Cognitive wireless system

• US 20100008291A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: In Motion Technology, Inc. (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ho, Eddie Shek Cheung, Moir, Kirk Arnold, LeBlanc, Lawrence Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,516,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A cognitive mobile wireless system is disclosed that enhances connectivity of a mobile device moving among heterogeneous networks, by selecting advantangeous links.

Claims

1. A cognitive wireless system for a mobile node (MN) to operate dynamically with heterogeneous networks, comprising:

(a) a first network with characteristics, and a second network with different characteristics;

(b) a first mobile node (MN) that has a policy of using said first network as a default;

(c) said first mobile node (MN) having an associated first application with requirements;

(d) wherein said first mobile node (MN) monitors the contextual factor of (i) link quality factor associated with said first default network and said second network; and

(e) wherein said first mobile node (MN) has a link selector/algorithm that operates in real time on said monitored contextual factor of link quality of said two networks, and selects said second network to use instead of said first default network based on superior link quality factor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first mobile node (MN) monitors in real time, more contextual factors, including one or more of:

(ii) environmental factor, (iii) application factor, and (iv) cost factor, and said link selector operates in real time on said contextual factors and selects said second network to use instead of said first default network.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising

(g) central managing station,

wherein said first mobile node (MN) communicates with said central managing station.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said contextual factor of link quality includes one or more of {signal quality, availability, latency, throughput, frame errors, retransmission}.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said environmental factor includes velocity (speed/stationary and direction) and location of said first mobile node (MN).

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said application factor includes one of (QoS requirements and response to request for service level).

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said link selector gives precedence to contextual factors in the following order:

first, said link quality factor is insufficient to be considered; and

secondly, said application factor of QoS requirement.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said first mobile node (MN) sends monitored values of contextual factors to said central managing station.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a second mobile node (MN), wherein said central managing station, in response to said first mobile node (MN) monitored contextual factors values, advises said second mobile node (MN) to update their default policy/algorithms.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said advice is to not attempt to use second network.

11. The system of claim 2, further comprising sensors interacting to the environment of said first mobile node (MN) and wherein said environmental factors include:

speed and/or location of mobile node (MN) (if mobile node is associated with a vehicle, if the vehicle gear is in parking).

12. Dynamic Multi-Streaming. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a seamless mobility agent (SMA) to act as a virtual network interface (VNIC) which acts as a proxy for the mobile node (MN) when interacting with its correspondent node (CN), wherein said first mobile node (MN) has a mobile agent (MA) that has an IP Mobility layer, and said seamless mobility agent (SMA) has a corresponding IP Mobility Home Agent (HA), and said mobile node mobile agent (MA) registers a plurality of multiple care-of-addresses (CofAs) with said IP Mobility Home Agent (HA), and one CofA is designated as “

current”

, and MA sends/receives using said plurality of CofAs.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein MN has configurable RF links, whether by having a plurality of RF boards and selecting one, or by a SDR module.

14. The system of claim 2, further comprising

(g) central managing station,

wherein said first mobile node (MN) communicates with said central managing station.