System and method for reliable multicast transmissions over shared wireless media for spectrum efficiency and battery power conservation

• US 8,731,594 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Ponnuswamy, Subbu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): PLATA, EDD RIANNE L
• Application Number:
  US11/586,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,765 Days
• Field of Search: 370/232, 370/311, 370/328, 370/338, 370/241, 370/252, 455/423, 455/425, 455/450, 455/452.1, 455/522
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, wireless spectrum and battery power conservation is achieved through an adaptable multicast group communication scheme. This involves a method for controlling the multicast transmission rate based on a first operation of receiving information from a multicast receiving device that is a member of a multicast group. Based on this information and potentially other information from other member devices, the modulation and coding rate for the multicast group is altered.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors, the system being configured to execute instructions, with the one or more hardware processors, to cause performance of operations comprising;

granting a request from a first device to join a particular multicast group;

receiving, from the first device, a first modulation and coding rate;

based at least on the first modulation and coding rate received from the first device, selecting a second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group;

receiving feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) were received by the first device;

estimating a frame loss for the first device based at least on the feedback information;

adjusting the second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the frame loss for the first device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a third modulation and coding rate, that is different than the first modulation and coding rate, from a first device;

wherein the second modulation and coding rate is based on both the first modulation and coding rate and the third modulation and coding rate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein selecting the second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group comprises adjusting a third modulation and coding rate of the particular multicast group that was used before receiving the first modulation and coding rate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first modulation and coding rate is different than the second modulation and coding rate.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first modulation and coding rate is one or more of:

a highest modulation and coding rate at which the first device can reliably receive multicast frames or a preferred modulation and coding rate.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, performs operations comprising:

granting a request from a first device to join a particular multicast group;

receiving, from the first device, a first modulation and coding rate;

based at least on the first modulation and coding rate received from the first device, selecting a second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group;

receiving feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) were received by the first device;

estimating a frame loss for the first device based at least on the feedback information;

adjusting the second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the frame loss for the first device.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a third modulation and coding rate, that is different than the first modulation and coding rate, from a second device;

wherein the second modulation and coding rate is based on both the first modulation and coding rate and the third modulation and coding rate.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the selecting of the second modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group comprises adjusting a third modulation and coding rate of the particular multicast group that was used before receiving the first modulation and coding rate.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the first modulation and coding rate is different than the second modulation and coding rate.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the selecting of the second modulation and coding rate is further based on an actual or estimated frame loss from one or more of the plurality of devices in the particular multicast group.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the first modulation and coding rate is one or more of:

a highest modulation and coding rate at which the first device can reliably receive multicast frames or a preferred modulation and coding rate.

12. A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors, the system being configured to execute instructions, with the one or more hardware processors, to cause performance of operations comprising;

granting a request from each of a plurality of devices to join a particular multicast group;

receiving a first feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) were received by a first device of the plurality of devices;

receiving a second feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) were received by a second device of the plurality of devices, the second feedback information being different from the first feedback information;

adjusting a modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based on the first feedback information and the second feedback information at least by;

estimating a first frame loss for the first device based at least on the first feedback information;

estimating a second frame loss for the second device based at least on the second feedback information;

determining a new modulating and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the first frame loss and the second frame loss;

wherein the second device comprises a hardware processor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first feedback information comprises an identification of data received by the first device and the second feedback information comprises an identification of data received by the second device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first feedback information comprises one or more of:

(i) a measurement start time, (ii) a measurement duration, (iii) multicast MAC address, (iv) a multicast reporting reason, (v) a multicast count, (vi) a first sequence number, (vii) a last sequence number or (viii) a multicast rate.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first feedback information comprises a plurality of sequence numbers within medium access control (MAC) headers of a first multicast frame and a last multicast frame received by the first device during a predetermined period of time after granting the request from the first device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, performs operations comprising:

granting a request from each of a plurality of devices to join a particular multicast group;

receiving a first feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) were received by a first device of the plurality of devices;

receiving a second feedback information regarding multicast communications that (a) are associated with the particular multicast group and (b) were received by a second device of the plurality of devices, the second feedback information being different from the first feedback information;

adjusting a modulation and coding rate for the particular multicast group based on the first feedback information and the second feedback information at least by;

estimating a first frame loss for the first device based at least on the first feedback information;

estimating a second frame loss for the second device based at least on the second feedback information;

determining a new modulating and coding rate for the particular multicast group based at least on the first frame loss and the second frame loss;

wherein the second device comprises a hardware processor.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first feedback information comprises an identification of data received by the first device and the second feedback information comprises an identification of data received by the second device.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first feedback information comprises one or more of:

(i) a measurement start time, (ii) a measurement duration, (iii) multicast MAC address, (iv) a multicast reporting reason, (v) a multicast count, (vi) a first sequence number, (vii) a last sequence number or (viii) a multicast rate.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first feedback information comprises a plurality of sequence numbers within medium access control (MAC) headers of a first multicast frame and a last multicast frame received by the first device during a predetermined period of time after granting the request from the first device.