eMBMS Unicast Tunneling for LAN Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems, particularly in LTE networks, face challenges in reliably transmitting evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) data over local area networks (LAN) due to the poor performance of multicast transmission, where an unreliable link can affect all end nodes connected to the network device.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a unicast tunneling protocol and setup methods to communicate eMBMS traffic reliably over LAN, eliminating network address translation (NAT) constraints, and using a network device with an LTE modem, transport stack, and eMBMS tunneling module to encapsulate multicast packets into unicast packets for delivery to end nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If multicast transmission is used for eMBMS data over LAN, then network resource efficiency is improved, but transmission reliability deteriorates due to unreliable links affecting all end nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multicast transmission into multiple unicast transmissions from the network device to different end nodes. Instead of sending a single multicast packet that could be affected by unreliable links, the system divides the transmission into individual unicast packets, isolating the impact of link failures to specific end nodes only and maintaining overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The network device acts as an intermediary that receives eMBMS multicast data from the base station and then forwards it to end nodes via unicast transmission. This intermediary function allows the system to maintain the efficiency of multicast reception while achieving the reliability of unicast delivery by converting between transmission types at the network device.
2Reliability
If unicast transmission is used for eMBMS data over LAN, then transmission reliability is improved, but network resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of both multicast and unicast transmissions by combining them in a hybrid approach. The network device receives eMBMS data via multicast (efficient for the network) and then distributes it to end nodes via unicast (reliable for individual delivery). This combination allows the system to achieve both network efficiency and transmission reliability simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If NAT is used in the network device, then network address management is improved, but eMBMS traffic communication is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts eMBMS traffic from the standard NAT processing path. The network device is configured to identify and separate eMBMS packets from other traffic, bypassing the NAT translation process that would otherwise block them. This allows NAT to continue managing regular traffic while eMBMS traffic flows through a dedicated path unaffected by address translation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between NAT and eMBMS traffic. The network device acts as a mediator that recognizes eMBMS packets and routes them through a special handling path that preserves their original address information, preventing NAT from interfering with the eMBMS communication while still providing address management for other traffic types.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus may be a network device. The apparatus receives an evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service (eMBMS) data from a base station via multicast transmission. The apparatus transmits the received eMBMS data to one or more end nodes via unicast transmission. In an aspect, the one or more end nodes are connected to the network device via a local area network (LAN).