Radio Access Network Codec Rate Selection for Wireless Sessions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless communication systems inefficiently manage codec allocation across communication sessions, leading to wasteful use of transmission capacity due to inadequate consideration of end-link and air-interface capacity variations, resulting in inconsistent voice quality and capacity utilization.
Innovation Solution
A method in a radio access network device that determines the end-link transmission rate and air-interface transmission rate to select a suitable coding rate for communication sessions, ensuring consistency across both spatial and temporal aspects by adjusting codec settings based on capacity loading and predicted handoffs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If codec allocation is managed without considering end-link and air-interface capacity variations, then device complexity is reduced, but transmission capacity is wasted and voice quality consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors end-link transmission rate and air-interface transmission rate, using this feedback information to dynamically adjust codec allocation decisions. This ensures transmission capacity is optimized without excessive complexity by reacting to actual capacity conditions rather than using complex predictive models
Solution Approach 2:
The RAN device automatically determines end-link transmission rates and selects appropriate coding rates without external intervention. The system serves itself by internally managing codec allocation based on monitored capacity variations, reducing the need for complex external coordination mechanisms
2Reliability
If codec allocation does not account for capacity loading and handoffs, then ease of operation is improved, but voice quality consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines the end-link transmission rate in advance during call setup, before the communication session begins. This preliminary determination of capacity characteristics allows the system to proactively select appropriate coding rates, ensuring voice quality consistency without requiring complex real-time adjustments during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the coding rate parameter based on determined end-link transmission rate and air-interface transmission rate. By adjusting this key parameter according to capacity conditions, the system maintains voice quality consistency while keeping the management process relatively simple
3Productivity
If coding rate selection ignores end-link transmission rate, then device complexity is reduced, but transmission capacity allocation efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the transmission path into distinct components: the air interface portion and the end-link portion. By separately determining the transmission rate for each segment and comparing them, the system efficiently allocates coding rates without requiring a single complex model of the entire transmission path
4Loss of energy
If codec settings are not adjusted based on capacity loading, then ease of operation is improved, but transmission capacity waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts coding rate selection based on determined end-link transmission rate and air-interface transmission rate. This dynamic adaptation to capacity loading conditions optimizes transmission capacity utilization without requiring excessively complex adjustment mechanisms, as the changes are driven by directly observed rate parameters
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system is disclosed for maintaining codec consistency across a communication session. When a communication session is set up for an access terminal (AT) operating in a wireless communication system, a network device, such a base station, can determine a coding rate to assign the AT for its air interface in a manner that accounts for network capacity variations spatially and/or temporally across the session. If the requested communication session is determined to be with a landline device, then a higher coding rate may be used than might otherwise be selected. If the requested session is with another AT, then a coding rate that best accommodates the air interfaces of both ATs may be used. If the AT is predicted to handoff to multiple sectors during the session, then a coding rate that best accommodates the air interfaces of all the predicted handoff sectors may be used.