PDCP Fountain Coding for Reliable Low-Overhead URLLC
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in providing bandwidth-efficient and reliable Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) services in 5G networks without introducing additional latency, particularly in ensuring high reliability with traditional packet duplication methods.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of rateless fountain codes at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer for encoding packets, which generates multiple encoded packets that can be transmitted over split bearers, allowing for reliable reconstruction of the original packet even if some transmissions are corrupted, thereby reducing bandwidth overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional packet duplication methods are used to improve reliability, then reliability is improved, but bandwidth overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of packet transmission from identical duplicates to encoded variants using fountain codes. Instead of sending multiple copies of the same packet (traditional duplication), the system encodes the original packet into multiple different encoded packets with varying redundancy, allowing the receiver to reconstruct the original from any sufficient subset of encoded packets, thereby reducing bandwidth overhead while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite transmission approach by combining multiple encoded packet versions of the same data. Each encoded packet contains the original data mixed with unique redundant information generated through fountain code encoding, creating a composite structure where any sufficient combination of these composite packets can recover the original information efficiently
2Reliability
If packet duplication is used to ensure high reliability, then reliability is improved, but bandwidth efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the transmission parameter from redundant copying to efficient encoding using fountain codes. The encoding process generates multiple packet versions where each contains the original data combined with unique parity information, enabling the receiver to recover the original packet from any sufficient subset, thereby achieving high reliability with superior bandwidth efficiency compared to traditional duplication
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a discard and recover mechanism where corrupted or lost encoded packets can be discarded without impacting overall reliability, as long as a sufficient number of encoded packets are received. The fountain code structure allows the receiver to recover the original packet from any valid subset of encoded packets, making the system resilient to packet loss while optimizing bandwidth utilization
Data Source
AI summary
A bandwidth efficient way to improve reliability without introducing additional latency is provided for Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) service in 5G NR. In particular, using rateless fountain codes in conjunction with packet duplication for split bearers at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer increases the reliability of transmission without the need for retransmissions, and with a lower bandwidth requirement compared to traditional packet duplication.