Rateless Code Power Allocation for Adaptive SNR Thresholds

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wireless communication systems face inefficiencies due to the need for design margin to ensure reliability across varying channel conditions, leading to wasted power and suboptimal data rates, as they are not adaptable to changing channel quality.

Innovation Solution

A method for computing power allocation in rateless, error-correcting codes with multiple layers, where each layer experiences a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold, allowing for adaptive power allocation to match instantaneous channel conditions, thereby optimizing data rates without unnecessary power waste.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If design margin is added to ensure reliability across varying channel conditions, then system reliability is improved, but power efficiency deteriorates due to wasted transmitted power when channel quality is good

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidtransmitted power waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic rate adaptation through rateless coding, where the coding rate automatically adjusts based on instantaneous channel conditions. The system transitions from static design margin to dynamic adaptation, allowing the data rate to vary continuously with channel quality, thereby eliminating the need for fixed design margin and reducing power waste during good channel conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the coding rate parameter dynamically based on channel conditions. By using rateless codes, the effective coding rate becomes a variable parameter that adapts to channel quality, rather than being fixed. This parameter change enables the system to achieve high reliability when needed while minimizing power consumption when channel conditions are favorable

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If design margin is added to ensure reliability across varying channel conditions, then system reliability is improved, but data rate efficiency deteriorates as transmitted data rate is lower than channel capacity when channel quality is good

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoiddata rate efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic rate adaptation through rateless coding, where the coding rate automatically adjusts based on instantaneous channel conditions. The system transitions from static design margin to dynamic adaptation, allowing the data rate to vary continuously with channel quality, thereby eliminating the need for fixed design margin and reducing power waste during good channel conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the coding rate parameter dynamically based on channel conditions. By using rateless codes, the effective coding rate becomes a variable parameter that adapts to channel quality, rather than being fixed. This parameter change enables the system to achieve high reliability when needed while minimizing power consumption when channel conditions are favorable

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If conventional error correcting codes are used with fixed coding rate, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to changing channel conditions deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoding system complexityVSAvoidchannel condition adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs rateless codes that serve multiple functions: they provide error correction capability while simultaneously enabling adaptive rate control. The universal rateless coding framework replaces the need for multiple fixed-rate codes, allowing the same coding structure to adapt to various channel conditions through dynamic rate adjustment, thereby improving adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic rate adaptation through rateless coding, where the coding rate automatically adjusts based on instantaneous channel conditions. The system transitions from static design margin to dynamic adaptation, allowing the data rate to vary continuously with channel quality, thereby eliminating the need for fixed design margin and reducing power waste during good channel conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS7869539B2Methods, systems, and computer program products for rateless coding

Publication Date: 2011.01.11 THE MITRE CORPORATION

AI summary

The disclosed methods, systems, and computer-program products for compute a power allocation for a rateless, error-correcting code constructed from a plurality of repeated blocks having a plurality of superimposed layers and having a decoding signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold. A noise threshold for an initial block of the rateless code is determined based on at least the SNR threshold, and a power allocation for each layer of the initial block is then calculated based on the determined noise threshold. The calculated power allocation may ensure that each layer of the initial block experiences the SNR threshold. Power is then allocated to each layer of a block proximate to the initial block such that each layer of the proximate block has an effective SNR equivalent to the SNR threshold. The allocating step for the proximate block is then repeated for each of the plurality of repeated blocks subsequent to the initial block to allocate power to each layer of the plurality of repeated blocks.