Network routing system, method, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10952254-B2
Application number	US-202016899352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Mar 9, 2011
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A method, system, or computer program product to enhance the performance of multi-hop cellular networks or other wireless networks is provided. A wireless device (e.g., cellular telephone) is able to communicate with a base-station in a cell of the cellular network over a non-cellular interface via another wireless device in the cell through the use of multi-hopping. By enabling wireless devices to communicate with a base station in such a manner, the effective coverage area of the cellular network is expanded and the effective capacity of the cellular network is improved. Distributed routing, device management, adaptive scheduling, and distributed algorithms can be used to enhance the overall performance of multi-hop cellular networks.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of relaying data on a multi-hop network, the method comprising:
receiving one or more parameters for determining a set of potential nodes for relaying data based on at least signal quality of communications channels associated with the set of potential nodes;
relaying, with at least a first node of a plurality of nodes, data between a cellular base station and a second node, wherein the first node communicates with the cellular base station with at least a first wireless communications channel, and the first node communicates with the second node with a second wireless communications channel;
relaying, with the second node, data between the first node and one or more cellular devices, wherein the second node communicates with the one or more cellular devices with a third wireless communications channel such that the one or more cellular devices are in communication with the cellular base station by way of at least the first, second, and third wireless communications channels;
obtaining a channel measurement associated with the second wireless communications channel;
connecting the second node to a third node in a multi-hop network based at least on the channel measurement associated with the second wireless communications channel; and
relaying, with the third node, data between the second node and the cellular base station, wherein the third node communicates with the second node with at least a fourth wireless communications channel, wherein the third node communicates with the cellular base station with at least a fifth wireless communications channel, and wherein the one or more cellular devices are in communication with the cellular base station by way of at least the third, fourth, and fifth wireless communications channels after said connecting the second node to the third node.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third node relays data between the second node and a fourth node, wherein the third node communicates with the fourth node with at least a sixth wireless communications channel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communications channel is in communication with another node.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel measurement comprises at least one of the group consisting of: channel quality of the second wireless communications channel, a signal to noise ratio of the second wireless communications channel, and a receive signal strength indication of the second wireless communications channel.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing routing information associated with the first node in the second node.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing routing information associated with the second node in the first node.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing routing information associated with the second node in the third node.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing routing information associated with the third node in the second node.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining rate of transmission of data packets associated with the data relayed by the second node.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining one or more transmission time slots for data packets associated with the data relayed by the second node.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
encrypting the data with a security key based on a cellular-security identifier associated with a first cellular device of the one or more cellular devices to create encrypted data; and
at least one of the group consisting of:
transmitting the encrypted data from at least one of the plurality of nodes to at least another node;
transmitting the encrypted data from at least one of the plurality of nodes to at least the cellular base station;
transmitting the encrypted data from the cellular base station to at least one of the plurality of nodes;
transmitting the encrypted data from the first cellular device to at least one of the plurality of nodes; and
transmitting the encrypted data from at least one of the plurality of nodes to the first cellular device.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
encrypting the data with a security key based on a cellular-security identifier associated with the second node to create encrypted data; and
at least one of the group consisting of:
transmitting the encrypted data from at least one of the plurality of nodes to at least another node;
transmitting the encrypted data from at least one of the plurality of nodes to at least the cellular base station; and
transmitting the encrypted data from the cellular base station to at least one of the plurality of nodes.

13. An apparatus that relays data on a multi-hop network, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of nodes comprising at least first, second and third nodes in a multi-hop network;
the first node relays data between a cellular base station and a second node, wherein the first node communicates with the cellular base station with at least a first wireless communications channel, and the first node communicates with the second node with a second wireless communications channel;
the second node relays data between the first node and one or more cellular devices, wherein the second node communicates with the one or more cellular devices with a third wireless communications channel such that the one or more cellular devices are in communication with the cellular base station by way of at least the first, second, and third wireless communications channels when the second node relays data between the first node and the one or more cellular devices; and
a module executing on one or more computer processors that receives one or more parameters for determining a set of potential nodes for relaying data based on at least signal quality of communications channels associated with the set of potential nodes, obtains a channel measurement associated with the second wireless communications channel, and directs the second node to connect to the third node in the multi-hop network based at least on the channel measurement,
wherein the third node relays data between the second node and the cellular base station, wherein the third node communicates with the second node with at least a fourth wireless communications channel, and wherein the third node communicates with the cellular base station with at least a fifth wireless communications channel, and
wherein the one or more cellular devices are in communication with the cellular base station by way of at least the third, fourth, and fifth wireless communications channels after the module directs the second node to connect to the third node.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a first cellular device of the one or more cellular devices configured to encrypt the data with a security key based on a cellular-security identifier associated with the first cellular device to create encrypted data; and
at least one of the group consisting of:
at least one of the plurality of nodes configured to transmit the encrypted data to at least another node;
at least one of the plurality of nodes configured to transmit the encrypted data to at least the cellular base station;
the cellular base station configured to transmit the encrypted data to at least one of the plurality of nodes;
the first cellular device configured to transmit encrypted data to at least one of the plurality of nodes; and
at least one of the plurality of nodes configured to transmit the encrypted data to the first cellular device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherei

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Bhargava Vidur
• Vishwanath Sriram
• Jose Jubin

Classifications

• H04W80/06

  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)} · CPC title

• H04W40/12

  based on transmission quality or channel quality · CPC title

• H04W74/0816 Primary

  with collision avoidance · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W40/22

  using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point · CPC title