Block Acknowledgement Frame Reduces Wireless Bandwidth Consumption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed wireless networks, the transmission of acknowledgement frames for each protocol data unit (PDU) consumes significant bandwidth, degrading data throughput, as existing protocols require individual acknowledgments for each PDU.
Innovation Solution
A system and method where a source device sends multiple frames to a recipient device and requests a single block acknowledgement (B-ACK) frame, which indicates received and unreceived frames, as well as the payload and frame count for the next transmission block, optimizing bandwidth usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual acknowledgement frames are sent for each PDU, then transmission reliability is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases and data throughput degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual acknowledgement frames into a single block acknowledgement frame that can acknowledge multiple PDUs simultaneously. The B-ACK frame contains a bitmap field where each bit corresponds to a specific PDU sequence number, allowing the recipient to acknowledge receipt of multiple data frames in one transmission, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining reliable transmission confirmation
Solution Approach 2:
The block acknowledgement frame serves multiple functions: it acknowledges receipt of multiple PDUs, indicates which specific PDUs were received or lost through the bitmap, and can trigger retransmission requests. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple separate acknowledgement transmissions with a single comprehensive frame
2Reliability
If individual acknowledgement frames are sent for each PDU, then transmission reliability is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple acknowledgement transmissions are merged into a single block acknowledgement frame. Instead of sending separate ACK frames for each PDU, the system sends one B-ACK frame that consolidates acknowledgment information for multiple PDUs, directly reducing the quantity of transmission data and bandwidth consumption
3Reliability
If individual acknowledgement frames are sent for each PDU, then transmission reliability is improved, but interframe space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual acknowledgement transmissions into a single block acknowledgement frame, thereby reducing the cumulative interframe space (IFS) that would otherwise be required between multiple separate ACK transmissions. This consolidation directly reduces time loss in the communication protocol
Data Source
AI summary
The present application describes a system and method for transmitting and acknowledging a block of frames in a wireless network. According to an embodiment, a source device sends multiple frames in a block to a recipient device and requests the recipient device to send a single block acknowledgement frame. After receiving multiple frames, the recipient device sends a single block acknowledgement frame to the source device indicating which frames were received and which frames need to be retransmitted, as well as how much payload and how many frames may be transmitted in the next block by the source device.