BLE Receiver Header-Aided Bit Error Correction for Fewer Retransmissions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently correcting bit errors, particularly in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) networks, leading to increased retransmissions, latency, and power consumption due to random and bursty bit errors, which are not effectively addressed by conventional retransmission and buffering methods.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a combination of retransmission-BEC (RE-BEC) and CRC-EC techniques to process packet headers and payloads, enhancing header processing to correct access addresses and length fields, and using accumulated soft bit packets to increase the number of corrupted packets available for reconstruction, along with CRC-EC to identify and correct bit errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional retransmission methods are used to correct bit errors, then communication reliability is improved, but the number of retransmissions increases leading to higher latency and power consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary error correction mechanism that processes received packets before final delivery. By using accumulated soft bit packets and CRC-EC techniques as intermediaries, the system can correct errors in corrupted packets without requiring multiple retransmissions, thus reducing latency while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary error correction processing on received packets using accumulated soft bit packets before determining whether retransmission is needed. This preliminary action allows the system to potentially correct errors upfront, reducing the need for subsequent retransmissions and lowering overall latency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If conventional retransmission methods are used to correct bit errors, then communication reliability is improved, but power consumption increases due to multiple retransmissions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The error correction mechanism acts as an intermediary that reduces the need for energy-intensive retransmissions. By correcting errors through accumulated soft bit packets and CRC-EC processing, the system minimizes the number of retransmission cycles, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining communication reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from CRC checks and accumulated soft bit packet analysis to determine whether error correction was successful. This feedback mechanism allows the system to avoid unnecessary retransmissions, reducing power consumption by only retransmitting when error correction fails

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If larger buffers are used to overcome burst errors, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity and size increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidbuffer complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical approach of using large physical buffers with a digital signal processing approach using accumulated soft bit packets. This substitution reduces device complexity and size while maintaining the ability to handle burst errors through software-based error correction algorithms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Reliability

If more retransmissions are performed to overcome random bit errors, then communication reliability is improved, but channel throughput decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidchannel throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The error correction mechanism serves as an intermediary that recovers data from corrupted packets without requiring retransmission. By processing accumulated soft bit packets and applying CRC-EC, the system extracts valid data from corrupted transmissions, maintaining channel throughput while improving reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts corrupted packets that would normally require retransmission into recoverable data through error correction. By using accumulated soft bit packets from corrupted transmissions, the system transforms harmful errors into beneficial information that aids in error correction, thereby maintaining throughput while improving reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS12587310B2Bit error correction for bluetooth low energy

Publication Date: 2026.03.24 INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AMERICAS CORP

AI summary

Disclosed are methods and systems for a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) receiver to reduce the number of retransmission of packets needed to receive an error free packet so as to improve channel throughput. Techniques to reduce the number of retransmissions include a combination of processing of the header of the received packets to increase the number of corrupted packets available for reconstructing the original payload and bit error correction (BEC) of the payload of the corrupted packets. Header processing may include making available for payload reconstruction a packet whose received access address differs by no more than 1-bit from an assigned address of the receiver provided at least one of the corrupted packets used in the reconstruction contains an error-free access address. Header processing may also include using a prior error-free decoded length of the packet to aid in the determination of the length field of a current packet.