METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTED ADMISSION CONTROL IN MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS (MANETS)

• US 20090109891A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Metke, Anthony R., Fonseca, Benedito J. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Techniques are provided for distributed admission control (AC) in a mobile ad hoc network (MANET). When the source node transmits a new communication stream (NCS) toward a destination node, other nodes allow transmission of the NCS during a temporary admission period even though the NCS has not yet been admitted. The nodes can determine whether the NCS causes degradation of any existing communication stream(s) (ECSs) supported by that node based on existing QoS requirements associated with the ECSs. In some implementations, nodes which determine that they are unable to support ECSs transmit an indicator which notifies other nodes that admission of the NCS is denied by that node. By contrast, if none of the nodes transmit an indicator during the temporary admission period, then the NCS is “admitted” to the MANET and the source node is permitted to keep transmitting the NCS, a variation thereof or another new communication stream.

Claims

1. In a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) comprising a plurality of nodes including a source node, a destination node, and a plurality of first nodes each supporting at least one existing communication stream which has one or more existing QoS requirements associated therewith, a method for distributed admission control (AC) in the mobile ad hoc network (MANET), the method comprising:

transmitting, from the source node, a new communication stream toward the destination node along a first route between the source node and the destination node;

upon receiving the new communication stream, allowing transmission of the new communication stream at the plurality of nodes during a temporary admission period;

determining, at each of the plurality of nodes during the temporary admission period, whether the new communication stream causes degradation of at least one existing communication stream supported by that node; and

transmitting, from at least one of the plurality of nodes which determines that the node is unable to support existing QoS requirements of at least one existing communication stream, an indicator which indicates that the new communication stream causes degradation of one or more existing QoS requirements associated with the at least one existing communication stream supported by that node

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

permitting transmission of the new communication stream by the source node when one or more nodes determine that the new communication stream does not cause degradation of existing communication streams supported by those nodes.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining, at each of the plurality of nodes during the temporary admission period, whether the new communication stream causes degradation of at least one existing communication stream supported by that node, comprises:

determining, at each of the plurality of nodes during the temporary admission period, whether that node is able to support each existing communication stream supported by that node according to existing QoS requirements associated with each existing communication stream; and

determining, at each of the plurality of nodes which determine that the node is unable to support one or more existing communication streams according to existing QoS requirements associated with the existing communication stream, whether the degradation of the at least one existing communication stream supported by that node is caused by the new communication stream.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining, upon receiving the new communication stream, whether the new communication stream has at least one metric higher than a metric of any of the existing communication streams that the node is supporting; and

admitting the new communication stream at the node when the node determines that the new communication stream has at least one metric higher than a metric of any existing communication streams that the node is supporting such that continued transmission of the new communication stream from the source node is permitted by the node.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining, at a node, whether a fraction of time that a channel is busy is below a threshold; and

suppressing transmission of an indicator at the node if the fraction of time that the channel is busy is below the threshold.

6. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining, at a node, whether the packet transmission rates of neighbor nodes have not increased by more than a particular percentage; and

suppressing transmission of an indicator at the node if the packet transmission rates of the neighbor nodes have not increased by more than the particular percentage.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at one or more of the nodes, at least one indicator, wherein the indicator further comprises;

information which indicates that the new communication stream (NEW) would have a better chance of admission by the node transmitting the indicator if the overall QoS requirements of the new communication stream (NEW) are changed by the source node; and

further comprising at least one step of;

forwarding the at least one indicator, from the nodes which receive the at least one indicator, towards the source node which generates the new communication stream so that the source node stops generating packets of the new communication stream;

stopping, at the source node upon receiving the at least one indicator, generation of packets of the new communication stream; and

determining, at the source node upon receiving the at least one indicator, whether changing one or more of the QoS requirements of the new communication stream will increase chances of admission of the new communication stream along the route.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the source node, determines whether there one or more alternative routes to the destination node exists;

selecting, at the source node, one of the alternative routes to the destination node using a selection criteria, wherein the selection criteria are designed to decrease the probability of selection of routes which;

include one or more relay nodes that have received an indicator from a peripheral node, or include peripheral nodes that have generated an indicator; and

transmitting, from the source node, a re-route request message to other nodes if no alternative routes to the destination node exist, wherein the re-route request message request that one or more nodes change one or more routes of their existing communication streams to change the topology such that new communication stream can be admitted without degrading QoS requirements of the existing communication streams.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at one or more of the nodes, at least one indicator; and

stopping, at the nodes which receive the at least one indicator, processing of packets of the new communication stream.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes further include:

one or more relay nodes along the first route between the source node and the destination node, and wherein the new communication stream is communicated towards the destination node by the one or more relay nodes, and further comprising;

