Packet Concatenation for FEC Encoding Bandwidth Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current packet encoding methods in network devices result in a significant amount of dummy data being padded into smaller packets, leading to increased network bandwidth usage and resource wastage during transmission.

Innovation Solution

The proposed method involves concatenating original packets into equal-length data blocks, performing FEC encoding on these blocks, and adding a common FEC header to each packet, thereby reducing the need for padding and optimizing bandwidth usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If dummy data is padded in each original packet to make sizes equal to the largest packet, then FEC encoding can be performed uniformly, but the amount of dummy data increases significantly, causing waste of network bandwidth

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepacket size uniformityVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple original packets into a single concatenated packet structure. Instead of padding each individual packet to the largest packet size, the invention concatenates packets of different sizes into one unified packet, performs FEC encoding on this concatenated structure, and transmits it as a single unit. This eliminates the need for per-packet padding while maintaining uniformity for encoding purposes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the FEC encoding process into two distinct stages: first, concatenating original packets of different sizes into a unified structure; second, performing FEC encoding on the concatenated packet. This segmentation allows the system to handle packets of varying sizes without requiring uniform padding, as the concatenation step prepares the data for encoding while preserving the original size variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If dummy data is padded in each original packet, then all packets can be processed uniformly by the FEC encoder, but the data amount of padded packets becomes large, occupying more network bandwidth

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveFEC encoding compatibilityVSAvoiddata amount
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple original packets into a single concatenated packet that maintains compatibility with FEC encoding requirements. The concatenated packet structure allows the FEC encoder to process packets of different original sizes uniformly, while avoiding the need to pad each individual packet to the largest size. This merging approach preserves encoding compatibility without inflating the total data amount.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of packet structure from individual padded packets to a unified concatenated packet. By altering the structural parameter from per-packet padding to inter-packet concatenation, the system achieves FEC encoding compatibility while minimizing the quantity of data transmitted. The concatenated packet maintains the necessary uniformity for encoding without the overhead of individual packet padding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3993294B1Packet processing method, device, and computer storage medium
Publication Date: 2025.05.21 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3993294B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3993294B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3993294B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed are a packet processing method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium, related to the field of data encoding technologies. In this method, concatenation processing is performed on other original packets other than a largest first packet in a plurality of original packets. Padding processing is performed on a concatenated packet only when a size of the concatenated packet is less than a size of a largest packet, without performing padding processing on each of the other original packets. Therefore, less data needs to be padded to obtain an equal-length data block after padding. This reduces occupied network bandwidth when FEC encoding packets are transmitted, and avoids a waste of network resources.