Wireless Error Concealment Using Redundant Slot Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data transmission systems in wireless telephone systems face challenges in protecting signals from corruption due to noise, which produces different error patterns, and underutilization of available bandwidth, making it difficult to effectively mitigate both random and bursty errors.

Innovation Solution

The error concealment system allocates redundant timeslots in a digital wireless system to transmit multiple copies of data, calculates quality scores for each timeslot and audio segment, and selects the highest quality segment for output, ensuring reliable data transmission even in the presence of errors, thereby utilizing unused bandwidth efficiently.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital error detection and correction techniques are used, then transmission errors can be mitigated, but it is hard to protect against both random and bursty errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror protection capabilityVSAvoidability to handle different error patterns
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts its error handling approach based on the detected error pattern. When burst errors are detected, the system switches to using redundant timeslots for error correction. When random errors occur, it uses conventional error detection methods. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to effectively handle both random and bursty errors without a single fixed approach

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters based on error conditions. It monitors error patterns and adjusts the use of redundant timeslots accordingly. When burst errors are detected, the system activates redundant timeslot usage with a threshold criterion (e.g., requiring a minimum number of matching bits), while for random errors it relies on standard error detection. This parameter change enables versatile error protection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If unused bandwidth is allocated for redundant data transmission, then error mitigation capability improves, but transmission resource utilization increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror mitigation capabilityVSAvoidbandwidth consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of always using full redundant timeslots or no redundancy, the system applies partial redundancy based on actual error conditions. It uses the threshold criterion to determine whether redundant timeslots should be activated, and only consumes the bandwidth necessary for error correction when errors are actually present. This partial action approach optimizes the balance between reliability and bandwidth consumption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the available unused bandwidth resources to serve its own error correction needs. By allocating redundant timeslots from the already underutilized bandwidth, the system self-provides error mitigation capability without requiring additional external resources. The redundant data is transmitted using the existing unused spectral resources, turning wasted bandwidth into a protective resource

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If multiple redundant copies of data are transmitted, then error concealment effectiveness improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror concealment effectivenessVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the error correction process into distinct stages: error pattern detection, threshold evaluation, and selective reconstruction. By dividing the complex task of handling multiple redundant copies into manageable segments, the processing complexity is reduced. The system processes each timeslot independently through these segmented stages, making the overall complex system more manageable and implementable

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses simple copying of data to redundant timeslots rather than complex encoding schemes. The redundant copies are created by directly copying the original data, and error concealment is achieved by comparing these copies and selecting the valid one based on the threshold criterion. This copying approach is simpler than traditional error correction codes while maintaining effectiveness against burst errors

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS8184536B2Apparatus and method for error concealment for a digital wireless phone
Publication Date: 2012.05.22 BEKEN CORP

AI summary

When there are unused data slots available, a system allocates redundant slots in a data frame to a single mobile unit. A receiving device calculates a quality of slot (QoS) score for each slot that it receives data for. After the QoS score is calculated, the system calculates a Quality of Audio Segment (QoAS) score for each individual segment. It does so by comparing the individual audio segments that were received. Segments that are identical are assigned a positive score, while segments that differ get no score. The QoAS for each segment is added to the QoS for the slot the segment was transmitted in to generate the total score. The system then chooses the segment with the highest total score. If the total score is above a specified threshold, the system outputs the segment to the next component. Otherwise, it outputs a mute segment.