System and method for efficiently routing data packets and managing channel access and bandwidth in wireless multi-hopping networks

• US 7,773,569 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ruckus IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: MeshNetworks, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belcea, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/132,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 370/218, 370/230, 370/232, 370/235, 370/310, 370/318, 370/321, 370/322, 370/326, 370/328, 370/329, 370/332, 370/336, 370/337, 370/338, 370/347, 370/348, 370/349
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/621 Individual queue per connection or flow, e.g. per VC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• 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

Abstract

A method for routing data packets from a source to a destination in a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each node is in uplink-downlink association with at least one neighboring node, and wherein each node comprises a registration table identifying all downlink nodes that are associated with the node, the method comprising: sending an Open Stream message from a source node which specifies a destination node; and receiving the Open Stream message at the uplink node of the source node, wherein the uplink node relays the Open Stream message to the destination node if the destination node is registered in the registration table of the uplink node.

Claims

1. A method for managing channel access by nodes in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

monitoring, by at least one node in the network, at least one of data transmissions and intent-to-transmit messages by neighboring nodes;

determining, by the at least one node, the identity of those time slots in use by the at least one node and by the neighboring nodes and those time slots not in use by the at least one node and the neighboring nodes;

broadcasting, by the at least one node, information including the identity of used and unused time slots to the other nodes, such that the other nodes can chose an unused time slot for packet transmission;

operating the at least one node to compute the transmit energy used to transmit data packets, based on the predicted path loss of monitored nodes directly connected to the at least one node; and

broadcasting the computed transmit energy from the at least one node when the at least one node changes the level of transmit energy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating the at least one node to broadcast an interference message when the at least one node monitors intent-to-use messages for the same time slot from two or more different neighboring nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating the at least one node to broadcast an interference message when the at least one node determines that at least two different neighboring nodes are using the same time slot for packet transmission.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

operating one of the at least two different neighboring nodes to choose a different time slot in response to the interference message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer and multi-hopping communication network in which the nodes operate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each node in the wireless communicative network is in at least one of uplink and downlink association with at least one neighboring node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each node comprises a registration table identifying at least downlink nodes that are associated with the node.

8. A method for efficient utilization of channel bandwidth by nodes in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

recording in a utilization table of a node the identity of time slots allocated by the node for data packet transmission, the identity of time slots used by neighboring nodes for packet transmission, and the identity of time slots at which the neighboring nodes receive packet transmissions;

broadcasting the utilization table from the node to neighboring nodes, wherein the neighboring nodes receiving the broadcast update their own utilization tables in view of the received utilization table, and wherein the utilization table at each node is usable by that node for selecting unused time slots for transmitting data packets;

computing the transmit energy of the node used to transmit data packets, based on the predicted path loss of neighboring nodes; and

broadcasting the computed transmit energy from the node when the node changes the level of transmit energy.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network communication network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer and multi-hopping communication network in which the nodes operate.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

operating the node to broadcast an interference message to neighboring nodes when the node monitors intent-to-use messages for the same time slot from two or more different other nodes.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

operating the node to broadcast an interference message to neighboring nodes when the node determines that at least two different neighboring nodes are using the same time slot for packet transmissions.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

operating one of the at least two different neighboring nodes to choose a different time slot for packet transmission.