MEC Multicast Delivery for 5G Network Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Next-generation mobile wireless networks, such as 5G, face challenges in efficiently managing radio resources and delivering data to multiple user equipment (UE) devices simultaneously, particularly in scenarios requiring low latency and high throughput.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) devices associated with base stations, which determine the optimal delivery method (unicast, multicast, or broadcast) based on signal quality and execution time thresholds, ensuring efficient data delivery while maintaining service requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast delivery method is used for each UE device, then individual data delivery requirements are met, but network resource consumption increases and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple unicast data streams into a single multicast stream when multiple UE devices request the same data. The MEC device identifies common data requests and consolidates them into one multicast transmission, reducing redundant transmissions and improving network throughput while maintaining individual delivery reliability through targeted multicast group management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically switches between unicast and multicast delivery methods based on real-time network conditions, data request patterns, and execution time thresholds. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize for individual reliability when needed while maximizing throughput through multicast when appropriate, resolving the contradiction between the two objectives.
2Productivity
If multicast delivery method is used for multiple UE devices, then network resource efficiency improves, but latency increases due to coordination overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating execution times for both unicast and multicast delivery methods, and by pre-establishing multicast groups based on predicted data request patterns. This allows the system to make faster delivery method decisions without adding latency, as the computational overhead is performed in advance rather than in real-time during data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters such as execution time thresholds and multicast group composition dynamically based on network conditions. By adjusting these parameters, the system can optimize the balance between multicast efficiency and latency, switching to unicast when latency constraints are critical and using multicast when resource efficiency is prioritized.
3Loss of time
If data is cached at MEC device, then execution time threshold is met, but cache memory capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the MEC device as an intermediary between the core network and UE devices for data caching and delivery. The MEC device strategically caches frequently requested data locally to meet execution time thresholds, while using multicast to efficiently deliver cached data to multiple UEs simultaneously. This intermediary role allows the system to overcome limited cache capacity by maximizing the utilization of cached data through multicast distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple copies of cached data through multicast transmission to multiple UE devices simultaneously. Instead of storing separate copies of the same data for each requesting UE (which would exceed cache capacity), the system stores one copy at the MEC device and efficiently replicates it through multicast, meeting execution time requirements without proportionally increasing cache memory requirements.
4Reliability
If signal quality threshold is set high, then data delivery reliability improves, but number of eligible UE devices for multicast decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the signal quality threshold based on current network conditions, data importance, and the number of eligible UE devices. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain high reliability when signal conditions are generally good and more UEs are eligible for multicast, while lowering the threshold when needed to maintain a sufficient number of eligible devices, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and quantity.
Data Source
AI summary
A Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) device, associated with a base station, may include a processor configured to receive a request to send data to a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices. The MEC device may be further configured to determine that the data is to be delivered to the plurality of UE devices by the base station via multicast; determine signal quality values for the plurality of UE devices; select a subset of the plurality of UE devices based on the determined signal quality values; and send, using the base station, the data to the selected subset of the plurality of UE devices via multicast, and delaying or terminating delivery of the requested data to UE devices, of the plurality of UE devices, that are not in the selected subset.