System and Methods for Distributed Medium Access Control and QOS Scheduling in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

A method of communicating with a receiving device over a channel within a mobile ad-hoc network, the receiving device including a CTS packet generating portion operable to generate and a CTS packet based on a parameter of the channel and to transmit the CTS packet over the channel, said method comprising:

• generating, via an RTS packet generating portion of a management portion, a RTS packet;
• providing, via the RTS packet generating portion of the management portion, to the transmitter portion;
• transmitting, via a transmitter portion, the RTS packet to the receiving device by way of the channel;
• receiving, via a receiver portion, the CTS packet from the receiving device by way of the channel;
• providing the CTS packet to a CTS packet receiving portion of the management portion;
• storing, via a threshold database of the management portion, a threshold value for the parameter of the channel;
• providing, via the threshold database, the threshold value to a comparator of the management portion;
• providing, via the CTS packet receiving portion, channel parameter information to the comparator, based on the CTS packet;
• comparing, via the comparator, the threshold value and the channel parameter information;
• generating, via the comparator, an instruction signal based on the comparison;
• generating, via the RES packet generating portion, an RES packet based on the instruction signal;
• and
• transmitting, via the transmitter portion, information into the channel based on the instruction signal.

A computer system program product for executing instructions in a computer system, the computer system program product comprising a computer system-readable storage medium having computer system-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer system being operable to communicate with a receiving device over a channel within a mobile ad-hoc network, the receiving device including a CTS packet generating portion operable to generate and a CTS packet based on a parameter of the channel and to transmit the CTS packet over the channel, the computer system-readable program code being operable to instruct the computer system to perform a method comprising:

• generating, via an RTS packet generating portion of a management portion, a RTS packet;
• providing, via the RTS packet generating portion of the management portion, to the transmitter portion;
• transmitting, via a transmitter portion, the RTS packet to the receiving device by way of the channel;
• receiving, via a receiver portion, the CTS packet from the receiving device by way of the channel;
• providing the CTS packet to a CTS packet receiving portion of the management portion;
• storing, via a threshold database of the management portion, a threshold value for the parameter of the channel;
• providing, via the threshold database, the threshold value to a comparator of the management portion;
• providing, via the CTS packet receiving portion, channel parameter information to the comparator, based on the CTS packet;
• comparing, via the comparator, the threshold value and the channel parameter information;
• generating, via the comparator, an instruction signal based on the comparison;
• generating, via the RES packet generating portion, an RES packet based on the instruction signal;
• and
• transmitting, via the transmitter portion, information into the channel based on the instruction signal.

A communication device operable to communicate with a receiving device over a channel within a mobile ad-hoc network, said communication device comprising:

• a transmitter portion operable to transmit information into the channel that includes a first type of information and a second type of information,
• wherein said transmitter portion comprises a queue generator, a queue selector, a queue database, a preference module and a preference updating portion,
• wherein said queue generator is operable to arranged the first type of information into a first queue and to arrange the second type of information into a second queue,
• wherein said queue database is operable to store the first queue and the second queue,
• wherein said queue selector is operable to select information from one of the first queue and the second queue to be transmitted into the channel,
• wherein said preference module is operable to assign a first weighting to the first queue and a second weighting factor to the second queue, and
• wherein said preference updating portion is operable to change the first weighting factor or the second weighting factor.