Methods and Apparatus for Efficient and Adaptive Transmission of Data in Data Collection Networks

• US 20090046739A1
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jerome, William Francis, Mohomed, Iqbal I., Ebling, Maria Rene, Misra, Archan
• Granted Patent: US 9,109,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals

Abstract

Methods and apparatus of adaptively transmitting data are provided. Data for transmission from one or more incoming data streams is determined in accordance with at least one characteristic of a respective one of the one or more data streams and at least one context external of the data stream. A compression technique for the data and a transmission strategy for the data are modified in accordance with the data determined for transmission.

Claims

1. A method of adaptively transmitting data comprising the steps of:

determining data for transmission from one or more incoming data streams in accordance with at least one characteristic of a respective one of the one or more incoming data streams and at least one context external of the data stream; and

modifying a compression technique for the data and a transmission strategy for the data in accordance with the data determined for transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of compressing the data for transmission in accordance with the compression technique.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of caching or transmitting the data for transmission in accordance with the transmission strategy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of determining data for transmission, the data comprises at least one of a portion of data from the data stream, one or more transformations applied to the data stream, and a statistical summary derived from the data stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of determining data for transmission, the at least one context is associated with monitoring the data stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of determining data for transmission, the at least one context comprises at least one of applications interested in the data, ranges of interest for applications, and time constraints associated with data reception.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining data for transmission comprises the steps of:

computing a modification to the data stream through a rule engine to generate data for transmission; and

computing meta data used to modify the compression technique and the transmission strategy through the rule engine.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of modifying the compression technique is performed in accordance with the modification to the data stream by the rule engine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying the compression technique and the transmission strategy comprises the step of determining a transmission strategy in accordance with a connectivity probability vector and a data generation probability vector.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of determining a transmission strategy comprises the step of learning probabilities for attributes of at least one of connectivity and data generation behavior at future instants from past patterns of connectivity and data generation behavior exhibited by one or more devices in accordance with an externally provided function

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of modifying the compression technique and the transmission strategy further comprises the step of deciding to transmit or cache the data for transmission.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of modifying the compression technique and the transmission strategy further comprises the step of using the connectivity probability vector and the data generation probability vector to determine a transmission strategy using a finite horizon decision tree formulation, wherein a set of possible outcomes and associated costs are computed to a specified depth and a least cost feasible path is selected.

13. The method of claim 9) wherein, in the step of modifying the compression technique and the transmission strategy, the determination of the transmission strategy accounts for at least one of constraints on storage resources and cost and link qualities.

14. Apparatus for adaptively transmitting data, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

(i) determine data for transmission from an incoming data stream in accordance with at least one characteristic of the data stream and at least one context external to the data stream; and

(ii) modify a compression technique for the data and a transmission strategy for the data in accordance with the data determined for transmission.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to compress the data for transmission in accordance with the compression technique.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to cache or transmit the data for transmission in accordance with the transmission strategy.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the operation of determining data for transmission comprises the steps of:

computing a modification to the data stream through a rule engine to generate data for transmission; and

computing meta data used to modify the compression technique and the transmission strategy through the rule engine.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operation of modifying the compression technique is performed in accordance with the modification to the data stream by the rule engine.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operation of modifying the compression technique and the transmission strategy comprises the step of determining a transmission strategy in accordance with a connectivity probability vector and a data generation probability vector.

20. A method for making a computer implemented process to enable the adaptive transmission of data, the method comprising the steps of:

instantiating first computer instructions onto a computer readable medium, the first computer instructions configured to determine data for transmission from an incoming data stream in accordance with at least one characteristic of the data stream and at least one context external of the data stream; and

instantiating second computer instructions onto a computer readable medium, the second computer instructions configured to modify a compression technique for the data and a transmission strategy for the data in accordance with the data determined for transmission.