Convergence Engine for Wireless STA Network Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless networking, non-network portal (NP) stations (STA) face challenges in maintaining network connectivity due to environmental changes and physical movement, leading to cumbersome message filtering and potential loss of connectivity when exceeding the range of a network portal without available connections.
Innovation Solution
A convergence engine filters multiple messages to identify high-level states of the STA using a state machine, providing a single high-level message to a high-level engine, which suppresses lower-level network activity messages, allowing for efficient network management and seamless transitions between overlapping network protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a station monitors multiple network portals and filters numerous messages to maintain connectivity, then network connectivity reliability is improved, but device complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex message filtering task into distinct state machines (e.g., scanning state, connected state, disconnected state) that process messages according to their current operational context. Each state machine handles specific message types relevant to its state, dividing the overall complexity into manageable, state-specific processing units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary convergence engine that sits between the physical layer message reception and the higher-layer processing. This convergence engine filters and converges multiple low-level messages into a single high-level message, reducing the processing burden on upper layers while maintaining connectivity reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a station processes all received messages from multiple network portals, then network adaptability is improved, but processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic message filtering where the processing behavior adapts based on the current state of the station. Different state machines process different sets of messages depending on whether the station is scanning, connected, or disconnected. This dynamic approach maintains adaptability to various network portals while reducing processing time by only handling relevant messages in each state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by having state machines process only the subset of messages necessary for their current operational state, rather than processing all received messages. For example, in the connected state, only messages relevant to maintaining connectivity are processed, while scanning-related messages are ignored, reducing overall processing time.
3Measurement precision
If a station uses detailed low-level message processing, then measurement precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The convergence engine acts as an intermediary that performs detailed low-level message processing and state detection, then presents simplified high-level state information to upper layers. This intermediary handles the complexity of precise state detection while shielding the higher layers from this complexity, maintaining measurement precision without increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy or abstraction of the complex network state through high-level state messages. Instead of processing and interpreting detailed low-level messages at every layer, the convergence engine creates accurate simplified representations of the network state that can be processed efficiently by higher layers, maintaining precision while reducing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A convergence engine may provide a high level message for a high level engine representative of multiple messages received by a network interface or other physical layer transmission device. The high level engine may access one or more high level messages via functions describing the state of a non-network-portal station.