Methods for managing communications of a wireless communications network, corresponding storage means and devices

• US 8,326,322 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2009
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Lagrange, Pascal, Le Houerou, Brice
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US12/626,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20100159832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/425, 455/445, 455/452.2, 455/452.1, 455/9, 455/10, 455/18, 455/449, 455/456.3, 455/562.1, 455/277.2, 455/456.1, 455/414.2, 370/237
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/26 using historical data, averaging values or statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/373 Predicting channel quality or other radio frequency [RF] parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/18 based on predicted events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update

Abstract

A method for managing communications in a wireless communications network comprising a set of pairs constituted by a sender device and a receiver device, each of the devices having a determined area of communications coverage, the coverage areas of each pair having a mutual intersection area. Such a method comprises the followings steps: determining future trajectories of a disturbing mobile obstacle as a function of a set of prior positions of the disturbing mobile obstacle, a position of an obstacle being determined as a function of areas of mutual overlapping of at least two disturbed intersecting areas, a disturbed intersecting area having a given state of disturbance according to a determined criterion of quality of communications between the devices of the pairs corresponding to the disturbed intersection area; establishing a forecast diagnostic of quality of communications by examining the determined future trajectory or trajectories; managing the routing of communications as a function of the established forecast diagnostic.

Claims

1. Method for managing communications in a wireless communications network comprising a set of device pairs constituted by a sender device and a receiver device, each of the devices having a determined area of communications coverage, the coverage areas of each device pair having a mutual intersection area between a sending coverage area and a receiving coverage area,

wherein said method comprises steps of:

determining at least one future trajectory of a disturbing mobile obstacle as a function of a set of prior positions of said disturbing mobile obstacle, a position of an obstacle being determined as a function of areas of mutual overlapping of at least two disturbed intersecting areas, a disturbed intersecting area having a given state of disturbance according to a determined criterion of quality of communications between the devices of the device pairs corresponding to said disturbed intersection area; and

establishing a forecast diagnostic of quality of communications in the network by examining the determined future trajectory or trajectories.

2. Method for managing communications according to claim 1, wherein said step of determining at least one future trajectory comprises a step of determining at least one segment of a future trajectory of the disturbing mobile obstacle by extrapolation of a segment of a prior trajectory of said disturbing mobile obstacle, and wherein said step of establishing a forecast diagnostic is performed from said determined segment or segments of a future trajectory.

3. Method for managing communications according to claim 1, wherein said step of determining at least one future trajectory comprises a step of determining at least one segment of a future trajectory of the disturbing mobile obstacle by recognition of a segment of a prior trajectory with which said segment or segments of a future trajectory are associated in a predetermined way, and wherein said step of establishing a forecast diagnostic is performed from said determined segment or segments of a future trajectory.

4. Method for managing communications according to claim 1, further comprising successive preliminary steps of determining areas of mutual overlapping of at least two disturbed intersecting areas, wherein the disturbing mobile obstacle is detected from said determined mutual overlapping areas.

5. Method for managing communications according to claim 4, further comprising a step of detecting a fixed obstacle at a given position from said determined mutual overlapping areas, wherein said at least one future trajectory of the disturbing mobile obstacle is determined as a function of the given position of the detected fixed obstacle and of at least one sub-set of the mutual overlapping areas that have used to detect the disturbing mobile obstacle.

6. Method for managing communications according to claim 5, wherein, at least one segment of a future trajectory of the disturbing mobile obstacle being determined from a segment of a prior trajectory of said disturbing mobile obstacle, said at least one future trajectory of the disturbing mobile obstacle is determined as a function of at least one segment of a secondary trajectory bypassing the given position of the fixed obstacle detected, each segment of a secondary trajectory forming a predetermined angle with said segment of a future trajectory of the disturbing mobile obstacle.

7. Method for managing communications according to claim 1, further comprising a step of modifying the routing of at least one communication as a function of said at least one diagnostic made at said step of establishing a forecast diagnostic.

8. Method for managing communications according to claim 7, wherein the communication(s) whose routing is modified are selected as a function of a weight associated with devices among said sender and/or receiver devices of the network, said weight being determined as a function of an estimation of a probability that at least one communication involving said associated device has a level of quality below a predetermined threshold.

9. Method for managing communications according to claim 7, wherein the step of modifying the routing of at least one communication includes a step selected from the group consisting of:

a step of reinforcing, for a device receiving a data stream, the communications of this data stream intended for the receiver device; and

a step of determining, for a device relaying a data stream intended for a receiver device, an alternative device for relaying said data stream intended for said receiver device.

10. Method for managing communications according to claim 1, wherein a critical area within the network, for which the presence of at least one obstacle is liable to be disturbing for at least one communication involving a receiver device, is determined by a union of areas of mutual overlapping of at least two disturbed intersecting areas;

and wherein said method further comprises the following steps of;

estimating a level of capacity of the receiver device to receive, by analysis of variations of quality of communications traversing said critical area; and

adapting the routing of communications of the network to the estimated level of capacity to receive.

