CONGESTION MANAGEMENT IN AN AD-HOC NETWORK BASED UPON A PREDICTED INFORMATION UTILITY

• US 20080002573A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Liu, Juan, Huang, Qingfeng, Greene, Daniel H., Reich, James E., Mosko, Marc E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2458 Modification of priorities while in transit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of managing traffic in an ad hoc network determines local data traffic levels at a node, and uses the local data traffic levels to define a criteria. The criteria is applied to a microutility associated with the data sample to determine if the data sample should be propagated, temporarily delayed or dropped.

Claims

1. A method of managing traffic in an ad hoc network, comprising:

determining local data traffic levels at a node;

using the local data traffic levels to define a criteria; and

applying the criteria to a microutility associated with the data sample to determine if the data sample should be one of propagated, temporarily delayed or dropped.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the local data traffic levels to define the criteria further comprises using the local data traffic levels to define a threshold such that data samples having an associated microutility below the threshold will be either discarded or temporarily delayed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the local data traffic levels further comprises using the local data traffic levels and at least one system characteristic.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the system characteristic is available battery power at a mobile node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises determining local data traffic levels at the node and neighboring nodes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises exchanging information with neighboring nodes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein exchanging information with neighboring nodes further comprise authenticating information exchanged with neighboring nodes.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein exchanging information with neighboring nodes further comprises one of exchanging information out of band or through explicit management packets.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein exchanging information with neighboring nodes further comprises updating a central repository.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein exchanging information with neighboring nodes further comprises exchanging recent histories of microutilities by one of data packets, explicit management packets, or updating a central repository.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic further comprises measuring queue length at the node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises measuring historic queue lengths where recent queue lengths have a larger effect than less recent queue lengths.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises measuring a local queue delay.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises measuring historic local queue lengths, where recent queue lengths have a larger effect than less recent queue lengths.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises measuring packet-size weighted queue length.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises measuring historic packet-size weighted queue lengths, where recent queue lengths have a larger effect than less recent queue lengths.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local data traffic levels further comprises retrieving a neighbor congestion measure from a data packet received from a neighboring node and combining the neighbor congestion measure with a local congestion measure.

18. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising including information about local data traffic levels in outgoing transmissions.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein using the local data traffic levels to define a criteria further comprise using the microutilities of recently received data samples to determine the criteria.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein using the microutilities of recently received data samples further comprises using the microutilities to rescale the microutility of the data sample before the criteria is applied.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local traffic levels further comprises using a different measure of local traffic levels over time.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local traffic levels further comprises using an area traffic summary.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein determining local traffic levels further comprises using an extended view of traffic.

24. An article of computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

determine local data traffic levels at a node;

use the local data traffic levels to define a criteria; and

apply the criteria to a microutility associated with the data sample to determine if the data sample should be one of propagated, temporarily delayed or dropped.

25. The article of claim 24, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to use the local data traffic levels to define the criteria further causes the computer to define a threshold such that data samples having an associated microutility below the threshold will be either discarded or temporarily delayed.

26. The article of claim 24, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to use the local data traffic levels to define the criteria further causes the computer to use the local data traffic levels and at least one system characteristic.

27. The article of claim 24, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to determine the local data traffic levels further comprises determining local data traffic levels at the node and neighboring nodes.

28. The article of claim 24, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to determine the local data traffic levels further causes the computer to measure one of:

queue length at the node, a local queue delay, or a packet-size weighted queue length.

29. The article of claim 24, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to determine the local data traffic levels further cause the computer to determine one of:

a different measure of local traffic levels over time, an area traffic summary, or an extended view of traffic.

30. A node in a computer network, comprising:

a port to determine local data traffic levels at a node; and

a processor to;

use the local data traffic levels to define a criteria; and

apply the criteria to a microutility associated with the data sample to determine if the data sample should be one of propagated, temporarily delayed or dropped.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the processor to use the local data traffic levels to define the criteria further comprises the processor to use the local data traffic levels to define a threshold such that data samples having an associated microutility below the threshold will be either discarded or temporarily delayed.