Patent ID: 8477689

Claim:
A communication device 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, said communication device comprising: a transmitter portion operable to transmit information into the channel; a receiver portion operable to receive information from the channel; and a management portion including an RTS packet generating portion, a CTS packet receiving portion, a threshold database, a comparator and an RES packet generating portion, wherein said management portion is in communication with said transmitter portion and said receiver portion, wherein said RTS packet generating portion is operable to generate a RTS packet and to provide the RTS packet to said transmitter portion, wherein said transmitter portion is operable to transmit the RTS packet to the receiving device by way of the channel, wherein said receiver portion is operable to receive the CTS packet from the receiving device by way of the channel and to provide the CTS packet to said CTS packet receiving portion, wherein said threshold database is operable to store a threshold value for the parameter of the channel and to provide the threshold value to said comparator, wherein said CTS packet receiving portion is operable to provide channel parameter information, to said comparator, based on the CTS packet, wherein said comparator is operable to compare the threshold value and the channel parameter information and to generate an instruction signal based on the comparison, wherein said transmitter portion is operable to transmit information based on the instruction signal, wherein said management portion further includes an updating portion in communication with said threshold database and being operable to update the threshold value within said threshold database based on the CTS packet, and wherein said updating portion is operable to update the threshold value as an updated transmission rate, when receiving a rate indication from the receiving device, as T new =ρ·(α R +(1−α) T old ),α,ρε[0,1], where T new is an updated threshold value provided by the receiving device; T old 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.