Buffer-Based Data Flow Control Feedback Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Buffer overflows in wireless devices due to high data rate surges, leading to data loss and inefficient spectrum/power usage, are not effectively addressed by existing methods such as power saving techniques and frame dropping, which introduce latency and do not fully prevent re-transmissions.
Innovation Solution
A communication device and method that generates feedback information based on buffer capacity to adjust data transmission rates by imitating changes in signal-to-noise ratio or modulation and coding schemes, allowing for proactive control of data flow to prevent buffer overflows and underflows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If power saving techniques are used to implement flow control, then data loss is reduced, but latency increases and data rate is reduced to an unnecessarily low level
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver proactively adjusts the data transmission rate before buffer overflow occurs by monitoring buffer capacity and sending feedback information to the transmitter. This preliminary action prevents the need for transmission gating and sleeping modes, thereby avoiding the latency and data rate reduction associated with those mechanisms.
2Reliability
If transmission gating is used to prevent buffer overflow, then data loss is reduced, but spectrum efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the receiver continuously monitors its buffer capacity and sends feedback information to the transmitter to adjust the data transmission rate. This continuous feedback allows the transmitter to adapt to the receiver's actual buffer status, preventing buffer overflow while maintaining high spectrum efficiency by avoiding unnecessary transmission gating.
3Reliability
If frame dropping is used to address buffer overflow, then immediate buffer overflow is prevented, but re-transmissions still occur and cause data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver takes preliminary anti-action by adjusting the data transmission rate before buffer overflow occurs. By proactively controlling the incoming data rate based on buffer capacity, the system prevents the need for frame dropping and subsequent re-transmissions, thereby eliminating both the immediate buffer overflow problem and the secondary data loss from re-transmissions.
4Productivity
If data transmission rate is increased to utilize high PHY throughput, then productivity is improved, but buffer overflow risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the data transmission rate based on the receiver's real-time buffer capacity. The transmitter changes the data rate dynamically in response to feedback from the receiver, allowing the system to maximize throughput when buffer capacity is high while preventing buffer overflow when the buffer is nearly full. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between high productivity and buffer overflow risk.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication device capable of receiving data from a transmitting device via a communications link, the communication device comprising a buffer and being capable of generating, in dependence on the capacity of the buffer to accommodate data received over the communications link, information for inducing the transmitting device to change its data transmission rate, wherein the information imitates a change in a capability of the communication device to receive data via the communications link.