Time-aware strategy for message-initiated constraint-based routing

Abstract

A method is presented for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, in which each node includes attributes. The method includes determining local attributes for each of the nodes and defining constraints on the attributes. Each node is provided access to the attributes of each neighboring node, with a neighboring node being a node that is one hop away. Each message transmitted over the network has a message type, which includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification. Constraint checking and cost estimation checking are performed for each message type. The message that is routed within the network includes the address of a sending node, address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified with a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.

Description

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0003] The following U.S. patents are fully incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,556 (“Routing and Mobility Management Protocols for Ad-Hoc Networks”); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,084 (“Method of Loose Source Routing over Disparate Network Types in a Packet Communication Network”).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This invention relates generally to communication protocols which are particularly suitable for self-reconfigurable multi-purpose communication networks, such as ad-hoc networks. More particularly, the protocol utilizes time-aware strategies and constraints to achieve routing objectives.

[0005] Various routing mechanisms have been proposed for ad-hoc wireless networks. In general, an ad-hoc wireless sensor network has the following properties: (1) the structure of the network is unknown and may change dynamically, (2) each node has limited computation resources and lifetime, and (3) each node can obtain pieces of information from local sensors and communicate with others within a limited range. The power of such sensor networks is derived from communication, since each node is only able to sense local information with little computational resources. The routing mechanisms proposed for such networks fall into two basic categories, table-driven or source-initiated. Table-driven protocols rely on an underlying global routing table update mechanism for all nodes in the network, a mechanism that would not be energy efficient for ad-hoc dynamic networks. Source-initiated protocols, on the other hand, discover a route every time it is needed.

[0006] Existing routing protocols differ mainly in routing metrics, but all use a fixed routing objective. In most cases, routing objectives are implicitly embedded in strategies. Examples of these routing metrics include use of the shortest path, degree of association stability, signal stability or strength combined with shortest path, and information gain. Protocols also differ by destination specifications. The majority of early protocols are address-based or geographical location-based.

[0007] All existing routing protocols for wireless networks are implicitly associated with their routing strategies, which generally fall into two classes, flooding-based or search-based. Flooding-based methods begin with a route discovery phase (flooding the network), followed by a route maintenance phase for repairing disconnected routes. Flooding-based strategies are more suitable for relatively stable networks, since maintaining and repairing routes can be costly for dynamic networks. Search-based methods normally discover routes by selecting the next “best” hop at every node on the route. Routes may differ from message to message, even to the same destination node, and there is no route maintenance.

[0008] However, most real-time applications have firm real-time requirements. Messages in sensor networks need to arrive at certain destinations within bounded time while satisfying other route constraints and objectives. Some work has been done in Quality of Services (QoS) routing, in which routes are optimized according to required specifications, such as bounded time delay with load balancing. Most of the strategies in QoS are global-based, which is not suited for ad-hoc wireless sensor networks.

[0009] It would be useful to have a message specification mechanism that explicitly encodes the routing destinations, constraints and objectives in messages, so that generic-purpose instead of metric-specific routing strategies can be applied. Such a framework would permit the inclusion of a specification for time-bounded messages and a learning-based time-aware strategy which would dynamically change the weights between delay requirements and other objectives within an ad-hoc sensor network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Briefly stated, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method is presented for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, in which each node includes attributes. The method includes determining local attributes for each of the nodes and defining constraints on the attributes. Each node is provided access to the attributes of each neighboring node, with a neighboring node being a node that is one hop away. Each message transmitted over the network has a message type, which includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification. Constraint checking and cost estimation checking are performed for each message type. The message that is routed within the network includes the address of a sending node, the address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified with a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.

[0011] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system is disclosed for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, in which each node includes attributes having attribute values. A local attribute module determines local attributes for each of the nodes in the ad-hoc network. Remote attribute module provides access to the attributes of each neighboring node, with a neighbor node being a node one hop away. A timer module provides a time trigger function for the local attribute module and the remote attribute module. A broadcast module provides a send function for the local attribute module and a receive function for the remote attribute module. An attribute property module estimates the minimum and maximum values of at least one attribute. A constraint module defines constraints on the attributes and performs constraint checking for each message type, which includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification. The constraint module also performs cost estimation checking for each message type, with cost defined as the total value of at least one attribute along a message path. A routing module routes a message within the ad-hoc network, with the message including the address of a sending node, the address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified with a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.

