Mobile AD-HOC network providing expedited conglomerated broadcast message reply features and related methods

• US 20060126535A1
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sherman, Stephen Guy
• Granted Patent: US 7,468,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A MANET may include a plurality of mobile nodes and wireless communications links therebetween. A given mobile node along a route in the MANET may be for receiving a broadcast message inviting replies from mobile nodes along the route, forwarding the broadcast message to at least one downstream mobile node along the route, and waiting for the at least one downstream mobile node to reply based upon the forwarded broadcast message. Moreover, the given mobile node may also send a reply to the broadcast message at the earlier of either the least one downstream mobile node sending a reply to the forwarded broadcast message or a given reply time expiring.

Claims

1. A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes and wireless communications links therebetween;

a given mobile node along a route in the MANET for

receiving a broadcast message inviting replies from mobile nodes along the route,

forwarding the broadcast message to at least one downstream mobile node along the route,

waiting for said at least one downstream mobile node to reply based upon the forwarded broadcast message, and

sending a reply to the broadcast message at the earlier of either said least one downstream mobile node sending a reply to the forwarded broadcast message or a given reply time expiring.

2. The MANET of claim 1 wherein the reply from said given mobile node comprises a conglomerated reply if said given mobile node has received the reply from said at least one downstream mobile node.

3. The MANET of claim 2 wherein said given mobile node maintains a route cache comprising a plurality of routes to at least one other mobile node in the MANET, and selects a desired route from among the plurality of routes for communications other than the conglomerated reply using round-robin route selection.

4. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said given mobile node determines the given reply time based upon a number of wireless communications links along the route to said at least one downstream mobile node.

5. The MANET of claim 4 wherein said given mobile node further maintains a route cache, and determines the number of wireless communications links along the route to said at least one downstream mobile node based upon the route cache.

6. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said given mobile node monitors communications of at least one neighboring mobile node to determine sending of the reply from said at least one downstream mobile node.

7. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said given mobile node determines duplicate broadcast messages, and discards the duplicate broadcast messages without forwarding to said at least one downstream mobile node.

8. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said given mobile node suspends sending of other messages originated by said given mobile node upon receipt of the broadcast message.

9. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said given mobile node relays other messages originated by other mobile nodes upon receipt of the broadcast message.

10. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said mobile nodes communicate using a dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol.

11. The MANET of claim 1 wherein the broadcast message further comprises a route request for discovering return routes for replies to the forwarded broadcast message.

12. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said given node also requests an acknowledgement receipt of the forwarded broadcast message from said at least one downstream mobile node, and forwards the broadcast message to said at least one downstream mobile node again if the acknowledgement receipt is not received after a duration.

13. The MANET of claim 1 wherein said at least one downstream mobile node sends its reply to the broadcast message to said given mobile node with a suggested reply route, and wherein said given mobile node chooses a desired reply route from among the suggested reply route and at least one alternate route.

14. A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes and wireless communications links therebetween; and

a broadcast source node for broadcasting a broadcast message inviting replies from mobile nodes along a route in the MANET;

a given mobile node along the route for

receiving the broadcast message,

forwarding the broadcast message to at least one downstream mobile node along the route,

waiting for said at least one downstream mobile node to reply based upon the forwarded broadcast message,

determining a given reply time based upon a number of wireless communications links along the route to said at least one downstream mobile node, and

sending a reply to the broadcast message at the earlier of either said least one downstream mobile node sending a reply to the forwarded broadcast message or a given reply time expiring, the reply comprising a conglomerated reply if said given mobile node has received the reply from said at least one downstream mobile node.

15. The MANET of claim 14 wherein said given mobile node further maintains a route cache, and determines the number of wireless communications links along the route to said at least one downstream mobile node based upon the route cache.

16. The MANET of claim 14 wherein said given mobile node monitors communications of at least one neighboring mobile node to determine sending of the reply from said at least one downstream mobile node.

17. The MANET of claim 14 wherein said given mobile node determines duplicate broadcast messages, and discards the duplicate broadcast messages without forwarding to said at least one downstream mobile node.

18. The MANET of claim 14 wherein said given mobile node suspends sending of other messages originated by said given mobile node upon receipt of the broadcast message.

19. The MANET of claim 14 wherein said given mobile node relays other messages originated by other mobile nodes upon receipt of the broadcast message.

20. The MANET of claim 14 wherein said mobile nodes communicate using a dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol.

