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;
• transmitting, via the transmitter portion, information into the channel based on the instruction signal;
• and
• updating, via an updating portion of the management portion, the threshold value within the threshold database based on the CTS packet,
• wherein said updating the threshold value within the threshold database based on the CTS packet comprising updating the threshold value as an updated transmission rate, when receiving a rate indication from the receiving device, as
• Tnew=ρ·(αR+(1−α)Told),α,ρε[0,1],
• where Tnew is an updated threshold value provided by the receiving device;
• Told is the previous threshold value;
• R is the transmission rate indication from the receiving device;
• α is a constant of the moving average of the threshold value;
• ρ is a loading coefficient, which is based on a utilization estimation of the channel.

A computer system program product for executing instructions in a computer system, the computer system program product comprising a tangible, non-transient 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,
• wherein the computer system-readable program code is further operable to instruct the computer system to perform updating, via an updating portion of the management portion, the threshold value within the threshold database based on the CTS packet, and
• wherein the computer system-readable program code is further operable to instruct the computer system to perform said updating the threshold value within the threshold database based on the CTS packet as updating the threshold value as an updated transmission rate, when receiving a rate indication from the receiving device, as
• Tnew=ρ·(αR+(1−α)Told),α,ρε[0,1],
• where Tnew is an updated threshold value provided by the receiving device;
• Told is the previous threshold value;
• R is the transmission rate indication from the receiving device;
• α is a constant of the moving average of the threshold value;
• ρ is a loading coefficient, which is based on a utilization estimation of the channel.

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 arrange 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, and
• wherein said preference updating portion is operable to change the first weighting factor as
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• where P(k) is the first weighting factor, Tnewk is a threshold value provided by the receiving device, D(k) is a queue drift that is based on a transmission opportunity for the first queue to account for missed or gained opportunity to access the channel, and Dth is a threshold queue drift.