Method of regulating a flow of data in a communication system and apparatus therefor

An apparatus for regulating a flow of data between portions of a communication system, said apparatus comprising:

• a first controller-readable portion configured as a buffer;
• a second controller-readable memory portion configured to contain a control program;
• a data source configured to transmit said data at a source data rate greater than zero;
• an input function coupled between said data source and said first memory portion, configured to receive said data from said data source at said source data rate, and configured to add to a level of said data within said buff by writing said data to said buffer at said source data rate;
• an output function coupled between said first memory portion and said data sink, configured to subtract from said buffer data level by reading said data from said buffer at a sink data rate greater than zero, and configured to transmit said data to said data sink;
• a data sink configured to receive said data at said sink data rate;
• and
• a controller coupled to said first and second memory portions, coupled to said input and output functions, and configured to:
• monitor a fill rate of said buffer and said buffer data level in response to said control program, said fill rate being a difference of said source data rate less said sink data rate;
• and
• dispatch a rate-control signal to adjust said source data rate when said monitoring determines one of said fill rate is negative and said buffer data level is less than or equal to a lower data-level threshold and said fill rate is positive and said buffer data level is greater than or equal to an upper data-level threshold.

A method of regulating flow of data in a communication system, said method comprising:

• establishing, in a data source, a source data rate substantially equal to a predetermined data rate greater than zero;
• establishing, in a data sink, a sink data rate substantially equal to said predetermined data rate;
• adjusting said source data rate in response to a rate-control signal, wherein, when said source data rate is less than said sink data rate and a level of said data within a buffer is less than or equal to a lower data-level threshold of said buffer, said adjusting activity adjusts said source data rate to be greater than said sink data rate, and wherein, when said source data rate is greater than said sink data rate and said buffer data level is greater than or equal to an upper data-level threshold of said buffer, said adjusting activity adjusts said source data rate to be less than said sink data rate;
• transmitting said data at said source data rate by said data source;
• writing said data into said buffer at said source data rate, wherein said writing activity increases said buffer data level;
• reading said data from said buffer at said sink data rate, wherein said reading activity decreases said buffer data level;
• receiving said data at said sink data rate by said data sink;
• monitoring said buffer data level;
• and
• dispatching, when said monitoring activity determines that said buffer data level is one of decreasing and increasing while at less than or equal to said lower data-level threshold and greater than or equal to said upper data-level thresholds, respectively, said rate-control signal to said data source.