Distributed Floor Control for Push-to-Talk Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current floor control mechanisms in push-to-talk communication sessions, especially in off-network mode, face issues such as interference, delay, and high signaling overhead due to reliance on control messages and centralized floor arbitrators, which can lead to failure in resource allocation and user experience degradation.
Innovation Solution
Each wireless device acts as its own floor arbitrator, determining priority based on its own and other devices' priorities, allowing for local decision-making on gaining or releasing the floor without relying on remote controllers, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding single points of failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized floor arbitrator control messages are used for floor control, then floor allocation can be managed, but signaling overhead increases and delay occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Each wireless device autonomously determines floor availability and its own priority without requiring control messages from a centralized floor arbitrator. The device compares its priority against stored priority information of other devices to independently decide whether to gain or release the floor, eliminating signaling delay while maintaining reliable floor control through distributed decision-making
Solution Approach 2:
The floor arbitration function is extracted from the centralized network controller and distributed to individual wireless devices. Each device maintains local priority information and performs floor control decisions locally, removing the dependency on centralized control messages and reducing signaling overhead
2Reliability
If centralized floor arbitrator control messages are used for floor control, then floor allocation can be managed, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
Wireless devices autonomously perform floor control decisions by comparing their priority against locally stored priority information of other devices. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for continuous control messages from centralized arbitrators, significantly reducing signaling overhead while maintaining reliable floor allocation through distributed intelligence
Solution Approach 2:
Priority information of wireless devices is pre-configured and stored locally before floor control is needed. This preliminary action allows devices to make immediate floor control decisions without requiring real-time control messages, reducing signaling overhead while ensuring reliable floor management
3Device complexity
If remote floor controller is used, then centralized control is achieved, but single point of failure occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized floor control function is segmented and distributed to individual wireless devices. Each device independently performs floor control decisions based on its own priority and locally stored priority information of other devices. This segmentation eliminates the single point of failure associated with centralized controllers while maintaining simple control logic at each device through standardized priority comparison
Solution Approach 2:
Each wireless device serves as its own floor controller by autonomously determining floor availability and making decisions based on priority comparison. This distributed self-service approach eliminates dependency on any single remote controller, removing the single point of failure while maintaining coordinated floor control across the network
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed herein systems, methods, and apparatuses for floor control in a push to talk communication session. According to certain embodiments, a method for floor control comprises, prior to transmitting a first message to one or more wireless devices, determining, at a first wireless device, a priority of the first message. The method also comprises determining, at the first wireless device, whether a floor is available for transmitting the first message based on the determined priority of the first message. The method additionally includes, upon the floor being available, transmitting the first message from the first wireless device to the one or more wireless devices. The method additionally includes transmitting the first message from the first wireless device without the first wireless device first requesting the floor from a remote floor controller.