Dynamic Air-Interface Reconfiguration for Dual-Connectivity Buffer Overflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
In dual-connectivity configurations, the second access node may not have sufficient air-interface capacity to handle the quantity of data sent by the first access node, leading to potential buffer overflow and packet loss due to limited downlink bandwidth and high PRB utilization.
Innovation Solution
The second access node dynamically reconfigures its air-interface connection to increase downlink bandwidth by adding or replacing carriers, ensuring it can handle the high data flow from the first access node, thereby preventing buffer overflow and packet loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the second access node uses a fixed air-interface configuration with limited downlink bandwidth, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the productivity decreases when high data flows need to be handled
Solution Approach 1:
The air-interface configuration of the second access node is made dynamic rather than fixed. The downlink bandwidth is adjusted in real-time based on the detected data flow rate from the first access node. When high data flows are detected, the system adds or replaces carriers to increase bandwidth; when data flows are low, the system reduces bandwidth. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to handle high productivity requirements when needed while maintaining simpler operations during normal conditions.
2Productivity
If the second access node increases downlink bandwidth by adding or replacing carriers, then the productivity increases to handle high data flows, but the device complexity increases due to dynamic reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameters of the air-interface configuration dynamically. Specifically, it monitors the data flow rate parameter and adjusts the downlink bandwidth parameter by adding or replacing carriers based on threshold comparisons. When the data flow rate exceeds a threshold, the system transitions to a higher bandwidth configuration; when it falls below a threshold, the system transitions to a lower bandwidth configuration. This parameter-based adaptation resolves the contradiction by providing structured flexibility.
3Productivity
If the second access node maintains high PRB utilization to maximize resource usage, then the productivity is improved, but the reliability decreases due to buffer overflow and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the second access node continuously monitors the data flow rate from the first access node and adjusts its downlink bandwidth accordingly. This feedback loop prevents buffer overflow and packet loss by ensuring that the processing capacity matches the incoming data rate. When high data flows are detected, the system increases bandwidth to handle the load; when data flows are low, it reduces bandwidth to maintain optimal PRB utilization without overload. This feedback-based adaptation resolves the contradiction between resource utilization and transmission reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
When a user equipment device (UE) has dual connectivity including a first air-interface connection extending from a first access node to the UE and a second air-interface connection extending from a second access node to the UE, and where an inter-access-node interface extends between the first access node and the second access node, a method includes (i) detecting that a flow of downlink data over the inter-access-node interface from the first access node to the second access node, for transmission of the downlink data over the second air-interface connection to the UE, is threshold high and (ii) based at least on the detecting, increasing downlink bandwidth of the second air-interface connection. Increasing the downlink bandwidth of the second air-interface connection could involve, for instance, replacing a carrier of the connection with another carrier that has a wider downlink frequency bandwidth, among other possibilities.