Signal Regeneration-Based Distributed Communication System

Abstract

The present invention relates to a distributed communication system comprising a plurality of communication nodes and a method of operation thereof, and provides a signal regeneration-based distributed communication system and a method thereof for suppressing the accumulation of noise or disturbances occurring during the signal transmission process between nodes in a distributed communication environment. A distributed communication system according to the present invention includes a signal determination unit in which each communication node performs a valid condition determination on a received signal and derives a determination result, and a regeneration unit that regenerates a clean signal corresponding to the state and transmits it to the next communication node or receiving target only when the determination result is in an established state. At this time, the regeneration unit is configured to generate a new signal based on the determined established state without restoring the observed value or statistical distribution of the received signal. Furthermore, the present invention is configured so that communication nodes can be connected in a serial, parallel, or mixed topology, and enables highly reliable signal transmission by combining the determination results derived from each path when a parallel path exists. Moreover, by classifying and processing received signals into established, suspended, or invalid states, the transmission of unstable signals can be limited and the stability of system operation can be improved. Accordingly, the present invention provides the effect of simultaneously securing structural simplicity and scalability while improving the reliability of signal transmission in a distributed communication environment.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a distributed communication system and a method of operation thereof, and more specifically, to a signal regeneration-based distributed communication system and a method thereof in which, in a distributed communication environment including a plurality of communication nodes, each communication node performs a validity condition determination for a received signal and regenerates and transmits a signal based on the determination result, thereby suppressing the accumulation of noise or disturbances occurring during the signal transmission process between nodes.

[0002] The present invention may be applied to communication technologies operating at the physical layer or adjacent layers, and belongs to the field of technology for improving signal reliability in distributed communication environments including various communication topologies such as serial, parallel, or a mixture thereof. Background Technology

[0003] In wireless communication environments, the quality of received signals can rapidly degrade due to channel fading, multipath, interference, noise, and signal attenuation caused by increased distance between nodes (repeaters, relays, terminals, etc.). In particular, in distributed topologies where multiple nodes are connected in series or parallel, degradation in a specific section can accumulate and propagate to subsequent sections, leading to a problem where overall link reliability is lowered. Accordingly, various technologies have been proposed in the past, such as compensation for specific signals (synchronization, reference, feedback, etc.), reliability enhancement based on retransmission (HARQ), relay / beamforming-based transmission, and improvement of multiple access efficiency through resource and sequence design.

[0004] In this regard, as prior art, Korean published patent publication No. 10-2024-0010903 presents a configuration for solving the problem of maintaining a synchronization signal in a 5G mobile communication repeater, wherein the validity of a first synchronization signal received from a main repeater is determined, a second synchronization signal is generated based on an internal clock reference, and error information is stored by comparing the two signals.

[0005] However, since the above technology focuses on "synchronization signal compensation," it has limitations in comprehensively solving structural challenges—such as setting node-specific judgment criteria, transmission rules for regenerated signals, and combining and selecting parallel path results (majority vote, weighted combination, etc.)—in distributed communication (including mixed serial-parallel topologies) where general data / information signals are judged at the node level, regenerated into 'clean signals,' and transmitted to the next node.

[0006] In addition, Korean registered patent publication No. 10-1972397 discloses a procedure in which, based on “multiple relay distributed beamforming based on wireless power transmission,” each relay calculates a power division ratio, divides a source signal to generate a beamforming signal, and transmits it to a destination.

[0007] While this is advantageous for improving transmission efficiency / capacity in relay networks, it does not fundamentally focus on a structure where the relay determines and regenerates the received signal to suppress error accumulation (e.g., “clean signal” regeneration rules in the DF series) or the logic for combining determination results in multipath (parallel / mixed). Furthermore, as it is strongly tied to the context of power transmission and beamforming optimization, it is difficult to directly address the general objectives (reliability, suppression of accumulated errors, and topology flexibility) of “signal regeneration-based distributed communication” as in the present invention.

[0008] Meanwhile, Korean published patent application No. 10-2017-0103370 presents a technology that detects the need for retransmission in a HARQ system and performs a retransmission operation based on the reception method and interference characteristics.

[0009] In other words, reliability improvement is achieved from the perspective of “retransmission.” However, since HARQ relies on feedback / retransmission at the protocol layer, increased round-trip delay, feedback channel burden, and efficiency degradation due to retransmission chains at multiple nodes / multiple hops may occur. Furthermore, while the aforementioned prior art presents procedures such as generating retransmission signals under specific interference and reception mode conditions, its technical orientation differs from that of a distributed topology control structure that determines and regenerates a received signal within a node and transmits it to the next node in a ‘forward’ direction to reduce cumulative degradation.

