ENERGY AWARE EARLY DETECTION

• US 20090196194A1
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paloheimo, Harri, Nieminen, Johanna
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0252 per individual bearer or channel dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An incoming data packet is received, and a rate of change of residual capacity of a portable power supply is determined. From the determined rate of change it is decided to enqueue or drop the incoming data packet. If the decision is to enqueue, the packet is transmitted. If the decision is drop, the packet is deleted without transmitting. Additional factors may be considered in the decision, such as total energy capacity, residual energy capacity, and first and second derivatives of the residual energy capacity. Real time traffic may be treated differently than non real time traffic, and video enhancement layer packets can be weighted to drop more frequently than video base layer packets for the same flow. If used in the network, congestion probe packets are dropped at a rate matched to the rate at which data packets are dropped to give other nodes an accurate view of link quality.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an incoming data packet;

determining a rate of change of residual capacity of a portable power supply;

deciding to queue for transmission or to drop the incoming data packet based on the determined rate of change; and

transmitting or dropping the incoming data packet according to the decision.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of change is one of a first and a second derivative of the residual capacity with respect to time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision is based on a total energy capacity, a residual energy capacity, a first derivative of the residual energy capacity and a second derivative of the residual energy capacity of the portable power supply.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision is further based on at least one of an average queue length, a data packet type, or a data packet classification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision is further based on whether other data packets were previously dropped, said other data packets being on a same flow as the incoming packet.

6. The method of claim 1, executed on a plurality of consecutive incoming data packets, wherein each decision to drop one of the incoming data packets is proportional to a state of the residual capacity of the portable power supply.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming packet comprises a video data packet and the decision is further based on video data packet type, wherein the decision weights a video data packet base layer type differently than a video data packet enhancement layer type so as to favor queuing for transmission the base layer type over the enhancement layer type.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision is based on:

an energy factor EF determined from the residual capacity;

a position PQ of the incoming data packet relative to other packets in a queue;

length of the queue QL;

packet age in the queue PAQ;

real time or not real time data packet type; and

previous consecutive dropped data packets for a flow on which the incoming data packet arrives.

9. The method of claim 1, executed by a wireless mobile device wherein the incoming data packet is received over a first wireless link and for the case where the decision is to queue the incoming data packet for transmission the incoming packet is transmitted over a second wireless link.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an average drop rate for a series of data packets;

for a plurality of received congestion probe packets, dropping some of the plurality of congestion probe packets consistent with the determined average drop rate and queuing for transmission the remaining ones of the plurality of congestion probe packets.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the average drop rate is for data packets received from a first sending node and determining the average drop rate comprises maintaining a first data vector of the average drop rate from the first sending node,

the method further comprising maintaining a second data vector of an average drop rate for packets received from a second sending node.

12. A memory storing a program of machine-readable instructions, executable by a digital data processor, to perform actions directed toward gracefully degrading packet relay, the actions comprising:

receiving an incoming data packet;

determining a rate of change of residual capacity of a portable power supply;

deciding to queue for transmission or to drop the incoming data packet based on the determined rate of change; and

transmitting the incoming data packet or dropping the incoming data packet according to the decision.

13. The memory of claim 12, wherein the decision is based on a total energy capacity, a residual energy capacity, a first derivative of the residual energy capacity and a second derivative of the residual energy capacity of the portable power supply.

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20. A device comprising:

a transceiver adapted to receive an incoming data packet over a first wireless link;

a portable power supply; and

at least a processor and adapted to;

determine a rate of change of residual capacity of the portable power supply,

to decide to queue for transmission or to drop the incoming data packet based on the determined rate of change;

wherein for the case where the decision is to queue the incoming data packet for transmission the transceiver is adapted to send the data packet over a second wireless link, and for the case where the decision is to drop the data packet the data packet is deleted without being sent.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the decision is based on a total energy capacity, a residual energy capacity, a first derivative of the residual energy capacity and a second derivative of the residual energy capacity of the portable power supply.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the decision is further based on at least one of an average queue length, a data packet type, or a data packet classification.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein the decision is further based on whether other data packets were previously dropped, said other data packets being on a same flow as the incoming packet.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein the incoming packet comprises a video data packet and the decision is further based on video data packet type, wherein the decision weights a video data packet base layer type differently than a video data packet enhancement layer type so as to favor queuing for transmission the base layer type over the enhancement layer type.

25. The device of claim 20, wherein the decision is based on:

an energy factor EF determined from the residual capacity;

a position PQ of the incoming data packet relative to other packets in a queue;

length of the queue QL;

packet age in the queue PAQ;

real time or not real time data packet type; and

previous consecutive dropped data packets for a flow on which the incoming data packet arrives.

26. The device of claim 20, wherein the processor is further adapted to:

determine an average drop rate for a series of data packets;

for a plurality of received congestion probe packets, to decide to drop some of the plurality of congestion probe packets consistent with the determined average drop rate and to decide to queue for transmission the remaining ones of the plurality of congestion probe packets.

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