Beaconed Wireless Network for Reliable Low-Power Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless networks face challenges in providing reliable and responsive message transmission from end devices in environments with changing propagation paths, while minimizing power consumption, especially in applications requiring low latency and limited power sources like sensor units in marine or industrial settings.
Innovation Solution
A wireless network protocol where routers transmit beacons in periodic timeslots, and end devices passively scan and transmit messages only when necessary, with acknowledgement mechanisms to ensure reliable communication, reducing power consumption and adapting to changing propagation paths without monitoring reception quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If end devices actively monitor reception quality and adapt associations with particular routers, then reliability of message transmission is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the active monitoring and adaptation functions from end devices, leaving only passive beacon scanning. End devices no longer perform reception quality monitoring or dynamic router association, which eliminates the power-consuming operations while maintaining reliability through the remaining passive mechanism of scanning beacons from any router and transmitting messages in response
Solution Approach 2:
Routers perform the reception quality monitoring and association management on behalf of end devices. The network infrastructure (routers) self-adjusts to maintain reliable connections, while end devices simply follow the passive scan-transmit pattern, thereby achieving reliability without power-consuming operations at the end device level
2Speed
If end devices continuously scan for beacons and monitor propagation paths, then responsivity to changing conditions is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic beacon transmission by routers at defined intervals, and periodic passive scanning by end devices only when messages are pending. This periodic structure maintains responsivity to changing propagation conditions while minimizing power consumption by avoiding continuous monitoring and only activating scanning when necessary for message transmission
3Reliability
If end devices associate with specific routers, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the association management complexity from end devices by extracting this function entirely from their operation. End devices no longer need to track which routers they are associated with, monitor reception quality, or make decisions about router selection. They simply passively scan for beacons from any router and transmit messages in response, dramatically simplifying their device logic while routers handle the complex association management
Data Source
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AI summary
A wireless network comprises nodes, including routers having a tree-shaped communication topology and end devices, communicate in accordance a network protocol, wherein the routers transmit beacons in respective timeslots within a periodic beaconing interval, passively scan for messages, and, in response to receiving a message, transmit an acknowledgement thereof the received message. An end device that has a message that is pending transmission, passively scans for beacons transmitted from any router; and in response thereto, transmits the message, and passively scans for an acknowledgement, repeating those steps if no acknowledgement is received. This provides responsivity in an environment having rapidly changing propagation paths. To reduce power consumption, the end devices do not passively scan for beacons except when they have a message that is pending transmission, and also at predetermined times for reception of a downstream message. When radio silence is required, the routers do not transmit beacons.