System and method for adaptive frame size management in a wireless multihop network

Abstract

A system and method for adaptively managing frame size in a wireless multihop network is disclosed. In one embodiment, a packet is transmitted from a source to a destination. A acknowledgement packet is received and a successful acknowledgement packet counter is incremented if the acknowledgement packet arrives prior to a time-out of a timer. A frame size is increased if the successful acknowledgement packet counter reaches a specified value. If the acknowledgement packet arrives after the time-out of the timer, the successful acknowledgement packet counter is reset and the frame size is decreased. These procedures can be repeated until the frame size is greater than or equal to a maximum frame size or less than or equal to a minimum frame size.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for hierarchically optimizing frame sizes in tunnels of a wireless multihop network, the method comprising:
 determining an optimum frame size for a destination wireless link, the destination wireless link being a most loaded wireless link in the wireless multihop network and is one link away from a destination of a tunnel; and   transmitting packets to a first node via a first tunnel to determine a first optimum frame size for a first wireless link between a last processed node and the first node, the first node being one wireless link away from the last processed node, such that adaptively managing frame size in the wireless multihop network is facilitated.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , the method further comprising transmitting packets to a second node via a second tunnel to determine a second optimum frame size between the last processed node and the second node, the second node being two wireless links away from the last processed node. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , the method further comprising:
 setting a third frame size for a second wireless link between the first node and the second node; and   checking if a frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is determined.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein checking if the frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is determined with an exception of a last wireless link, the last wireless link connecting a source of the tunnel to a node immediately preceding it. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein checking that the frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is determined with the exception of the last wireless link, the method further comprising determining and setting a last frame size for the last wireless link. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein checking that the frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is not determined with the exception of the last wireless link, the method further comprising updating the last processed node. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first node is logically connected to the last processed node via the first tunnel and the second node is logically connected to the last processed node via the second tunnel. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein a frame is made up of a plurality of packets and the frame begins with a delimiter for a packet, which immediately follows the delimiter. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising separating the packet from another packet by another delimiter. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the delimiter comprises a plurality of fields, with a first field being an End/More (E/M) field indicating if there are more packets to follow, a second field is reserved for future use, a third field is a value representing a total length of a remainder of the frame, a fourth field is a Data/Ack (D/A) field indicating if a next packet is user data or an acknowledgement packet, a fifth field is reserved for future use, and a sixth field is a value representing a length of the next packet. 
     
     
         31 . A system comprising a processor to hierarchically optimize frame sizes in tunnels of a wireless multihop network, the processor is configured to:
 determine an optimum frame size for a destination wireless link, the destination wireless link being a most loaded wireless link in the wireless multihop network and is one link away from a destination of a tunnel; and   transmit packets to a first node via a first tunnel to determine a first optimum frame size for a first wireless link between a last processed node and the first node, the first node being one wireless link away from the last processed node, such that adaptively managing frame size in the wireless multihop network is facilitated.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , the method further comprising transmitting packets to a second node via a second tunnel to determine a second optimum frame size between the last processed node and the second node, the second node being two wireless links away from the last processed node. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , the method further comprising:
 setting a third frame size for a second wireless link between the first node and the second node; and   checking if a frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is determined.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein checking if the frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is determined with an exception of a last wireless link, the last wireless link connecting a source of the tunnel to a node immediately preceding it. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein checking that the frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is determined with the exception of the last wireless link, the processor is further configured to determine and set a last frame size for the last wireless link. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein checking that the frame size for each wireless link in the tunnel is not determined with the exception of the last wireless link, the processor is further configured to update the last processed node. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the first node is logically connected to the last processed node via the first tunnel and the second node is logically connected to the last processed node via the second tunnel. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein a frame is made up of a plurality of packets and the frame begins with a delimiter for a packet, which immediately follows the delimiter. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38 , the process is further configured to separate the packet from another packet by another delimiter. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the delimiter comprises a plurality of fields, with a first field being an End/More (E/M) field indicating if there are more packets to follow, a second field is reserved for future use, a third field is a value representing a total length of a remainder of the frame, a fourth field is a Data/Ack (D/A) field indicating if a next packet is user data or an acknowledgement packet, a fifth field is reserved for future use, and a sixth field is a value representing a length of the next packet.