Acknowledgment Packet Timing Control for Wireless Communication Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communications systems face high retransmission rates and failed transmissions due to inefficient acknowledgment packet handling, which adversely affect the quality of service (QoS) between source and destination nodes, especially under varying channel conditions.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces two defined time intervals for processing and transmitting acknowledgment packets, allowing for efficient scanning of channels to ensure successful packet validation and retransmission, with power conservation measures through enabling and disabling transmitter and receiver elements at specific intervals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the source node scans the channel only once for the ack packet, then the device complexity is reduced, but the retransmission rate increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the channel scanning process into multiple segments: a first channel scan at a first time point after packet transmission, and a second channel scan at a second time point. This segmentation allows the system to check for acknowledgment packets at multiple opportunities without requiring continuous scanning, thereby reducing overall complexity while improving reliability through multiple detection chances.
2Reliability
If the receiver is enabled continuously to receive packets, then the reception reliability is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic receiver activation where the receiver is enabled only during specific time windows when acknowledgment packets are expected to arrive. Instead of continuous operation, the receiver is activated periodically at predetermined time points after packet transmission, maintaining reliable reception while dramatically reducing energy consumption during idle periods.
3Reliability
If the transmitter transmits acknowledgment packets continuously, then the feedback reliability is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter is enabled only during specific time windows to send acknowledgment packets back to the source node. This periodic activation based on expected acknowledgment timing maintains reliable feedback delivery while minimizing energy consumption by keeping the transmitter disabled during periods when no transmission is needed.
4Reliability
If the source node performs multiple channel scans for ack packets, then the transmission reliability is improved, but the loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent schedules channel scans at predetermined time points based on expected acknowledgment packet arrival times. The first channel scan occurs at a first time point and a second channel scan occurs at a second time point, both determined in advance based on packet transmission timing and expected processing delays. This preliminary scheduling optimizes the timing of scans to catch acknowledgments efficiently without excessive waiting or redundant scanning.
Data Source
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AI summary
A communications method comprising the steps of receiving a data packet; processing the data packet; and transmitting an ack packet approximately at an end of a first defined time interval if the processing of the data packet is completed within the first defined interval, or transmitting the ack packet approximately at an end of a second defined time interval if the processing of the data packet is not completed within the first defined interval and is completed within the second defined interval. Another communication method comprising the steps of transmitting a data packet; scanning a channel for an ack packet approximately at an end of a first defined time interval from the transmission of the data packet; and scanning the channel for the ack packet approximately at an end of a second defined time interval from the transmission of the data packet if the ack packet was not received within the first defined interval.