Wireless Node Polling via Dual PDU and Byte Thresholds

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in managing continuous transmission due to sequence number limitations and memory limitations, leading to data loss and protocol stalling, with current polling mechanisms being inefficient and causing unnecessary signaling.

Innovation Solution

A method and arrangement that count both transmitted data units and bytes, triggering a status report when either threshold is reached, combining these criteria into a single mechanism to avoid unnecessary polling and reduce overhead signaling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If polling is performed frequently to avoid protocol stalling, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional signaling overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotocol stalling avoidanceVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the polling trigger parameters by introducing a byte-based threshold in addition to the traditional PDU-based threshold. The polling mechanism monitors both the number of transmitted PDUs and the number of transmitted bytes, triggering a poll when either threshold is reached. This dual-parameter approach allows the system to adapt polling frequency to actual data volume, avoiding unnecessary polls while preventing protocol stalling, thus improving reliability without excessive signaling overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If the number of transmitted PDUs is increased before polling, then productivity is improved, but loss of information occurs due to sequence number limitations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission throughputVSAvoidsequence number wraparound
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a byte-based threshold parameter to complement the existing PDU-based threshold. By monitoring the actual data volume in bytes, the system can trigger polls based on memory consumption rather than just PDU count. This prevents sequence number wraparound issues by polling before the buffer fills up, while still allowing maximum productivity by transmitting as much data as possible within the byte threshold.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If the buffer size is increased to accommodate more data, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to memory limitations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoutstanding data capacityVSAvoidmemory resource constraints
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes from a fixed buffer size approach to a dynamic threshold-based approach. Instead of increasing buffer size to handle more data, the system sets configurable byte and PDU thresholds that work within existing memory constraints. The polling mechanism is triggered when either threshold is reached, allowing the system to manage outstanding data efficiently without requiring additional memory resources, thus maintaining productivity while respecting device complexity constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3998724B1Method and arrangement in a wireless communication network for requesting a status report
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 UNWIRED PLANET INT LTD
  • EP3998724B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3998724B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3998724B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Method and arrangement in a first node for requesting a status report from a second node. The first node and the second node are both comprised within a wireless communication network. The status report comprises positive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from the first node, to be received by the second node. The first node comprises a first counter configured to count the number of transmitted Protocol Data Units, PDUs, and a second counter configured to count the number of transmitted data bytes. The method and arrangements comprises initialising the first and the second counter to zero, transmitting data to be received by the second node, comparing the value of the first and the second counters with a first threshold limit value and a second threshold limit value and requesting a status report from the second node if any of the threshold limit values is reached or exceeded.