PDCP Packet Duplication for URLLC Reliability

The patent implements packet duplication by creating copies of PDCP packets and transmitting them through multiple RLC entities. The PDCP entity duplicates incoming packets and forwards copies to different RLC entities, which then transmit over diverse radio links. This copying mechanism ensures that if one transmission path fails, another copy may succeed, directly improving delivery reliability while managing complexity through standardized duplication procedures.

The patent segments the transmission path by separating PDCP packets into multiple independent transmission streams through different RLC entities. Each RLC entity handles its own packet flow independently, allowing parallel processing and reducing the complexity burden on any single entity. This segmentation enables the system to achieve high reliability without overwhelming any individual component.

The patent establishes universal procedures for configuring, activating, deactivating, and resetting duplication bearers that can be applied across different RLC entities. These standardized multi-functional procedures allow the system to manage multiple RLC entities through a unified control framework, reducing the overhead associated with managing diverse transmission paths. The same control mechanisms handle configuration, activation, and reset operations regardless of which specific RLC entities are involved.

The patent implements procedures for discarding duplicate packets when the original packet is successfully received and for resetting RLC entities when duplication is deactivated. This discarding mechanism prevents unnecessary resource consumption by duplicate transmissions once the original packet is acknowledged, while the reset procedures efficiently recover and reconfigure resources when transmission conditions change, thereby managing resource overhead effectively.