Representative Flow Grouping for Fair Network Quality Evaluation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network resource allocation methods struggle to effectively evaluate service quality from a user's perspective, leading to unfair distribution and inefficiencies due to the complexity of network management.

Innovation Solution

A quality evaluation program that classifies packets into flows, groups them based on characteristics, selects a representative flow with a lower communication state, and evaluates its quality to optimize network resource allocation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual evaluation of service quality is performed for each terminal, then service quality can be assessed, but the complexity of network management increases and becomes impractical

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice quality evaluationVSAvoidnetwork management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the evaluation process by classifying packets into flows and grouping flows into categories based on characteristics (source/destination addresses, ports, protocols). This segmentation allows the system to evaluate representative flows within each group rather than every individual flow, reducing complexity while maintaining evaluation precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts key characteristics from packet data (source address, destination address, source port, destination port, protocol) to create flow identifiers. By extracting only the necessary characteristics, the system can efficiently classify and group flows without processing all packet details, thereby reducing management complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If network resources are allocated based on requested bandwidth, then allocation can be simplified, but service quality from user perspective cannot be fairly evaluated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource allocation simplicityVSAvoidservice quality evaluation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback by actually measuring service quality parameters (packet loss rate, retransmission rate, round-trip time) for representative flows and using these measurements to adjust bandwidth allocation. This feedback loop ensures that allocation decisions are based on real service quality data rather than just requested bandwidth, improving evaluation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces simple mechanical bandwidth allocation (based on requests) with a more sophisticated system that uses statistical analysis of packet flows and service quality measurements. This substitution allows for fairer evaluation of actual service quality while maintaining operational simplicity through automated processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If all flows are evaluated individually, then complete service quality assessment is achieved, but calculation overhead becomes excessive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice quality assessment completenessVSAvoidcalculation overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges flows with similar characteristics into groups and selects representative flows from each group for evaluation. This merging approach allows the system to assess service quality for multiple flows simultaneously through their representative, significantly reducing calculation overhead while maintaining complete assessment coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal evaluation method that can be applied to all flows through the grouping and representation mechanism. Once the classification and grouping logic is established, the same process can evaluate any flow without requiring separate specialized analysis for each flow type, reducing overall computational requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250310266A1Computer-readable recording medium, quality evaluation method, and quality evaluation device

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 FUJITSU LTD

AI summary

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium stores therein a quality evaluation program that causes a computer to execute a process including acquiring a plurality of packets from a network used by a plurality of terminals for communication, first classifying the plurality of packets into a plurality of flows based on a relationship between a source terminal and a destination terminal set in the plurality of packets, extracting characteristics of the plurality of flows obtained at the first classifying, second classifying the plurality of flows into a plurality of groups based on the characteristics of the plurality of flows, selecting a representative flow based on communication states of a plurality of flows classified into the same group, and evaluating quality of each representative flow selected from each group.