[0010] In addition, Korean published patent application No. 10-2008-0110555 presents efficient code hopping through signal formation and resource / sequence allocation, such as allocating frequency and time domain identification sequences according to a resource index in an environment where multiple terminals use a common resource.

[0011] While this can improve efficiency in terms of multiple access and resource management, it does not directly provide a mechanism for each node to determine the received signal and refresh it with a regenerated signal in distributed topologies where errors and degradation occurring in the transmission section accumulate.

[0012] Synthesizing the aforementioned prior art, synchronization signal compensation, SWIPT-based relay beamforming, HARQ retransmission, and resource and sequence design are effective for achieving their respective objectives. However, in distributed communication topologies that mix serial and parallel signals, there are shortcomings in presenting, implementing, and operating a series of “signal regeneration-based distributed communication” structures from a consistent system perspective. These structures are designed to structurally suppress degradation accumulated during inter-node transmission by determining the validity conditions of a received signal at each node, regenerating a clean signal based on the determination result, transmitting the regenerated signal to the next node, and, if a parallel path exists, combining and selecting multiple determination results to stabilize the final determination (e.g., generalization of node-level regeneration rules, diversification of parallel combination criteria, consistent transmission / control structures in mixed topologies, etc.).

[0013] Therefore, there is a need to propose a new distributed communication system and method that can suppress accumulated errors through node-level judgment and signal regeneration in a distributed communication environment operating at the physical layer or adjacent layers, and provide reliable judgment results even in parallel and mixed topologies. Prior art literature

[0014] Korean Published Patent No. 10-2024-0010903 (2024.01.25) Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1972397 (2019.04.19) Korean Published Patent No. 10-2017-0103370 (2017.09.13) Korean Published Patent No. 10-2008-0110555 (2008.12.18) The problem to be solved

[0015] In conventional distributed communication systems, a problem existed where noise, distortion, or disturbances accumulated in proportion to the number of nodes during the process of transmitting signals through multiple communication nodes, as the signals received at each node were simply amplified or relayed. In particular, in communication environments operating at the physical layer, even minute noise or interference could be amplified during repeated transmission, potentially leading to severe reliability degradation in long-distance or multi-stage distributed communication structures.

[0016] Furthermore, existing error correction or signal correction technologies mostly relied on restoring observed values ​​or statistical distributions of received signals or performing complex calculations, which had limitations resulting in computational delays, increased hardware complexity, or higher power consumption. These methods were not suitable for application in distributed structures with a large number of nodes or dynamically changing communication environments.

[0017] Furthermore, in conventional technology, signals were transmitted in the same manner even when the quality of the received signal was unstable, which could cause temporary disturbances or incomplete signals to propagate to the next node, thereby degrading the reliability of the entire communication path. In particular, when signal transmission occurred without a clear distinction regarding the validity of the received signal, it was difficult to guarantee stable operation of the entire system.

[0018] Furthermore, even in parallel distributed communication structures utilizing multiple communication paths, there was a problem where quality variations between paths or failures in some paths negatively affected overall communication performance because a structure for systematically determining the reliability of signals acquired from each path and combining them was not sufficiently provided.

[0019] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a new distributed communication structure and a method of operation thereof that structurally suppresses the accumulation of noise and disturbances during signal transmission between nodes in a distributed communication environment, while enabling reliable communication without complex signal restoration or computation. means of solving the problem

[0020] To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a distributed communication system (100) including a plurality of communication nodes.

[0021] In the above distributed communication system (100), each communication node includes a signal determination unit (121) that derives a determination result based on whether the received signal satisfies a predefined valid condition, and a regeneration unit (122) that regenerates a state-based clean signal and transmits it to the next communication node or receiving target only when the determination result is in an established state.

[0022] At this time, the signal determination unit (121) is configured to perform a valid condition determination without interpreting the semantic information content, information bits, or data payload of the received signal, and the regeneration unit (122) is configured to generate a new signal corresponding to the determined establishment state without transmitting the waveform, observation value, or statistical distribution of the received signal as is. Accordingly, a structure in which noise or disturbances accumulate during the signal transmission process between nodes is fundamentally blocked.

[0023] Additionally, the signal determination unit (121) may be configured to determine the received signal as one of an established state, a suspended state, or an invalid state, and the regeneration unit (122) may be configured to suppress the propagation of an unstable signal to the next communication node by maintaining the previous output state or limiting output updates when the determination result is a suspended state. Meanwhile, when the determination result is an invalid state, it may be configured to stop the generation of a clean signal or perform output blocking.

