Positional Acknowledgment Indicators for Wireless Bandwidth Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication systems face inefficiencies in outbound bandwidth utilization due to the need for explicit acknowledgments, which consume a significant portion of resources, especially in systems like Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) where control channel capacity is limited.
Innovation Solution
Implementing positional acknowledgment indicators within a single control message on a secondary channel, eliminating the need for separate explicit acknowledgment messages and allowing radio communication devices to determine success or failure based on mapped acknowledgment positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If explicit acknowledgment messages are sent to each subscriber radio, then acknowledgment reliability is improved, but outbound bandwidth utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual acknowledgment messages into a single collective acknowledgment message that serves multiple subscriber radios simultaneously. Instead of sending separate ACK/NAC messages to each subscriber, the system generates one consolidated acknowledgment message containing acknowledgment information for all scheduled subscribers, thereby reducing outbound bandwidth consumption while maintaining acknowledgment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses positional indicators within the collective acknowledgment message to represent acknowledgments for different subscriber radios. Each position in the acknowledgment message corresponds to a specific subscriber radio's data transmission, allowing the system to convey multiple acknowledgment states using a standardized template structure that can be efficiently transmitted.
2Quantity of substance
If separate control channels are added to handle control channel overload, then control channel capacity is improved, but resource utilization for user services deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables a single control channel to serve multiple functions by implementing a collective acknowledgment mechanism that can handle acknowledgments for multiple subscriber radios simultaneously. This multi-functional approach allows the control channel to maintain adequate capacity without requiring additional dedicated control channels, thereby preserving resources for user services while still providing necessary control functionality.
3Loss of information
If full outbound slots are allocated for explicit acknowledgments, then acknowledgment completeness is improved, but data transmission efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a compact acknowledgment message format that includes only the essential acknowledgment information needed for each subscriber radio. Rather than sending complete individual acknowledgment messages for every subscriber, the system uses a partial representation approach where positional indicators and compact coding provide sufficient acknowledgment information with minimal bandwidth consumption, thus preserving more bandwidth for data transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for providing acknowledgment information for radio communication devices in a wireless communication system. A base station receives a plurality of units of data each respectively transmitted by one of a plurality of radio communication devices on one of a plurality of predetermined communication slot positions of a first channel. The base station, in response to receiving the data messages, sends a control message on a communication slot position of a second channel. The control message includes acknowledgment information having a plurality of positional acknowledgment indicators. Each radio communication device receives the control message and uses acknowledgment position mapping information to identify one or more positions within the plurality of positional acknowledgment indicators that contains an acknowledgment to the respective units of data it transmitted on the corresponding predetermined communication slot positions of the first channel.