PDCP-RLC Gap Signaling for Selective Packet Skipping

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Solution Overview

Problem

The increased use of related packet transmissions in wireless communications, particularly in extended reality applications, leads to transmission gaps and delays due to lost or corrupted packets, which existing technologies struggle to manage efficiently, impacting decoding and causing unnecessary air interface transmissions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing mechanisms for the transmitter to inform the receiver about transmission gaps in PDCP and RLC counts, allowing the skipping of unnecessary packets, and enhancing signaling protocols to update receiver states, thereby reducing unnecessary transmissions and improving capacity and power efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If packet transmissions are continued despite loss or corruption, then data completeness is maintained, but transmission time and energy are wasted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata completenessVSAvoidtransmission delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The receiver sends feedback information to the transmitter about received packets and detected gaps in the packet sequence. This feedback mechanism allows the transmitter to understand which packets were successfully received and which caused decoding failures, enabling intelligent decisions about whether to retransmit or skip problematic packets to avoid wasting time on unsuccessful transmissions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the transmission parameter from continuous packet sending to selective packet skipping based on gap detection. When the receiver detects gaps in the packet sequence or receives feedback indicating decoding failures, it modifies the transmission behavior by skipping unnecessary retransmissions, thereby reducing transmission time while maintaining data completeness through alternative error correction mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If all packets are transmitted to ensure data integrity, then decoding reliability is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecoding reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Feedback signals from the receiver indicate which packets were successfully decoded and which caused issues. This allows the transmitter to reduce power consumption by not attempting to retransmit packets that have already been successfully received or that are known to be untransmittable, while still maintaining decoding reliability through targeted retransmission of only the necessary packets.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The transmission system changes its operational parameters from maximum transmission effort to optimized transmission based on gap detection. By identifying and skipping packets that would not improve decoding reliability, the system reduces power consumption while maintaining acceptable reliability levels through selective transmission of critical packets only.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If gap management mechanisms are added to improve efficiency, then transmission speed is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission efficiencyVSAvoidprotocol complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gap management mechanism is integrated into the existing PDCP and RLC protocol layers, making it a universal solution that handles multiple types of packet loss scenarios through a single unified approach. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by avoiding the need for separate complex error handling mechanisms for different failure modes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The receiver acts as an intermediary that detects packet gaps and provides feedback to the transmitter. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the gap detection and decision-making function at the receiver, rather than requiring complex distributed intelligence at both transmitter and receiver ends.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250374092A1Enhanced gap management for packet data convergence protocol and radio link control count for wireless communications

Publication Date: 2025.12.04 INTEL CORP

AI summary

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices for gap management for packet data convergence protocol and radio link control count. A device may encode a first subset of packets; encode a second subset of packets based on the first subset; allocate a count for the first subset and the second subset; detect that the second subset is not to be transmitted by the device or decoded by a second device; encode, based on detecting that the first subset is not to be transmitted by the device or decoded by the second device, an indication to be transmitted to the second device to instruct the second device to skip a gap in the count based on the second subset.