Selection of data to be transmitted between nodes in a network having limited bandwidth

• US 20040017817A1
• Filed: 07/23/2002
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Whitebread, Kenneth Robert, Jameson, Stephen Mitchell, Pridmore, Lori Ann, Mendenhall, Henry Hindle
• Granted Patent: US 7,167,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Communication is provided among plural nodes by a network having finite bandwidth between the nodes. The bandwidth may differ for each direction of propagation. Each node includes a processor for processing locally available data, including data derived locally and available through relatively high-bandwidth paths. When processing at any one of the nodes may be improved by incorporating into the data being processed information which is locally available at another node, at least one node is configured to know (a) the directional bandwidth from itself to the remote node(s) of the system, and (b) also to have knowledge, of the relative improvement to be realized at the first node by incorporation of data of the second node into the processing of the first node. The second node selects portions of its own local data for transmission to the first node which yield large improvement and can be transmitted within the available directional bandwidth. (149)

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information among the nodes of a network defining a directional bandwidth between node pairs, said method including the steps of:

receiving local information at a first node of said network, to thereby define first node local data;

receiving local information at a second node of said network, to thereby define second node local data;

performing processing at said first node on at least a portion of said first node local data to thereby produce first node processed data, which first node processed data is improved by including in the processing at least some of said second node local data;

preloading said second node with a function which represents the value of the improvement to said first node processed data which is gained by the incorporation into said processing at said first node of various elements of said second node local data;

preloading said second node with information relating to an effective directional bandwidth which is at least one of (a) the maximum value of said directional bandwidth from said second node to said first node, (b) the maximum rate at which information can be processed at said first node and (c) the lesser of said maximum value of said directional bandwidth from said second node to said first node and said maximum rate at which information can be processed at said first node;

at said second node, transmitting over said network to said first node that portion of said second node local data which (a) has the greatest value of said function and (b) can be transmitted within said effective directional bandwidth from said second node to said first node.

2. A method for transmitting information among the nodes of a network defining a directional bandwidth between node pairs, said method including the steps of:

receiving local information at a first node of said network, to thereby define first node local data;

receiving local information at a second node of said network, to thereby define second node local data;

performing processing at said first node on at least a portion of said first node local data to thereby produce first node processed data, which first node processed data is improved by including in the processing at least some of said second node local data;

performing processing at said second node on at least a portion of said second node local data to thereby produce second node processed data, which second node processed data is improved by including in the processing at least some of said first node local data;

preloading said first node with a function which represents the value of the improvement to said second node processed data which is gained by the incorporation into said processing at said second node of various elements of said first node local data;

preloading said second node with a function which represents the value of the improvement to said first node processed data which is gained by the incorporation into said processing at said first node of various elements of said second node local data;

preloading said first node with information relating to an effective directional bandwidth which is one of (a) the maximum value of said directional bandwidth from said first node to said second node, (b) the maximum rate at which information can be processed at said second node and (c) the lesser of said maximum value of said directional bandwidth from said first node to said second node and said maximum rate at which information can be processed at said second node;

preloading said second node with information relating to an effective directional bandwidth which is one of (a) the maximum value of said directional bandwidth from said second node to said first node, (b) the maximum rate at which information can be processed at said first node and (c) the lesser of said maximum value of said directional bandwidth from said second node to said first node and said maximum rate at which information can be processed at said first node;

at said first node, transmitting over said network to said second node that portion of said first node local data which (a) has the greatest value of said function and (b) can be transmitted within said effective directional bandwidth from said first node to said second node;

at said second node, transmitting over said network to said first node that portion of said second node local data which (a) has the greatest value of said function and (b) can be transmitted within said effective directional bandwidth from said second node to said first node.