Multilink Communication Backoff Control for Fair Wireless Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
The issue of maintaining fairness in access to wireless media is compromised when using a multilink operation with multiple wireless links, as terminals performing multilink operations have a higher probability of acquiring transmission opportunities, leading to unfairness compared to single-link communication.
Innovation Solution
A communication apparatus that transmits signals using multiple wireless links with different random backoff times, where one wireless link uses a first method with a longer expected backoff time and another uses a second method with a shorter expected backoff time, ensuring fairness by adjusting the contention window settings based on the number of wireless links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a terminal uses multilink operation with multiple wireless links, then the communication rate and medium access efficiency are improved, but the fairness in access to wireless media deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the contention window size and random backoff time parameters for multilink terminals. Specifically, the terminal sets a longer random backoff time for at least one wireless link when performing multilink operation, and adjusts the contention window size based on the number of wireless links. This parameter adjustment ensures that multilink terminals do not gain unfair advantage over single-link terminals while still achieving high communication rates through parallel transmission on multiple links.
2Productivity
If a terminal simultaneously transmits data on multiple wireless links, then the medium access efficiency is increased, but the probability of acquiring transmission opportunity becomes unbalanced compared to single-link terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by treating multilink terminals differently from single-link terminals in the medium access mechanism. Specifically, when a terminal performs multilink operation, it sets asymmetric random backoff times for different wireless links (with at least one link having a longer backoff time), and adjusts the contention window size asymmetrically based on the number of active links. This asymmetric treatment balances the overall access probability across different terminal types while allowing efficient parallel transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication apparatus is capable of using a method of transmitting a signal using a plurality of wireless links, based on confirmation that a wireless medium related to one wireless link among the plurality of wireless links varying in frequency channels is idle for a random backoff time determined by a first method, and a method of transmitting a signal using one wireless link, based on confirmation that a wireless medium related to the one wireless link is idle for a random backoff time determined by a second method, wherein an expectation value of the random backoff time determined by the first method is larger than an expectation value of the random backoff time determined by the second method.