MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSISTED AD-HOC NETWORK

• US 20150172953A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Firoiu, Victor, Decleene, Brian T., Leung, May M., Nanda, Soumendra, Tao, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,596,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/023 Limited or focused flooding to selected areas of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A mobile infrastructure assisted ad-hoc network increases the number of nodes capable of being serviced by the network by selectively choosing those protocols for selected nodes which minimize overhead with the freed up bandwidth permitting an increase in the overall number of nodes serviceable by the ad-hoc network to as many as 1,000 nodes. In one embodiment node dynamicity is determining factor as to what protocol will be used.

Claims

1. A method for increasing the number of nodes of a mobile ad-hoc network comprising the steps of:

dividing the nodes of the network into categories related to the amount of overhead required by the selected nodes and,

selecting among protocols associated with the selected nodes such that protocols having lower overheads are assigned to those nodes for which lower overheads are appropriate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocols include routing and flooding protocols.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein those nodes having a dynamicity indicating a static or quasi-static location are serviced with routing protocols and wherein those nodes exhibiting dynamic properties are serviced by flooding protocols.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the static or quasi-static nodes have link list states that are updated at a slow rate and wherein those nodes having high dynamicity are serviced utilizing update rates that exceed those associated with the static or quasi-static nodes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the slow link state list updating occurs only every predetermined number of seconds such that the total bandwidth for the associated link state list updating occupies less than 2 percent of the total bandwidth of the mobile ad-hoc network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein for rapid link state list updating the updating occurs rapidly such that the rapid link state list updating overhead occupies a large portion of the total bandwidth of the mobile ad-hoc network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the routing protocol includes a control routing protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the flooding protocol includes a stateless flooding transmission protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocol selection step includes the utilization of a MANET classifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the MANET classifier classifies nodes as to the dynamicity of a node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method of selecting a protocol includes a routing/flooding module having as an input thereto the output of the MANET classifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the routing/flooding module selectively activates a unicast route forwarding module or a flood forwarding module.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the MANET classifier includes an input the output of an optimized link state routing module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the optimized link state routing module includes a topographical cache coupled to the MANET classifier and also to a route calculation module in turn coupled to a routing table, the output of the routing table coupled to the unicast route forwarding module.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the input to the MANET classifier includes a signal having information containing the dynamicity of a node.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dynamicity of a node is determined from a topological cache in an optimized link state routing module.

17. The method of claim 1, and further including a specialized radio located within the mobile ad-hoc network area, the specialized radio having sufficient power output to reach a majority of the nodes in the mobile ad-hoc network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the specialized radio includes a directional antenna.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the directional antenna is made to sweep large areas within the mobile ad-hoc network.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the specialized radio is selectively provided with data to be transmitted over the mobile ad-hoc network in accordance with pre-selected criteria.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the pre-selected criteria includes importance of communication of the data.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of important data is accomplished irrespective of the bandwidth of the important data.

23. A system for selecting between link state list update rates based upon the dynamicity of nodes with in the mobile ad-hoc network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein update rates for nodes having low dynamicity are lower than for high dynamicity nodes. Said system selecting low update rates for low dynamicity nodes.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the bandwidth freed up by the ability to slowly update nodes with low dynamicity permits an increase in the number of nodes serviceable by the mobile ad-hoc network.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein low dynamicity nodes are serviced by routing protocols.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein high dynamicity nodes are serviced by flooding protocols.