Bitmap Manager for Wireless Block Acknowledgment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ARQ techniques, such as stop-and-wait, go-back-n, and selective repeat, are inadequate for high bandwidth and quality of service communications, particularly in wireless networks like IEEE 802.11, due to inefficiencies in frame error detection and retransmission, leading to network congestion and latency issues.
Innovation Solution
A bitmap manager and finite state machine-based method for generating acknowledgments in wireless networks, which dynamically allocates bitmap memory, compares selective information from received frames, and decides on acknowledgement policies, supporting both immediate and delayed block ACK mechanisms to enhance communication efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ARQ techniques (stop-and-wait, go-back-n, selective repeat) are used for frame error detection and retransmission, then error handling capability is provided, but network congestion and latency increase due to inefficiencies in high bandwidth communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the acknowledgment process by introducing a block acknowledgment mechanism that divides multiple individual ACKs into a single consolidated block ACK. This segmentation allows multiple data frames to be transmitted before requiring acknowledgment, reducing the overhead and improving efficiency in high bandwidth networks while maintaining reliable error detection and retransmission capabilities.
2Productivity
If block ACK mechanism is implemented to aggregate multiple ACKs into a single response, then communication efficiency increases, but memory management complexity increases due to dynamic allocation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic memory allocation for bitmap buffers, allowing the system to adaptively allocate and deallocate memory resources based on the actual number of data frames being transmitted. This dynamic approach optimizes memory usage for block ACK operations while managing complexity through structured allocation procedures that are triggered only when block ACK functionality is activated.
3Loss of time
If immediate block ACK is used to respond within SIFS after data burst, then latency is reduced, but timing constraints and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares the bitmap buffer and manages memory allocation in advance, before the actual block ACK transmission is needed. By pre-configuring the memory structures and allocation mechanisms during setup phases, the system can meet the strict SIFS timing requirements for immediate block ACK without adding operational complexity during the critical acknowledgment phase.
4Reliability
If go-back-n ARQ is used to retransmit successive frames after error detection, then error recovery is achieved, but bandwidth is wasted due to repetitive transmission of already received frames
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by allowing the receiver to buffer and track individual frame acknowledgments within the block ACK mechanism. This enables selective acknowledgment of correctly received frames while only requesting retransmission of specific erroneous frames, thereby avoiding the wasteful repetitive transmission of all successive frames that occurs in go-back-n ARQ.
Data Source
AI summary
A bitmap manager, a method of allocating a bitmap memory, a method of generating an acknowledgement between network entities, and a network entity implementing the same. The bitmap manager may include a bitmap memory for storing a block acknowledge of received frames based on a bitmap, a bitmap management information controller for receiving a bitmap entry number and storing bitmap management information associated with the physical address of the bitmap memory, and a bitmap manager finite state machine (BM FSM), receiving an update or an extract request for the received frames, managing the bitmap management information, and updating or extracting the bitmap memory.