Wireless Access Point Bandwidth Pre-allocation for Voice Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless networks face challenges in maintaining high voice quality and bandwidth efficiency for time-sensitive data streams, particularly in infrastructure wireless networks like Q-BSS, due to issues with constant bit rate requirements and bottlenecks in the downlink direction.
Innovation Solution
Pre-allocating dedicated bandwidth into sets of containers for time-sensitive data trains, with each container carrying a fixed amount of payload data, and using a TSDT Scheduler IE in beacon and probe response frames to announce pre-allocated bandwidth, ensuring timely delivery of voice data in both uplink and downlink directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If many small packets are constantly transmitted to maintain constant bit rate for time-sensitive data, then voice quality is maintained, but bandwidth efficiency significantly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple small time-sensitive data packets into a single aggregated downlink frame that contains multiple containers. Each container holds a fixed amount of payload data for different client stations. This combining approach maintains constant bit rate for each call while significantly improving bandwidth efficiency by reducing the number of individual transmissions required.
2Productivity
If a central access point pushes multiple speech frames to multiple client stations, then downlink delivery is achieved, but a bottleneck occurs in the downlink direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the downlink data stream into multiple containers, each assigned to a specific client station. The access point transmits a single aggregated frame containing all containers simultaneously, allowing parallel delivery to multiple clients without sequential processing bottlenecks. This segmentation eliminates the bottleneck while maintaining efficient resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The aggregated downlink frame serves multiple functions simultaneously: it delivers time-sensitive data to multiple client stations in a single transmission, announces pre-allocated bandwidth information through information elements, and maintains constant bit rate for each call. This multi-functionality resolves the bottleneck issue while improving overall system productivity.
3Loss of information
If pre-allocated bandwidth is announced using information elements in beacon and probe response frames, then bandwidth allocation transparency is improved, but frame overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines bandwidth allocation information for multiple client stations into a single information element structure within beacon and probe response frames. This aggregated information element efficiently conveys pre-allocated bandwidth details for multiple containers and clients simultaneously, reducing the total overhead compared to separate information elements for each client while maintaining full transparency of bandwidth allocation.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention include a method and software for pre-allocating bandwidth for time-sensitive data such as voice data, for allocating some of the pre-allocated bandwidth to calls, and for timely delivery of frames that include time-sensitive data such as voice data in both the uplink and downlink direction for calls between an access point, e.g., a quality-assured access point (Q-AP) and one or more of its client stations.