Base Station Mode Switch for Wireless Link Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) process in Radio Link Control (RLC) for wireless communication leads to unnecessary data re-transmissions due to delayed or missing status reports, causing increased load, delays, and premature termination of radio links, even when data is correctly received.
Innovation Solution
A method and base station configuration that detects congestion on the status reporting link and switches from Acknowledged Mode (AM) to Transparent Mode (TM), where no status reports are expected, to prevent unnecessary re-transmissions and maintain active radio links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Acknowledged Mode (AM) with status reports is used for reliable data transmission, then data reception reliability is improved, but unnecessary re-transmissions occur when status reports are delayed or lost due to link congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically switches between Acknowledged Mode (AM) and Transparent Mode (TM) based on the congestion state of the status reporting link. When congestion is detected, the system transitions from AM to TM to prevent unnecessary re-transmissions, and switches back to AM when congestion clears, optimizing both reliability and efficiency adaptively
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the communication mode parameter (from AM to TM) in response to detected congestion conditions. This parameter change allows the system to adapt its behavior - in TM, data is transmitted without expecting status reports, eliminating the re-transmission problem caused by delayed or lost acknowledgments
2Loss of information
If status reports are transmitted on a congested link, then data reception confirmation is provided, but link termination occurs due to perceived transmission failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent detects congestion on the status reporting link in advance and proactively switches to Transparent Mode before link termination can occur. This preliminary action prevents the harmful effect of unnecessary re-transmissions and potential link failure by avoiding the acknowledgment mechanism that causes the problem
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mode switch mechanism as an intermediary between the data transmission process and the status reporting mechanism. By switching to TM, the system mediates around the congestion problem - data continues to be transmitted reliably through the congested link without the harmful feedback loop of lost acknowledgments triggering re-transmissions
3Reliability
If re-transmission attempts are increased to ensure data delivery, then data delivery reliability is improved, but resource consumption and delay increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the transmission approach by switching modes based on congestion detection. In TM, data is sent without re-transmission attempts, eliminating delay when the link is congested, while AM provides re-transmission capability when the link is healthy, optimizing the balance between reliability and speed
Data Source
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Figure 3a~3b
Figure 4~5a
AI summary
A method and a base station (900) for controlling wireless communication of data on a first radio link between the base station and a User Equipment, UE (902), when a first communication Mode is employed implying that corresponding status reports should be transmitted on an opposite second radio link to indicate whether said data has been received or not. A communication unit(900a) communicates data and status reports with the UE according to the first communication Mode and according to a second communication Mode. When an indication of potential congestion pertaining to the second radio link is detected,a logic unit (900b) instruct the communication unit to trigger or initiate a change to a second communication Mode implying that no transmission of status reports on the second radio link is expected. Thereby,any unnecessary re-transmissions of data due to missing status reports may be avoided.