Transmission Device Bandwidth Estimation Using Dynamic Packet Sizes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for estimating available bandwidth in communication lines fail to reduce communication load while maintaining high estimation accuracy, as reducing the number of estimation packets can result in the true value of available bandwidth falling outside the search range, leading to degraded accuracy.

Innovation Solution

A transmission device that transmits estimation packets with progressively increasing sizes and stops transmission when a signal indicates an increasing reception interval, allowing the available bandwidth to be estimated based on received packets within the search range.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If the number of estimation packets in a packet train is decreased to reduce communication load, then communication load is reduced, but the true value of available bandwidth may fall outside the search range, degrading estimation accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication loadVSAvoidavailable bandwidth estimation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The packet train is designed with dynamic characteristics where packet sizes progressively increase from small to large, allowing the estimation range to adaptively cover a broader bandwidth spectrum. This dynamic structure enables the system to maintain accurate estimation with fewer packets by strategically varying packet sizes rather than using uniform packets

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameter of packet size within the train, transitioning from small packets to large packets in sequence. This parameter variation allows the estimation to cover different bandwidth ranges efficiently, ensuring the true available bandwidth value falls within the search range even with a reduced number of packets

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If a packet train is transmitted for available bandwidth estimation, then available bandwidth can be estimated, but communication load increases which may cause congestion in narrowband environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavailable bandwidth estimationVSAvoidcommunication load

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses partial action by transmitting only a limited number of packets in the train rather than continuous transmission. The packet train approach sends a finite sequence of packets with increasing sizes, providing sufficient estimation data while avoiding excessive communication load that would cause network congestion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11115306B2Transmission device, available bandwidth estimation device, available bandwidth estimation system, method, and recording medium

Publication Date: 2021.09.07 NEC CORP

AI summary

In order to enable to reduce a communication load while maintaining estimation accuracy of available bandwidth estimation being high, a transmission method includes: transmitting estimation packets, a packet size of each of which successively increases, to an available bandwidth estimation device at equal intervals, and, when receiving a signal indicating that a reception interval between the estimation packets at the available bandwidth estimation device starts to increase, stopping the transmission of the estimation packets.