Compressed Block Acknowledgment Bitmap for Wireless Bandwidth Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face inefficiencies in transmitting block acknowledgments (BAs) due to their significant bandwidth usage, which can lead to overhead and reduced performance, especially in networks with limited resources and fragmented data transmission.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method to generate and transmit compressed block acknowledgment frames using bitmaps, which indicate receipt of multiple fragments of a single data unit, by removing or modifying unnecessary fields and applying compression techniques such as run-length encoding or offset-based compression, thereby reducing the size and bandwidth required for block ACKs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional block acknowledgment frames are transmitted to confirm receipt of data packets, then reliable data transmission is achieved, but bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the acknowledgment information into individual bit positions within a bitmap, where each bit corresponds to a specific data packet or fragment. This allows the receiver to confirm receipt of multiple packets in a single compressed frame rather than sending separate ACKs for each packet, thereby reducing overall bandwidth consumption while maintaining reliable transmission confirmation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the format and size parameters of the block acknowledgment frame by using a compressed bitmap representation. Instead of traditional verbose acknowledgment frames, the system uses a compact binary map where bit values indicate packet receipt status, fundamentally changing the parameter structure to achieve lower bandwidth usage while preserving all necessary acknowledgment information
2Loss of information
If block acknowledgment frames include detailed information about each received packet, then complete transmission status is provided, but frame size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the transmission status information into discrete bit positions within the bitmap, with each bit representing the receipt status of a specific packet or fragment. This segmentation allows complete status information to be conveyed in a compact format, as each bit position independently encodes the state of one packet without requiring additional frame overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a compressed binary copy of the packet receipt status using a bitmap representation. Instead of transmitting detailed information about each packet in verbose format, the system generates a compact binary map that copies only the essential status information (received/not received) in a space-efficient manner, reducing frame size while preserving complete transmission status
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Systems, methods, and devices for compressing block acknowledgment (ACK) frames/packets are described herein. In some aspects, a method of communicating in a wireless network includes a compressed block acknowledgment frame including a bitmap, the bitmap indicating receipt of a plurality of fragments of a single data unit. The method further includes transmitting the compressed block acknowledgment frame.