Fairness Counter Scheduling for QoS Queue Starvation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, lower priority data packets often suffer from starvation due to high priority data dominance, leading to increased end-to-end delays and potential packet loss, especially in multimedia scenarios where multiple applications with varying priority levels coexist.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a fairness counter mechanism in wireless access points to allow transmission of lower priority packets during high priority queue opportunities, preventing starvation by negotiating counter values and session timeouts, and enabling the fairness feature dynamically based on network conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If higher priority data traffic is given more bandwidth access in QoS queues, then quality of service for high priority applications is improved, but lower priority data traffic suffers from starvation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic fairness counter resets that allow lower priority traffic to access the medium periodically, even when high priority traffic dominates. The fairness counter increments over time and resets at specific intervals, creating periodic opportunities for low priority queues to transmit, thus preventing starvation while maintaining high priority QoS
Solution Approach 2:
The fairness counter acts as an intermediary mechanism between high priority QoS requirements and low priority traffic needs. It mediates access by controlling when low priority traffic can inject packets into the transmission opportunity, balancing the competing demands without directly modifying the high priority QoS mechanism
2Productivity
If fairness counter is used to prevent starvation of lower priority traffic, then throughput of low priority applications is improved, but end-to-end delay may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by allowing only one low priority packet to be injected per fairness counter expiration, rather than allowing all queued packets to transmit. This limited intervention provides just enough throughput improvement for low priority traffic while minimizing the impact on overall transmission timing and end-to-end delay
3Reliability
If de-jitter buffer applies fixed large delay to accommodate high jitter, then packet loss is reduced, but end-to-end delay increases for all packets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic fairness counter values that are negotiated between the access point and station, allowing the system to adapt the fairness mechanism to current network conditions. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to optimize between preventing starvation and minimizing delay based on actual traffic patterns and jitter conditions
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed to communicate data between wireless access point with one or more low priority queues; one or more high priority queues; a quality of service (QoS) queue coupled to the low and high priority queues; a fairness counter; and a buffer coupled to the fairness counter and the QoS queue to map buffer mapping to the QoS queue when the fairness counter expires, the method including performing an association request for fairness scheduling; and injecting a low priority packet in a transmit opportunity of the high priority queue.