[0012] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is described an article of manufacture in the form of a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium. When the program code is executed by the computer, the computer performs method steps for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, in which each node includes a plurality of attributes having attribute values. The method includes determining local attributes for each of the nodes in the ad-hoc network and defining constraints on the attributes. Each node is provided access to the attributes of each neighboring node, with a neighboring node being a node that is one hop away. The minimum and maximum values of at least one attribute are estimated. Each message transmitted over the ad-hoc network has a message type, which includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification. Constraint checking and cost estimation checking are performed for each message type. The message that is routed within the network includes the address of a sending node, the address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified with a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The foregoing and other features of the instant invention will be apparent and easily understood from a further reading of the specification, claims and by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a communication network comprised of a plurality of nodes which communicate with one another in accordance with a routing scheme that includes an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram of the components in a forward message specification according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram of the components in a confirmation message specification according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the system showing modules which may be employed in accordance with the protocol specification of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the attributes management module;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the remote attributes management module, in which neighbor's attributes are updated and neighbor's message count is incremented;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the remote attributes management module shown, in which a neighbor's active state is adjusted;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the use of a search based strategy with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating next hop selection for a learning-based time-aware strategy according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0023] FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment for the handling of confirmation MCBR messages according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The time-aware routing strategy described herein provides a formal definition of time-bounded messages utilized within a message-initiated constraint-based routing framework to dynamically update the weights between the time delay and other objectives. Message-initiated Constraint-based Routing (MCBR) as used herein describes routing mechanisms with constraint-based destinations and objectives specified in messages. In MCBR, each node in the network has a list of attributes, whose types are predefined and known globally. Attributes can be anything from geographical locations to network bandwidths, from sensor values to internal clocks. The values of attributes can be constant, such as a node identifier or a unit cost, or can change from time to time. For example, a mobile node may change its locations; a stationary node can still obtain different sensor readings although its environment changes. A routing destination is explicitly represented by a set of constraints on attributes. This destination specification is more general than attribute-based specification, since constraints may describe any relationship or characteristic. Furthermore, in addition to destinations, local route constraints, if any, are explicitly specified. Examples of local route constraints include: avoiding a noisy area, avoiding congestion, and avoiding low-energy nodes, etc. Finally, a routing objective is explicitly stated, such as a shortest path, maximizing energy levels over the route, maximizing connectivity over the route, or minimizing congestion, etc.

[0025] A portion of an example network 100 that includes a plurality of communications nodes 120 labeled A, B, C, D, E, and F is illustrated in FIG. 1. Each node has a unique address, which is encoded as a number or other symbolic representations known in the art. In this example network, the routing zone for each of the nodes 120 is defined by a corresponding one of a plurality of circles 140 whose radius equals the routing zone radius. Thus, for example, if node D broadcasts, each of the nodes within its routing zone 150 will receive the broadcast message, in this example, nodes A and E. Each node 120 includes a wireless transceiver and receiver, which communicates with neighboring nodes, and a routing component that passes messages from a source to one or a set of destination nodes. Additionally, each node may have a set of sensors that can collect a variety of local information. In this example, the arrows connecting nodes A, D. E. F, and B form one possible message transmittal path within the sample network. It will be appreciated that for a mobile ad-hoc network, the nodes and connections will change from time to time, due to mobility, failures, battery life, or power management.

[0026] Each node also includes attributes, which consist of a data entity having a type and a domain of values. An attribute value denotes the current value of an attribute. An attribute may be a constant, such as the node identifier or the unit energy cost for data transmission. An attribute may also be a clock that increases monotonically or a sensor reading from a light or temperature sensor, which may vary when the local environment changes. Additionally, attributes may be monitors of the node's conditions such as battery level or computations resources, or they may represent network properties such as radio strength, signal loss or reliability, connectivity with neighbors, number of routes through the node, etc. Attributes can be estimated values via calculations such as the node's geographical locations or a target's speed and direction, or they may be properties of nodes, such as being mobile or stationary, being group leader or group member, etc. Attributes may also be values passed through messages, such as the number of hops away from the source. Attribute values can be accessed via their types, with the set of attribute types predefined and known globally.

