Bluetooth Controller Dual-Flag Acknowledgment Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional Bluetooth communication systems experience a high probability of packet retransmission due to failures in data reception between primary and secondary devices, especially in environments with interference or blockages, leading to inefficiencies in audio packet transmission.

Innovation Solution

A controller for wireless Bluetooth devices employs flags (P-ACK and S-ACK) to determine successful packet reception and decoding by both devices, allowing for reduced retransmissions by asserting flags when acknowledgments are received, enabling efficient communication even in challenging environments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional Bluetooth communication is used without additional acknowledgment mechanisms, then the communication protocol remains simple, but the number of packet retransmissions increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepacket reception reliabilityVSAvoidcommunication protocol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a secondary device as an intermediary that relays acknowledgment information to the primary device. When the secondary device successfully receives a packet, it sends an acknowledgment to the primary device, which then confirms to the audio gateway that both devices have received the packet. This intermediary mechanism reduces retransmissions without requiring complex changes to the audio gateway's protocol.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the secondary device sends acknowledgment signals back to the primary device about packet reception status. The primary device uses this feedback information to determine whether to send acknowledgments to the audio gateway, creating a layered feedback system that improves reliability while keeping protocol complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If retransmission mechanisms are increased to ensure both devices receive packets, then packet delivery reliability improves, but communication efficiency and time consumption worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepacket delivery reliabilityVSAvoidcommunication time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary acknowledgment checking by having the secondary device verify packet reception and send acknowledgments to the primary device before the primary device needs to request retransmission from the audio gateway. This preliminary action prevents unnecessary retransmissions and saves communication time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The secondary device autonomously monitors its own packet reception status and generates acknowledgments without requiring the primary device to query it. This self-service mechanism reduces the communication overhead and time required to ensure reliable packet delivery to both devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3595338B1Wireless stereo bluetooth communication mechanism capable of effectively reducing number of audio packet retransmission
Publication Date: 2020.12.23 AUDIOWISE TECH INC
  • EP3595338B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3595338B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3595338B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method applied into a controller (2151B) of a wireless stereo Bluetooth device (110A, 200) includes: providing a first flag and a second flag; asserting the first flag when the controller (2151B) successfully receives the particular packet transmitted from the audio gateway (105); asserting the second flag when the controller (2151B) successfully receives an acknowledgement from a secondary device (110B) wherein a reception of the acknowledgement indicates that the secondary device (110B) successfully receives the particular packet; and transmitting an acknowledgement of a particular packet to an audio gateway (105) when the first flag and the second flag are asserted.