US 12,464,405 B2
Orchestrating network usage under the threat of unexpected bandwidth shortages
Dirk Schulz, Meckenheim (DE)
Assigned to ABB Schweiz AG, Baden (CH)
Filed by ABB Schweiz AG, Baden (CH)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/080,837.
Claims priority of application No. 21214588 (EP), filed on Dec. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0189060 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 28/02 (2009.01); H04W 28/08 (2023.01); H04W 48/06 (2009.01); H04W 88/18 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 28/0289 (2013.01) [H04W 28/0983 (2020.05); H04W 28/0992 (2020.05); H04W 48/06 (2013.01); H04W 88/18 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for orchestrating the use of at least one communications network for conveying a plurality of data streams transmitted by a plurality of applications, the method comprising:
attributing to individual data streams, and/or to groups of data streams, levels of importance, wherein the applications transmitting the data streams participate in operation of an industrial plant;
determining, based at least in part on the levels of importance and on network capacity requirements of the data streams, an ordered list of data streams to be curtailed or stopped in case of a shortage of bandwidth in the communications network; and
providing the ordered list to a network management entity that is configured to:
monitor the available bandwidth in the communications network;
compare the available bandwidth to a combined bandwidth requirement of all data streams currently being transmitted; and
in response to determining that the available bandwidth is, or is imminent to become, less than the combined bandwidth requirement, curtail or stop data streams in the order given by the list so as to bring the combined bandwidth requirement back to or below the available bandwidth, wherein in at least one data stream of the data streams comprises a critical video stream that is, at least in a degraded form, required for continuing operation of the plant, wherein the critical video stream is a live video stream that monitors the execution of a process or is analyzed to assess quality or quality issues of a manufactured product, wherein the at least one data stream comprises measurement values of a process quantity, and the curtailing of this data stream comprises extending an interval at which new measurement values of the process quantity are transmitted, and wherein the process quantity is associated with varied time scales for obtaining associated measurement values.