RLC Status Report Timing Validation for Resource Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current RLC protocols lack mechanisms to handle repeatedly-received or expired status reports, leading to wastage of air interface resources and increased retransmission times due to the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating timing information, such as a serial number, into the status report allows the RLC sending terminal to determine whether a report is repeatedly-received or expired, thereby reducing unnecessary processing flows and conserving air interface resources by discarding redundant reports.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the RLC sending terminal processes every received status report according to current protocols, then all status reports are handled, but air interface resources are wasted and retransmission times increase due to repeatedly-received or expired status reports

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestatus report processing completenessVSAvoidair interface resource waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by introducing a timing validity mechanism that pre-establishes criteria for judging status report validity. The RLC sending terminal maintains a timing record for each received status report and proactively determines whether a subsequently received status report is expired by comparing its timing information against the recorded data, before processing the report content. This prevents wasteful processing of expired reports in advance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by creating a closed-loop validation mechanism. The RLC sending terminal compares timing information of received status reports against stored timing records, receives feedback on whether the report is valid or expired, and adjusts processing accordingly. This feedback loop enables intelligent discrimination between valid and expired status reports, avoiding unnecessary retransmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Loss of information

If the RLC sending terminal processes every received status report, then no status reports are discarded, but unnecessary processing flows increase and retransmission times are extended

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestatus report information completenessVSAvoidprocessing time and retransmission time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing timing validity criteria and maintaining timing records for each received status report. Before processing the content of a status report, the system proactively validates its timing information against stored records, determining in advance whether the report is expired. This preliminary validation prevents unnecessary processing of expired reports, reducing processing time without losing valid information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of energy

If timing information is added to status reports to enable discrimination between repeated and expired reports, then resource waste is reduced, but status report structure complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair interface resource efficiencyVSAvoidstatus report structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by designing the timing information field to serve multiple functions simultaneously. The same timing information structure is used to identify both repeatedly-received status reports (through duplication detection) and expired status reports (through timing validation). This multi-functional approach reduces resource waste without proportionally increasing complexity, as a single field extension handles multiple discrimination tasks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2736189B1Status report processing method, communication device, and communication system
Publication Date: 2019.08.21 ZTE CORP
  • EP2736189B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2736189B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2736189B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A status report processing method, a communication device and a communication system are disclosed. An RLC receiving terminal receives a status report reply request from an RLC sending terminal, generates a status report currently required to be sent according to a data message, wherein the status report currently required to be sent comprises timing information of the status report currently required to be sent, and sends the status report currently required to be sent to the RLC sending terminal; and the RLC sending terminal acquires the timing information comprised in the currently received status report, determines whether or not the currently received status report is a repeatedly-received status report or an expired status report according to the timing information, and discards the currently received status report after determining that the currently received status report is a repeatedly-received status report or an expired status report. By means of the technical scheme provided herein, unnecessary processing flows are reduced and air interface resources are saved.