WiFi Traffic Scheduling via Airtime Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing WiFi connectivity suffers from performance bottlenecks due to varying channel quality, interference, and lack of guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS), leading to unpredictable performance, especially as it becomes the primary shared broadcast link.

Innovation Solution

A transparent proxy system operating at the transport layer that provides guaranteed QoS by scheduling traffic based on airtime and rate allocation, using rate reservation, traffic splitting, and congestion management to prioritize sessions and adjust bandwidth dynamically, ensuring reliable throughput.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If existing commodity routers permit prioritization of sessions, then session prioritization is enabled, but guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) cannot be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesession prioritization capabilityVSAvoidguaranteed Quality of Service

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and allocating airtime quotas to different traffic classes before actual transmission occurs. The system determines airtime allocation based on traffic classification and scheduled transmission times in advance, ensuring QoS guarantees are built into the transmission schedule rather than attempted during real-time prioritization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary scheduling mechanism that sits between the prioritization function and the actual transmission. This intermediary layer uses counters and airtime calculations to mediate between different traffic classes, transforming simple prioritization into guaranteed QoS through controlled airtime allocation and scheduled transmission slots.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If QoS is guaranteed at the physical or link layer, then transmission reliability is improved, but throughput and goodput do not improve due to link layer retransmissions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission reliabilityVSAvoidthroughput and goodput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by scheduling transmissions during periods of favorable channel conditions and allocating sufficient airtime in advance. By predicting channel quality and pre-scheduling transmissions during optimal periods, the system reduces the need for retransmissions while maintaining high throughput, addressing both reliability and productivity simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining persistent scheduled transmission opportunities and keeping counters active across transmission intervals. This continuous scheduling approach prevents idle periods and ensures that reliable transmissions occur consistently without interruption, improving both reliability and overall throughput.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Adaptability or versatility

If WiFi is used as the primary shared broadcast link, then connectivity coverage is improved, but performance becomes unpredictable due to interference and varying channel quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnectivity coverageVSAvoidperformance predictability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting transmission parameters based on traffic classification and channel conditions. The system changes airtime allocation, scheduled transmission times, and counter values according to varying channel quality and interference levels, maintaining predictable performance across different connectivity scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamics by making the scheduling system adaptive to changing channel conditions. The counter mechanism and airtime allocation are dynamically adjusted based on current network state, allowing the system to maintain predictable performance despite varying interference and channel quality while preserving WiFi's connectivity advantages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10687341B2Systems, methods, and media for scheduling traffic of a communication session between an application on a WiFi network and another device

Publication Date: 2020.06.16 THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIV IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

AI summary

Scheduling traffic of a communication session between an application on WiFi and another device, by: receiving traffic of a first session; determining that the traffic belongs to a first classification; determining that a time allocated to the first classification times a second classification airtime is less than or equal to a time allocated to the second classification times a first classification airtime; selecting a counter associated with the first session as being the largest of multiple counters each associated with a different communication session of multiple communication sessions (which include the first session); determining that the traffic of the first session is to be scheduled for transmission to the application over WiFi in response to the counter being determined to be the largest of the plurality of counters; and based on the traffic being determined to be scheduled, increasing the airtime associated with the first classification and decreases the counter.