Method for QoS delivery in contention-based multi hop network

• US 20100074273A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ji, Lusheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

An arrangement and a method that, for a given pair of nodes that wish to intercommunicate with a high QoS measure, converts a portion of the contention-based network into a contention-less subnetwork by sending a reservation message and a confirmation message between the given pair of nodes. All nodes that are on the paths used for communicating between the pair of nodes are protected from interference by causing all nodes that potentially can interfere to enter a non-transmitting state.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a two-way communication path from a first node of a network to a second node of said network, where nodes of said network are configured to operate in accordance with a first protocol, comprising the steps of:

setting up a communication channel within said network between said first node and said second node, where said channel include said first node, said second node, and 0 or more other nodes of said network,

switching operation of said first node, said second node and said nodes that are included in said channel from said first protocol to a second protocol; and

switching operation of all nodes of said network that can interfere with transmission by the nodes that were switched to operate in said second protocol (neighbor nodes), to a third protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 where said nodes that operate pursuant to said third protocol are in a non-transmitting mode of operation.

3. The method of claim 1 where said first protocol is a contention protocol and said second protocol is a non-contention protocol.

4. The method of claim 1 where said second protocol allows a node to transmit as soon as a message is available for transmission, or pursuant to a predetermined schedule.

5. A method executed in a contention-based network for establishing a two-way communication path from a first node to a second node comprising the steps of:

said first node sending a reservation message destined to said second node, which message requests a reservation of said two-way communication path;

said second node receiving said reservation message through a forward path that comprises said first node, said second node, and 0 or more other nodes of said network (path nodes), and responding with a reservation confirmation message that is destined to said first node;

said first node receiving said reservation confirmation message through a reverse path that comprises said first node, said second node, and 0 or more other nodes of said network (path nodes);

each node of said network that is not a path node but which is close enough to receive said reservation message from at least one of said nodes in the forward path (neighbor node), setting itself to a non-transmitting mode of operation; and

each node of said network that is not a path node but which is close enough to receive said confirmation message from at least one of said nodes in the reverse path (neighbor node), setting itself to a non-transmitting mode of operation.

6. The method of claim 5 where nodes of said network that are not path nodes not a neighbor node operate pursuant to a contention-based protocol, whereas said path nodes operate pursuant to a protocol that is other than a contention protocol.

7. The method of claim 5 where said forward path is determined in accordance with a preselected protocol.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said protocol computes, for a given node and a given destination node, a next node of a path leading from said given node toward said destination node.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said protocol is one where a node of said network that receives a broadcasted reservation message re-broadcasts a modified version of said reservation message.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said protocol is one where a node of said network that receives a plurality of broadcasted reservation messages selects one of the received messages and re-broadcasts a modified version of the selected reservation message.

11. The method of claim 7 where said reverse path is set to comprise the nodes that are included in said forward path.

12. The method of claim 5 where said forward path is determined in accordance with a first protocol and said reverse path is selected in accordance with a second protocol that may be the same as said first protocol or different from said first protocol.

13. The method of claim 12 where said forward path and said reverse path include the same nodes.

14. The method of claim 5 where said reservation message includes a field that conveys to said second node information about said forward path.

15. The method of claim 14 where said field contains a listing of nodes included in said forward path.

16. The method of claim 5 where messages flowing through said network, including said reservation message, said reservation confirmation message, and an information message are multi-field packets.

17. The method of claim 16 where said reservation message includes an originator field that contains identity of said first node, a responder field that contains identity of said second node, and a type field that identifies the message as a reservation message.

18. The method of claim 16 where said reservation message includes a path field, into which identities of nodes in said forward path are inserted.

19. The method of claim 16 where said reservation message includes one or more of the following fields:

type, specifying the message'"'"'s type;

sender address;

addressee identifier;

path list, containing and ordered listing of nodes in said forward path;

duration, specifying duration of the reservation requested by the reservation message;

passcode, containing encryption information;

reservation identifier;

idle time, specifying expected maximum idle time between information messages;

packet arrival interval, specifying arrival times of information messages;

step interval, specifying a frame structure for transmitting and receiving;

negotiable, specifying whether said first node is amenable to proposed changes in the reservation;

renewal window, specifying when a renewal message might arrive;

neighbor sleep allowed, specifying whether the neighbor nodes can go to sleep for duration of said reservation; and

new channel, specifying a channel for said path nodes.

20. The method of claim 5 further comprising a reservation termination message sent via said path nodes.

21. The method of claim 5 further comprising a reservation renewal message sent by said first node.

22. The method of claim 5 further comprising an acknowledgement message sent by said first node following receipt of said