[0024] In the distributed communication system (100) according to the present invention, communication nodes can be connected in series, and in this case, the regeneration of the state-based clean signal is performed sequentially at each communication node. Accordingly, even in an environment passing through multiple communication nodes, the degradation of signal quality can be prevented from accumulating.

[0025] Additionally, communication nodes may be connected in parallel and configured to receive the same transmission signal through multiple communication paths. In this case, a valid condition determination is performed independently in each communication path without interpreting the semantic information content of the received signal, and the determination results derived from each path are combined in a determination result combining unit (123) to generate a final determination result. The combination of the determination results may be performed by at least one of a match verification method, a multiple decision method, or a priority selection method.

[0026] Furthermore, the distributed communication system (100) according to the present invention may be configured to selectively change at least one topology among serial connection, parallel connection, or a combination thereof according to the addition or removal of communication nodes or changes in the communication environment, and may be configured to determine an abnormal state of a communication path or communication node by monitoring changes in the judgment results of each communication node.

[0027] Meanwhile, the present invention also provides a signal regeneration-based distributed communication method performed in the distributed communication system. The method includes the steps of: deriving a determination result by performing a valid condition determination without interpreting the semantic information content of a received signal; generating a new state-based clean signal only when the determination result is in an established state; and transmitting the generated clean signal to the next communication node or receiving target.

[0028] Additionally, the above method may further include the steps of processing a received signal by classifying it into an established state, a suspended state, or an invalid state; maintaining a previous output state or restricting output updates in a suspended state; independently performing a valid condition determination in a parallel communication path; and combining determination results derived from a plurality of communication paths without combining the signal waveforms or information bits. Effects of the invention

[0029] According to the present invention, in a distributed communication system, each communication node does not transmit the waveform, observation value, or noise component of a received signal as is, but instead generates and transmits a new clean signal corresponding to the state only when the result of determining a valid condition is established. Accordingly, during the signal transmission process between nodes, noise or disturbance components included in the previous node are not propagated to the next node, and the signal generated by each communication node is limited to a state-based signal defined by the determination result.

[0030] In such a structure, even if the number of communication nodes increases, the path for the accumulation of noise or distortion is fundamentally blocked; thus, signal quality degradation is structurally suppressed even in a distributed communication environment containing multiple communication nodes connected in series. This is one of the representative effects that the present invention can provide when compared to conventional methods that amplify or restore and transmit received signals.

[0031] In addition, the determination of valid conditions according to the present invention does not require complex decoding of the received signal, error correction, or restoration of the statistical distribution, and can be performed by operations such as threshold comparison, determination of pattern matching, or simple feature comparison. Furthermore, the regeneration of the clean signal can be implemented by generating a predefined signal corresponding to the determined state, thereby limiting the amount of computation.

[0032] Although the degree may vary depending on the communication environment, judgment criteria, or implementation method, the present invention can reduce computational delay compared to conventional regenerative relay methods that perform decoding and recoding at the information bit level, and provides the effect of lowering the complexity of hardware configuration and reducing power consumption. These effects are particularly advantageous in distributed communication environments where communication nodes are miniaturized or multiple nodes are deployed.

[0033] Furthermore, by classifying and processing received signals into established, suspended, or invalid states, it is possible to prevent unstable or unreliable signals from being unconditionally transmitted to the next communication node. Additionally, by maintaining the previous output state or restricting output updates in the suspended state, and blocking the output or halting regeneration in the invalid state, the possibility of malfunction caused by temporary disturbances or changes in the communication environment can be reduced. Accordingly, the present invention improves the operational stability of the entire distributed communication system and minimizes the impact of local signal quality degradation on the entire communication path.

[0034] Furthermore, in an embodiment including parallel communication paths, the present invention generates a final judgment result by combining judgment results independently derived from each communication path. At this time, the combination of judgment results may be performed by at least one of a match verification method, a majority decision method, or a priority selection method, thereby mitigating the impact of quality deviations or temporary failures of individual paths on the overall communication result.

[0035] At this time, the combination of the above judgment results is not performed by combining signal waveforms, observed values, or information bits, but is performed based on the judgment results derived from each communication path.

[0036] This structure improves reliability compared to conventional communication methods that rely on a single path and enables stable signal transmission in a distributed communication environment.

[0037] Furthermore, since the present invention allows for the flexible configuration and modification of serial, parallel, or mixed topologies depending on the addition or removal of communication nodes or changes in the communication environment, it enables active response to network expansion or environmental changes. In addition, by monitoring changes in the judgment results of each communication node, abnormal conditions of communication paths or nodes can be identified, thereby improving the maintainability and operational efficiency of the system.

