Determination of multicast and coding rate

• US 10,292,097 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2018
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Ponnuswamy, Subbu
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US15/863,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20180146423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, wireless spectrum and battery power conservation is achieved through an adaptable multicast group communication scheme. This involves a method for controlling the multicast transmission rate based on a first operation of receiving information from a multicast receiving device that is a member of a multicast group. Based on this information and potentially other information from other member devices, the modulation and coding rate for the multicast group is altered.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

granting, by a network device, a request from a first device to join a particular multicast group;

receiving, by the network device from the first device, a first modulation and coding rate;

selecting, by the network device, a second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the first modulation and coding rate received from the first device;

receiving, by the network device, feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) are received by the first device;

estimating, by the network device, a frame loss for the first device based at least on the feedback information; and

adjusting, by the network device, the second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the frame loss for the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second modulation and coding rate is selected to be above a particular threshold; and

the particular threshold is based on a provisioning limit for the particular multicast group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third modulation and coding rate from the first device, wherein the third modulation and coding rate is different from the first modulation and coding rate; and

selecting the second modulation and coding rate based on both the first modulation and coding rate and the third modulation and coding rate.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group by adjusting a third modulation and coding rate of the particular multicast group, wherein the third modulation and coding rate was used prior to receipt of the first modulation and coding rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first modulation and coding rate is different than the second modulation and coding rate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first modulation and coding rate is a highest modulation and coding rate at which the first device can reliably receive multicast frames.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) are received by a second device, the second feedback information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

estimating a second frame loss for the second device based at least on the second feedback information; and

determining a new modulating and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the first frame loss and the second frame loss.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first feedback information comprises an identification of data received by the first device, and wherein the second feedback information comprises an identification of data received by the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feedback information comprises at least one of:

a measurement start time;

a measurement duration;

a multicast Media Access Control (MAC) address;

a multicast reporting reason;

a multicast count;

a first sequence number;

a last sequence number; and

a multicast rate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feedback information comprises:

a plurality of sequence numbers within medium access control (MAC) headers of a first multicast frame; and

a last multicast frame received by the first device during a predetermined period of time after granting the request from the first device.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, based on the first feedback information and the second feedback information, whether a secondary multicast group is to be created, wherein the secondary multicast group is a sub-group of the particular multicast group;

creating the secondary multicast group in response to determining that the second multicast group is to be created; and

adjusting a modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based on the first feedback information and the second feedback information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein membership of the secondary multicast group is based at least in part on a power save configuration of the first device and second device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein membership of the secondary multicast group is based at least in part on an antenna configuration of the first device or second device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein membership of the secondary multicast group is based at least in part on a physical layer transmission rate limit of the first device or second device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein membership of the secondary multicast group is based at least in part on a beamforming configuration of the first device and second device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, from the first device, a request to change the first modulating and coding rate after joining the particular multicast group; and

granting, by the network device, the request by assigning the first device to the secondary multicast group that is a subgroup of the particular multicast group.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically transmitting, by the network device, a request for multicast reception status from members of the particular multicast group; and

receiving, by the network device, a response including the multicast reception status corresponding to the first device in response to the request.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feedback information comprises a plurality of sequence numbers within media access control (MAC) headers of a first multicast frame and a last multicast frame received by the first device during a predetermined period of time after granting the request from the first device.