Triggered Wireless Access Protocol for WLAN Channel Utilization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless local area networks (WLANs) face inefficiencies and increased energy consumption due to contention-based channel access methods, particularly with the introduction of trigger-based access and multi-user transmission, which can lead to reduced data bandwidth, increased energy use, and incompatibility with legacy devices.
Innovation Solution
An access point transmits a trigger frame to electronic devices in an ordered list, allowing them to transmit frames of varying lengths and data rates, with optional explicit triggering and block acknowledgments, ensuring efficient channel utilization and compatibility with IEEE 802.11 standards, including legacy devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If trigger-based access and multi-user transmission are used, then contention for channel access is reduced and communication performance is improved, but energy consumption of electronic devices increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multi-user transmission into sequential single-user transmissions by maintaining an ordered list of electronic devices. Each device transmits individually in sequence rather than simultaneously, allowing the access point to manage channel access more efficiently and reduce overall energy consumption while maintaining improved communication performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic channel access management where the access point maintains an ordered list of electronic devices and dynamically assigns transmission opportunities. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to varying traffic conditions and device states, optimizing energy usage while maintaining productivity improvements.
2Productivity
If trigger-based access with N electronic devices sharing a channel is used, then contention is reduced, but average data bandwidth per device is reduced by a factor of N and energy required increases by a factor of N
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the channel sharing mechanism into sequential access based on an ordered list. Instead of N devices simultaneously sharing the channel (reducing bandwidth per device by factor of N), devices transmit sequentially in the ordered list, allowing each device to utilize the full channel bandwidth during its turn while still reducing overall contention.
3Extent of automation
If trigger-based access and multi-user transmission are implemented, then channel access control is improved, but the approach is not backwards compatible with legacy electronic devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal channel access mechanism where the access point maintains an ordered list of electronic devices and can trigger transmissions for any device in the list. This multi-functional approach allows the system to work with both legacy devices (using traditional trigger-based access) and modern devices (using ordered list-based sequential access), ensuring backwards compatibility while maintaining automated channel access control.
4Device complexity
If fully distributed channel access is used, then access point complexity is reduced and network deployment is simpler, but coordination across multiple electronic devices becomes challenging and collision-free periods may fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing an ordered list of electronic devices before channel access occurs. This preliminary organization allows simple distributed access points to coordinate transmissions reliably without complex real-time coordination mechanisms, as the transmission order is predetermined in the ordered list.
Data Source
AI summary
An access point transmits a trigger frame to a set of electronic devices in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The access point receives, from one or more electronic devices in a set of electronic devices, one or more requests to send data. In response, the access point transmits the trigger frame, which includes information specifying an ordered list of electronic devices in the set of electronic devices that are allowed to transmit. Subsequently, the access point sequentially receives one or more frames from the ordered list of electronic devices. After receiving a frame from the last electronic device in the ordered list of electronic devices or after an unused transmit opportunity of the last electronic device in the ordered list of electronic devices, the access point transmits a block acknowledgment to the ordered list of electronic devices.