Wireless Device Performance Metric Sharing for Connectivity Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the complexity of wireless communication devices (WCDs) increases with advanced software and hardware modules, they often face connectivity issues with wireless communication networks, leading to performance problems and rapid battery drain, which can frustrate users and degrade the overall experience.
Innovation Solution
WCDs share relevant performance-metric data with nearby devices having similar configurations via a direct wireless link, allowing them to proactively avoid performance issues by comparing configurations and sharing data on air-interface quality, battery power, and module performance, enabling informed adjustments to enhance user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If WCDs include advanced software and hardware modules to increase capabilities, then device functionality and sophistication are improved, but connectivity problems and performance issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where WCDs share performance-metric data (connectivity metrics, battery metrics, air-interface quality) with nearby similarly-configured devices via direct wireless links. This feedback loop allows devices to learn from each other's experiences and proactively adjust configurations to avoid known problematic states, thereby improving connectivity reliability while maintaining advanced capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively identifying and avoiding problematic configurations before they cause failures. By sharing performance metrics and comparing configurations with other devices, the system can detect potential issues early and adjust settings in advance to prevent connectivity problems and battery drain, rather than reacting after failures occur
2Reliability
If WCDs monitor and share performance-metric data with nearby devices, then connectivity reliability and battery efficiency are improved, but device complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing performance metric sharing only among nearby WCDs with similar configurations that are within direct wireless communication range. This localized approach reduces the complexity burden on individual devices while maintaining reliability benefits, as each device only needs to communicate with a small subset of similarly-configured neighbors rather than all devices in the network
Data Source
AI summary
Presently disclosed are systems and methods for wireless communication devices (WCDs) to share relevant performance-metric data with nearby devices having similar configurations. One embodiment takes the form of a method carried out by a WCD. The method includes receiving into a first WCD from a second WCD, via a direct wireless link between the WCDs, data indicating a configuration of the second WCD. The method also includes making a determination as to whether the configuration of the second WCD is at least threshold similar to the configuration of the first WCD and, if so, sharing with the second WCD, via the direct wireless link, performance-metric data for the wireless communication network.