Patent ID: 7633894
Filing Date: 2009-12-15
Classification: H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method for scheduling communication in a wireless communications network, the network having a plurality of nodes, the method comprising steps of: measuring channel parameters between arbitrary nodes in the wireless communications network; for each possible transmission mode, identifying a signal to interference plus noise ratio based upon the measured channel parameters; mapping the signal to interference plus noise ratio into a data rate for the transmission modes; from a subset of transmission modes that result from the step of mapping, determining which of all of the transmission modes may be scheduled for one of to meet minimum data rate constraints between links and minimize total average power, or to maximize total throughput while meeting a maximum power constraint on each link in the network; and choosing path flows for routing communications through the links scheduled by said step of determining, and wherein said step of choosing paths comprises: determining an initial set of path flows between sources and destinations, and calculating a data rate carried on each link of the network to define a set of data rates; for the set data rates, minimizing total power and calculating a resulting link sensitivity of the total power to a change in the data rate on each link to define calculated link sensitivity parameters; using the calculated link sensitivity parameters to produce adjusted path flows; re-calculating the carried data rate on each link for adjusted path flows, and recalculating the link sensitivity parameters; iteratively repeating, if necessary, said steps of adjusting and re-calculating until total power used is acceptably small.