streaming controller during the first reception time. A file streaming controller for resuming reception after pausing the received file data by the value divided by the first reception speed. delete delete The method of claim 1, The client PC further includes a video player, And the file data targeted for streaming is specified by file information included in a file request signal input from the video player to the file streaming controller. A file streaming control method by a streaming controller in a client PC connected to a web server through a communication network, (A) receiving file data forming a file to be streamed from the web server; Whether the reception speed of the received file data exceeds the first reception speed-a value stored in a storage device in the client PC; Determining by the streaming controller (b); When the reception speed of the file data exceeds the first reception speed, the streaming controller actually receives the reception of the file data from the web server by the file streaming controller during the first waiting time-the first reception time. (C) pausing the file data received in excess of the first reception speed among the file data by the value divided by the first reception speed, and resuming reception. delete delete The method of claim 5, And (d) before the step (a), the first reception speed is set by the file streaming controller. The method of claim 5, And (e) before the step (a), specifying the file by information included in a file request signal input from the video player further included in the client PC to the streaming controller. The method of claim 9, In the step (e), the file request signal includes a file streaming control method including information on the playback start position of the file. The method of claim 10, Between the step (e) and the step (a), Based on the information about the playback start position, (F) writing a full download hypertext transfer protocol telegram for sending the request to the web server that the streaming controller receives the file from the beginning if the file is to be played from the beginning. Control method. The method of claim 10, Between the step (e) and the step (a), Based on the information about the playback start position, If the file is to be played from the middle specific position, the streaming controller adds an interval header according to the information about the playback start position to transmit a request to the web server to receive the request from the specific position. And (g) creating a hypertext transfer protocol full text.

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