PDU Set Latency Measurement Across Air and NG Interfaces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication technologies struggle to accurately measure the transmission latency of a PDU set, which is crucial for ensuring low-latency services like virtual reality, as current methods only provide latency measurements for individual data packets, failing to account for the complete frame delivery time.

Innovation Solution

A latency measurement method that involves a core network device or access network device determining the transmission latency of a PDU set by collecting time information of the first and last packets at the transmit and receive ends, respectively, and calculating the difference between these times to obtain accurate latency values for various interfaces such as air and NG interfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If only individual data packet latency is measured, then measurement simplicity is maintained, but measurement precision is insufficient to reflect complete frame delivery time

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovePDU set latency measurement precisionVSAvoidlatency measurement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the PDU set latency measurement into multiple individual packet latency measurements. By measuring the latency of each packet within the PDU set separately and then aggregating these measurements, the system achieves comprehensive PDU set latency measurement while maintaining the simplicity of individual packet measurement methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple individual packet latency measurements into a unified PDU set latency measurement. By combining the latency data from all packets in the PDU set, the system obtains a complete picture of frame delivery time, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring a fundamentally different measurement approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If transmission latency of individual packets is measured, then measurement implementation is simple, but service quality reflection is insufficient for low-latency services

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice quality reflection accuracyVSAvoidcomplete frame delivery time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the complete PDU set latency measurement results are fed back to the network system. This feedback provides accurate service quality information that reflects the actual performance of low-latency services, enabling better service quality assessment and optimization decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary measurements of individual packet latencies within the PDU set before aggregating them into complete frame delivery time. By collecting all necessary measurement data in advance, the system ensures accurate service quality reflection without requiring additional real-time measurement operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4712428A1Delay measurement method and communication apparatus
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4712428A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4712428A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4712428A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

This application discloses a latency measurement method and a communication apparatus. A core network device can collect time information of a first packet in a first protocol data unit PDU set at a transmit end and time information of a last packet at a receive end, and determine a transmission latency (for example, an air interface downlink latency, an air interface uplink latency, a downlink latency at an interface between an access network device and the core network device, and an uplink latency at the interface between the access network device and the core network device) of the first PDU set between the transmit end and the receive end based on the time information of the first packet at the transmit end and the time information of the last packet at the receive end. Therefore, a problem in the conventional technology that the core network device cannot obtain a transmission latency of a PDU set is resolved, helping optimize a transmission resource based on a transmission latency of a PDU set, and improving network transmission performance.