Adaptive rate and reach optimization for wireless access networks

• US 9,949,274 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Savoor, Raj, Wang, Jin, Ou, Canhui
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shao, Hong
• Application Number:
  US13/957,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20130315174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method controls a wireless network, which includes a controller and a plurality of network elements. The method includes determining interference in the wireless network using radio-link measurements, generating an interference matrix identifying the interference in the wireless network, and generating an adjacency matrix based on the interference matrix identifying locations having unacceptable levels of interference in the wireless network. The method also includes allocating channels and corresponding transmission powers in the wireless network to reduce the unacceptable levels of interference. The method is performed at predetermined fixed time intervals and when a new network element is added to the wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wireless network, which includes a server in communication with the wireless network and a plurality of fixed network elements and mobile network elements, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors in the server, interference in the wireless network using radio-link measurements;

generating, by the one or more processors in the server, an interference matrix identifying the interference in the wireless network, the interference matrix being stored in one or more memories in the server;

generating, by the one or more processors in the server, an adjacency matrix based on the interference matrix identifying locations having unacceptable levels of interference in the wireless network, the adjacency matrix being stored in the one or more memories in the server;

allocating channels and corresponding transmission powers in the wireless network, by the one or more processors in the server based on the adjacency matrix, to reduce the unacceptable levels of interference;

modeling the adjacency matrix as a graph, by the one or more processors in the server, by creating a vertex for each network element; and

pruning most recently added nodes from the graph modeled from the adjacency matrix with the created vertexes, by the one or more processors in the server, starting with a newest added node when a total number of nodes exceeds a designated number of nodes so that a smaller graph results;

wherein an unacceptable level of interference is a level of interference that is greater than a predetermined acceptable level of interference, and

wherein the method is performed at predetermined fixed time intervals for the fixed network elements and the mobile network elements.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein a network element of the plurality of network elements is a mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the method is performed at predetermined fixed time intervals, which are a predetermined number of hours.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined fixed time intervals are a predetermined number of days.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined fixed time intervals are restarted after the method is performed due to a new network element being added to the wireless network.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of network elements include a plurality of access points and a plurality of clients, with each access point serving at least one client.

7. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the plurality of access points includes an access point that has an independent wireless local area network that is connected to the Internet.

8. The method according to claim 7,

wherein the independent wireless local area network is connected to the Internet through a coaxial cable.

9. The method according to claim 7,

wherein the independent wireless local area network is connected to the Internet through a fiber-optic transmission system.

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the determining interference in the wireless network is performed by polling the plurality of network elements.

11. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the unacceptable levels of interference are reduced dynamically by adaptive self-learning controls.

12. The method according to claim 11,

wherein the adaptive self-learning controls include dynamic frequency selection.

13. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the graph is colored such that no adjacent vertices have the same color, each color representing a communication channel.

14. The method according to claim 13,

wherein each color represents one communication channel of a predetermined number of available communication channels.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

pruning at least one edge of the graph of the adjacency matrix so that the graph does not exceed the predetermined number of available communication channels when at least one additional network element is added to the local area network.

16. The method according to claim 15,

wherein the pruning includes reducing power to at least one vertex.

17. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the graph is colored using a maximum of 14 colors.

18. The method according to claim 15,

wherein a most recently added network element has power reduced by the pruning.

19. A non-transitory tangible storage medium encoded with an executable computer program for controlling a wireless network, including fixed network elements and mobile network elements that, when executed by a server, causes the server to perform operations comprising:

determining, by one or more processors in the server, interference in the wireless network using radio-link measurements;

generating, by the one or more processors in the server, an interference matrix identifying the interference in the wireless network, the interference matrix being stored in one or more memories in the server;

generating, by the one or more processors in the server, an adjacency matrix based on the interference matrix identifying locations having unacceptable levels of interference in the wireless network, the adjacency matrix being stored in the one or more memories in the server;

allocating channels and corresponding transmission powers in the wireless network, by the one or more processors in the server based on the adjacency matrix, to reduce the unacceptable levels of interference;

modeling the adjacency matrix as a graph, by the one or more processors in the server, by creating a vertex for each network element; and

pruning most recently added nodes from the graph modeled from the adjacency matrix with the created vertexes, by the one or more processors in the server, starting with a newest added node when a total number of nodes exceeds a designated number of nodes so that a smaller graph results;

wherein an unacceptable level of interference is a level of interference that is greater than a predetermined acceptable level of interference, and

wherein the operations are performed at predetermined fixed time intervals for the fixed network elements and the mobile network elements.

20. A server for controlling a wireless network, which includes a plurality of fixed network elements and mobile network elements, the server comprising:

a processor for determining interference in the wireless network at predetermined fixed time intervals for the fixed network elements and the mobile network elements,

wherein the processor generates an interference matrix identifying the interference in the wireless network,

wherein the processor generates an adjacency matrix based on the interference matrix identifying locations having unacceptable levels of interference, allocates channels and corresponding transmission powers in the wireless network to reduce the unacceptable levels of interference, models the adjacency matrix as a graph by creating a vertex for each network element, and prunes most recently added nodes from the graph starting with a newest added node when a total number of nodes exceeds a designated number of nodes so that a smaller graph results; and

a storage for storing the interference matrix and the adjacency matrix;

wherein an unacceptable level of interference is a level of interference that is greater than a predetermined acceptable level of interference.