[0038] Consequently, the signal regeneration-based distributed communication system and method according to the present invention provide the effect of simultaneously securing structural simplicity and scalability while improving the reliability of signal transmission in various distributed communication environments. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0039] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the concept of signal transmission based on signal regeneration between nodes. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the combined structure of judgment results based on parallel paths. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a distributed communication topology in which serial and parallel are mixed. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of a signal regeneration-based distributed communication method. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0040] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments. Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the attached drawings. However, this description is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0041] Where it is stated that one component is “connected” or “joined” to another component, this should be interpreted to include not only cases of direct connection or joining but also cases where another component is interposed. Conversely, where “direct connection” or “direct joining” is mentioned, it should be interpreted to mean that no other component is interposed.

[0042] The terms used in this specification are intended to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, terms such as “comprising” and “having” mean that the described components, etc. are present and should be understood as not excluding the possibility of adding one or more other components, etc.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this specification, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Furthermore, descriptions of known functions and known configurations may be omitted as they could unnecessarily obscure the essence of the present invention, and the same reference numerals throughout the specification indicate the same components. Additionally, since the definitions of terms described below may vary depending on the user or operating environment, they should be interpreted based on the content described throughout this specification.

[0045] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1, the distributed communication system (100) of the present invention includes a plurality of communication nodes, and the communication nodes are configured to include a main node (110) and one or more dependent nodes (120).

[0047] The main node (110) and dependent node (120) are connected to communicate with each other on a network and can transmit and receive signals by at least one of a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

[0048] Additionally, the communication nodes may be configured in a serial connection, a parallel connection, or a mixed topology thereof, but for convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary configuration in which one main node (110) and a plurality of dependent nodes (120) are connected.

[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the main node (110) and the dependent node (120) may have the same or substantially the same internal structure, and each includes a signal determination unit (121) and a regeneration unit (122).

[0050] This means that in the distributed communication system (100) of the present invention, not only a specific node regenerates, but each communication node on the signal transmission path can independently determine and regenerate the signal.

[0051] The signal determination unit (121) is configured to perform a valid condition determination on a signal received from the outside by a communication node.

[0052] The above-mentioned validity condition determination is a process of determining whether a received signal satisfies a pre-set condition, and is intended to determine whether the signal is established.

[0053] At this time, the determination of the validity condition is not limited to methods of restoring the statistical distribution of the signal or calculating the average value, and may be performed using the specific state, pattern, or whether criteria are met of the signal.

[0054] That is, the signal determination unit (121) performs the function of first determining whether the signal is in a state where it can be transmitted before transmitting the received signal as is.

[0055] The regeneration unit (122) is configured to operate according to the judgment result of the signal judgment unit (121).

[0056] Specifically, when the judgment result of the signal judgment unit (121) is in an established state, the regeneration unit (122) generates and outputs a new clean signal corresponding to the judgment result.

[0057] Here, the regeneration unit (122) operates not by simply amplifying or duplicating the received signal and transmitting it, but by generating a new signal based on the determined establishment state.

[0058] Accordingly, the problem of noise or disturbances accumulating during the signal transmission process between communication nodes can be effectively suppressed.

[0059] Meanwhile, if the judgment result of the signal judgment unit (121) is not in an established state, the regeneration unit (122) may operate to maintain the previous output state or limit the updating of the output.

[0060] In the distributed communication system (100) illustrated in FIG. 1, a signal output from a main node (110) is transmitted to one or more dependent nodes (120), and signal determination and regeneration can be repeatedly performed at each dependent node (120).

[0061] According to this structure, since the signal undergoes the processes of determination, regeneration, and transmission each time it passes through a communication node, the signal quality can be maintained in stages, unlike the existing simple relay method.

[0062] With the above configuration, the distributed communication system (100) of the present invention has features such as independent signal determination and regeneration being performed at each communication node, noise accumulation being suppressed even when the signal transmission distance increases, and the ability to implement a distributed structure that does not depend on the state of a specific node or communication path.

[0063] Accordingly, the signal regeneration-based distributed communication system (100) according to the present invention can be flexibly applied to various communication environments such as industrial control networks, vehicle communication systems, and robot systems.

[0065] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a concept of signal transmission based on signal regeneration between nodes, and a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 2, the basic principles of signal processing and transmission operations performed between two adjacent communication nodes, namely the Nth node (N) and the N+1th node (N+1), in the distributed communication system of the present invention are conceptually shown.

[0067] According to the present invention, each communication node is configured not to simply relay or amplify and transmit a received signal, but to transmit it to the next node after undergoing judgment and regeneration of the received signal.

