Radio Node Congestion Detection and Rate Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radio access networks experience congestion due to excessive data rates exceeding network capacity, leading to packet drops and increased congestion as devices request re-transmissions, exacerbating the issue.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to detect congestion by monitoring packet delays and sequence gaps, using a leaky bucket mechanism and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to reduce data rates, and marking or replacing packets to signal access terminals to decrease data requests, thereby preventing re-transmissions and alleviating congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the data rate is increased to improve transmission speed, then productivity is improved, but network congestion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where radio nodes monitor packet delivery success rates and send congestion notifications back to radio network controllers. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of data rates based on actual network conditions, allowing the system to maintain high productivity when network capacity is available while preventing congestion when capacity is exceeded.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic data rate adjustment where transmission rates are not fixed but continuously adapted based on congestion conditions. The system transitions between different operational states (congested vs. non-congested) and adjusts rates accordingly, enabling the network to optimize productivity in real-time according to actual network capacity.
2Reliability
If packet drops are used to reduce congestion, then network stability is improved, but loss of information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and handles congestion control at the radio node level before packets enter the core network. By monitoring packet delivery success and implementing rate reduction at the radio interface, the system prevents problematic packets from entering the network infrastructure, thereby maintaining network stability without causing widespread packet loss in the core network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent takes preliminary action by reducing data rates at the radio node before packets are transmitted through the congested network. This preventive measure stops packets from entering the network during congestion conditions, avoiding the need for subsequent packet drops and retransmissions that would cause information loss.
3Loss of information
If re-transmissions are allowed to maintain data integrity, then loss of information is reduced, but network congestion worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by reducing data rates at the radio interface before packets enter the congested network. This prevents the need for re-transmissions by ensuring packets are transmitted at rates the network can handle, thereby maintaining data integrity without exacerbating congestion.
Solution Approach 2:
The radio node acts as an intermediary between the data source and the congested network. By monitoring packet delivery success and dynamically adjusting rates, the radio node mediates the conflict between maintaining data integrity and preventing congestion, allowing the network to handle traffic efficiently without requiring re-transmissions.
Data Source
AI summary
In a radio access network (e.g., a cellular network), a radio node is configured to monitor one or more characteristics of a stream of data packets destined for an access terminal (e.g., a cellular telephone, laptop computer, etc.) to determine whether there is congestion in a network supplying the stream of data packets. If the radio node detects congestion, the radio node transmits a congestion alert to another device to cause the rate at which data enters the network to be slowed. The rate may be slowed either directly (e.g., by an upstream device which slows the rate at which the upstream device supplies the data to the network) or indirectly (e.g., by a downstream device which requests a slower delivery of data from the radio node).