[0027] Each message sent on the network has its destination, which may be one node or a set of nodes, but existing protocols do not specify route constraints, i.e., nodes that a message should avoid while routing to its destination. In MCBR, both destinations and route constraints are specified in messages, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The MCBR forward message 200 includes various components such as the sender's address 210 and the source address 220. The sender's address 210 is necessary for forwarding link establishment or when back propagation from the destination to the source node is needed. Consequently, sender's address 210 changes, as it is updated at each node through which a message passes, but source address 220 remains constant. Each node may keep a list of entries, each of which corresponds to a type of message with a specific source, destination and route constraints. The entries are created by new messages and updated by subsequent messages of the same type.

[0028] Constraints 290 can be defined on attributes as a set of variables. Formally, a constraint C is a pair R,r, where R is a set of attributes and r is a relation defined on R.

[0029] If |R|0 is n, r is an n-ary relation. The value of C is true, or C is satisfied, at a node v, if and only if the current value of the attribute tuple located at v is in r. A simple unary constraint is a range constraint l≦a≦u, where a is an attribute, l and u are lower and upper bounds, respectively. Attribute-based specification thus becomes constraints, which can be aggregated via Boolean operations. An aggregated constraint C is a Boolean function b defined on a set of constraints, b: B1×B2× . . . Bn→B, where Bi is the Boolean domain for constraint Ci. C is satisfied at node v if and only if the value of the Boolean function is true given the values of the constraints at node v. For example, if the Boolean function is logical and, the aggregated constraint is satisfied if and only if all the constraints are satisfied. If the Boolean function is logical or, the aggregated constraint is satisfied if and only if one of the constraints is satisfied. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, only logical and is used implicitly. However, it is possible to encode the whole Boolean function as well.

[0030] The destination of a message can be specified by a constraint or an aggregated constraint. Given a destination constraint Cmd of message m, a node v is a destination node for m if and only if Cmd is satisfied at v. The set of destination nodes, denoted by Vmd, is called the destination for m. For example, address-based routing, i.e., sending a message to a node with an address ad, can be represented using the destination constraint a=ad where a is the address attribute. Geographical routing, i.e., sending a message to a geographical circular region centered at (x0, y0) within radius c can be represented using the destination constraint (x−x0)2+(y−y0)2≦c where x and y are location attributes. Sensor-based routing, for example, sending a message to hot nodes, can be represented using the destination constraint t>t≧tm, where t is the temperature attribute and tm is the minimum desired temperature. Constraints can be combined to refine the destination region, for example, sending a message to a hot node within a region, etc.

[0031] For a time-bounded message, the time bound can be specified as a destination constraint. For example, assume the message should be delivered within [H≦T] hops from the message source. H is the current number of hops from the source; T is the maximum number of hops to the destination node. The bound [H≦T] is specified initially in the message, and at every hop, H=H+1. A message satisfies the time bound if and only if H is less than or equal to T. If real time instead of the number of hops is required, it can be assumed that every node has a clock providing the real time. A message that needs to be delivered within a maximum time delay can be specified as a time constraint t′≦t+max, where t is the time at the source and t′ is the time at the current node. If a time-bounded message has no other objective, the implicit objective would be the minimum number of hops. Assuming that the message has other additive objectives in addition to time bounds, a trade-off between the time delay and the other objectives would be considered. A time-aware strategy is complete with respect to the time-bound specification if:

[0032] 1. It finds a destination and satisfies the time bound if such a destination exists, and

[0033] 2. It converges to the optimal route with respect to the other objectives while satisfying the time limit.

[0034] The number of destination constraints for each forward message is specified at 250, with the aggregated constraints for the destination being the logical and of all the constraints, for this embodiment.

