TID-to-Link Mapping for Non-Collocated APs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication standards, such as IEEE 802.11, face challenges in efficiently mapping traffic identifiers (TIDs) to non-collocated access points (APs) in mesh networks, leading to suboptimal throughput and latency in data transmissions, especially when devices need to associate with multiple APs for better link quality and latency-sensitive or throughput-sensitive packets.
Innovation Solution
The proposal involves allowing devices to associate with multiple non-collocated APs and mapping TIDs to either AP for uplink and downlink transmissions, using modified TID-to-link mapping functions to enable concurrent associations and optimize packet delivery based on latency and throughput requirements, with options including reusing existing functions, extending them, or defining new mapping functions for non-collocated APs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If devices associate with multiple non-collocated APs, then network performance (throughput and latency) is improved, but device complexity and association management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network connection by allowing a non-AP STA to associate with multiple APs simultaneously through different BSSs. Each AP association is managed as a separate entity with its own BSSID, enabling the device to divide traffic across multiple connections rather than managing a single complex association.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the non-AP STA to perform multiple functions by simultaneously associating with multiple APs. The device can handle different traffic types (latency-sensitive and throughput-sensitive packets) through different AP associations, making the device multi-functional in terms of network connection management.
2Productivity
If TID-to-link mapping functions are extended for non-collocated APs, then packet delivery optimization is improved, but mapping function complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing TID-to-AP mapping rules in advance through capability negotiation during the association process. The AP and STA agree on mapping configurations before actual data transmission begins, so that packet routing decisions can be made efficiently without complex real-time calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic TID-to-AP mapping that can be adjusted based on network conditions and traffic requirements. The mapping is not fixed but can be renegotiated and modified, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining manageable complexity through structured negotiation protocols.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple BSSs with different BSSIDs are used for non-collocated APs, then traffic differentiation is improved, but network configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different BSSs to have different characteristics (BSSIDs, AP associations, traffic handling policies) tailored to specific traffic requirements. Each BSS can be optimized locally for its intended purpose (e.g., one BSS for latency-sensitive traffic, another for throughput-sensitive traffic) without affecting the entire network uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses BSSID as an intermediary identifier that mediates between the STA and multiple APs. The BSSID provides a structured way to differentiate and manage multiple associations without requiring complex direct management of each AP connection, simplifying the configuration and management process through this intermediate identifier.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to mapping traffic identifiers to multiple non-collocated access points to which the station device is concurrently associated. A device may identify a frame received from a first access point to which the station device is associated while being associated to a second access point that is not collocated with the first access point; decode a traffic identifier (TID) in the frame, the TID indicative of a type of traffic associated with the frame; and select, based on the TID, either a first communication link to the first access point or a second communication link to the second access point for the type of traffic.