METHOD FOR ROUTING TRAFFIC IN A LOCAL MOBILE COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100061352A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Stupar, Patrick, Zanella, Andrea, Zorzi, Michele, Fasolo, Elena, Maguolo, Federico, Ruffino, Simone
• Application Number:
  US12/312,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20100061352A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/121 by minimising delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/247 using M:N active or standby paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/3065 for real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A method for routing VoIP traffic in a local mobile communication network includes selecting a path among a set of possible paths between two nodes of the network based on the number of hops and the transmission time of a reference voice packet along the possible paths, the transmission time along each path being a function of the transmission rates associated with the links composing the path.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method for routing voice over internet protocol traffic in a multi-hop mobile communication network, comprising selecting a path among a set of possible paths between two nodes of said network based on the number of hops and the transmission time of a reference voice packet along the possible paths.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of said possible paths comprises one or more links, each of said links connecting two neighbour nodes and having associated therewith a respective transmission rate, and wherein the transmission time along each possible path is a function of the transmission rates associated with the links comprising the path.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting a path comprises assigning a cost to each of said possible paths, said cost being related to said number of hops and said transmission time through a first and a second weight, respectively.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising selecting the first and the second weight so that if the set of possible paths comprises a path with a lowest number of hops, the selected path is said path with the lowest number of hops.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising selecting the first and the second weight so that if the set of possible paths comprises two paths with a lowest number of hops, the selected path is the one of said two paths having the lowest transmission time.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein each of said possible paths comprises one or more links, each of said links connecting two neighbour nodes and having associated therewith a respective transmission rate;

wherein the transmission time along each possible path is a function of the transmission rates associated with the links comprising the path;

wherein each of said links is associated with an elementary cost related to the respective transmission time; and

wherein the cost assigned to each of said possible paths is the sum of the elementary costs of the links of the path.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said cost is expressed by the following equation:

W=Σ

_i(α

+β

·

t_i)

wherein i is a number of links in the path;

α

is a first weight;

β

is a second weight; and

t_i is transmission time along an i-th link.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein α

and β

satisfy the following condition;

α

/β

>

n·

(T_min−

T_max)-T_max

wherein n is a preconfigured maximum number of hops;

T_min is transmission time of a reference packet at a lowest admissible transmission rate; and

T_max is transmission time of a reference packet at a highest admissible transmission rate.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmission time of an i-th link is calculated according to the following equation:

t_i(R_j)=t_p(R_i)+t_layers+SIFS+t_ack(R_j)+DIFS

wherein R_j is the transmission rate of an i-th link, selected in a set of possible transmission rates;

t_p is transmission time of a voice packet of a size p;

t_layers is transmission time of a physical and MAC portions of the voice packet;

t_ack is transmission time of an acknowledgment packet;

SIFS is a short inter-frame space; and

DIFS is a distributed inter-frame space.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein all the links in said network have the same values of ∀

and ∃

.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein said network is a mobile ad-hoc network.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein said network comprises at least a gateway for connection with a further network, and wherein said possible paths connect a node of said network with said gateway.

29. The method of claim 17, further comprising computing in each node the set of possible paths toward other nodes of the network.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein said transmission rates are selected according to an IEEE 802.11 standard.

31. A mobile network configured for voice over internet protocol connections, comprising a set of nodes in suitable communication with each other through paths within said network, each path being associated with a number of hops between nodes and a transmission time of a reference voice packet, wherein each of said nodes comprises a processing unit configured to select a path among a set of possible paths toward another of said nodes based on said number of hops and said transmission time along the possible paths.

32. The mobile network of claim 31, wherein the set of nodes comprises at least a gateway node capable of being configured to provide communication between other nodes of the network and an external network.