Edge Compute Platform for Wireless Network Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing edge computing systems face challenges in processing computationally intensive data at client devices, leading to increased energy consumption and latency due to limited resources and the need for data offloading to cloud servers, which can be impractical for real-time applications.
Innovation Solution
Deployment of an edge compute platform within wireless communications networks that converts any device along the data path into a processing node, allowing data to be processed at the edge without adding hardware or complexity, thereby reducing latency and bandwidth usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If data processing is performed at the client device, then computational resources are utilized locally, but energy consumption increases and battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements edge computing by deploying computing resources at the network edge (base stations, access points) rather than centralized cloud data centers. This localizes processing capabilities geographically closer to client devices, enabling data processing to occur at the edge of the network where it can reduce latency without requiring client devices to perform all computations locally, thus balancing processing time and energy consumption.
2Use of energy by moving object
If data is offloaded to cloud servers, then client device resources are conserved, but latency increases due to longer data transmission distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces edge computing nodes (base stations, access points, edge servers) as intermediary processing points between client devices and centralized cloud data centers. These intermediaries perform data processing, filtering, and preliminary analytics on data before it is transmitted to the cloud, reducing the amount of data that needs to travel long distances and thereby reducing latency while still conserving client device resources.
3Loss of time
If a CDN is implemented with geographically distributed proxy servers, then data processing latency is reduced, but infrastructure complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages existing multi-functional network infrastructure components (base stations, access points, network routers) to perform edge computing functions. Rather than deploying dedicated edge server infrastructure, the patent enables these existing network elements to provide computing, storage, and networking functions simultaneously, reducing infrastructure complexity while achieving low-latency processing.
4Speed
If computational tasks are performed at client devices, then real-time processing is possible, but resource limitations prevent handling of intensive workloads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-dimension architecture (client device to centralized cloud) to a multi-dimensional hierarchical architecture with processing capabilities distributed across multiple levels: client device, edge network elements, and cloud data centers. This dimensional expansion allows computational workloads to be distributed across different spatial and functional layers, enabling real-time processing of intensive workloads by offloading to edge and cloud resources while maintaining local responsiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless network device can receive, at a traffic director in a kernel space, a data packet from a client device and determine whether the data packet is intended for an application cloud server operating in a cloud environment. The wireless network device can provide, based on determining that the data packet is intended for the application cloud server, the data packet to an application server instance executing on the wireless network device. The application server instance can be implemented in a virtualized software container in a user space, and can be configured to perform one or more operations associated with the application cloud server. The wireless network device can receive, at the traffic director and from the application server instance, a result of the application server instance performing the one or more operations on the data packet, and transmit the result to the application cloud server.