21. A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes and wireless communications links therebetween;

a given mobile node along a route in the MANET for

receiving a broadcast message inviting replies from mobile nodes along the route,

forwarding the broadcast message to at least one downstream mobile node along the route,

waiting for said at least one downstream mobile node to reply based upon the forwarded broadcast message, and

sending a conglomerated reply to the broadcast message comprising the reply from said at least one downstream mobile node;

said given mobile node maintaining a route cache comprising a plurality of routes to at least one other mobile node in the MANET, and selecting a desired route for communications not including the conglomerated reply from among the plurality of routes using round-robin route selection.

22. The MANET of claim 21 wherein said given mobile node determines duplicate broadcast messages, and discards the duplicate broadcast messages without forwarding to said at least one downstream mobile node.

23. The MANET of claim 21 wherein said given mobile node suspends sending of other messages originated by said given mobile node upon receipt of the broadcast message.

24. The MANET of claim 21 wherein said given mobile node relays other messages originated by other mobile nodes upon receipt of the broadcast message.

25. The MANET of claim 21 wherein said-mobile nodes communicate using a dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol.

26. A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) node for use in a MANET comprising a plurality of mobile nodes and wireless communications links therebetween, said MANET node comprising:

a wireless communications device; and

a controller connected to said wireless communications device for

receiving a broadcast message inviting replies from mobile nodes along a route in the MANET,

forwarding the broadcast message to at least one downstream mobile node along the route,

waiting for the at least one downstream mobile node to reply based upon the forwarded broadcast message, and

sending a reply to the broadcast message at the earlier of either the least one downstream mobile node sending a reply to the forwarded broadcast message or a given reply time expiring.

27. The MANET node of claim 26 wherein said controller sends a conglomerated reply if the reply from the at least one downstream mobile node has been received.

28. The MANET node of claim 26 wherein said controller determines the given reply time based upon a number of wireless communications links along the route between to the at least one downstream mobile node.

29. The MANET node of claim 28 wherein said controller further maintains a route cache, and determines the number of wireless communications links along the route to the at least one downstream mobile node based upon the route cache.

30. The MANET node of claim 26 wherein said controller monitors communications of at least one neighboring mobile node to determine sending of the reply from the at least one downstream mobile node.

31. The MANET node of claim 26 wherein said controller determines duplicate broadcast messages, and discards the duplicate broadcast messages without forwarding to the at least one downstream mobile node.

32. The MANET node of claim 26 wherein said controller suspends sending of other messages originated by said controller upon receipt of the broadcast message.

33. The MANET node of claim 26 wherein said controller relays other messages originated by other mobile nodes upon receipt of the broadcast message.

34. A method for communicating within a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising a plurality of mobile nodes and wireless communications links therebetween, the method comprising:

broadcasting a broadcast message inviting replies from mobile nodes along a route in the MANET; and

at a given mobile node along the route

receiving the broadcast message,

forwarding the broadcast message to at least one downstream mobile node along the route,

waiting for the at least one downstream mobile node to reply based upon the forwarded broadcast message, and

sending a reply to the broadcast message at the earlier of either the at least one downstream mobile node sending a reply to the forwarded broadcast message or a given reply time expiring.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the reply from the given mobile node comprises a conglomerated reply if the given mobile node has received the reply from the at least one downstream mobile node.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising, at the given mobile node, maintaining a route cache comprising a plurality of routes to at least one other mobile node in the MANET, and selecting a desired route from among the plurality of routes for communications other than the conglomerated reply using round-robin route selection.

37. The method of claim 34 further comprising determining the given reply time based upon a number of wireless communications links along the route to the at least one downstream mobile node.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising, at the given mobile node, maintaining a route cache;

and wherein the given mobile node determines the number of wireless communications links along the route to the at least one downstream mobile node based upon the route cache.

39. The method of claim 34 further comprising, at the given node, monitoring communications of at least one neighboring mobile node to determine sending of the reply from the at least one downstream mobile node.

40. The method of claim 34 further comprising, at the given mobile node, determining duplicate broadcast messages, and discarding the duplicate broadcast messages without forwarding to the at least one downstream mobile node.

41. The method of claim 34 further comprising, at the given mobile node, suspending sending of other messages originated by the given mobile node upon receipt of the broadcast message.

42. The method of claim 34 further comprising, at the given mobile node, relaying other messages originated by other mobile nodes upon receipt of the broadcast message.