Wireless Burst Probing for Fast Transmission Rate Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing 802.11 transmission rate adaptation methods in wireless networks are inefficient due to reliance on trial-and-error and contention-based medium access, leading to increased convergence time and overhead, especially in congested and dynamic environments.

Innovation Solution

Implementing burst probing by transmitting multiple PPDUs with different rates within a single transmission opportunity to quickly converge to the optimal transmission rate, reducing overhead and collision time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If trial-and-error approach with separate TxOP for each PPDU is used, then transmission rate adaptation can be performed, but convergence time increases with network congestion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission rate adaptationVSAvoidconvergence time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple rate probing PPDUs into a single transmission opportunity (TxOP), allowing the transmitter to probe multiple transmission rates simultaneously in one contention event rather than requiring separate TxOPs for each rate probe. This merging approach reduces the number of contention events needed for convergence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary rate probing by including multiple probing PPDUs at different rates within the same TxOP, allowing the system to gather rate adaptation information in advance within a single contention window, rather than waiting for separate contention events for each rate probe.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If contention-based medium access is used, then wireless stations can access the transmission medium, but overhead for RTS/CTS handshake and medium contention increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedium accessVSAvoidoverhead time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple rate probing operations into a single TxOP, consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate RTS/CTS handshakes and contention events into one unified transmission opportunity, thereby reducing total overhead time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the TxOP to include a sequence of probing PPDUs with different rates, allowing rate adaptation to be performed within a single contention event by dividing the transmission opportunity into multiple probing segments rather than requiring separate contentions for each rate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If multiple separate TxOPs are used for rate probing, then each rate can be tested, but the time required increases with network congestion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverate probing accuracyVSAvoidprobing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple rate probing PPDUs into a single TxOP, allowing the system to maintain precise rate measurement capabilities while reducing the total time required for probing by eliminating the need for separate contention events for each rate test.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12414003B2Transmission rate adaptation with burst probing

Publication Date: 2025.09.09 INTEL CORP

AI summary

A wireless station, including a transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; and a processor configured to control the transceiver to transmit, in a single transmission opportunity, a burst sequence of Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) having different transmission rates, based on wireless link condition information, until a transmission rate adaption sequence converges to one of the different transmission rates having a highest throughput.