Group Communication Data Re-transmission via Acknowledgment Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communications systems, particularly in decentralized peer-to-peer networks, efficiently transmitting data to multiple devices without successful recovery by all intended recipients is challenging, and existing methods lack effective re-transmission strategies for incomplete data transmission.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where data is transmitted to group members with individual acknowledgement signaling, allowing for re-transmission only to members that did not acknowledge receipt, thereby optimizing resource usage and ensuring successful data delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is transmitted to all group members using individual re-transmission for each member that did not receive data successfully, then data delivery reliability is improved, but air link resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual re-transmission operations into a single group-based re-transmission operation. When multiple group members fail to receive data successfully, the system performs a unified re-transmission to the entire group rather than individually re-transmitting to each member, thereby consolidating air link resource usage while maintaining delivery reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements selective re-transmission based on actual need by monitoring acknowledgments from group members. Instead of re-transmitting to all members unconditionally, the system performs partial re-transmission only to the subset of members that failed to receive data successfully, as indicated by missing acknowledgments, thereby avoiding excessive air link resource consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If group communications are implemented without centralized control in a decentralized peer to peer network, then system autonomy and flexibility are improved, but scheduling of air link resources becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the scheduling function into two parts: group-level resource allocation and individual member data transmission. The transmitting device autonomously manages group communication resources by sending a single data packet to multiple group members simultaneously, eliminating the need for complex centralized scheduling while maintaining efficient air link resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the transmitting device to autonomously manage group communication resources without external centralized control. The device self-determines when to transmit group data, monitors acknowledgments from group members, and autonomously performs re-transmissions as needed, thereby achieving system autonomy while simplifying the scheduling complexity through self-service mechanisms.
3Reliability
If re-transmission is performed to all group members regardless of whether they received data successfully, then data delivery completeness is improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where group members send acknowledgment signals to the transmitting device to indicate whether they successfully received the data. The transmitting device monitors these acknowledgments and uses the feedback information to determine which specific group members require re-transmission, thereby avoiding unnecessary re-transmissions to members that already received data successfully and improving communication efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs partial re-transmission only to the necessary subset of group members that failed to receive data successfully, as identified through acknowledgment monitoring. Instead of re-transmitting to all group members, the system applies partial action by targeting only those members that require re-transmission, thereby maintaining data delivery completeness while improving communication efficiency.
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AI summary
Methods and apparatus related to group communications in a wireless communications system, e.g., a peer to peer wireless communications system, are described. Methods and apparatus directed to closed groups, e.g., where the number of group members are fixed at a given time and known to one or more members of the group, are described. Various embodiments are well suited to decentralized peer to peer wireless networks including a plurality of individual traffic resources, e.g., traffic slots and/or traffic segments, which may be independently scheduled in a decentralized manner. Some features and/or aspects are directed to the use of individual group member acknowledgement signaling in response to a transmitted group traffic data signal. By monitoring for anticipated individual group member acknowledgment signals and identifying members which have not signaled a positive acknowledgment, re-transmission can be directed and/or tailored to a subset of the group.