Multi-hop network for transmission of packets whose size is determined by hop count number

• US 20030174652A1
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ebata, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,532,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/36 by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• 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 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/26 for hybrid routing by combining proactive and reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

In a source node of a multi-hop network is provided with a route table in which a number of routes from the node to all destinations are mapped to hop count numbers. In response to a request for transmission of data, the node determines a hop count number from the route table corresponding to a route indicated in the request and segments the data into a number of data segments according to the hop count number. The data segments are converted into packets and transmitted. In a transit node, the packets are placed into one of a set of queuing buffers that corresponds to the hop count number of the packets. The stored packets are scheduled for transmission according to their hop count number.

Claims

1. A network node for a multi-hop network, wherein the network node is one of a plurality of network nodes of the multi-hop network, comprising:

a route table for storing a plurality of routes from the network node to all destination nodes of the network and indicating respective hop count numbers of said routes;

means, responsive to a request for transmission of data, for determining a hop count number from said route table corresponding to a route indicated in said request;

means for segmenting said data into a plurality of data segments according to the determined hop count number; and

means for converting said plurality of data segments to a plurality of packets.

2. The network node of claim 1, wherein said segmenting means segments said data so that the size of each data segment varies inversely with said hop count number.

3. The network node of claim 1, wherein said segmenting means segments said data so that the size of each data segment maximizes the throughput of said route indicated in said request.

4. The network node of claim 1, further comprising a mapping table for mapping a plurality of hop count numbers to a plurality of packet sizes, wherein each of said packet sizes maximizes the throughput of a route of a corresponding hop count number from said network node,

wherein said determining means further determines a packet size corresponding to the determined hop count number, and

wherein said segmenting means segments said data according to the determined packet size.

5. The network node of claim 1, wherein each route stored in the route table is obtained by said network nodes exchanging control packets with each other.

6. The network node of claim 1, wherein each route stored in the route table represents a route from a next node to a destination node.

7. The network node of claim 1, wherein each of said packets contains said determined hop count number.

8. The network node of claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of buffers respectively corresponding to hop count numbers;

means for receiving packets from the network; and

means for determining a hop count number from the received packets and storing the received packets into one of said buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

9. The network node of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of buffers respectively corresponding to hop count numbers;

means for receiving packets from the network;

a second route table for storing a plurality of routes from each of the network nodes to every other nodes of the network and indicating respective hop count numbers of said routes; and

means for determining a route of the received packets from the second route table and a hop count number corresponding to the determined route and storing the received packets into one of said buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

10. The network node of claim 8 or 9, wherein packets stored in said buffers are scheduled so that the packets are transmitted from said buffers in descending order of the hop count numbers of the buffers.

11. The network node of claim 9, wherein each route stored in said second route table is obtained by said network nodes exchanging control packets with each other.

18. The network node of claim 1, 12 or 13, further comprising a wireless interface for establishing a wireless link with a neighbor network node.

19. The network node of claim 18, wherein said wireless interface further establishes a wireless link with a mobile terminal.

20. The network node of claim 1, 12 or 13, wherein each of said network nodes is a wireless mobile node.

12. A network node for a multi-hop network, wherein the network node is one of a plurality of network nodes of the multi-hop network, comprising:

a plurality of buffers respectively corresponding to hop count numbers;

means for receiving packets from the network, each packet containing a hop count number of the route of said packets whose packet size corresponds to the hop count number; and

means for determining a hop count number from the received packets and storing the received packets into one of said buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

14. The network node of claim 12 or 13, wherein packets stored in said buffers are scheduled so that the packets are transmitted from said buffers in descending order of the hop count numbers of the buffers.

17. The network node of claim 12 or 13, wherein the size of the received packets maximizes the throughput of the route of the packets.

13. A network node for a multi-hop network, wherein the network node is one of a plurality of network nodes of the multi-hop network, comprising:

a plurality of buffers respectively corresponding to hop count numbers;

means for receiving packets from the network, wherein the size of the received packets corresponds to one of said hop count numbers;

a route table for storing a plurality of routes and indicating respective hop count numbers of said routes; and

means for determining a route of the received packets from said route table and a hop count number corresponding to the determined route and storing the received packets into one of said buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

15. The network node of claim 13, wherein each route stored in said route table is obtained by said network nodes exchanging control packets with each other.

16. The network node of claim 13, wherein each route stored in said second route table represents a route from each node of the network to every other node of the network.

21. A method of communication for a multi-hop network which comprises a plurality of network nodes, comprising:

a) storing, in a route table, a plurality of routes from a network node to all destination nodes of the network and indicating respective hop count numbers of said routes;

b) responsive to a request for transmission of data, determining a hop count number from said route table corresponding to a route indicated in said request;

c) segmenting said data into a plurality of data segments according to the determined hop count number; and

d) converting said plurality of data segments to a plurality of packets.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step (c) comprises segmenting said data so that the size of each data segment varies inversely with said hop count number.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step (c) comprises segmenting said data so that the size of each data segment maximizes the throughput of said route indicated in said request.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising mapping a plurality of hop count numbers to a plurality of packet sizes in a mapping table, wherein each of said packet sizes maximizes the throughput of a route of a corresponding hop count number from said network node,

wherein the step (b) further determines a packet size corresponding to the determined hop count number, and

wherein the step (c) segments said data according to the determined packet size.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising exchanging control packets between said network nodes to obtain said routes of the route table.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein each route stored in the route table represents a route from a next node to a destination node.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said packets contains said determined hop count number.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving packets from the network; and

determining a hop count number from the received packets and storing the received packets into one of a plurality of buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

storing, in a second route table, a plurality of routes from each of the network nodes to every other nodes of the network and indicating respective hop count numbers of said routes;

receiving packets from the network;

determining a route of the received packets from the second route table and a hop count number corresponding to the determined route and storing the received packets into one of a plurality of buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

30. The method of claim 28 or 29, wherein packets stored in said buffers are scheduled so that the packets are transmitted from said buffers in descending order of the hop count numbers of the buffers.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising exchanging control packets between said network nodes to obtain said routes of said second route table.

32. A method of communication for a multi-hop network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of network nodes, comprising:

receiving packets from the network, each packet containing a hop count number of the route of said packets whose packet size corresponds to the hop count number;

determining a hop count number from the received packets; and

storing the received packets into one of a plurality of buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

34. The method of claim 32 or 33, further comprising scheduling packets stored in said buffers so that the packets are transmitted from said buffers in descending order of the hop count numbers of the buffers.

37. The method of claim 32 or 33, wherein the size of the received packets maximizes the throughput of the route of the packets.

33. A method of communication for a multi-hop network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of network nodes, comprising:

receiving packets from the network, wherein the size of the received packets corresponds to one of said hop count numbers;

storing, in a route table, a plurality of routes and indicating respective hop count numbers of said routes; and

determining a route of the received packets from said route table and a hop count number corresponding to the determined route; and

storing the received packets into one of said buffers corresponding to the determined hop count number.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising exchanging control packets between said network nodes to obtain said routes of said route table.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein each route stored in said route table represents a route from each node of the network to every other node of the network.