Method and apparatus optimizing a radio link

• US 8,559,400 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lotter, Michiel Petrus, van Rooyen, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Ben H
• Application Number:
  US13/149,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20110299416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/254, 370/332, 370/469
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

Optimizing a radio link is done by acquiring at least OSI layer one and two performance measurements, determining an optimum setting collection for at least OSI layer three to a top layer, then configuring at least the OSI layer three to the top layer based upon the optimum setting collection. The top layer is at least OSI layer four. The invention includes optimized radio links, methods of making optimized radio links, revenue generating making optimized radio links by providing means for optimizing the radio link.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless network via a wireless relay; and

a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and to a multimedia processing module which controls acquisition and conversion of video and audio information, the processor being configured to;

measure a collection of parameters from a physical layer, a data link layer, a network layer, and a transport layer utilized for data transfers between the wireless transceiver and the multimedia processing module; and

determine settings for the network layer and the transport layer based on the collection of parameters such that a communication performance goal between the wireless communication device and the wireless network is satisfied,

wherein the wireless transceiver is further configured to send the settings to the wireless relay, and

wherein the wireless transceiver and the wireless relay are configured to utilize the settings to facilitate data transfers between the wireless communication device and the wireless network.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network is from among a plurality of wireless networks, and wherein the processor is further configured to select the wireless network from among the plurality of wireless networks based on the communication performance goal.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the settings for the selected wireless network.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication performance goal is input by a user via a user interface.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a local area network.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein the cellular network is a packet-based cellular network.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured:

to measure a parameter from an application layer utilized for data transfers between the wireless transceiver and the multimedia processing module as part of the collection of parameters and to determine a setting for the application layer based on the collection of parameters and the communication performance goal.

9. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a first communications interface configured to communicate with another wireless communication device;

a second communications interface configured to communicate with a wireless network;

a first processor configured to;

measure a collection of parameters from a physical layer, a data link layer, a network layer, and a transport layer utilized for data transfers between the first and the second communications interfaces; and

determine settings for the network layer and the transport layer based on the collection of parameters such that a communication performance goal between the other wireless communication device and the wireless network is satisfied; and

a second processor configured to apply the settings to the second communications interface to facilitate data transfers between the other wireless communication device and the wireless network.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the communication performance goal is input by a user via a user interface.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the wireless network is a local area network.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the first processor is further configured to measure a parameter from an application layer utilized for data transfers between the first and the second communications interfaces as part of the collection of parameters and to determine the settings based on the collection of parameters and the communication performance goal.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the first processor is further configured:

to monitor a communications link quality between the second communications interface and the wireless network and to reduce a size of data packets transferred between the second communications interface and the wireless network if the communications link quality deteriorates below a threshold quality.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the first processor is further configured:

to monitor a transmit power level of the second communications interface and to reduce a size of data packets transferred between the second communications interface and the wireless network when the transmit power level exceeds a threshold power level.

16. In a wireless communication device, a method comprising:

measuring a first parameter from a physical layer and a data link layer utilized for communication between the wireless communication device and another wireless communication device;

measuring a second parameter from a network layer and a transport layer utilized for communication between the wireless communication device and a wireless network;

determining settings for the network layer and the transport layer based on the first and the second parameters such that a communication performance goal between the other wireless communication device and the wireless network is satisfied; and

configuring the network layer and the transport layer based on the settings to facilitate data transfers between the other wireless communication device and the wireless network.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

determining a first and a second data route within the wireless network, wherein the first and the second data routes are formed from a plurality of switched network nodes interconnected to one another within the wireless network,

and wherein determining the settings comprises;

determining the settings for the network layer and the transport layer for both the first data route and the second data route; and

selecting the settings corresponding to either the first data route or the second data route which best meets the communication performance goal, and

wherein configuring comprises;

configuring the network layer and the transport layer based on the selected settings.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

measuring a third parameter from an application layer utilized for communication between the wireless communication device and the wireless network; and

determining the settings based on the third parameter and the communication performance goal.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring a communications link quality between the wireless communication device and the wireless network; and

reducing a size of data packets transferred between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device if the communications link quality deteriorates below a threshold quality.

20. The wireless communication device according to claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring a transmit power level at the wireless communication device; and

reducing a size of data packets transferred between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device if the transmit power level exceeds a threshold power level.