Method and apparatus for throttling audio packets according to gateway processing capacity

A method for throttling network packets in a voice gateway, comprising:

• using multiple digital signal processors to encode multiple audio signals at the same time;
• formatting the encoded audio signal into Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) packets using a central processing unit;
• storing the VoIP packets in an interface buffer;
• monitoring utilization of at least one of the interface buffer and the central processing unit;
• and
• varying a percentage of the digital signal processors that increase the VoIP packet size according to the monitored utilization.

A computer program for use with a network processing device, said computer program, comprising:

• a processor load monitor that monitors utilization of a processor in the network processing device;
• a throttle indicator that generates a throttle value according to the monitored processor utilization, the throttle value used by the network processing device to vary an amount of an audio signal that is encoded into the audio packets;
• and
• wherein size of the audio packets are throttled in a percentage of multiple digital signal processors wherein the percentage is proportional to the throttle value.

A system for throttling network packets in a voice gateway, comprising:

• means for encoding an audio signal;
• means for formatting the encoded audio signal into Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) packets using multiple central processing units;
• means for storing the VoIP packets in an interface buffer;
• means for monitoring utilization of at least one of the interface buffer and the central processing units;
• means for controlling size of the VoIP packets by increasing a number of samples of the encoded audio signal in the VoIP packets when the monitored utilization indicates high utilization of at least one of the interface buffer and the central processing units;
• and
• means for varying a percentage of the multiple central processing units used for increasing the number of samples in the VoIP packets according to the monitored utilization.

A system for throttling network packets in a voice gateway, comprising:

• means for encoding an audio signal;
• means for formatting the encoded audio signal into Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) packets using a central processing unit;
• means for storing the VoIP packets in an interface buffer;
• means for monitoring utilization of at least one of the interface buffer and the central processing unit;
• means for controlling size of the VoIP packets by varying a number of samples of the encoded audio signal in the VoIP packets according to the monitored utilization;
• means for formatting the encoded audio signals using the central processing unit and varying the VoIP packet size according an amount of processing capacity of the central processing unit used for formatting the encoded audio signal into VoIP packets;
• means for storing the VoIP packets in the interface buffer before transmitting the VoIP packets over a VoIP network;
• means for monitoring the interface buffer by determining an amount of free space in the interface buffer currently not storing VoIP packets;
• means for controlling the VoIP packet size according to the amount of free space currently in the interface buffer;
• and
• means for using multiple digital signal processors to encode multiple audio signals at the same time and varying a percentage of the digital signal processors that increase the VoIP packet size according to the amount of free space in the interface buffer and an amount of processing capacity of the central processing unit used for switching the encoded audio signal to the IP network.