Multi-Protocol Gateway Downlink Scheduling Under Duty Cycle Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network systems require separate hardware installations for each network protocol, leading to significant operational effort due to the need for parallel infrastructures, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A gateway that supports multiple network protocols, dynamically distributes the duty cycle of radio channels between networks based on their actual needs, allowing efficient downlink transmission by determining the duty cycle requirements and optimizing channel usage across different protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate hardware installations are used for each network protocol, then each protocol can be supported independently, but the device complexity and operational effort increase significantly due to parallel infrastructures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple network protocol support into a single gateway device. The gateway is configured to support both the first network protocol (e.g., LoRaWAN) and the second network protocol (e.g., MIOTY), consolidating what would traditionally require separate hardware installations into one unified infrastructure, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining protocol versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway is designed as a universal device capable of handling downlink transmissions for multiple different network protocols simultaneously. This multi-functional approach allows a single gateway to serve multiple protocol networks, eliminating the need for dedicated gateways for each protocol and reducing overall infrastructure complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate hardware installations are used for each network protocol, then protocol-specific requirements are met, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the need for parallel infrastructures
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple protocol support into a single gateway, the operational effort is reduced as operators only need to manage one gateway instead of maintaining parallel infrastructures for different protocols. The gateway handles downlink transmissions for both protocols through a unified duty cycle management mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary that manages downlink transmissions for multiple protocols through a single duty cycle control mechanism. It receives downlink transmissions from headends for both networks and intelligently schedules them on the shared radio channel, simplifying operator tasks while maintaining protocol-specific requirements
3Device complexity
If a single gateway supports multiple network protocols, then device complexity is reduced, but the productivity may worsen due to duty cycle constraints on shared radio channels
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway implements dynamic duty cycle management for downlink transmissions. It determines the duty cycle based on the specific network protocol being used and the current transmission requirements, allowing flexible adaptation to different protocol needs while sharing the radio channel, thus maintaining high productivity despite the shared medium
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway changes operational parameters (duty cycle values) depending on which network protocol is being served. It determines appropriate duty cycles for downlink transmissions based on protocol-specific requirements and current channel conditions, optimizing transmission efficiency for each protocol while managing the shared radio channel effectively
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for downlink transmission in a network infrastructure (1) comprising a first network (10) comprising a head-end (11) and at least one radio node (12), a second network (20) comprising a head-end (21) and at least one radio node (22) and a gateway (2), wherein downlink transmission of the first network (10) and downlink transmission of the second network (20) is carried out via the gateway (2) and wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving a current downlink transmission (DL) of the head-end (11) of the first network (10) or of the head-end (21) of the network (20) by the gateway (2); Sending or not sending the current downlink transmission (DL) by the gateway (2) depending on a duty cycle (DC_u) of a radio channel intended for the current downlink transmission (DL) used in a predetermined previous period (T) for downlink transmissions of the first network (10) and second network (20).