Powerline Network Beacon Scheduling for Resource Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Power line networks face challenges in managing and coordinating devices due to varying transmission characteristics, leading to issues with throughput, Quality of Service (QoS), authentication, and resource sharing in home networking environments.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that employs a central coordinator to transmit a beacon at specific intervals of the power line cycle, incorporating a persistent and non-persistent schedule within the beacon, allowing flexible resource allocation and management in a powerline network, ensuring reliable communication and efficient resource utilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a centralized scheduling system is implemented to manage power line network resources, then resource allocation efficiency and QoS improve, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource allocation efficiencyVSAvoidscheduling system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The scheduling system is segmented into two distinct schedules: a persistent schedule for stable, long-term resource allocations and a non-persistent schedule for dynamic, short-term allocations. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by handling different resource management needs separately, improving overall efficiency while keeping individual schedule components simpler.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically switches between persistent and non-persistent schedules based on network conditions and device requirements. The non-persistent schedule can be activated when rapid adaptation is needed, while the persistent schedule is used for stable conditions, allowing the system to optimize between complexity and efficiency based on current operational context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the beacon transmission interval is reduced to improve network responsiveness, then QoS improves, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork responsivenessVSAvoidcoordinator power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The beacon is transmitted periodically at intervals synchronized with the power line cycle, creating a rhythmic communication pattern that balances responsiveness with energy efficiency. This periodic transmission allows devices to wake up, receive updates, and go back to sleep mode, optimizing the trade-off between network responsiveness and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the beacon transmission parameter by aligning it with the power line cycle frequency, using the natural periodicity of the power infrastructure to determine communication intervals. This parameter change leverages the existing power cycle rhythm to reduce unnecessary transmissions while maintaining adequate network responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If power line frequency is used for timing to reduce synchronization complexity, then ease of operation improves, but transmission accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesynchronization simplicityVSAvoidtiming accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The power line cycle serves as an intermediary timing mechanism that translates the stable power frequency into network synchronization signals. By using the power line cycle as a mediator between the power infrastructure and network timing, the system achieves ease of operation through simple frequency alignment while maintaining sufficient timing accuracy for practical network operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8553706B2Flexible scheduling of resources in a noisy environment

Publication Date: 2013.10.08 QUALCOMM ATHEROS INC

AI summary

There is provided a powerline network that includes a number of stations including a central coordinator for coordinating transmissions of each of the stations. The central coordinator is configurable to transmit a beacon at an interval based on a phase of a powerline cycle. The interval of the beacon can be substantially equal to two periods of the powerline cycle. The interval of the beacon includes a reserved region including a persistent allocation region and a non-persistent allocation region. The beacon also includes a broadcast message including a persistent schedule and a non-persistent schedule. The persistent schedule is valid for a current beacon period and a number of subsequent beacon periods as indicated by the beacon, while the non-persistent schedule is valid for a single beacon period. The persistent allocation region and the non-persistent allocation region are determined based on the persistent schedule and the non-persistent schedule, respectively.