5G Handover Packet Duplication for Low Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 5G communication systems face challenges in ensuring low latency, low jitter, and high reliability during handovers, particularly in scenarios involving user plane function reconfiguration and packet duplication, which can lead to packet loss and increased end-to-end latency.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a handover method where a source base station transmits redundant packets to a target base station before the actual handover, using a user plane function (UPF) indicator to initiate packet duplication transmission, ensuring that packets not transmitted to the User Equipment (UE) are stored and duplicated for reliable transfer, and utilizing an Xn tunnel for additional reliability support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If packet duplication transmission is performed during handover, then reliability is improved, but latency increases due to additional transmission time
Solution Approach 1:
The source base station performs preliminary actions by storing packets that have not yet been transmitted to the UE, and proactively transmits these stored packets to the target base station before the handover is actually executed. This preliminary transmission ensures that the target base station already has the necessary packets ready, eliminating the need for retransmission after handover and thus reducing latency while maintaining reliability through packet duplication.
2Reliability
If redundant packets are transmitted to target base station, then packet loss is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The source base station creates copies of stored packets and transmits these copies to the target base station. This copying mechanism ensures that the target base station receives redundant packets that can be used if original packets are lost during handover, thereby preventing packet loss while using a simple and efficient copying approach rather than complex error correction or retransmission protocols.
3Reliability
If packets are stored before handover, then packet loss is reduced, but buffer management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The source base station extracts and identifies specific packets from the data stream that have not yet been transmitted to the UE, and stores only these particular packets in a buffer. This selective extraction and storage approach focuses buffer management on only the necessary packets, reducing the overall buffer management complexity while still effectively preventing packet loss during handover.
Data Source
AI summary
A handover method, performed by a source base station in a wireless communication system, includes: receiving an indicator indicating a start of packet duplication transmission of a user plane function (UPF); and transmitting at least one redundant packet to a target base station, based on the indicator indicating the start of the packet duplication transmission of the UPF, wherein the packet duplication transmission includes transmitting, to the target base station, a packet that is identical to a packet transmitted by the UPF to the source base station, wherein the redundant packet includes a packet that was received from the UPF before the start of the packet duplication transmission but is not transmitted to a User Equipment (UE) and stored.