Predictive routing in a mobile ad hoc network

• US 20040218548A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cain, Joseph Bibb, Kennedy, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,382,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• 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 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/06 based on characteristics of available antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/18 based on predicted events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The mobile ad hoc network includes a plurality of wireless mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the nodes together. A method for managing and controlling the discovery and maintenance of routes in the network includes predicting future-needed routes or the need for future communications in the network, and predicting future-network dynamics or topology. Partial and complete routes are discovered along predicted future-needed routes based upon the predicted need for routes and the predicted network dynamics or topology. Route tables are built and updated at each mobile node with a route discovery process to store the partial and complete routes in the network.

Claims

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

predicting future-needed routes in the network, a route comprising a set of wireless communication links and mobile nodes from a source to a destination;

predicting future-network dynamics;

discovering at least partial routes along predicted future-needed routes in the network based upon the predicted future-network dynamics; and

storing the at least partial routes.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein predicting future-network dynamics includes monitoring current-network dynamics.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein complete routes along predicted future-needed routes in the network are also stored.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein discovering at least partial routes along predicted future-needed routes in the network comprises discovering routes from a proxy-source node to a proxy-destination node.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the proxy-source node and proxy-destination node are chosen based upon predicted future stability of links and nodes along predicted future-needed routes.

6. A method according to claim 4 wherein the source node transmits a request to the proxy-source node to establish a partial route from the proxy-source node to the proxy-destination node.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising predicting future stability of links and nodes along predicted future-needed routes including each node predicting and transmitting link and node stability information to other nodes.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the link and node stability information is transmitted to other nodes via replies to route requests.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein future-needed routes are predicted based upon at least one of mission plans, schedules, planned traffic patterns and network management data.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein predicting future-network dynamics comprises predicting future route failure.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein predicting future-network dynamics further comprises predicting future route maintenance.

12. A method for operating a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the mobile nodes together, the method comprising:

predicting a need for future communications between at least two of the plurality of mobile nodes based upon current and historical traffic data;

predicting future-network topology;

discovering routes, including at least one of partial routes and complete routes, based upon the predicted need for future communications and the predicted future-network topology, a route comprising a set of wireless communication links and mobile nodes from a source node to a destination node; and

storing the discovered routes.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein predicting future-network dynamics includes monitoring current-network dynamics.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein discovering partial routes comprises discovering routes from a proxy-source node to a proxy-destination node.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the proxy-source node and proxy-destination node are chosen based upon predicted future stability of links and nodes.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein the source node transmits a request to the proxy-source node to establish a partial route from the proxy-source node to the proxy-destination node.

17. A method according to claim 12 further comprising predicting future stability of links and nodes including predicting and transmitting link and node stability information.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein the link and node stability information is transmitted to other nodes via replies to route requests.

19. A method according to claim 12 wherein the need for future communications is predicted based upon at least one of mission plans, schedules, planned traffic patterns and network management data.

20. A method according to claim 12 wherein predicting future-network topology comprises predicting future-network dynamics including future route-failure and future route-maintenance.

21. A mobile ad hoc network comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes;

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

each mobile node comprising

a communications device to wirelessly 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 route-need predictor to predict a need for future communications between at least two of the plurality of mobile nodes,

a topology predictor to predict future-network topology,

route tables to define partial and complete routes in the network, a route comprising a set of wireless communication links and mobile nodes from a source node to a destination node, and

a route discovery module to discover routes, including at least one of partial and complete routes, based upon the need for future communications and the predicted future-network topology, and to update the route tables.

22. The network according to claim 21 wherein the route discovery module discovers routes from a proxy-source node to a proxy-destination node.

23. The network according to claim 22 wherein the proxy-source node and proxy-destination node are chosen based upon predicted future-network topology.

24. The network according to claim 22 wherein the route discovery module transmits a request to the proxy-source node to establish a partial route from the proxy-source node to the proxy-destination node.

25. The network according to claim 21 wherein the topology predictor predicts and transmits link and node stability information to other nodes.

26. The network according to claim 25 wherein the link and node stability information is transmitted to other nodes via replies to route requests.

27. The network according to claim 21 wherein the topology predictor predicts future route failure and future route maintenance.

28. The network according to claim 21 wherein the route-need predictor predicts the need for future communications based upon at least one of mission plans, schedules, planned traffic patterns and network management data.

29. A wireless mobile node for use in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of mobile nodes, and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the mobile nodes together, the wireless mobile node comprising:

a communications device to wirelessly 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 route-need predictor to predict a need for future communications to another node of the plurality of mobile nodes,

a topology predictor to predict future-network topology,

route tables to define partial and complete routes in the network, a route comprising a set of wireless communication links and mobile nodes to a destination node, and

a route discovery module to discover routes, including at least one of partial and complete routes, based upon the need for future communications and the predicted future-network topology, and to update the route tables.

30. The wireless mobile node according to claim 29 wherein the route discovery module discovers routes from a proxy-source node to a proxy-destination node.

31. The wireless mobile node according to claim 30 wherein the proxy-source node and proxy-destination node are chosen based upon predicted future-network topology.

32. The wireless mobile node according to claim 30 wherein the route discovery module transmits a request to the proxy-source node to establish a partial route from the proxy-source node to the proxy-destination node.

33. The wireless mobile node according to claim 29 wherein the topology predictor predicts and transmits link and node stability information to other nodes.

34. The wireless mobile node according to claim 33 wherein the link and node stability information is transmitted to other nodes via replies to route requests.

35. The wireless mobile node according to claim 29 wherein the topology predictor predicts future route-failure and future route-maintenance.

36. The wireless mobile node according to claim 29 wherein the route-need predictor predicts the need for future communications based upon at least one of mission plans, schedules, planned traffic patterns and network management data.