Wi-Fi RAN Slicing for Latency-Sensitive Applications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies face challenges in simultaneously supporting high throughput and low-latency transmissions, as previous architectures do not optimally manage physical layer parameters and waveforms to accommodate both applications effectively, leading to suboptimal performance for latency-sensitive and high-throughput traffic.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of RAN slicing with multiple numerologies, allowing for variable subcarrier spacing (SCS) configurations to define different slices with tailored quality of service (QoS) requirements, enabling shorter time slots for low-latency applications and longer slots for high-throughput applications, thereby optimizing resource allocation and latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single waveform configuration is used for all traffic types, then device complexity is reduced, but latency-sensitive applications cannot achieve low-latency performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wireless resource pool into multiple RAN slices, each configured with specific waveform parameters (subcarrier spacing, cyclic prefix length) optimized for particular traffic types. Latency-sensitive traffic is assigned to slices with larger subcarrier spacing and shorter cyclic prefix, while other traffic uses different configurations, allowing differentiated latency performance without requiring every device to support all waveform variations simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical layer parameters (subcarrier spacing, cyclic prefix length) to optimize performance for different traffic types. By adjusting these parameters in different RAN slices, the system achieves low latency for time-sensitive applications while maintaining compatibility with legacy devices that use standard parameters.
2Loss of time
If resources are allocated for low-latency applications with shorter time slots, then latency performance improves, but throughput for other applications deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the available wireless resources into separate RAN slices, dedicating some slices to latency-sensitive applications with optimized short time slots and others to throughput-oriented applications with longer time slots. This segmentation allows each application type to achieve its optimal performance without one compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality characteristics are applied to different RAN slices based on local traffic requirements. Latency-sensitive slices receive configurations with larger subcarrier spacing and shorter cyclic prefix for reduced latency, while other slices use configurations optimized for maximum throughput, allowing each region to have locally optimized parameters.
3Productivity
If RAN resources are configured for high throughput applications, then productivity increases, but latency-sensitive applications experience increased loss of time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments resources into dedicated RAN slices where throughput-optimized configurations do not interfere with latency-sensitive traffic. High-throughput slices can use longer time slots and denser subcarrier spacing without impacting the latency performance of dedicated low-latency slices.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple waveform configurations are supported simultaneously, then adaptability to different applications improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into multiple RAN slices, each with dedicated waveform configurations. Devices only need to implement and switch between a limited set of pre-configured waveform parameters for different slices, rather than supporting all possible waveform variations simultaneously, reducing implementation complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for communicating data between an access point (AP) and station (STA) are disclosed. When data is to be communicated between the AP and STA using Wi-Fi, a radio access network (RAN) slice is select for transmission of data from among different RAN slices associated with resource units (RUs) associated with different subcarrier spacings (SCS). The SCS is dependent on a quality of service (QoS) profile of the data to be communicated. RUs associated with different SCS are segregated by RAN slice and have different RU architectures. Each architecture has a different combination of time and frequency resource. The SCS may be dependent on a frequency band used for the communication. The different SCSs include at least a high throughput, SCS and a low latency SCS. A physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) contains data of different STAs and of different SCSs multiplexed using orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA).