Wireless Route Switching for 60 GHz Communication Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, especially in the 60 GHz band, data transmission is prone to interruptions due to obstacles or moving objects, leading to communication disconnections, even though the interruptions are temporary, causing significant issues due to high-speed data exchange, and existing methods that use multiple routes require heavy information insertion in MAC headers and high power consumption for beam switching.
Innovation Solution
A data transmitting and receiving apparatus and method that utilizes a relay device to establish and switch between direct and alternative communication routes, including route setting, verification, and selection, to ensure continuous data exchange with reduced power consumption, particularly suitable for delay-sensitive applications like video streaming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple routes are used to ensure continuous communication, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to route verification and switching mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing multiple communication routes (direct route and relay route) before communication interruption occurs. The route setting unit configures both routes in advance, and the route verifying unit checks their availability beforehand, so that when interruption happens, the system can immediately switch to the pre-prepared alternative route without complex real-time decision-making
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a relay device as an intermediary to provide an alternative communication route. When the direct route is interrupted, data can be transmitted through the relay device which forwards packets between stations. This intermediary approach simplifies route management by providing a dedicated backup path without requiring complex multi-hop routing algorithms
2Adaptability or versatility
If beam switching is performed to change communication routes, then adaptability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing route verification at specific intervals rather than continuously monitoring and switching beams. The route verifying unit checks route availability periodically, and the route selecting unit switches routes based on verification results at these periodic intervals, reducing the frequency of beam switching operations and associated power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the route verification and selection functions as separate dedicated units (route verifying unit and route selecting unit) that operate independently from the main data transmission path. This allows the system to maintain simple beam configurations for most of the time while only activating route switching mechanisms when verification indicates a problem, thereby reducing overall power consumption
3Reliability
If route information is inserted in every data frame, then reliability is improved, but loss of information increases due to MAC header overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments route information into two parts: route identification information that is inserted in every data frame MAC header for immediate recognition, and detailed route verification information that is transmitted separately through control messages. This segmentation allows the data frames to carry only essential route identifiers, minimizing overhead while maintaining reliable route identification
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the route verification mechanism universal by using the same verification approach for both direct routes and relay routes. The route verifying unit applies consistent verification procedures regardless of route type, and the MAC header format accommodates different route types through universal field structures, reducing the need for route-specific information overhead
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for transmitting and receiving data of a station includes setting a direct route to a corresponding station and a relay route to a relay device, selecting one route as between the direct route and relay route, and transmitting and receiving data through the selected route. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may store a program including instructions to cause a computer to perform the method. The setting may be performed by a processor and the transmitting and receiving may be performed respectively by a transmitter and a receiver.