WO2010076602A1

WO2010076602A1 - Method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing energy efficient multipath transport

Info

Publication number: WO2010076602A1
Application number: PCT/IB2008/055588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eero Jari Juhani Sillasto; Lars René EGGERT
Original assignee: Nokia Corporation; Nokia Inc.
Priority date: 2008-12-30
Filing date: 2008-12-30
Publication date: 2010-07-08

Abstract

An apparatus for energy efficient multipath transport may include a processor. The processor may be configured to determine a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections and determine a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency. A corresponding method and computer program product are also provided.

Description

METHOD, APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR PROVIDING ENERGY EFFICIENT MULTIPATH TRANSPORT

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to multipath communication techniques in communications networks and, more particularly, relate to a method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing energy efficient multipath transport in communications networks.

BACKGROUND

The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Various types of networking technologies have been developed resulting in unprecedented expansion of computer networks, television networks, telephony networks, and the like, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed related consumer demands, while providing more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.

Current and future networking technologies continue to facilitate ease of information transfer and convenience to users by expanding the capabilities of mobile electronic devices and other computing devices. The functionality of mobile communications devices continues to expand and, as a result, mobile communications devices have become ubiquitous in both business and personal settings. As the functionally of mobile communications devices and the ease of information transfer continues to increase, users continue to demand more functionality that allows the users to communicate in unique ways.

One limitation of modern mobile communications devices is their capacity to store energy. Typically, mobile communications devices are powered by rechargeable batteries that hold a limited charge. Mobile communications devices deplete the charge on the batteries when applications are performed by the mobile communications device such as receiving phone call or sending a text message. Even in a standby mode, the battery charge can be depleted. Some activities, such as performing communications tasks, can drain a battery charge quite rapidly. When the batteries of a mobile communications device are sufficiently depleted, the mobile communications device ceases and the device can no longer operate. Accordingly, energy conservation on mobile communications devices is an issue that continues to be addressed by designers of mobile communications devices and designers of software implemented on mobile communications devices. These efforts aim to decrease power utilization in order to maximize the lifespan of a battery charge.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method, apparatus and computer program product are therefore described for providing energy efficient multipath transport. In this regard, various mobile communications devices may be configured to perform multipath communications. Multipath communications may involve an analysis of the current network conditions, such as the connectivity of the network, to determine an efficient path to communicate data between a first device on a network, and a second device on the network. In some example embodiments, devices may be connected to the network via other devices, and in order to communicate within the network, data may hop for one device to another based on a determined path to reach an ultimate destination. Mobile communications devices may implement multipath communications by opening a communication connection to the network. Opening a communication connection may involve activating a wireless communications radio (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) radio, a high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) radio, or the like) and communicating data via the radio. In some example embodiments, a wireless communications device includes a plurality of radios, where each radio may communicate via a different communication technique.

Example embodiments of the present invention determine which available radio connection may communicate data in the most energy efficient manner. Upon determining the most energy efficient radio, the radio may be selected, and multipath communications may be routed through the selected radio and an associated radio connection. Further, the capacity of the networks and/or the throughput of the radio connections may also be analyzed and factored into the selection of a radio for use in multipath communications. In some example embodiments, the use of two separate radios (e.g., a WLAN radio and a WCDMA radio) may be activated simultaneously in order to communicate data in an energy efficient manner.

One example embodiment of the present invention is a method for providing energy efficient multipath transport. The example method includes determining a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections, and determining a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

Another example embodiment is an apparatus including a processor. The processor may be configured to determine a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections, and determine a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency. Yet another example embodiment of the present invention is a computer program product. The computer program product may include at least one computer- readable storage medium having executable program code instructions stored therein. The program code instructions may be configured to determine a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections, and determine a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

