Intermediary Function Bearer Reservation for LTE QoS
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication networks, such as LTE, face challenges in maintaining guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) for real-time media applications when network congestion leads to the rescission of allocated bearers, resulting in unacceptable media stream redirection or blockage.
Innovation Solution
An intermediary function processes user plane reservation requests, determines a set of bearers, and associates user plane data with allocated bearers, preventing transmission over the default bearer if any are unavailable, and implements alternative processing such as redirecting or discarding packets to ensure continuous media delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single reserved bearer is allocated for a media stream, then the network resource utilization is improved, but the reliability of media delivery deteriorates when the bearer becomes unavailable due to congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the media stream into multiple bearers instead of using a single bearer. When the primary bearer becomes unavailable, the media stream can be redirected to alternative bearers, maintaining delivery reliability while still optimizing network resource utilization through selective bearer allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes alternative bearers in advance as backup paths for media stream delivery. When the primary bearer becomes unavailable due to congestion, these pre-prepared alternative bearers immediately take over, cushioning against the reliability deterioration without requiring real-time bearer establishment.
2Reliability
If the reserved bearer is rescinded during network congestion, then the network QoS is improved, but the media stream continuity deteriorates due to redirection or blockage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuous media stream delivery by maintaining multiple active bearers. When one bearer is rescinded, the media stream continues uninterrupted through alternative bearers, eliminating gaps or redirection delays and maintaining the continuity of useful action throughout the transmission process.
Solution Approach 2:
Alternative bearers are prepared in advance as backup paths. When the primary bearer is rescinded, these pre-established alternative bearers immediately take over the media stream transmission, cushioning against continuity interruption and ensuring seamless transition without blockage or redirection delays.
3Reliability
If multiple bearers are allocated for a media stream, then the reliability of media delivery is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary function that automatically manages multiple bearers, handling the complexity of bearer allocation, monitoring, and switching. This intermediary abstracts the complex multi-bearer management from the end systems, maintaining delivery reliability through coordinated bearer usage while reducing the perceived device complexity for users and applications.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for bearer reservation, maintenance, and use in a communication system is performed by an intermediary function (IF) in the enterprise network. The IF processes a user plane reservation request for a flow of user plane data from a sourcing device, and determines a set of bearers to transport the flow of user plane data. The IF requests from at least one access network the determined set of bearers, and receives from the at least one access network an allocated set of bearers, wherein the allocated set of bearers comprises one or more bearers. The IF receives the flow of user plane data from the sourcing device. The IF receives an indication that at least one of the bearers in the allocated set of bearers is unavailable, and prevents at least a portion of the flow of user plane data from being transmitted over the default bearer.