DSL Pre-fill Retransmission Queue for Power Saving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional DSL systems experience inefficiencies and excessive power consumption due to continuous transmission of data transfer units (DTUs) without indication of available user data, leading to unnecessary idle cell transmissions and retransmissions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a discontinuous transmission method where DTUs are buffered and temporarily stored in a retransmission queue, allowing for power-saving techniques based on user traffic, with the DTU framer forming DTUs only when sufficient bits are available and transferring them to the queue, and transmitting them only when user data is present.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DTUs are continuously transmitted without checking user data availability, then the transmission channel remains active and ready, but power consumption increases and bandwidth is wasted due to unnecessary idle cell transmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements discontinuous transmission where the transmitter alternates between active transmission periods and idle periods. During idle periods, transmission is suspended when no user data is available, and resumed when data becomes available. This periodic on-off transmission pattern eliminates continuous power consumption while maintaining the ability to transmit when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a retransmission queue that pre-stores DTUs before they are transmitted. This preliminary buffering allows the system to prepare data for transmission in advance, enabling the transmitter to remain idle when no data is ready rather than continuously transmitting placeholder idle cells.
2Reliability
If DTUs are continuously transmitted to maintain channel availability, then transmission capability is preserved, but bandwidth is inefficiently used due to unnecessary idle cell transmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs discontinuous transmission where data transmission occurs periodically only when user data is available in the retransmission queue. During periods when the queue is empty, transmission is suspended entirely, eliminating wasteful bandwidth consumption from continuous idle cell transmissions while preserving the ability to transmit when data becomes available.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential transmission function from continuous operation and applies it only when necessary. By separating the transmission action from continuous time progression and triggering it only based on data availability in the retransmission queue, the system eliminates unnecessary bandwidth usage while maintaining transmission capability.
3Reliability
If idle DTUs are generated and transmitted when no user data is available, then the transmission channel remains active, but retransmission overhead increases due to unnecessary retransmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The retransmission queue performs preliminary storage of DTUs before transmission. This pre-buffering ensures that only valid user data DTUs are transmitted, eliminating the need to generate and retransmit idle DTUs. The queue acts as a gatekeeper that prevents unnecessary transmissions from occurring in the first place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of channel idle time into a benefit by using the idle periods productively. Instead of filling idle time with meaningless transmissions, the system uses this time to wait for actual user data to become available, thereby eliminating wasteful retransmissions while maintaining channel readiness when data arrives.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of discontinuous transmission data communication in a digital subscriber line (DSL) transceiver unit, the method comprising determining that a number of a plurality of bits available to transmit is enough to fill a data transfer unit (DTU), forming a DTU, by a DTU framer, comprising the plurality of bits, transferring the DTU to a retransmission queue, and determining the DTUs from the retransmission queue to be transmitted over a next time period used for transmitting over the DSL subscriber line by the DSL transceiver unit.