Playback Device Wi-Fi Startup Scanning for Faster Time to Music
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing playback devices, particularly portable ones, take an unacceptably long time to start playing audio content after being powered on, due to sequential execution of initialization operations, which negatively impacts user experience.
Innovation Solution
Performing certain initialization operations in parallel, such as scanning for wireless networks while initializing the wireless network interface and deferring others that require an IP address, to reduce the time needed to establish a wireless connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If initialization operations are performed sequentially, then the device ensures reliable network connection establishment, but the time to music becomes unacceptably long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs network scanning before the wireless network interface is fully initialized and before an IP address is assigned. By executing the scan operation in advance during the initialization process rather than waiting for completion of prerequisite steps, the device reduces the total time to music while ensuring the scan still obtains accurate network information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the initialization process into separate parallel operations: network interface initialization, network scanning, and IP address assignment. These previously sequential steps are segmented and executed concurrently, with the network scan performed independently during the initialization phase, thereby reducing the critical path time without compromising connection reliability.
2Loss of time
If network scanning is performed before wireless network interface initialization is complete, then time to music is reduced, but connection reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The network scan is performed as a preliminary action during the wireless network interface initialization process, before the interface is fully ready and before IP address assignment. This timing allows the scan to capture available networks while the interface is becoming operational, reducing total time while the subsequent completion of initialization ensures reliable connection establishment.
Data Source
AI summary
An example playback device is configured to detect an input indicating a command to power up the playback device and, based on the input, begin initialization of a wireless network interface. After beginning initialization of the wireless network interface but before the playback device is capable of establishing a connection to at least one wireless network type via the wireless network interface, the playback device causes the wireless network interface to scan for available wireless networks of the at least one wireless network type. The playback device identifies at least one available wireless network and stores an indication of the at least one available wireless network. After the playback device is capable of establishing a connection, the playback device uses the stored indication of the at least one available wireless network to establish a connection to a given wireless network of the at least one available wireless network.