[0068] As shown in Figure 2, the Nth node receives an input signal from the outside.

[0069] The above input signal may be a signal transmitted from the previous node, or a signal initially generated and transmitted from the main node.

[0070] The Nth node transmits the received input signal to the signal determination unit (121), and the signal determination unit (121) performs a valid condition determination on the input signal.

[0071] In this case, the validity condition determination is a process of determining whether the received signal satisfies predefined criteria, and is intended to determine whether the signal is in a state where it can be transmitted normally.

[0072] The above determination process is not limited to methods of restoring the physical waveform of the signal as is or calculating an average value, and may be performed based on the state, pattern, or establishment of the signal.

[0073] When the judgment result of the signal judgment unit (121) is determined to be in an established state, the Nth node newly generates a clean signal corresponding to the judgment result through the regeneration unit (122).

[0074] Here, the regeneration unit (122) operates not by copying or amplifying the received input signal as is and transmitting it, but by generating a new signal corresponding to the determined establishment state.

[0075] Accordingly, noise or disturbance components that may be included in the received signal are not transmitted to the next node.

[0076] On the other hand, if the judgment result of the signal judgment unit (121) is not in an established state, the regeneration unit (122) may operate to limit the generation of the output signal or maintain the previous output state.

[0077] The regenerated signal generated by the regeneration unit (122) is transmitted to the N+1 node.

[0078] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the N+1 node receives the transmitted regenerated signal as an input signal again, and repeats the same determination and regeneration procedure using the signal determination unit (121) and the regeneration unit (122) of the same structure.

[0079] According to this structure, the signal undergoes the processes of determination, regeneration, and transmission repeatedly whenever it moves between nodes, and since a new signal is generated at each node, the problem of noise or distortion accumulation can be effectively suppressed even if the communication path becomes long.

[0080] In FIG. 2, only the signal transmission relationship between the Nth node and the N+1th node is illustrated for convenience of explanation, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be extended to a serial structure or parallel structure in which a plurality of communication nodes are connected in succession, or further to a topology in which these are mixed.

[0081] That is, the inter-node signal regeneration transmission structure illustrated in Fig. 2 can be utilized as a basic unit operation of the overall configuration of the distributed communication system in Fig. 1, the parallel path structure in Fig. 3, and the mixed topology structure in Fig. 4.

[0082] In the present invention, the valid condition determination performed by the signal determination unit (121) refers to a determination process for determining whether a received signal has sufficient reliability to be transmitted to the next communication node or receiving target. The valid condition may be set in various ways depending on the communication environment, signal format, or system design, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0083] For example, the above validity condition may be determined based on at least one of whether the correlation value with the preamble or reference pattern included in the received signal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, whether the error detection code (CRC) or checksum passes, or whether the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), phase error, or frequency offset is within an acceptable range. Additionally, determination using simple feature quantities such as frame integrity, symbol matching, or signal energy distribution is also possible.

[0084] In this way, the above-mentioned valid condition determination can be performed by operations such as comparison, threshold determination, or pattern matching verification that do not require complex signal restoration operations, and can be configured so as not to increase the hardware implementation burden of the communication node.

[0085] The above signal determination unit (121) can classify the received signal into one of an established state, a suspended state, or an invalid state according to the result of determining the valid condition.

[0086] The above established state refers to a state in which a received signal satisfies predefined validity conditions and is determined to enable reliable transmission.

[0087] The above-mentioned pending state refers to a state in which the received signal does not fully satisfy the validity conditions, but there is a possibility that it will transition to an established state depending on additional observations or the passage of time.

[0088] The above invalid state refers to a state in which the received signal is determined to be unsuitable for transmission to the next communication node because it does not clearly satisfy the validity conditions.

[0089] Through such state classification, the present invention can manage the reliability of signal transmission in stages and prevent incomplete signals from being unconditionally propagated.

[0090] In the present invention, a clean signal refers to a signal that is not a signal that has been amplified or restored as is from the original waveform, observation value, or statistical distribution of a received signal, but rather a newly generated signal corresponding to the established state determined by the signal determination unit (121).

[0091] For example, the clean signal may be formed by generating a predefined waveform, pulse, or symbol sequence based on a determined bit value or symbol value, which may be implemented by a lookup table method, a fixed waveform synthesis method, or a simple modulation method. Additionally, the clean signal may be generated in frame units, symbol units, or state units.

[0092] At this time, the regeneration unit (122) does not restore or transmit noise components, distortions, or disturbances of the received signal, and structurally blocks the accumulation of noise or disturbances during the transmission process between nodes by generating only a signal corresponding to the determined state.

