US 11,240,844 B2Granted

Network routing system, method, and computer program product

AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System

InventorsVidur Bhargava, Sriram Vishwanath, Jubin Jose

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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.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method of relaying data on a multi-hop network, the method comprising:

relaying, with at least a first node of a plurality of nodes, data between at least one cellular device and a cellular base station, wherein the first node communicates with the cellular base station with at least a first wireless communications channel and communicates with the at least one cellular device with a second wireless communications channel for said relaying;
obtaining a channel measurement associated with the first wireless communications channel;
connecting the first node to a second node in a multi-hop network based at least on the channel measurement associated with the first wireless communications channel such that the first node has a different path to the cellular base station than for said relaying, wherein the second node relays data between the first node and the cellular base station with a third wireless communications channel that is between the cellular base station and the second node, wherein the second node communicates with the first node with at least a fourth wireless communications channel after said connecting;
wirelessly communicating data between the at least one cellular device and the cellular base station via at least the second, third, and fourth wireless communications channels after said connecting;
encrypting data with a security key based on a security identifier associated with the first 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.

8 more elements

An apparatus for relaying data on a multi-hop network, the apparatus comprising:

a first node of a plurality of nodes, the first node relays data between at least one cellular device and a cellular base station, the first node communicates with the cellular base station with at least a first wireless communications channel and the first node communicates with the at least one cellular device with a second wireless communications channel for relaying data between the at least one cellular device and the cellular base station;
a module executing on one or more computer processors that obtains a channel measurement associated with the first wireless communications channel and directs the first node to connect to a second node in a multi-hop network based at least on the channel measurement such that the first node has a different path to the cellular base station than via at least the first wireless communications channel, wherein the second node relays data between the first node and the cellular base station with a third wireless communications channel that is between the cellular base station and the second node, wherein the second node communicates with the first node with at least a fourth wireless communications channel after the module directs the first node to connect to the second node in the multi-hop network, and wherein the at least one cellular device wirelessly communicates data with the cellular base station via at least the second, third, and fourth wireless communications channels after the module directs the first node to connect to the second node in the multi-hop network;
and
one or more computer processors that encrypt data with a security key based on a security identifier associated with the first node to create encrypted data, and wherein at least one of the group consisting of:
at least one of the plurality of nodes is configured to transmit the encrypted data to at least another node;
at least one of the plurality of nodes is configured to transmit the encrypted data to at least the cellular base station;
and
at least the cellular base station is configured to transmit the encrypted data to at least one of the plurality of nodes.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/728,878Filed 27 Dec 2019 · continuation
Priority: 9 Mar 2011
Published: US 2020/0260492 A113 Aug 2020
Granted: 1 Feb 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04W 74/0816
Using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]: with collision avoidance
H04W 40/12
Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing: based on transmission quality or channel quality
H04W 40/22
Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing: using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver…
H04W 74/02
Wireless channel access: hybrid access

Family

Application61/451,039Us provisional application · filed 9 Mar 2011
PCT/US2011/039180Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Jun 2011
PCT/US2011/045967Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Jul 2011
PCT/US2012/028571Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Mar 2012
Application14/020,511Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Sep 2013
Application15/399,168Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Jan 2017
US 9,578,591 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Feb 2017
Application15/913,238Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Mar 2018
US 9,942,921 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Apr 2018
Application16/235,890Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Dec 2018
US 10,206,228 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Feb 2019
US 2020/0260492 A1Pre-grant publication · published 13 Aug 2020
US 10,568,139 B2Parent of this continuation
PCT/US2012/028571Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2014/0004865 A1Published application
US 2017/0142755 A1Published application
US 2018/0199379 A1Published application
US 2019/0342918 A1Published application
US 11,240,844 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.