11. Computer-readable storage means storing a set of instructions that may be run by a computer in order to implement a method for managing communications in a wireless communications network comprising a set of device pairs constituted by a sender device and a receiver device, each of the devices having a determined area of communications coverage, the coverage areas of each device pair having a mutual intersection area between a sending coverage area and a receiving coverage area,

wherein the following steps are performed when said set of instructions is executed:

determining at least one future trajectory of a disturbing mobile obstacle as a function of a set of prior positions of said disturbing mobile obstacle, a position of an obstacle being determined as a function of areas of mutual overlapping of at least two disturbed intersecting areas, a disturbed intersecting area having a given state of disturbance according to a determined criterion of quality of communications between the devices of the device pairs corresponding to said disturbed intersection area; and

establishing a forecast diagnostic of quality of future communications in the network by examining the determined future trajectory or trajectories.

12. Device for managing communications in a wireless communications network comprising a set of pairs constituted by a sender device and a receiver device, each of the devices having a determined area of communications coverage, the coverage areas of each device pair having a mutual intersection area between a sending coverage area and a receiving coverage area,

wherein said managing device comprises:

first means for determining at least one future trajectory of a disturbing mobile obstacle as a function of a set of prior positions of said at least one disturbing mobile obstacle, a position of an obstacle being determined as a function of areas of mutual overlapping of at least two disturbed intersecting areas, a disturbed intersecting area having a given state of disturbance according to a determined criterion of quality of communications between the devices of the device pairs corresponding to said disturbed intersection area; and

means for establishing a forecast diagnostic of quality of communications in the network by examining the determined future trajectory or trajectories.

13. Method for managing a routing of communications of a wireless network comprising a set of at least two pairs comprising a sender device and a receiver device, wherein said method comprises steps of:

determining, for a receiver device, a critical area within the network for which the presence of at least one obstacle is liable to be disturbing for at least one communication involving said receiver device, said critical area being determined by analysis of characteristics of communication transmission of said at least two pairs of devices;

estimating a level of capacity of the receiver device to receive, by analysis of variations of quality of communications traversing said critical area; and

adapting the routing of communications of the network to the estimated level of capacity to receive.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein, with each of the devices having a determined communications coverage area, the two coverage areas of each pair having a mutual intersection area, the critical area is determined by a union of overlapping areas, each overlapping area being determined by mutual overlapping of at least two of said intersection areas.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein said step of determining at least one critical area comprises at least one of the steps of:

excluding from said union of overlapping areas at least one overlapping area in which the presence of a disturbing obstacle is detected for a predetermined duration while said receiver device detects a level of quality of reception that remains higher than a predetermined threshold during said predetermined duration; and

including at least one overlapping area in said union of overlapping areas, wherein the presence of a disturbing obstacle is detected during a predetermined duration while said receiver device detects a remaining level of reception quality that remains below a predetermined threshold during said predetermined duration.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein said step of determining a critical area in which the presence of a disturbing obstacle is detected comprises a step of detecting whether the disturbing obstacle is fixed or mobile by analysis of variations in disturbances of the overlapping areas, detected as being disturbed according to a criterion of quality of link during a predetermined period.

17. Method according to claim 13, wherein the level of capacity of said receiver device to receive is estimated as a function of at least one of the two levels belonging to the group comprising:

a level of instability of the critical area representing a development of disturbances detected in the critical area; and

a level of criticality of the critical area representing an estimated impact of disturbances detected in the critical area.

18. Method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of checking that, during a pre-determined period, the level of capacity of said receiver device to receive is above a predetermined threshold, and wherein the step of adapting the routing of the communications is performed only in the event of a negative check.

19. Computer-readable storage means storing a set of instructions that may be run by a computer in order to implement a method for managing a routing of communications of a wireless network comprising a set of at least two pairs comprising a sender device and a receiver device,

wherein the following steps are performed when said set of instructions is executed:

determining, for a receiver device, a critical area within the network for which the presence of at least one obstacle is liable to be disturbing for at least one communication involving said receiver device, said critical area being determined by analysis of characteristics of communication transmission of said at least two pairs of devices;

estimating a level of capacity of the receiver device to receive, by analysis of variations of quality of communications traversing said critical area; and

adapting the routing of communications of the network to the estimated level of capacity to receive.

20. Device for managing a routing of communications of a wireless network comprising a set of at least two pairs comprising a sender device and a receiver device, wherein said managing device comprising:

first means for determining, for a receiver device, a critical area for which the presence of at least one obstacle is liable to be disturbing for at least one communication involving said receiver device;

means for estimating a level of capacity of the receiver device to receive, by analysis of variations of quality of communications traversing said critical area; and

means for adapting the routing of communications of the network to the estimated level of capacity to receive.