Adaptive TTI Length Selection for Wireless Latency and Throughput

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wireless networks using fixed-length transmission time intervals (TTIs) struggle to adapt to changing wireless channel conditions, leading to inadequate latency and throughput performance, as they cannot simultaneously satisfy diverse traffic types with varying latency requirements.

Innovation Solution

Adapting the length of downlink TTIs based on parameters such as latency requirements, buffer size, and user mobility characteristics, allowing for dynamic selection of TTI lengths in downlink radio frames to optimize network performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single fixed-length transport container is used, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to changing wireless channel conditions and latency requirements deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to wireless channel conditionsVSAvoidtransport container structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The transport container structure is segmented into multiple types with different lengths (e.g., 1ms, 2ms, 4ms TTIs). Each segment type is optimized for specific channel conditions and traffic requirements, allowing the system to divide the transmission space into specialized containers rather than using a single uniform container for all scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The transport container length is made dynamic rather than static. The system can adaptively select different TTI lengths based on real-time wireless channel conditions, traffic type, and latency requirements. This dynamic adjustment allows the container structure to respond to changing conditions while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized selection criteria.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Loss of time

If shorter TTI lengths are used, then latency performance is improved, but throughput efficiency deteriorates due to increased overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovelatencyVSAvoidthroughput efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The TTI length parameter is changed adaptively based on traffic requirements and channel conditions. For latency-sensitive traffic (e.g., VoIP, real-time gaming), shorter TTI lengths (1ms) are selected to reduce delay. For throughput-oriented traffic (e.g., file downloads, video streaming), longer TTI lengths (2ms, 4ms) are selected to improve spectral efficiency and reduce overhead. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction by optimizing for the dominant requirement in each scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If longer TTI lengths are used, then throughput efficiency is improved, but latency performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethroughput efficiencyVSAvoidlatency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the TTI length parameter to balance throughput and latency. When channel conditions are good and traffic is throughput-sensitive, longer TTIs are used to maximize data transmission efficiency. When latency becomes critical or channel conditions deteriorate, the system switches to shorter TTIs. This parameter adaptation allows the system to resolve the throughput-latency tradeoff based on real-time requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Adaptability or versatility

If adaptive TTI selection is implemented, then adaptability to diverse traffic types is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesupport for diverse traffic typesVSAvoidTTI adaptation mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements adaptive TTI selection by changing the TTI length parameter based on traffic type classification and channel conditions. Pre-defined mapping rules associate different traffic types (voice, data, video) with appropriate TTI lengths, and channel quality metrics are mapped to TTI selections. This approach provides diverse traffic support while controlling complexity through standardized adaptation logic rather than requiring complex real-time optimization algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4009695B1Adaptive transmission time interval (TTI) structure
Publication Date: 2023.12.27 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4009695B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4009695B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4009695B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods and devices are provided for communicating data in a wireless channel. In one example, a method includes adapting the transmission time interval (TTI) length of transport container for transmitting data in accordance with a criteria. The criteria may include (but is not limited to) a latency requirement of the data, a buffer size associated with the data, a mobility characteristic of a device that will receive the data. The TTI lengths may be manipulated for a variety of reasons, such as for reducing overhead, satisfy quality of service (QoS) requirements, maximize network throughput, etc. In some embodiments, TTIs having different TTI lengths may be carried in a common radio frame. In other embodiments, the wireless channel may partitioned into multiple bands each of which carrying (exclusively or otherwise) TTIs having a certain TTI length