Vehicle Network Access Point Buffering for Data Stream Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transportation vehicle users experience interruptions in data streams and downloads due to unstable cellular network connections, as internal buffer memories are insufficient to handle prolonged low data rates or connection losses, leading to frustrating breaks in music or video streams and downloads.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a network access point in the vehicle that establishes two separate connections to a server, allowing it to proactively request and buffer data subsets independently of the user terminal's application, ensuring continuous data availability even during low data rates or connection losses, and utilizing a larger buffer memory to optimize high-rate connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If internal buffer memories are used in user terminals, then data streams can be buffered locally, but the buffer size is too small to handle prolonged low data rates or connection losses
Solution Approach 1:
The network access point acts as an intermediary between the server and user terminals, providing buffer memory functionality at the network level rather than at the user terminal level. This mediator approach allows large buffer capacities to be available to multiple users simultaneously without requiring each user terminal to have large local buffers.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the buffering function from the user terminal dimension to the network access point dimension. By implementing buffer memory at the network access point, the system transitions from individual user-terminal-based buffering to network-level buffering, effectively increasing available buffer capacity without increasing local device memory.
2Reliability
If the network access point proactively requests and buffers data subsets, then data availability is improved during low data rates, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network access point performs preliminary actions by proactively requesting data subsets from the server before the user terminal actually needs them. This advance data retrieval and buffering allows the system to prepare data during periods of high network availability, ensuring data is ready for immediate delivery when network conditions deteriorate.
Solution Approach 2:
The network access point serves as an intelligent intermediary that manages the complexity of proactive data requests, buffering decisions, and data delivery coordination. This mediator handles the computational and control complexity centrally, preventing user terminals from needing complex buffering logic while still achieving reliable data delivery.
3Reliability
If buffer memory is implemented at the network access point, then interruptions in data streams are prevented, but the loss of time for data management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network access point maintains continuous data buffering operations, keeping data subsets ready in the buffer memory without interruption. This continuous buffering action ensures that data is always available for immediate transmission to user terminals, eliminating gaps or interruptions in data stream delivery even when network conditions fluctuate.
Solution Approach 2:
Data is buffered in advance before it is needed by user terminals. By performing preliminary data retrieval and storage at the network access point during periods of good network connectivity, the system eliminates the need for real-time data management during playback, reducing the perceived time loss for end users.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for an application executed on a user terminal to retrieve a data stream from a server including a network access point in a transportation vehicle to receive a request from the application to the server to set up a connection between the application and the server, set up a first connection between the network access point and the application, and set up a second connection between the network access point and the server. The network access point requests and receives a first subset of the data stream from the server via the second connection and stores the first subset in a buffer store of the network access point. The network access point receives a request from the application to the server to send a second subset of the data stream to the application. The method sends the second subset of the data stream via the first connection.