[0093] If the above judgment result is in a pending state, the regeneration unit (122) may be configured to maintain the previous output state or limit output updates. This allows for suppressing output changes caused by temporary disturbances or unstable signals.

[0094] In addition, if the judgment result is invalid, it may be configured to stop generating a clean signal or perform at least one of output blocking, output reset, or notification signal generation, which may be optionally applied depending on the system design.

[0096] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of judgment results based on parallel paths, and the configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary structure is shown in which the same signal transmitted from a top node is branched in parallel to multiple nodes, and after independent signal determination and regeneration operations are performed at each node, the results are combined into a single flow.

[0098] According to the present invention, each of the nodes arranged in parallel operates independently of one another and is configured to derive a signal determination result without being dependent on the state of a specific node or a specific path.

[0099] Each node illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a signal determination unit (121) and a regeneration unit (122), as described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0100] Each of the above nodes receives the same input signal transmitted from the parent node and independently performs a validity condition determination for the corresponding input signal.

[0101] In this case, each node configured in parallel may be placed in a different communication environment, channel state, or physical location, and accordingly, different judgment results may be derived even for the same input signal.

[0102] When the signal determination unit (121) of each node determines that the input signal is in an established state, the node generates a new clean signal corresponding to the determination result through the regeneration unit (122).

[0103] In this process, the regeneration unit (122) does not replicate or amplify the input signal as is, but generates a new signal based on the determined state.

[0104] On the other hand, if an input signal is not determined to be in an established state at a specific node, that node may restrict signal regeneration or not output it.

[0105] In this way, each node on the parallel path can produce different regeneration results for the same input signal.

[0106] In the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, the judgment result or regenerated signal derived from each node on the parallel path is transmitted to a judgment result combining unit (123).

[0107] The above judgment result combination unit (123) may be configured to collect judgment results transmitted from a plurality of nodes and derive a final judgment result based thereon.

[0108] At this time, the judgment result combination unit (123) can generate a final judgment result using at least one of various combination rules, such as a majority rule, a weighted combination method, or a priority-based selection method.

[0109] The above judgment result combination part (123) may be implemented by being included in a higher node, or may be implemented as an independent combination node, but is not limited thereto.

[0110] The combined final judgment result can subsequently be used for clean signal regeneration or output control.

[0111] These combination rules are not intended to limit the invention and may be modified in various ways depending on the communication environment or system requirements.

[0112] According to the combined structure of parallel path-based determination results as described above, the following effects can be obtained compared to the case relying on a single communication path.

[0113] In other words, even if temporary noise, interference, or failure occurs at a specific node or path, the reliability of the entire system can be maintained by utilizing judgment results derived from other parallel paths.

[0114] In addition, by combining judgment results between parallel paths, the possibility of misjudgment is reduced compared to single-node judgment, and more stable signal transmission becomes possible.

[0115] In FIG. 3, three parallel nodes are illustrated for convenience of explanation, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be extended to various structures with two or more parallel nodes.

[0116] In addition, the parallel structure of Fig. 3 may be combined with a serial structure as shown in Fig. 4 to form a mixed topology.

[0117] Accordingly, the parallel path-based decision result combination structure illustrated in Fig. 3 functions as a key reliability enhancement mechanism in the signal regeneration-based distributed communication system of the present invention.

[0119] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a distributed communication topology in which serial and parallel are mixed. Below, a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 4, a mixed topology structure is exemplarily shown in which a signal output from a main node (110) is branched in parallel and transmitted to a plurality of dependent nodes (120), and one or more nodes are connected in series from each dependent node (120).

[0121] The present invention is not limited to a specific network structure, and the mixed topology shown in FIG. 4 is merely one example applicable in various distributed communication environments.

[0122] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the main node (110) can be configured to transmit the same signal in parallel to a plurality of dependent nodes (120).

[0123] Each dependent node (120) independently receives a signal transmitted from the main node (110) and performs a determination and regeneration operation on the signal using the signal determination unit (121) and the regeneration unit (122) as described above.

[0124] At this time, each dependent node (120) arranged in parallel may be placed in a different communication path, physical location, or channel state, and accordingly, different judgment results may be obtained even for the same input signal.

[0125] The regenerated signal output from each dependent node (120) can be serially transmitted to one or more nodes, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0126] Each of the above-mentioned serially connected nodes receives the signal regeneration transmission structure between nodes described in Fig. 2 and repeatedly performs judgment and regeneration operations on the received signal.

[0127] Accordingly, the signal repeatedly performs the processes of determination, regeneration, and transmission whenever it passes through a serial section even after parallel branching, and noise and degradation that may occur in the serial transmission section are suppressed from being accumulated and transmitted to the next node.

