Throughput enabled rate adaptation in wireless networks

• US 9,197,572 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Garcia-Luna-Aceves, Jose Joaquin, Nguyen, Duy
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ghafoerkhan, Faiyazkhan
• Application Number:
  US14/211,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54

Abstract

Rate adaptation in a digital wireless communication network is performed by measuring by a wireless node data throughput values attained while communicating at different data rates on a channel in the network. The node calculates from the measured throughput alone a current transmission rate without any a priori knowledge of a state of the channel. The transmission rate calculation involves calculating a ratio of the measured throughput with respect to an exponential weighted moving average of the measured throughput. By repeating the measurements and calculations periodically, the rate used for transmission by the node is adapted automatically.

Claims

1. A method for rate adaptation implemented by a wireless node in a digital wireless communication network, the method comprising:

measuring by the wireless node throughput attained while communicating at different data rates on a channel in the digital wireless communication network;

calculating by the wireless node from the measured throughput a current transmission rate without any a priori knowledge of a state of the channel;

transmitting by the wireless node on the digital wireless communication network at the calculated rate;

wherein calculating from the measured throughput a current transmission rate comprises calculating a ratio of the measured throughput with respect to an exponential weighted moving average of the measured throughput;

wherein calculating the ratio of the measured throughput with respect to an exponential weighted moving average of the measured throughput is performed at a polling frequency; and

wherein the polling frequency is decreased if the measured throughput oscillates.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating from the measured throughput the current transmission rate uses no measurements other than the measured throughput.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the current transmission rate is calculated such that a transmission rate increases as long as the measured throughput increases, the transmission rate decreases for deteriorating channel conditions, and fluctuations in data rates resulting from instantaneous measurements of throughput are avoided.