[0035] The number of route constraints is specified at 270, with the aggregated constraints for the route being the logical and of all the constraints, for this embodiment. A local route constraint extends the concept of failure in networked nodes, allowing a message to be routed only via a subset of nodes satisfying the constraint. Given a local route constraint cmr of message m, the active network of V, E for m is a subnet Vm, Em, such that vεVm if and only if Cmr is satisfied at v and (v, w)εEm if and only if v, wεVm and (v, w)εE. For example, a message that should avoid nodes in light areas while routing to its destination has a local route constraint l≦lm where l is the light attribute and lm is the light intensity limit. High-priority messages and low-priority messages may be defined by different local route constraints: high-priority messages have no constraints, while low- priority messages will avoid nodes with high congestion.

[0036] An optional routing strategy identification (ID) number may be provided at 230. The distributed routing strategies described herein are characterized by the following properties: (1) localization: there is no global knowledge and there is no master computing the routing table, and (2) constant memory: each node has a constant memory that does not grow with the size of the path or the size of the network. Since different strategies may lead to different performance in different situations, the selection of a strategy can be made message-by-message. In the example embodiment, the strategy ID is specified as an 8-bit number, and each strategy ID is associated with a routine. The router dispatches to the associated routine (which may correspond to a particular strategy) according to the strategy ID.

[0037] Message ID number 240 is specified as a number which corresponds to a unique type of the messages sent from its source. In this embodiment a message type includes the message components of the destination constraints, the route constraints and the objective. Similarly, sequence ID number 260 is specified as a number. The sequence ID number has two functions: (1) for flooding-based strategies, sequence number can be used to determine if the same message has been handled or not; (2) generally, sequence ID may be used to determine whether a message is lost or not, and also to assemble a series of messages to a large message according to its sequence ID.

[0038] Existing protocols, other than quality of service routing, do not explicitly specify routing objectives, which are implicitly embedded in routing strategies. MCBR explicitly specifies routing objective 280. To accomplish this, a local objective function o is defined on a set of attributes: o:A1×A2× . . . ×An→R+, where Ai is the domain of attribute i and R+ is the set of positive real numbers. The value of o at a node v, denoted o(v), is o(a1, a2, . . . , an), where ai is the current attribute value of attribute i at node v. A local objective function can be a constant such as the unit energy cost. Multi-objectives can be obtained by a weighted sum of individual objectives, where the weights indicate the relative importance of individual objectives. For example,

O (v)=αo1(v)+(1−α)o2(v),

[0039] where o1 and o2 are local objective functions, and 0<α<1.

[0040] A local objective can be aggregated over the routing path to form a global route objective. There are two types of global objectives: additive or concave. A global objective function O of a local objective function o over a path p consisting of a sequence of nodes v0, . . . , vn is additive if 1$O\left(p\right)=\sum _{i=0}^{n}o\left(v_i\right);$

[0041] O is concave if 2$O\left(p\right)=\stackrel{n}{\underset{i=0}{\min }}o\left(v_i\right).$

[0042] For example, “shortest path” is a global additive objective defined on the constant local objective, one hop cost. The objective of “energy distribution” can be defined explicitly as follows. If the current energy level e is an attribute, the function au indicating used energy can be defined as a unary function u(e)=emax−e, and the global additive objective on local objective u, Σi=0nu(vi),

[0043] represents the “energy distribution” metric, that is, preferring routes with more energy. As another example, the bandwidth of a path can be represented as a concave objective B(p)=mini=0nb(vi) where b(v) represents the bandwidth of node v.

[0044] These two aggregation types are general. For example, convex aggregation 3$O\left(p\right)=\stackrel{n}{\underset{i=0}{\max }}o\left(v_i\right)$

[0045] can be represented by concave aggregations as 4$O\left(p\right)=\stackrel{n}{\underset{i=0}{\min }}\left(o^{\max }-o\left(v_i\right)\right);$

[0046] Multiplicative aggregation can be represented by additive aggregation since

log (πo(i))=Σlog(o(i)).

[0047] In this example embodiment, only one additive objective is specified for the purposes of illustration.

[0048] In MCBR, received messages may be confirmed, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Each confirmation message 300 from the destination back to the source includes various components, such as the sender's address 310, which has the same meaning as in the forward message. However, sender's address 310 is changed to the current node address, rather than remaining as the previous node address, while source address 320 remains the same as the forward message. Message ID number 330 is the same as specified in the forward message and identifies each message with its unique message type. Cost estimate 340 may be encoded as a number and provides the estimation of the objective cost from the current node to the destination of the message, where the objective is specified in the corresponding forward message. For time-aware strategies, in addition to cost estimation, hop count estimation 350 to the destination 350 is also part of the confirmation message.