[0128] In a mixed topology structure like Figure 4, multiple independent judgment results are generated in the parallel branching section, and in the serial connection section, each judgment result is refined step by step.

[0129] In other words, single-path dependency is mitigated by the parallel structure, and the signal is regenerated stepwise by the serial structure, thereby allowing signal reliability to be stably maintained across the entire communication path.

[0130] This provides the effect of simultaneously ensuring reliability and scalability in a distributed communication environment, compared to using only a single serial structure or a single parallel structure.

[0131] In FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, a structure is illustrated in which one main node (110), a plurality of dependent nodes (120), and two levels of nodes are connected from each dependent node, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0132] For example, the number of dependent nodes (120) branched in parallel, the number of nodes connected in series after each dependent node, or the order of parallel and serial arrangement may vary depending on the communication environment, system requirements, or network size.

[0133] Despite these changes, the fundamental principle of the present invention that each node performs independent determination and regeneration operations for the received signal is maintained.

[0135] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of a signal regeneration-based distributed communication method, and the configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0136] Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the present invention is configured to systematically perform a series of procedures of reception, determination, regeneration, and transmission in the process in which a communication node processes a received signal and transmits it to the next node.

[0137] The above method can be repeatedly performed at each communication node of the distributed communication system described in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the same procedure can be applied regardless of the connection structure between nodes (serial, parallel, or mixed).

[0138] First, the communication node receives a signal transmitted from the outside as a received signal (S110).

[0139] The above received signal may be a signal transmitted from a main node or another adjacent communication node, and may be obtained through at least one of wired or wireless communication methods.

[0140] At this stage, the communication node may be configured to store the received signal as is or load it into a temporary buffer, and then transmit it to a subsequent determination stage.

[0141] The communication node performs a valid condition determination on the received signal (S120).

[0142] The above validity condition determination is a process of determining whether a received signal satisfies a pre-set criterion, and is intended to determine whether the signal is in a state where it can be transmitted to the next node.

[0143] In this case, the determination of validity conditions is not limited to a specific algorithm or numerical calculation method, but can be performed in various ways based on the state, pattern, reliability, or possibility of establishment of the signal.

[0144] Next, based on the above determination result, the received signal is classified into one of the established state, pending state, or invalid state (S130).

[0145] The above established state refers to a state in which a received signal satisfies the validity conditions and is determined to be capable of reliable transmission, and in this case, the communication node regenerates a clean signal corresponding to the state (S140).

[0146] The clean signal generated at this time is not a signal that replicates or amplifies the received signal as is, but a newly generated signal corresponding to the determined establishment state.

[0147] Accordingly, noise, distortion, or disturbance components that may be included in the received signal are removed or not reflected during the regeneration process.

[0148] Afterwards, the regenerated clean signal is transmitted to the next communication node or receiving target (S150).

[0149] In this case, the next node may be an adjacent node connected in series, or one or more of multiple nodes branched in parallel.

[0150] In the next node, the same method procedure illustrated in Fig. 5 is repeated, so that the signal undergoes a determination and regeneration process each time it passes through a node.

[0151] Meanwhile, if the judgment result is in a pending state, the communication node temporarily suspends signal transmission by maintaining the previous output state or limiting output updates (S160).

[0152] In addition, if the judgment result is in an invalid state, at least one of stopping the generation of a clean signal, blocking the output, or resetting the output is performed to prevent the unreliable signal from being transmitted to the next communication node (S160).

[0153] In this way, the present invention can improve the stability and reliability of signal transmission in a distributed communication environment by classifying and processing the determination result of a received signal into multiple states.

[0155] The signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to the present invention is essentially distinguished from conventional decode-and-forward repeaters or regeneration relays that decode or interpret information bits, frames, or data payloads included in a received signal, and then recode and transmit them.

[0156] That is, the present invention performs state-unit signal regeneration based solely on the determination result of whether the received signal satisfies a predefined validity condition, without interpreting the semantic information content of the received signal or performing decoding at the communication protocol layer. Accordingly, the clean signal generated in the present invention is not the result of recoding of information bits, but a newly generated state-based signal corresponding to the determined establishment state.

[0157] Furthermore, the present invention is clearly distinguished from conventional technologies that perform error correction and retransmission of information units in that it does not presuppose a specific communication protocol, modulation scheme, or frame structure, and focuses on determining the reliability state of a signal operating at the physical layer or an adjacent layer and on state-based regeneration.

[0159] In the above, a signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to one embodiment of the present invention may have some or all of its functions implemented in the form of hardware logic, firmware, or a control program dependent on hardware.

