In-Packet Bloom Filter for Wireless Ad-Hoc Network Acknowledgement

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless radio ad-hoc networks face challenges in efficiently handling acknowledgments from a large number of nodes, leading to link congestion due to the high volume of concurrent acknowledgment messages, especially in low-bandwidth networks with resource-constrained devices.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a method using in-packet Bloom Filters (iBFs) to coalesce acknowledgments from multiple nodes into a single message, reducing the number of acknowledgment packets sent and allowing nodes to efficiently manage their resource usage and battery conservation by configuring timers for message forwarding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If acknowledgement messages are sent by each node individually, then the gateway can verify successful reception from all nodes, but link congestion occurs due to the high volume of concurrent acknowledgment messages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacknowledgement verificationVSAvoidnetwork throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple individual acknowledgement messages from different nodes are merged into a single aggregated acknowledgement message containing a Bloom filter data structure. This combining approach reduces the number of messages transmitted over the network while preserving the ability to verify reception status from all nodes, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliable verification and network throughput.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If individual acknowledgements are required from each node, then transmission success can be confirmed, but resource consumption increases due to the large number of messages sent and processed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission success confirmationVSAvoidnode energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Individual acknowledgement operations are merged into a single aggregated message using a Bloom filter. This reduces the number of transmit and receive operations each node must perform, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining the ability to confirm successful transmission to all nodes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of transmitting individual acknowledgement messages from each node, a compact Bloom filter data structure is created that represents the set of all acknowledgements. This copied representation consumes significantly less energy when transmitted and processed compared to individual messages from each node.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Loss of time

If multiple concurrent acknowledgement messages are transmitted, then all nodes can confirm reception simultaneously, but link congestion is caused due to the volume of messages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacknowledgement confirmation timeVSAvoidnetwork capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Concurrent acknowledgement messages from multiple nodes are merged into a single aggregated message. This eliminates the congestion caused by multiple simultaneous transmissions while maintaining simultaneous confirmation capability, as the Bloom filter efficiently represents all acknowledgements in one message.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Productivity

If acknowledgement aggregation is implemented using Bloom filters, then the number of messages is reduced and link congestion is prevented, but false positives may occur in the acknowledgement verification

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage transmission efficiencyVSAvoidacknowledgement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A Bloom filter provides a space-efficient copied representation of the set of acknowledging nodes. While this copying approach enables message aggregation and improved efficiency, it inherently allows for false positives as a trade-off of using this probabilistic data structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3345353B1Handling of acknowledgement in wireless radio ad-hoc networks

Publication Date: 2021.11.03 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

Figure 1~2b
Figure 3a~7
Figure 6

AI summary

There is provided mechanisms for handling acknowledgements from nodes in a wireless radio ad-hoc network. A method is performed by a gateway of the wireless radio ad-hoc network. The method comprises transmitting radio signalling to nodes in the wireless radio ad-hoc network. The transmitted radio signalling is addressed to, and requiring acknowledgement from, at least one node in the wireless radio ad-hoc network. The method comprises receiving radio signalling from a node in the wireless radio ad-hoc network. The received radio signalling comprises one in-packet Bloom Filter comprising acknowledgement of the transmitted radio signalling from at least one of the nodes.