SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED WIRELESS INTERFACE AGGREGATION

• US 20120057511A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Original Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Inventors: Sivakumar, Raghupathy, Tsao, Cheng-Lin
• Granted Patent: US 9,655,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The present invention describes systems and methods for improved wireless interface integration. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a wireless interface aggregation system having a computing device including a processor, a memory, a first wireless interface with a first observed throughput rate in a first network environment and second wireless interface with a second observed throughput rate in the first network environment. The aggregation control module is configured to control the transmission and wireless interface and the second wireless interface to provide an overall throughput rate for the computing device in the first network environment greater than sum of the first observed throughput rate and the second observed throughput rate.

Claims

1. A wireless interface aggregation system comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor, a memory, a first wireless interface with a first observed throughput rate in a first network environment and second wireless interface with a second observed throughput rate in the first network environment;

an aggregation control module controls the transmission and reception of a plurality of data packets with the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface; and

wherein the aggregation control module is enabled to provide an overall throughput rate for the computing device in the first network environment greater than sum of the first observed throughput rate and the second observed throughput rate.

2. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregation control module provides a selective offloading module that can selectively offload a first portion of the plurality of data packets intended to be transmitted on the first wireless interface to be transmitted on the second wireless interface.

3. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the plurality of data packets selectively offloaded to the second wireless interface includes at least one status report message.

4. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the plurality of data packets selectively offloaded to the second wireless interface includes at least one acknowledgement message.

5. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 4, wherein the at least one acknowledgement message is selectively offloaded when the selective offloading module determines that the transmission of the at least one acknowledgement message would contend with a second portion of the plurality of data to be received on the first wireless interface.

6. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 4, wherein the at least one acknowledgement message is selectively offloaded at a rate that is determined by a bandwidth of the second wireless interface.

7. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregation control module provides a proxying module that can enable a third portion of the plurality of data packets to be sent from the second wireless interface as if it were transmitted from the first wireless interface.

8. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 7, wherein the proxying module can determine when a blackout exists on the first wireless interface and the proxying module enables a third portion of the plurality of data packets to be sent from the second wireless interface, the third portion of the plurality of data packets including a zero window advertisement.

9. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 8, wherein the third portion of the plurality of data packets sent from the second wireless interface is configured by the proxying module to appear as if sent from a local address of the first wireless transmission interface.

10. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 7, wherein the third portion of the plurality of data packets includes a control command message.

11. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 7, wherein proxying module can determine when a blackout on the first wireless interface has ended and the proxying module enables a fourth portion of the plurality of data packets to be sent from the first wireless transmission interface, the fourth portion of the plurality of data packets including a non-zero window advertisement.

12. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 7, wherein the proxying module determines a beginning or an end of a blackout period that exists on the first wireless interface by receiving packets from an access point for the computing device or sending packets toward the access point at different times.

13. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregation control module provides a mirroring module that can enable a fifth portion of the plurality of data packets to be received by the first wireless interface and can enable the same fifth portion of the plurality of data packets to be received by the second wireless interface.

14. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 13, wherein the mirroring module can obtain the fifth portion of the plurality of data packets by replaying a portion or all of the plurality of data packets observed on an uplink of the first wireless interface.

15. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 13, wherein mirroring module can enable a request for a lost portion of the plurality of data packets to be sent from the second wireless interface and can enable the lost portion of the plurality of data packets to be received by the second wireless interface.

16. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 15, wherein the mirroring module selectively fetches the lost portion by proactively sending at least one acknowledgement message to a sender of the plurality of data packets.

17. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 16, wherein the transmission of the at least one acknowledgement message that will trigger the retransmission of the lost portion is delayed for a predetermined period of time.

18. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 15, wherein the mirroring module is enabled to retransmit the lost data packets and send an acknowledgement message regarding the latest received portion of the plurality of data packets to the sender at a local address of the first wireless interface.

19. A method for wireless interface aggregation comprising:

providing a computing device comprising a processor, a memory, a first wireless interface with a first observed throughput rate in a first network environment and second wireless interface with a second observed throughput rate in the first network environment;

controlling the transmission and reception of a plurality of data packets via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface to provide an overall throughput rate for the computing device in the first network environment greater than sum of the first observed throughput rate and the second observed throughput rate.

20. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 19, further comprising selectively offloading a first portion of the plurality of data packets to be transmitted from the first wireless interface to the second wireless interface for transmission.

21. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 20, wherein the first portion of the plurality of data packets selectively offloaded to the second wireless interface includes at least one acknowledgement message.

22. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 21, wherein the at least one acknowledgement message is selectively offloaded after determining that the transmission of the at least one acknowledgement message would contend with a second portion of the plurality of data to be received on the first wireless interface.

23. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 19, further comprising proxying a third portion of the plurality of data packets to be sent from the second wireless interface as if the third portion of the plurality of data packets were transmitted from the first wireless interface.

24. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 23, wherein the proxying is completed after determining a blackout exists on the first wireless interface and the third portion of the plurality of data packets sent from the second wireless interface includes a zero window advertisement.

25. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 19, fetching a fourth portion of the plurality of data packets unsuccessfully received at the first wireless interface to be received at the second wireless interface.

26. A method for wireless interface aggregation comprising:

providing a computing device comprising a processor, a memory, a first wireless interface with a first observed throughput rate in a first network environment and second wireless interface with a second observed throughput rate in the first network environment;

controlling the transmission and reception of a plurality of data packets via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface with an aggregation control module; and

wherein the aggregation control module is enabled to provide an overall throughput rate for the computing device in the first network environment greater than sum of the first observed throughput rate and the second observed throughput rate.

27. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 26, wherein controlling the transmission and reception of the plurality of data packets involves selectively offloading a portion of the plurality of data packets to be transmitted from the first wireless interface to the second wireless interface for transmission.

28. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 26, wherein controlling the transmission and reception of the plurality of data packets involves proxying a portion of the plurality of data packets to be sent from the second wireless interface as if the portion of the plurality of data packets were transmitted from the first wireless interface.

29. The method for wireless interface aggregation of claim 26, wherein controlling the transmission and reception of the plurality of data packets involves fetching a portion of the plurality of data packets unsuccessfully received at the first wireless interface to be received at the second wireless interface.

30. A wireless interface aggregation system comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor, a memory, and a plurality of wireless interfaces;

an aggregation control module to control the transmission and reception of a plurality of data packets with at least one of the plurality of the wireless interfaces.

31. The wireless interface aggregation system of claim 30, wherein aggregation control module can enable simple aggregation of at least two of the plurality of the wireless interfaces.