[0160] The above control program is intended to control the operation of a dedicated hardware device and is distinguished from software that runs independently on a general-purpose computer; it may be configured to operate dependently on the said hardware device.

[0161] Such control programs may be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, but this does not imply that the present invention is limited to software invention, and it is clarified that the core components of the present invention are in a dedicated hardware device operating at the physical layer.

[0162] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of the invention as claimed in the claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0163] 100. Distributed Communication System 110. Primary Node 120. Dependent Node 121. Signal determination unit 122. Regeneration Unit 123. Judgment Result Joint

Claims

Claim 1 In a distributed communication system operating at the physical layer and comprising a plurality of communication nodes, each communication node comprises a signal determination unit that derives a determination result without interpreting the semantic information content of the received signal based on whether the received signal satisfies a predefined validity condition, and a regeneration unit that, only when the determination result is in a valid state, does not transmit the waveform, observation value, or statistical distribution of the received signal, but newly generates a state-based clean signal corresponding to the valid state and transmits it to the next communication node or the receiving target, wherein the processes of determination, regeneration, and transmission are repeatedly performed whenever a signal moves between nodes so that the accumulation of noise or disturbance is structurally suppressed during the signal transmission process between nodes, wherein the validity condition is determined based on at least one of whether the correlation value with the preamble or reference pattern included in the received signal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, and whether the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), phase error, or frequency offset is within an allowable range, and wherein the regeneration unit forms the clean signal by generating a predefined waveform, pulse, or symbol sequence based on the determined symbol value without performing decoding, error correction, or recoding of the received signal, and wherein the clean signal is a lookup table A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system characterized by being generated by a method, a fixed waveform synthesis method, or a simple modulation method. Claim 2 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 1, wherein the signal determination unit determines the received signal as one of an established state, a suspended state, or an invalid state. Claim 3 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 1, wherein the regeneration unit suppresses the propagation of an unstable signal by maintaining a previous output state or limiting output updates when the judgment result is in a pending state. Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication nodes are connected in series and configured so that the state-based clean signal regeneration is performed sequentially at each communication node. Claim 6 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication nodes are connected in parallel to receive the same transmission signal from a plurality of paths, and are configured to combine judgment results independently derived from each path in a judgment result combining unit. Claim 7 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 6, characterized in that the combination of the determination results is performed by at least one of a match verification method, a majority decision method, or a priority selection method. Claim 8 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 1, wherein the distributed communication system is configured to selectively change at least one topology among serial connection, parallel connection, or a mixture thereof according to the addition or removal of communication nodes or changes in the communication environment. Claim 9 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that the distributed communication system is configured to determine an abnormal state of a communication path or a communication node by monitoring a change in the judgment result of each communication node. Claim 10 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication method performed in a distributed communication system comprising a plurality of communication nodes and operating at the physical layer, comprising: a step of deriving a determination result by performing a valid condition determination without interpreting the semantic information content of a received signal; and a step of newly generating a state-based clean signal corresponding to the established state without transmitting the waveform, observation value, or statistical distribution of the received signal only when the determination result is in an established state. A signal regeneration-based distributed communication method comprising the step of transmitting a generated clean signal to the next communication node or receiving target, wherein the process of determination, regeneration, and transmission is repeatedly performed whenever the signal moves between nodes so as to structurally suppress the accumulation of noise or disturbance during the signal transmission process between nodes, wherein in the step of deriving the determination result, the validity condition is determined based on at least one of whether the correlation value with the preamble or reference pattern included in the received signal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, and whether the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), phase error, or frequency offset is within an allowable range, and in the step of newly generating the state-based clean signal, the clean signal is formed by generating a preset waveform, pulse, or symbol sequence based on the determined symbol value without performing decoding, error correction, or recoding of the received signal, wherein the clean signal is generated by a lookup table method, a fixed waveform synthesis method, or a simple modulation method. Claim 11 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication method according to claim 10, wherein the valid condition determination step includes a step of determining the received signal as one of an established state, a suspended state, or an invalid state without interpreting the semantic information content of the received signal. Claim 12 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of suppressing the propagation of an unstable signal to the next communication node by maintaining the previous output state or limiting output updates when the judgment result is in a pending state. Claim 13 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of receiving the same transmission signal in parallel through a plurality of communication paths, and independently performing the validity condition determination without interpreting the semantic information content of the received signal in each communication path. Claim 14 A signal regeneration-based distributed communication method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of combining determination results derived from a plurality of communication paths according to at least one of a match verification method, a majority decision method, or a priority selection method, without combining signal waveforms, observation values, or information bits.

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