Determining quality of service (QoS) routing for mobile ad hoc networks

• US 6,954,435 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Billhartz, Tom, Cain, Joseph Bibb
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAND, ROBERTA A
• Application Number:
  US10/134,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20030202476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 370/225, 370/351, 370/228, 370/385, 370/229, 370/392, 370/231, 370/235, 370/393, 370/238, 370/400, 370/236, 370/401, 370/252, 370/254, 370/255, 370/331, 370/349, 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 455/436, 455/437, 455/445, 455/517, 709/232, 709/234, 709/235, 709/238, 709/239
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/247 using M:N active or standby paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/728 for backup paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/746 Reaction triggered by a failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/767 after changing the attachment point, e.g. after hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 : Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/26 : for hybrid routing by combining proactive and reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 : for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 : for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 : Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

The method includes transmitting a quality-of-service (QoS) route request to discover routing based upon a QoS parameter, and the route request including a flow identifier and a QoS link metric. Furthermore, the method includes each intermediate node determining whether the node can support the requested QoS parameter and, if so, updating the QoS link metric, forwarding the QoS route request, and temporarily reserving node resources. The destination node, upon receiving the QoS route request, generates a reply including the flow identifier and updated QoS link metric for each discovered route, and the source node generates QoS route metrics based upon updated QoS link metrics in the replies. Also, the source node selects a route to the destination node based upon the QoS route metrics, and transmits route confirmations to intermediate nodes on the selected route.

Claims

1. A method for determining a route from a source node to a destination node in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of intermediate mobile nodes between the source node and the destination node, the method comprising:

at the source node, transmitting a quality-of-service (QoS) route request to discover routing to the destination node based upon a QoS parameter, the route request including a flow identifier and a QoS link metric;

at each intermediate node, determining whether the intermediate node can support the requested QoS parameter of the QoS route request and, if so, updating the QoS link metric, forwarding the QoS route request to one of other intermediate nodes and the destination node, and temporarily reserving node resources for QoS route requests having supportable QoS parameters;

at the destination node, upon receiving the QoS route request, generating a reply to the source node including the flow identifier and updated QoS link metric for each discovered route;

at the source node, generating QoS route metrics based upon updated QoS link metrics in replies from the destination node for discovered routes;

at the source node selecting a route to the destination node based upon the QoS route metrics; and

at the source node transmitting route confirmations to intermediate nodes on the selected route before transmitting data thereover.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the QoS parameter is based upon at least one of available bandwidth, error rate, end-to-end delay,. end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising, at the source node, selecting at least one standby route without sending confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the standby route.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

at the source node, selecting at least one standby route; and

at the source node, sending confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the standby route.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the standby route is for duplicate transmissions.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising, at the intermediate nodes and the destination node, detecting whether the node can continue to support the requested QoS parameter of the QoS route request and, if not, generating a QoS error notification to the source node.

7. A method according to claim 6 further comprising, at the source node, maintaining the selected route, upon receiving the QoS error notification, while transmitting a second quality-of-service (QoS) route request to discover new routing to the destination node based upon the QoS parameter.

8. A method according to claim 6 further comprising:

at the source node, selecting a standby route;

at the source node, switching to the standby route upon receiving the QoS error notification.

9. A method according to claim 6 further comprising:

at the source node, selecting a standby route and sending confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the standby route; and

at the source node, switching to the standby route upon receiving a QoS error notification.

10. A method for determining a route from a source node to a destination node in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a plurality of intermediate mobile nodes between the source node and the destination node, the method comprising:

at the source node, transmitting a quality-of-service (QoS) route request to discover routing to the destination node based upon a QoS parameter;

at each intermediate node, determining whether the node can support the requested QoS parameter of the QoS route request and, if so, forwarding the QoS route request to one of other intermediate nodes and the destination node, and temporarily reserving node resources for QoS route requests having supportable QoS parameters;

at the destination node, upon receiving the QoS route request, generating a reply to the source node;

at the source node, selecting a route to the destination node based upon replies from the destination node;

at the source node, transmitting route confirmations to intermediate nodes on the selected route before transmitting data thereover; and

at the intermediate nodes and the destination node, detecting whether the node can continue to support the requested QoS parameter of the QoS route request and, if not, generating a QoS error notification to the source node.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the QoS parameter is based upon at least one of available bandwidth, error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

12. A method according to claim 10 further comprising, at the source node, selecting at least one standby route without sending confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the standby route.

13. A method according to claim 10 further comprising:

at the source node, selecting at least one standby route; and

at the source node, sending confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the standby route.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the standby route is for duplicate transmissions.

15. A method according to claim 13 further comprising, at the source node, maintaining the selected route, upon receiving the QoS error notification, while resending confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the standby route and subsequently switching to the standby route as a new selected route.

16. A method according to claim 15 further comprising, at the source node, transmitting a second quality-of-service (QoS) route request to discover new routing to the destination node based upon the QoS parameter.

17. A method according to claim 10 further comprising:

at the source node, selecting a standby route;

at the source node, switching to the standby route upon receiving the QoS error notification.

18. A mobile ad hoc network comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes; and

a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the plurality of mobile nodes together;

each mobile node comprising

a communications device to wirelessly communicate with other nodes of the plurality of nodes via the wireless communication links, and

a controller to route communications via the communications device, and comprising;

a route discovery unit to transmit quality-of-service (Qos) route requests to other nodes to discover routing to a destination node based upon at least one QOS parameter, the route request including a flow identifier and a QoS link metric,

a route request processing unit to determine whether the node can support a requested QoS parameter of a QoS route request and to update the QoS link metric,

a temporary resource reservation table containing temporary node resource reservations for QoS route requests having supportable QoS parameters,

a route metric formation unit to generate QoS route metrics based upon updated QoS link metrics in replies from nodes with node resource reservations, and

a route selection unit to select a route to the destination node based upon the QoS route metrics and to transmit route confirmations to nodes on a selected route before transmitting data thereover.

19. A network according to claim 18 wherein the QoS parameter is based upon at least one of available bandwidth, error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority.

20. A network according to claim 18 wherein the route selection unit selects at least one standby route without sending confirmations to the nodes on the standby route.

21. A network according to claim 18 wherein the route selection unit selects at least one standby route and sends confirmations to the nodes on the standby route.

22. A network according to claim 21 wherein the standby route is for duplicate transmissions.

23. A network according to claim 18 wherein the route request processing unit detects whether the node can continue to support the requested QoS parameter of the QoS route request and, if not, generates a QoS error notification.

24. A network according to claim 23 wherein the route selection unit maintains the selected route, upon receiving a QoS error notification from another node, while the route discovery unit transmits a second quality-of-service (QoS) route request to discover new routing to the destination node based upon the QoS parameter.

25. A network according to claim 23 wherein the route selection unit selects at least one standby route, and the route selection unit switches to the standby route upon receiving a QoS error notification from another node.