[0049] Turning now to FIGS. 4 through 7, there is shown a block diagram of one embodiment of the system for protocol specification for message-initiated constraint-based routing. FIG. 4 shows a component diagram of the current embodiment, where each component is depicted as a box and each arrow, from A to B, indicates that component A provides a set of functions for component B. In system 400, Timer Module 430 provides the time trigger function for both Local Attribute Module 420 and Remote Attribute Module 450. Broadcast component 470 provides a send function for Local Attribute Module 420 and a receive function for Remote Attribute Module 450. Local Attribute Module 420 provides local attribute access for Attribute Property Module 410, Constraint Module 440 and MCBR Routing Module 460. Remote Attribute Module 450 provides neighbor attribute access for Attribute Property Module 410, Constraint Module 440, and MCBR Routing Module 460. As shown in FIG. 5, local attribute module 420 reads or computes local attributes at 510 when triggered by update timer 540, which is included in timer module 430 in FIG. 4. At 520 a determination is made as to whether there have been any significant changes to the local attributes. If significant changes have appeared, or when triggered by broadcast timer 550, which is included in timer module 430 in FIG. 4, local attributes are broadcasted to its neighbors at 530. If significant changes have not appeared, local attributes are not broadcasted, as shown at 560. Remote attribute module 450 in FIG. 4 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0050] In FIG. 6, a node in the system receives remote attributes at 610. The neighboring node, which has provided the remote attributes, is identified from the sender's address at 620. The receiving node then updates the neighbor's attributes within its database and increases the neighbor's message count by 1 at 630. The message count is used to record how many messages are received between the triggers of Expire timer 750. As shown in FIG. 7, whenever the Expire timer triggers, for each neighbor 710 the node checks to determine at 720 whether there are enough messages received since the last trigger. If the message count is less than the threshold, then the neighbor is set to be inactive at 730. In either case, the message count is reset to 0 at 740. The message count review is triggered by expire timer 750, which is provided by timer module 430 of FIG. 4.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 4, attribute property module 410 provides the minimum and maximum value and gradient estimation of an attribute within the neighborhood, which is used by constraint module 440. Constraint module 440 provides constraint checking and cost estimation given message type and provides this information to MCBR routing module 460. The function of routing module 460 is explained further in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

[0052] Because MCBR separates routing objectives from routing strategies, various generic strategies may coexist. Since different strategies may lead to different performance in different situations, the selection of a strategy can be made message by message. Turning now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a flow chart of a search-based strategy 800 utilized with MCBR. Generally, search-based methods use greedy algorithms or a distributed real-time search to establish a path. Search-based methods may be more energy efficient, since messages are forwarded on a single route (rather than being broadcast at every station, as with flooding-based strategies). In this embodiment, initially an MCBR message “m” is received from an identified node “j” at 810. A determination is made at 820 as to whether this is a new type message. The message type includes the destination specification, route specification, and objective specification. A new type message is one not matching message types already on record. If message “m” is a new type message, at 830 an entry for the message is created; if message “i” is not a new type message, at 840 its entry is located.

[0053] At 850 the cost for message “m” from this node is estimated, the neighbor's distance to the destination is estimated, and a confirmation is either sent back to node “j” or broadcast locally to all its neighboring nodes. The confirmation message includes both cost estimation and distance estimation. In one embodiment, distance values are estimated by

D (n)=1+min(D(i)),

[0054] where D(n) is the minimum estimated distance to the destination node n and D(i) is the distance to the previous neighbor node i. Thus the next hop selection is based on the best-weighted sum of two estimations. A determination is made at 860 as to whether the destination has been reached. If the destination has been reached, the message will be handled at 880, or, optionally, a destination confirmation may be sent at 865 before the message is handled at 880. A received message is handled, if the routine corresponding to the receiving of that message is called. If a destination has not been reached, then at 870 the next hop node “k” is selected from neighbor nodes, message “m” is updated with the destination selection, and message “m” is sent to node “k”. At optional 875 the entry for the type “m” message may be updated.

