Core Network Priority Scheduling to Prevent Frame Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems face challenges in prioritizing the transmission of higher priority frames over lower priority frames, leading to issues like head-of-line blocking and increased latency, especially in networks that do not fully support advanced IEEE 802.1Qbv and IEEE 802.1Qci protocols.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mechanism in the core network apparatus to schedule transmission slots for high-priority frames by withholding lower priority frames until the next available slot, using predetermined schedules based on slot timing and processing delays, and introducing intentional delays at the radio access network to align data transmission with priority levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If lower priority frames are transmitted before high priority frames in existing communication systems, then network devices can maintain simple transmission queues, but high priority frames experience increased latency and head-of-line blocking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring transmission time windows and priority levels for different frame types before actual transmission occurs. The network device determines ahead of time which time windows are allocated for high priority frames versus low priority frames, and pre-establishes the priority ordering. This allows high priority frames to be transmitted immediately when their designated time window arrives, without waiting for lower priority frames to clear the queue, thereby reducing latency while maintaining manageable device complexity through predetermined scheduling rules
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the transmission timeline into distinct time windows, with specific windows allocated for high priority frames and other windows for low priority frames. This temporal segmentation creates separate transmission opportunities for different priority levels, preventing low priority frames from blocking high priority frame transmission. The segmentation approach allows the network device to handle priority differentiation without requiring complex real-time scheduling decisions, as each time window's purpose is predetermined
2Productivity
If detailed traffic scheduling protocols like IEEE 802.1Qbv and IEEE 802.1Qci are implemented, then priority frame transmission can be optimized, but network compatibility and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential priority scheduling functionality from complex protocols like IEEE 802.1Qbv and IEEE 802.1Qci, implementing only the core time window allocation and priority determination mechanisms. Rather than implementing the full suite of features in those standards, the patent isolates and implements the fundamental elements needed for priority frame transmission: determining priority levels, allocating time windows, and transmitting frames according to their priority. This extraction approach maintains frame transmission efficiency while reducing implementation complexity and improving network compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of protocol implementation from comprehensive to selective, focusing on the critical parameters of time window allocation and priority level determination while omitting less essential protocol features. By adjusting the implementation scope to include only the most impactful parameters for priority scheduling, the system achieves good frame transmission efficiency without the full burden of complex protocol implementation, thereby balancing productivity and device complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a method for a core network apparatus, the method comprising: receiving data units from at least one network access apparatus, wherein each data unit is labelled with a respective priority level; and withholding from transmitting a data unit labelled with a relatively low priority level in accordance with a predetermined schedule, wherein the predetermined schedule is dependent on a slot timing for data arriving at the at least one network access apparatus for communication upstream and a predetermined delay time in forwarding the data from the at least one network access apparatus to the core network apparatus.