Relay Apparatus Deadline Management for Packet Transmission

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing relay apparatuses fail to accurately control the communication of individual packets within a deadline, as they do not consider the retention time and communication time of packets inside and outside the relay apparatus.

Innovation Solution

A relay apparatus is configured with a time synchronization part, a reception part, a packet buffer part, upstream and downstream communication time calculation parts, a timer part, a deadline management part, and a transmission part to accurately calculate and manage packet deadlines based on retention and communication times.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the best-effort method is used to relay packets, then packets are transmitted in the order they are received, but audio data packets may be delayed and cause audio lag

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket transmission order stabilityVSAvoidaudio packet delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The relay apparatus performs preliminary actions by calculating the deadline for each packet before transmission, considering the initial deadline, upstream communication time, downstream communication time, and retention time. This allows the system to proactively manage packet transmission timing rather than reactively handling delays after they occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts packet transmission priority based on calculated deadlines. Instead of using fixed priority levels, the relay apparatus continuously updates deadline values for each packet and transmits packets in dynamic priority order based on their individual deadline requirements, allowing flexible adaptation to varying network conditions and packet types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the priority assignment method is used to output packets in descending order of priority, then high-priority packets are transmitted first, but low-priority packets are significantly delayed due to congestion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehigh-priority packet transmission reliabilityVSAvoidlow-priority packet delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by calculating individual deadlines for each packet based on its specific characteristics (initial deadline, capacity value, packet type) rather than applying a uniform priority rule to all packets. This allows each packet to receive tailored transmission timing consideration, balancing the needs of different packet types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter used for priority determination from fixed packet priority levels to dynamic deadline values. By calculating and updating deadline parameters for each packet based on communication times and retention times, the system transforms the priority assignment mechanism to achieve better overall transmission efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If the priority change method is used to lower packet priority when communication volume exceeds a threshold, then congestion is reduced, but packets still cannot be reliably communicated within the deadline

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket transmission throughputVSAvoiddeadline compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring actual communication times (upstream and downstream) and using this information to calculate accurate deadlines for packets. The relay apparatus learns from past transmission performance and adjusts deadline calculations accordingly, ensuring that deadline predictions reflect actual network conditions rather than relying solely on predetermined thresholds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary calculation of communication times and deadlines before packets experience congestion or delays. By calculating deadlines in advance based on measured communication times and packet characteristics, the system can proactively prioritize packets that are at risk of missing their deadlines rather than reactively adjusting priorities after congestion occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250126063A1Relay apparatus, communication system, and communication control method

Publication Date: 2025.04.17 NEC CORP

AI summary

A relay apparatus includes: a reception part recording a reception time of the data packet at the relay apparatus in the data packet; a packet buffer part storing the data packet; an upstream-side communication time calculation part calculating an upstream-side communication time by subtracting a transmission time at the transmission apparatus from the reception time at the relay apparatus; a downstream-side communication time calculation part calculating a downstream-side communication time based on a downstream-side communication time function and a capacity value; a timer part counting a retention time of the data packet; a deadline management part calculating a deadline of the data packet based on the upstream-side communication time, the downstream-side communication time, and the retention time; and a transmission part transmitting with a highest priority a data packet corresponding to a minimum value of a deadline among data packets stored.