[0055] The time-aware strategy for next hop selection is illustrated more fully in FIG. 9. In the time-aware strategy, two separate heuristics are maintained: the minimum number of hops to the destination, and another objective. The next-hop selection is based on the minimum weighted sum of these two elements, with the weights changing based on the time bounds, in this case the percentage of time left. For example, letting Q be the heuristics of the objective and D be the heuristic of the minimum number of hops to the destination. Then,

Q (n)=min(C+Q(i))

D (n)=1+min (D(i))

[0056] where C is the local cost and i is a neighbor of n satisfying the route constraints of the message. A backward phase may be added, by sending both Q and D back along the message path, which will decrease the time to find a better path but may increase the number of messages in the network. In FIG. 9, at 910, the weighted sum of the distance D and the other objective Q is considered for the selection criterion. The neighbor that minimizes this weighted sum is obtained. For example this may be accomplished by defining the fraction of time used so far according to its time bound as

f=H/T,

[0057] where H is the distance already traveled and T is the total time allowed to reach the destination. Then the criterion may be expressed as

α=log(10(1−f))/log(11)

k=minarg (αw1D+(1−α)w2Q)),

[0058] where k is the neighbor node that minimizes the weighted sum of the minimum estimated distance to the destination (w1D) and the cost objective (w2Q), and α is a real number between 0 and 1, for example log(10(1−f))/log(11). Here w1 and w2 are scaling factors.

[0059] At 920, the next hop is selected based on the neighbor that minimizes the weighted sum. For example, this may be accomplished by selecting the neighbor that minimizes the weighted sum with probability (1−ε) or by selecting other neighbors with the probability ε.

[0060] In those cases in which the destination node sends a confirmation message back to the originating node, the confirmation message is processed according to the flow chart illustrated in FIG. 10. Confirmation management process 1000 begins with receipt of the MCBR confirmation message “m” from node “k” at 1010. At 1020 an entry is located for the type of the message and the entry for the message is updated. The update includes both objective and distance estimates. Optionally, a determination may be made at 1030 as to whether the current node is a source node or if there is no change in the message entry. I f either of the above is true, there is no further back propagation. Otherwise, the confirmation message “m” may be sent back to its previous forwarding node 1040. Note that in this case, the forwarding routine should save the link to its previous node.

[0061] While the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to specific embodiments, further modification and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. Additionally, “code” as used herein, or “program” as used herein, is any plurality of binary values or any executable, interpreted or compiled code which can be used by a computer or execution device to perform a task. This code or program can be written in any one of several known computer languages. A “computer”, as used herein, can mean any device which stores, processes, routes, manipulates, or performs like operation on data. It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular forms illustrated and that it is intended in the appended claims to embrace all alternatives, modifications, and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, wherein each node includes a plurality of attributes having attribute values, comprising: determining local attributes for each of the nodes in the ad-hoc network; providing access to the attributes of each neighboring node, wherein said neighboring node is a node one hop away from a current node within the ad-hoc network; estimating the minimum and maximum values of at least one attribute within the plurality of attributes; defining constraints on the plurality of attributes; performing constraint checking for each message type, wherein a message type includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification; performing cost estimation checking for each said message type, wherein cost is defined as the total value of an attribute along a message path; and routing a message within the ad-hoc network, said message including the address of a sending node, the address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified with a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.

2. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 1, wherein specifying said time bound comprises specifying a relationship between the current number of hops from a source node and the maximum number of hops to a destination node.

3. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 1, wherein specifying said time bound comprises specifying a maximum time delay for delivery of a message to a destination.

4. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 1, wherein said message further comprises a routing strategy identification number for identifying a routing strategy type.

5. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 4, wherein said routing strategy type comprises a search-based routing strategy.

6. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 5, wherein said search-based routing strategy comprises: receiving not less than one forward message from not less than one source node within the ad-hoc network; determining whether said forward message is of a new type; identifying an appropriate entry for said forward message type; estimating a cost for transmission of said forward message; estimating the distance from a neighbor node to a destination node; sending a confirmation message to said source node, wherein said confirmation message includes said estimated cost for transmission of said forward message and said estimated distance from said neighbor node to said destination node; reviewing the destination of said forward message and processing said forward message if said destination has been reached; and reviewing the destination of said forward message and selecting a next node for receipt of said forward message, updating said forward message with identification of the intermediate node through which said forward message has passed, and transmitting said forward message to said next node if said destination has not been reached.

7. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 6, further comprising sending a destination confirmation to said source node.

8. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 6, wherein next node selection is based on the weighted sum of the number of hops to the destination and the weighted sum of not less than one other route objective.

9. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 8, wherein said weighting varies based on time bounds.

10. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 8, wherein said other route objective comprises at least one cost objective.

11. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 8, wherein the weighted sum comprises the minimum weighted sum.

12. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 1, further comprising estimating the minimum and maximum changes in at least one attribute among a plurality of nodes.

13. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 6, further comprising updating the entry for said message type.

14. A system for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, wherein each node includes a plurality of attributes having attribute values, comprising: local attribute module means for determining local attributes for each of the nodes in the ad-hoc network; remote attribute module means for providing access to the attributes of each neighboring node, wherein said neighboring node is a node one hop away from a current node within the ad-hoc network; timer module for providing a time trigger function for said local attribute module and said remote attribute module; broadcast module for providing a send function for said local attribute module and a receive function for said remote attribute module; attribute property module for estimating the minimum and maximum values of at least one attribute within the plurality of attributes; constraint module for defining constraints on the plurality of attributes, performing constraint checking for each message type, wherein a message type includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification, and performing cost estimation checking for each said message type, wherein cost is defined as the total value of at least one attribute along a message path; and routing module for routing a message within the ad-hoc network, said message including the address of a sending node, the address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified as a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.

15. The system for message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 14, wherein said message further comprises a routing strategy identification number for identifying a routing strategy type.

16. The system for message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 15, wherein said routing strategy type comprises a search-based routing strategy.

17. The system for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 16, wherein said search-based routing strategy comprises: means for receiving not less than one forward message from not less than one source node within the ad-hoc network; means for determining whether said forward message is of a new type; means for identifying an appropriate entry for said forward message type; means for estimating a cost for transmission of said forward message; means for estimating the distance from a neighbor node to a destination node; means for sending a confirmation message to said source node, wherein said confirmation message includes said estimated cost for transmission of said forward message and said estimated distance from said neighbor node to said destination node; means for reviewing the destination of said forward message and processing said forward message if said destination has been reached; and means for reviewing the destination of said forward message and selecting a next node for receipt of said forward message, updating said forward message with identification of the intermediate node through which said forward message has passed, and transmitting said forward message to said next node if said destination has not been reached.

18. The system for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 17, wherein next node selection is based on a selection criterion, said selection criterion comprising the weighted sum of the number of hops to the destination and not less than one other route objective.

19. The system for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 18, wherein said weighting varies based on time bounds.

20. The system for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 18, wherein said other route objectives comprise cost objectives.

21. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 18, wherein said weighted sum comprises the minimum weighted sum.

22. The method for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing according to claim 18, wherein said next node selected comprises selecting a neighbor node meeting said selection criterion with high probability.

23. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium which, when said program code is executed by said computer causes said computer to perform method steps for a time-aware strategy utilized within message-initiated constraint-based routing for digital message communication among nodes in an ad-hoc network, wherein each node includes a plurality of attributes having attribute values, the method comprising: determining local attributes for each of the nodes in the ad-hoc network; providing access to the attributes of each neighboring node, wherein said neighboring node is a node one hop away from a current node within the ad-hoc network; estimating the minimum and maximum values of at least one attribute within the plurality of attributes; defining constraints on the plurality of attributes; performing constraint checking for each message type, wherein a message type includes a destination specification, route specification, and objective specification; performing cost estimation checking for each said message type, wherein cost is defined as the total value of an attribute along a message path; and routing a message within the ad-hoc network, said message including the address of a sending node, the address of the source node, route constraints, destination constraints specified as a time bound, the number of route constraints, the number of destination constraints, message identification number, sequence identification number, and routing objectives.