receiving, at one or more of the nodes, at least one indicator; and

stopping, at the relay nodes which receive the at least one indicator, relaying of packets of the new communication stream.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the new communication stream comprises:

one or more dummy packets which are transmitted using a same packet size and a same packet inter-arrival time as regular packets of the new communication stream during the temporary admission period.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting an indicator, comprises:

transmitting, from one of the nodes which determines that the node is unable to support existing QoS requirements of at least one existing communication stream, a unicast QoS Infringement Alert (QIA) message to a neighbor node which has a highest increase of packet transmission rate during a measurement period.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein a node participates in communicating two new communication streams, and further comprising:

assigning a priority to each of the two new communication streams based on at least one metric associated with each of the two new communication streams;

receiving, at the node, at least one indicator; and

stopping, at the node upon receiving the at least one indicator, processing of packet associated with the new communication stream having a lower priority.

21. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of nodes further include:

one or more relay nodes along the first route between the source node and the destination node, and wherein the new communication stream is communicated towards the destination node by the one or more relay nodes, and wherein the relay nodes which receive the at least one indicator are further designed to stop relaying of packets of the new communication stream.

14. In a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) a plurality of nodes, comprising:

a destination node;

a source node designed to transmit a new communication stream toward the destination node along a first route between the source node and the destination node; and

a plurality of first nodes each supporting at least one existing communication stream which has one or more existing QoS requirements associated therewith;

wherein each of the nodes are designed to allow, upon receiving the new communication stream, continued transmission of the new communication stream during a temporary admission period, and to determine whether the new communication stream causes degradation of at least one existing communication stream supported by that node, and

wherein each of the nodes which are unable to support existing QoS requirements of at least one existing communication stream supported by that node are designed to transmit an indicator which indicates that the new communication stream causes degradation of the at least one existing communication stream supported by that node.

15. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 14, wherein:

one or more nodes, which determine that the new communication stream does not cause degradation of existing communication streams supported by those nodes, are designed to permit continued transmission of the new communication stream by the source node after the temporary admission period.

16. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 14, wherein each node is further designed to determine, during the temporary admission period, whether that node is able to support each existing communication stream supported by that node according to existing QoS requirements associated with each existing communication stream, and

wherein each node, which determines that the node is unable to support one or more existing communication streams according to existing QoS requirements associated with each existing communication stream of the node, is designed to determine whether the degradation of the at least one existing communication stream supported by that node is caused by the new communication stream.

17. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 16, wherein each node is further designed to:

determine, upon receiving the new communication stream, whether the new communication stream has at least one metric higher than a metric of any of the existing communication streams that the node is supporting; and

admit the new communication stream at the node when the node determines that the new communication stream has at least one metric higher than a metric of any existing communication streams that the node is supporting such that continued transmission of the new communication stream from the source node is permitted by the node.

18. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 17, wherein each node is further designed to determine whether at least one of:

a fraction of time that a channel is busy is below a threshold, and

packet transmission rates of neighbor nodes have not increased by more than a particular percentage; and

wherein the node is designed to suppress transmission of the indicator if at least one of;

the fraction of time that the channel is busy is below the threshold; and

the packet transmission rates of the neighbor nodes have not increased by more than the particular percentage.

19. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 14, wherein each node is further designed to:

receive at least one indicator, wherein the indicator further comprises;

information which indicates that the new communication stream (NEW) would have a better chance of admission by the node transmitting the indicator if the overall QoS requirements of the new communication stream (NEW) are changed by the source node; and

wherein each node which receives the at least one indicator is further designed to;

forward the at least one indicator towards the source node which generates the new communication stream so that the source node stops generating packets of the new communication stream;

wherein the source node is further designed to, upon receiving the at least one indicator, stop generating packets of the new communication stream, and determine whether changing one or more of the QoS requirements of the new communication stream will allow admission of the new communication stream along the route.

20. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) according to claim 14, wherein each node is further designed to:

stop processing of packets of the new communication stream upon receiving the at least one indicator.

22. A node designed to communicate in a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) comprising a plurality of nodes comprising a source node designed to transmit a new communication stream in a first route, wherein the node supports an existing communication stream which has one or more existing QoS requirements associated therewith, and wherein the node is designed to allow, upon receiving the new communication stream, continued transmission of the new communication stream during a temporary admission period, the node comprising:

a processor designed to determine whether the new communication stream causes degradation of the existing communication stream supported by that node, and

a transmitter designed to transmit an indicator which indicates that the new communication stream causes degradation of the at least one existing communication stream supported by that node when the node determines that the new communication stream causes degradation of the existing communication stream.