Signal Routing Engine Protocol Conversion for 5G Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
5G network architecture faces challenges in efficient signal routing and connection management due to increased complexity with more services, requiring faster lookup processes and reduced connection management complexity, especially with REST API calls, which are compute-intensive and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A signal routing engine (5GSRE) is introduced to manage external HTTP connections, convert requests between HTTP/2 and micro-services protocols like gRPC, and maintain a forwarding table for efficient routing, reducing the need for complex REST format transmissions and centralizing lookup and routing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If REST API calls are used for communication between network functions, then service versatility and compatibility are improved, but processing overhead and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a protocol conversion intermediary that translates between RESTful HTTP/JSON messages and gRPC binary protocol. This intermediary converts incoming REST API calls into efficient gRPC internal messages, enabling fast processing while maintaining REST compatibility for external services. The conversion happens at the network function level, allowing dual protocol support without sacrificing versatility or speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the communication protocol parameters from RESTful HTTP/JSON to gRPC binary protocol for internal network function communications. This parameter change reduces message size, eliminates complex HTTP headers, and enables binary serialization/deserialization, thereby reducing processing overhead and latency while maintaining service functionality through protocol translation layers.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of connected devices increases, then network coverage and service capacity are improved, but connection management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protocol conversion and message routing functionality into a dedicated signal routing engine component. This extraction separates complex protocol translation logic from individual network functions, centralizing management responsibilities. The signal routing engine handles message routing, protocol conversion, and connection management, simplifying individual network function implementations while supporting scalable device connections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If protocol conversion is performed at each network function, then service adaptability is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges protocol conversion functionality into the signal routing engine, combining message routing and protocol translation into a single centralized component. This merging eliminates redundant protocol conversion operations at each network function, as the signal routing engine performs conversion once for incoming messages and routes them efficiently. The consolidation reduces total processing overhead while maintaining full protocol compatibility across diverse network functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing service calls over a network may include a signal routing engine with a maintained forwarding table for various network functions and micro-services in a services back end for the network. The signal routing engine can include a call conversion service for converting REST API calls to an internal network call protocol for increasing network function processing speeds, decreasing bandwidth usage, and improving network responsiveness and manageability.