Proxy Station Relaying for Wireless Network Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless network communication systems face challenges in supporting a large number of stations efficiently, particularly in 'smart grid' applications, leading to increased beacon duration times and channel congestion, which affects channel access delays and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a proxy station that relays uplink and downlink data between an access point and client stations, optimizing medium access scheduling and reducing power consumption by managing tasks such as scheduling and power management, allowing for support of 6000 or more stations per channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If an access point supports a large number of stations (6000 or more), then network coverage and station capacity are improved, but beacon duration time increases and channel congestion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large network into smaller segments by introducing proxy stations that each manage subsets of stations. This segmentation allows the access point to handle fewer stations directly, reducing beacon duration time while maintaining support for 6000 or more stations through distributed proxy management.
Solution Approach 2:
Proxy stations are introduced as intermediary devices between the access point and client stations. These proxies relay communications and manage local station groups, enabling the access point to support large numbers of stations without increasing beacon duration, as proxies handle local management tasks.
2Quantity of substance
If an access point supports a large number of stations (6000 or more), then network coverage is improved, but channel congestion and access delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the network through proxy stations, each proxy manages a smaller group of stations independently. This reduces contention for channel access at the access point level, decreasing channel access delays while maintaining support for 6000 or more stations across the distributed network.
Solution Approach 2:
Proxy stations act as intermediaries that localize communication management. Stations communicate with their designated proxy rather than directly with the access point, reducing channel congestion and access delays at the access point while enabling support for large numbers of stations.
3Reliability
If stations wake for each TIM transmission, then data reception reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Proxy stations serve as intermediaries that consolidate and manage TIM transmissions to groups of stations. Stations wake only for DTIM transmissions from their proxy rather than for every TIM, maintaining data reception reliability through proxy-managed delivery while significantly reducing power consumption by minimizing wake frequency.
Data Source
AI summary
A network including an access point, a client station, and a proxy station. The proxy station is configured to communicate with the access point during a first period. During the first period the proxy station is configured to receive, from the access point, downlink data intended for the client station, and transmit, to the access point, uplink data received from the client station and intended for the access point. The proxy station is further configured to communicate with the client station during a second period. During the second period the proxy station is configured to receive, from the client station, the uplink data intended for the access point, and transmit, to the client station, the downlink data intended for the client station.