Tracking traffic in a mobile Ad Hoc network

• US 20030204587A1
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Billhartz, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A mobile ad hoc network includes a plurality of wireless mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the plurality of nodes together. The method of tracking traffic includes each node monitoring traffic communicated between nodes in the network, each node generating traffic information based upon how much traffic is being communicated between various nodes in the network, and each node storing the traffic information in a traffic database. The traffic information may be based upon bandwidth and may include at least one of error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority. Each node may discover and select traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information.

Claims

1. A method for tracking traffic in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of wireless mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the plurality of nodes together, the method comprising:

at each node, monitoring traffic communicated between nodes in the network;

at each node, generating traffic information based upon how much traffic is being communicated between various nodes in the network; and

at each node, storing the traffic information in a traffic database.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the traffic information is based upon bandwidth.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the traffic information includes at least one of error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the traffic database comprises a 1-hop traffic matrix.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein monitoring comprises:

broadcasting a traffic activity query; and

processing replies to the traffic activity query.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein monitoring comprises passively monitoring the traffic between nodes in the network.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising at each node, discovering and selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

at each node, generating traffic destination information based upon how many destinations each of various nodes communicates with in the network; and

at each node, storing the traffic destination information in a destination quantity database.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising at each node, discovering and selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic destination information.

10. A method according to claim 8 further comprising at each node, discovering and selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information and the stored traffic destination information.

11. A method for tracking traffic at a node in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of wireless mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the plurality of nodes together, the method comprising:

monitoring traffic communicated between other nodes in the network;

generating traffic information based upon how much traffic is being communicated between various nodes in the network; and

storing the traffic information in a traffic database.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the traffic information is based upon bandwidth.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the traffic information includes at least one of error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

14. A method according to claim 11 wherein the traffic database comprises a 1-hop traffic matrix.

15. A method according to claim 11 wherein monitoring comprises:

broadcasting a traffic activity query; and

processing replies to the traffic activity query.

16. A method according to claim 11 wherein monitoring comprises passively monitoring the traffic between other nodes in the network.

17. A method according to claim 11 further comprising discovering and selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information.

18. A method according to claim 11 further comprising:

generating traffic destination information based upon how many destinations each of various nodes communicates with in the network; and

storing the traffic destination information in a destination quantity database.

19. A method according to claim 18 further comprising discovering and selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic destination information.

20. A method according to claim 18 further comprising discovering and selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information and the stored traffic destination information.

21. A method for determining routes in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of wireless mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the nodes together, the method comprising:

at each node, monitoring traffic communicated between nodes in the network;

at each node, generating traffic information based upon traffic being communicated between various nodes in the network;

at each node, storing the traffic information in a traffic database;

at each node, processing the traffic information stored in the traffic database to select one of a reactive, proactive and hybrid route discovery process;

at each node, discovering traffic routes with the selected route discovery process, each traffic route comprising a combination of wireless communication links; and

at each node, selecting discovered routes for communication with other nodes.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the traffic information is based upon bandwidth.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the traffic information includes at least one of error rate, end-of-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

24. A method according to claim 21 wherein the traffic database comprises a 1-hop traffic matrix.

25. A method according to claim 21 wherein monitoring comprises:

broadcasting a traffic activity query; and

processing replies to the traffic activity query.

26. A method according to claim 21 wherein monitoring comprises passively monitoring the traffic between nodes in the network.

27. A method according to claim 21 wherein selecting traffic routes comprises each node selecting traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information.

28. A method according to claim 21 further comprising:

at each node, generating traffic destination information based upon how many destinations each of various nodes communicates with in the network; and

at each node, storing the traffic destination information in a destination quantity database.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein processing the traffic information further comprises selecting the route discovery process based upon the traffic destination information stored in the destination quantity database.

30. A method according to claim 28 wherein selecting discovered routes comprises each node selecting discovered routes based upon the stored traffic destination information.

31. A mobile ad hoc network comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes; and

a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the plurality of mobile nodes together;

each mobile node comprising

a communications device to wirelessly and communicate with other nodes of the plurality of nodes via the wireless communication links, and

a controller to route communications via the communications device, and comprising

a traffic monitoring unit to monitor traffic communicated between nodes in the network,

a traffic information generator to generate traffic information based upon how much traffic is being communicated between various nodes in the network, and

a traffic information buffer to store the traffic information in a traffic database.

32. A network according to claim 31 wherein the traffic information is based upon bandwidth.

33. A network according to claim 32 wherein the traffic information includes at least one of error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

34. A network according to claim 31 wherein the traffic database comprises a 1-hop traffic matrix.

35. A network according to claim 31 wherein the traffic monitoring unit broadcasts a traffic activity query, and processes replies to the traffic activity query.

36. A network according to claim 31 wherein the traffic monitoring unit passively monitoring the traffic between nodes in the network.

37. A network according to claim 31 further comprising:

a route discovery unit to discover routing to a destination node based upon the stored traffic information; and

a route selection unit to select traffic routes to the destination node based upon the stored traffic information.

38. A network according to claim 31 wherein the route discovery unit processes the traffic information stored in the traffic database to select one of a reactive, proactive and hybrid route discovery process, and discovers traffic routes with the selected route discovery process, each traffic route comprising a combination of wireless communication links.

39. A network according to claim 31 further comprising:

a traffic destination information generator to generate traffic destination information based upon how many destinations each of various nodes communicates with in the network; and

a destination information buffer to store the traffic destination information in a destination quantity database.

40. A network according to claim 39 further comprising:

a route discovery unit to discover routing to a destination node based upon the stored traffic destination information; and

a route selection unit to select traffic routes to the destination node based upon the stored traffic destination information.

41. A network according to claim 39 further comprising:

a route discovery unit to discover routing to a destination node based upon the stored traffic information and the stored traffic destination information; and

a route selection unit to select traffic routes to the destination node based upon the stored traffic information and the stored traffic destination information.