SDAP Layer IP Packet Concatenation for 5G PDCP Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
The 5G New Radio (NR) network faces high CPU overhead, high power consumption, and heat dissipation issues due to the processing of small IP packets and TCP acknowledgments, which limits the PDCP Ciphering engine capability and affects data transmission efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing IP packet concatenation in the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer above the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer to reduce header overhead, allowing multiple small IP packets to be combined into a single protocol data unit, thereby reducing processing overhead and improving transmission efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple small IP packets are processed individually at the PDCP layer, then each packet receives proper processing and encryption, but the CPU overhead and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple small IP packets into a single Service Data Unit (SDU) at the SDAP layer before processing. This merging approach allows the PDCP layer to process one consolidated unit instead of multiple separate packets, reducing CPU overhead and power consumption while maintaining the integrity and security of each original packet through proper segmentation and header management.
2Reliability
If multiple small IP packets are processed individually, then each packet is handled with complete protocol headers, but the overall header overhead and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple IP packets are merged into a single SDU with a unified PDCP header, eliminating the need for separate PDCP headers for each packet. This reduces header overhead and processing complexity while maintaining protocol compliance through proper segmentation at the SDAP layer and preservation of individual packet boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where multiple IP packets are nested within a single SDU container. The outer SDU has its own PDCP header and encryption, while the inner IP packets maintain their original structure and boundaries, allowing hierarchical processing that reduces overhead while preserving individual packet integrity.
3Reliability
If small IP packets are transmitted separately, then each packet can be independently encrypted and authenticated, but the transmission efficiency and data rate are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple small IP packets into a single SDU that is processed as one unit for encryption and authentication at the PDCP layer. This combining approach improves transmission efficiency by reducing the number of separate encryption operations and protocol handling steps, while security is maintained through proper segmentation and individual packet boundary preservation.
4Reliability
If individual small packets are processed at PDCP layer, then each packet gets proper handling, but the heat dissipation and CPU load become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple small IP packets into a single SDU for PDCP layer processing, the patent reduces the total number of processing operations required. This consolidation decreases CPU load and consequently reduces heat dissipation, while maintaining high-quality packet handling through proper segmentation, header management, and preservation of individual packet characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus of a cellular data communication device includes one or more memory devices configured to store data corresponding to a plurality of service data units (SDUs) from a protocol layer higher than a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of a cellular data network, and one or more processors operably coupled to the one or more memory devices and configured to concatenate the plurality of SDUs into a single protocol data unit (PDU) above the PDCP layer.