Cooperative Wireless Scanning for Environment Data Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current WLAN technologies face challenges in obtaining comprehensive and up-to-date information about wireless environments, particularly in determining the sufficiency of wireless environment information, which can lead to inaccurate data due to insufficient sources, outdated information, or insufficient channel coverage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a cooperative scanning mechanism where wireless devices aggregate data across multiple channels and select suitable devices to obtain additional information based on specific scanning configurations and sufficiency criteria, ensuring that wireless environment information is current and accurate by using a wireless environment management engine to coordinate the scanning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a single access point performs periodic scanning on one or more channels, then the access point can obtain wireless environment information, but the information may be insufficient due to limited scanning sources and coverage
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple access points combine their scanning results to form a comprehensive wireless environment information database. The system merges individual AP scanning data including noise floors, channel utilization, and device densities across multiple channels to achieve complete environmental coverage that no single AP could obtain alone.
Solution Approach 2:
Each access point serves dual functions: it performs its own operational scanning for local decisions while simultaneously contributing to the collective scanning network for overall environmental awareness. The scanning mechanism is universalized across all APs in the controlled environment, allowing each to both give and receive information.
2Loss of time
If access points perform frequent scanning to obtain current information, then the information becomes more up-to-date, but the scanning time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Access points perform scanning at periodic intervals rather than continuously, balancing information freshness with energy conservation. The system establishes periodic scanning cycles where each AP scans its operational channel and selected additional channels at defined intervals, maintaining current environmental information while avoiding excessive energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-determines scanning schedules and channel selections based on historical patterns and current network conditions. Access points prepare and execute scanning operations in advance according to predetermined configurations, reducing the need for frequent ad-hoc scanning and optimizing the balance between information timeliness and energy usage.
3Area of stationary object
If an access point scans multiple channels to improve channel coverage, then the channel coverage increases, but the scanning time required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning process is segmented into operational channel scanning and additional channel scanning. Each access point focuses primarily on its operational channel while selectively scanning specific additional channels based on network conditions and information needs. This segmentation allows comprehensive multi-channel coverage across the network without requiring each individual AP to exhaustively scan all channels, thus reducing total scanning time while maintaining broad channel coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
Wireless environment information is obtained by aggregating data corresponding to wireless signals detected by wireless devices in the wireless environment. A wireless device is configured to obtain additional information for a wireless environment based on determining that wireless environment information is insufficient. One or more devices are configured based at least on the additional information.