# US 9,439,104 B2 · Method for supporting admission control and/or path selection in a communication network and communication network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,439,104 B2 - Document ID: US9439104B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/384,450 - Filed: 2010-07-15 - Published: 2012-07-05 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2009-07-15 - Assignees: NEC Corporation; Universidad Carlos III De Madrid - Applicants: Frank Zdarsky; Xavier Pèrez Costa; Roberto De Marca; Albert Banchs; Antonio De La Oliva - Inventors: Frank Zdarsky; Xavier Pèrez Costa; Roberto De Marca; Albert Banchs; Antonio De La Oliva - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9439104B2 ## CPC - H04W 28/16: Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service] - H04L 12/5692: {Selection among different networks} - H04L 45/00: Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks (routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00) - H04L 47/781: {Centralised allocation of resources} - H04L 47/822: {Collecting or measuring resource availability data} - H04L 47/824: {Applicable to portable or mobile terminals} - H04L 47/828: {Allocation of resources per group of connections, e.g. per group of users} - H04L 47/83: based on usage prediction - H04W 28/18: Negotiating wireless communication parameters - H04W 84/042: {Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method for supporting admission control and/or path selection in a communication network, the network including a plurality of wireless communication links, possibly of different link technologies, established between a plurality of network nodes, includes the steps of partitioning the communication links of the network into groups of communication links—link groups—, assigning each link group an associated link group controller that is configured to observe and/or measure the performance and/or quality of the link group, based on the observations and/or measurements, computing estimates of metrics for the capacity of the respective link group and the costs for using each of the communication links of the respective link group, and transmitting the estimates to at least one resource management entity being configured to take admission control and/or path selection decisions on the basis of the estimates. A communication network with admission control and/or path selection supporting functionality is described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for supporting network admission control or capacity-constrained path selection in a communication network, wherein said network includes a plurality of wireless communication links established between a plurality of network nodes, wherein said method can accommodate the plurality of wireless communication links being of different link technologies, and wherein said method comprises: partitioning in said network said communication links of said network into groups of communication link groups, assigning in said network each of said link groups an associated link group controller that is configured to perform at least one of observing and measuring the performance or quality of its associated link group, based on said observations or measurements, computing by each link group controller estimates of metrics for a capacity of the associated link group in terms of the capacity of the associated link group and link costs for using each of the communication links of the associated link group, and transmitting in said network said estimates to at least one resource management entity that is configured to take network admission control or capacity-constrained path selection decisions on a basis of said estimates, wherein said link groups are configured in such a way that communication links in each link group share a capacity of at least one common communication resource, and wherein said link groups are configured in such a way that dependency of communication links from different link groups is below a predefined threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, for determining the capacity of said link groups or the cost of using said links, each of said communication links is modeled as multiple unidirectional point-to-point communication links while allowing communication in a bidirectional or point-to-multipoint manner. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said link group controllers assigns its associated link group an effective capacity that reflects the associated link group's net capacity discounting for the respective protocol-related overheads. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein said effective capacity of said associated link group, in particular in case of uncoordinated medium access, is calculated by applying maximization and linearization techniques. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said link group controllers assigns each link of its associated link group a link cost that reflects the capacity consumption required to transmit over the respective link. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising, calculating said link costs, taking into consideration related signal transmission efficiency of each of the communication links of the associated link group. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising, calculating said link costs, taking into consideration at least one of power consumption and interference for transmitting over each of the communication links of the associated link group. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising, calculating said link costs, taking into consideration a related monetary operational cost for transmitting over each of the communication links of the associated link group. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said estimates of metrics for the capacity of said associated link group and the costs for using each of the communication links of the associated link group are computed in a conservative fashion as longer-term expected values. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said estimates of metrics for the capacity of said associated link group and the costs for using each of the communication links of the associated link group are computed separately for different service classes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said capacity of said associated link group and the costs for using each of the communication links of the associated link group are related to a specific communication resource, in particular bandwidth resources or energy resources. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said estimates of metrics for the capacity of said associated link group and the costs for using each of the communication links of the associated link group are transmitted from said link group controllers to said at least one resource management entity on demand only. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one resource management entity, on the basis of the information received from said link group controllers, performs in advance tests of admission control or capacity-constrained path selection decisions. ### Claim 14 A communication network with network admission control or capacity-constrained path selection supporting functionality, comprising: a plurality of wireless communication links, that can accommodate a plurality of different link technologies, established between a plurality of network nodes, wherein said communication links of said network are partitioned into link groups, wherein each of said link groups is assigned an associated link group controller that is configured to: perform at least one of observing and measuring the performance or quality of its associated link group, and compute, based on said observations or measurements, estimates of metrics for a capacity of its associated link group in terms of a capacity of the associated link group and costs for using each of the communication links of the associated link group, wherein said communication network further includes at least one resource management entity that is configured to take network admission control or capacity-constrained path selection decisions on a basis of said estimates, wherein said link groups are configured in such a way that communication links in each link group share the capacity of at least one common communication resource, and wherein said link groups are configured in such a way that a dependency of communication links from different link groups is below a predefined threshold.