Bandwidth and cost management for ad hoc networks

• US 7,792,040 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Joseph J., Davis, Marc E., Nair, Rahul, Higgins, Christopher W., Paretti, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Brian D
• Application Number:
  US12/182,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20100027426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/254, 370/328, 370/338, 370/252
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method is described herein for managing bandwidth and cost in connection with a plurality of sensors in an ad hoc network. The system and method receives sensor data that is provided from a plurality of sensors and constructs an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on the sensor data. The system and method also receives and analyzes bandwidth information from each sensor in a group of sensors in the ad hoc network. Based on the analysis, the system and method then modifies a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data, including sensor data and multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computer system, sensor data provided from a plurality of sensors;

constructing, by the at least one computer system, an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data;

performing, by the at least one computer system, an analysis of bandwidth information associated with each sensor in a group of sensors in the ad hoc network; and

determining the at least one computer system, a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a route by which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a rate at which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises:

allocating, by the at least one computer system, an amount of bandwidth of one sensor in the group to another one of the sensors in the group, wherein the allocated bandwidth of the one sensor is used in a data exchange for the other sensor in the group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises:

causing, by the at least one computer system, a first sensor in the group to collect data from a second sensor in the group over a local network connection and to provide the collected data on behalf of the second sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, by the at least one computer system, a first sensor in the group to disseminate data received from a bandwidth and cost optimization system to a second sensor in the group over a local network connection based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, by the at least one computer system, a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information is further based on an analysis of power consumption information associated with the at least one sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on an analysis of the bandwidth information and a capacity of each of the sensors in the group to provide available bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on an analysis of the bandwidth information, a capacity of each of the sensors in the group to provide available bandwidth, and a cost associated with the available bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises a least cost and fastest route given available bandwidth.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a user-defined hierarchy associated with the sensors in the group.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a user-defined hierarchy of data exchange networks.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer system, a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a donation of bandwidth for use by a donation recipient for data exchange.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a donor of the bandwidth donation identifies the donation recipient.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data further comprises:

constructing, by the at least one computer system, an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data and based on user-specified preferences and requirements.

17. A system, comprising:

at least one computing system providing;

a communications manager configured to receive sensor data provided from a plurality of sensors;

a bandwidth tracking manager configured to construct an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data; and

a bandwidth management manager configured to perform an analysis of bandwidth information associated with each sensor in a group of sensors in the ad hoc network and to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a route by which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a rate at which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to allocate an amount of bandwidth of one sensor in the group to another one of the sensors in the group, wherein the allocated bandwidth of the one sensor is used in a data exchange for the other sensor in the group.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to cause a first sensor in the group to collect data from a second sensor in the group over a local network connection and to provide the collected data on behalf of the second sensor.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to cause a first sensor in the group to disseminate data received from a bandwidth and cost optimization system to a second sensor in the group over a local network connection based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager is configured to modify a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the bandwidth management manager is configured to modify a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and further based on an analysis of power consumption information associated with the at least one sensor.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on an analysis of the bandwidth information and a capacity of each of the sensors in the group to provide available bandwidth.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on an analysis of the bandwidth information, a capacity of each of the sensors in the group to provide available bandwidth and a cost associated with the available bandwidth.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the determined manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises a least cost and fastest route given available bandwidth.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a user-defined hierarchy associated with the sensors in the group.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a user-defined hierarchy of data exchange networks.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth management manager configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data is further configured to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a donation of bandwidth for use by a donation recipient for data exchange.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein a donor of the bandwidth donation identifies the donation recipient.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the bandwidth management manager is further configured to identify the donation recipient.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth tracking manager configured to construct an ad hoc network is configured to construct an ad hoc among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data and based on user-specified preferences and requirements.

34. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium having computer program code tangibly recorded thereon for enabling a processing unit to manage bandwidth in an ad hoc network, the computer program code comprising:

code to enable the processing unit to receive sensor data provided from a plurality of sensors;

code to enable the processing unit to construct an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data; and

code to enable the processing unit to perform an analysis of bandwidth information associated with each sensor in a group of sensors in the ad hoc network; and

code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a route by which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data.

36. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a rate at which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data.

37. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to allocate an amount of bandwidth of one sensor in the group to another one of the sensors in the group, wherein the allocated bandwidth of the one sensor is used in a data exchange for the other sensor in the group.

38. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to cause a first sensor in the group to collect data from a second sensor in the group over a local network connection and to provide the collected data on behalf of the second sensor.

39. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer program code further comprises code to enable the processing unit to cause a first sensor in the group to disseminate data received from a bandwidth and cost optimization system to a second sensor in the group over a local network connection based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

40. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer program code further comprises code to enable the processing unit to modify a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information based on the analysis of the bandwidth information.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the computer program code to enable the processing unit to modify a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information based on the analysis of the bandwidth information further comprises program code to enable a processing unit to modify a frequency in which at least one sensor in the group provides bandwidth information is based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and an analysis of power consumption information associated with the at least one sensor.

42. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on an analysis of the bandwidth information and a capacity of each of the sensors in the group to provide available bandwidth.

43. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on an analysis of the bandwidth information, a capacity of each of the sensors in the group to provide available bandwidth and a cost associated with the available bandwidth.

44. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the determined manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data comprises a least cost and fastest route given available bandwidth.

45. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a user-defined hierarchy associated with the sensors in the group.

46. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a user-defined hierarchy of data exchange networks.

47. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information comprises code to enable the processing unit to determine a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data based on the analysis of the bandwidth information and based on a donation of bandwidth for use by a donation recipient for data exchange.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein a donor of the bandwidth donation identifies the donation recipient.

49. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the code to enable the processing unit to construct an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data comprises code to enable the processing unit to construct an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on at least a portion of the received sensor data and based on user-specified preferences and requirements.