Multi-network Manager for Wireless Interference Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Interference between multiple wireless networks in industrial settings causes communication delays and increased energy consumption, particularly in battery-powered sensors, as existing automatic channel selection methods are inadequate for frequency-overlapping scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for reducing interference by obtaining and comparing resource schedules of neighboring wireless network managers to identify and resolve conflicts, such as overlapping frequency bands or time slots, and generating new schedules to avoid conflicts, which can involve adjusting frequency hopping seeds or time slot assignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wireless networks operate in overlapping frequency bands, then network deployment flexibility is improved, but interference between networks increases causing communication delays and energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-network manager performs preliminary actions by obtaining resource schedules from multiple wireless networks before conflicts occur, determining potential resource conflicts in advance, and providing new resource schedules proactively to avoid interference. This prevents communication delays and energy waste from retransmissions rather than reacting after interference occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-network manager acts as an intermediary between multiple wireless networks, coordinating their resource schedules to avoid conflicts. It obtains schedules from different networks, analyzes potential conflicts, and provides optimized schedules that resolve interference issues while maintaining deployment flexibility across overlapping frequency bands.
2Reliability
If automatic channel selection scans frequencies to find least interfered channels, then frequency separation effectiveness is improved, but the method cannot handle same frequency usage across multiple access points
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extends resource scheduling from single-dimension frequency separation to multi-dimensional coordination by incorporating time slot assignments and frequency hopping patterns. This allows multiple access points to use the same frequency band simultaneously by assigning them different time slots or hopping sequences, resolving the limitation of traditional ACS while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-network manager changes multiple parameters simultaneously including frequency assignments, time slot allocations, and frequency hopping seeds to optimize resource schedules. This multi-parameter approach enables same frequency usage across networks while avoiding interference through coordinated time and frequency resource management.
3Measurement precision
If resource schedules are obtained and compared to identify conflicts, then interference detection accuracy is improved, but the complexity of coordination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-network manager performs multiple functions within a single coordination system: obtaining resource schedules from multiple networks, determining conflicts, and providing optimized schedules. This universal approach handles frequency conflicts, time slot conflicts, and frequency hopping conflicts through a unified process, managing complexity while maintaining high detection accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for reducing interference between wireless networks for industrial devices. The method includes the steps of: obtaining a first resource schedule of a first wireless network manager; obtaining a second resource schedule of a second wireless network manager; determining whether there are resource conflicts between the first resource schedule and the second resource schedule; and providing, when at least one resource conflict is determined, a new wireless resource schedule for the first wireless network manager to avoid at least part of the determined resource conflicts. A corresponding multi-network manager, system and computer program product are also presented.