WLAN Broadcast MCS Selection for Airtime and Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) lack reliable and efficient broadcast capabilities compared to Ethernet networks, leading to inefficient bandwidth and power usage in dense environments with roaming client devices.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a Wireless Local Area Network controller that determines optimal Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS) for broadcast and unicast transmissions to minimize airtime and power consumption, using machine learning to predict client device reception and employing relays for outlier devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If broadcast transmission is used to reach all client devices, then coverage is improved, but spectrum consumption and interference increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the client device population into two groups: those within broadcast range and those requiring unicast. The Access Point determines for each client device whether broadcast or unicast is more efficient, dividing the transmission strategy into selective broadcast segments and targeted unicast segments based on client location and reception conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different transmission quality levels to different client devices. For clients within optimal broadcast range, high-quality broadcast transmission is used. For clients at the edges or in poor reception zones, the system switches to unicast transmission with adjusted MCS parameters, providing locally optimized transmission quality rather than uniform broadcast to all devices.
2Reliability
If higher power levels are used for broadcast transmission, then reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) parameters based on real-time conditions. The Access Point determines optimal MCS for each client device by considering factors like signal strength, client location, and channel conditions, allowing the system to adapt transmission parameters dynamically rather than using fixed high power levels consistently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes transmission parameters (MCS index, power level) based on client device characteristics and reception conditions. The system determines appropriate MCS parameters for each client by evaluating their individual reception capabilities, switching between different parameter sets for broadcast versus unicast transmissions to optimize the reliability-energy tradeoff.
3Use of energy by moving object
If unicast transmission is used for all client devices, then energy efficiency is improved, but transmission time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges broadcast and unicast transmission strategies into a hybrid approach. Instead of using exclusively one method, the system combines broadcast transmission for clients within range with unicast transmission for clients requiring targeted delivery, creating a unified transmission strategy that leverages the advantages of both methods simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The Access Point performs multiple functions by determining for each client device whether broadcast or unicast is more efficient. The system universally applies the same decision-making process to all clients, evaluating individual conditions and selecting the optimal transmission method, making the system adaptable to various client scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
Broadcast energy and spectrum consumption optimization is provided. A computing device determines a corresponding plurality of respective minimum Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCSs) needed to reach each of a respective plurality of client devices associated with the computing device from the computing device at a predetermined power level. Next, an optimal MCS from the plurality of respective minimum MCSs is used to reach a first group of the plurality of client devices via broadcast. Then unicast is used to reach a second group of the plurality of client devices. The optimal MCS is selected to minimize the total amount of airtime used for the broadcast and the unicast.