Another example embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus. The example apparatus includes means for determining a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections, and means for determining a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: FIG. l is a block diagram of an apparatus configured for multipath communications in accordance with various example embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a graph depicting the energies that a transmitted bit requires with respect to various radios in accordance with various example embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a graph depicting the energies that a transmitted bit requires with respect to various radios performing various activities in accordance with various example embodiments of the present invention; FIGs. 4-6 are network diagrams depicting various routings of multipath communications in accordance with various example embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for energy efficient multipath transport in accordance with various example embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 8 is block diagram representation of an apparatus for energy efficient multipath transport according to various example embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for energy efficient multipath transport according to various example embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms "data," "content," "information," and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received, operated on, and/or stored in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, the term "exemplary," as used herein, is not provided to convey any qualitative assessment, but instead to merely convey an illustration of an example. Example embodiments of the present invention select one or more radio connections for multipath communications based on energy efficiency. In this regard, a wireless communications device in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention may implement one or more radio connections. A radio connection may be based on a particular communications standard/technique such as, WLAN, WCDMA, HSDPA, or the like. The energy efficiency may be tested or probed by determining the throughput with respect to various radio connections.

In accordance with example embodiments of the present invention, a radio connection opened by/for a mobile communications device may utilize multipath communication techniques. In this regard, multipath communication techniques may identify and utilize a plurality of communication paths between a sender and a receiver and select an efficient path. In some instances, data packets may be routed via multiple paths to increase throughput. The multipath communication techniques may be implemented at the transport layer of the network, or the layer that handles the opening and maintaining of connections between entities of the network. For example, the multipath communications may be implemented at the transmission control protocol (TCP) layer. The transport layer may provide a uniform networking interface, which, in some embodiments, may be independent of the topology of the network. In some example embodiments, flow-control, error-correction and connection protocols may be addressed at the transport layer.

By considering the energy efficiency of radio connections, example embodiments of the present invention may implement a form of resource pooling. Resource pooling may be a technique where a collection of resources appear as one large resource with a capacity that is approximately the sum of the individual resources. Further, according to some network policies, different entities connected to the network may demand scarce network resources. Allocation of these resources may be implemented fairly, for example, based on energy efficiency, from the common pool of resources.

According to example embodiments, a multipath transmission or transport mechanism may take advantage of the resource pooling. As described briefly above, a multipath transport mechanism may create or identify multiple paths between end points of transport. By creating or identifying multiple paths, multipath transport mechanisms may improve connection robustness and performance. Additionally, multipath transport mechanisms may use different paths to balance the load/congestion within the network. For example, if two paths exist, namely path A and path B, the multipath transport mechanism may prefer path B if a determination is made that path A is congested. Metrics may be defined that assist in making the determination of which path is most efficient.

From a mobile or wireless communications perspective, multipath communications may be uniquely considered. As with a wired configuration, the transport layer with respect to mobile communications may have authority to use multiple paths based on the configuration of the transport layer. In accordance with example embodiments of the present invention, multiple paths may be over different radio interfaces. In this regard, the transport layer may have the authority to handover, via for example a soft handover or via another known handover mechanism, communications between radio connections. As such, with respect to mobile communications, an Internet designed protocol layer, in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention, can have an impact on the mobile radio usage.

If improperly configured, multipath transport via multiple radio connections may also increase energy consumption. Increased energy consumption can result because energy efficiency may often be maximized when only one radio connection is active at any one time. However, in some instances, such as to improve throughput or increase reliability, multiple radio connections may be acceptable, but energy efficiency may suffer. As such, while energy efficiency may always be considered, according to some example embodiments, radio connections may be selected that result in increased or inefficient power consumption due to other requirements for data communications (e.g., timing). Further, in some situations, no energy savings may be appreciated, and as a result the current radio connection may be maintained. Additionally, in some example embodiments, energy efficient selection of radio connections may be used, for example, when low battery conditions exist, or for communication of some specific data.

Accordingly, example embodiments of the present invention may provide for energy efficient multipath transport for a mobile communications device. According to some example embodiments, all active multipath connections may be directed through one single radio connection. In this regard, according to some example embodiments, if other multipath connections are configured over other radios, the multipath connections may not be permitted to operate simultaneously. Further, the selection of the radio and multipath configuration may be based on the estimated energy efficiency of a path that involves the radio. In example embodiments where another radio connection would be more energy efficient than the current radio connection, transport of multipath data via the current radio connection may be stopped and the transport of multipath communications over the more energy efficient radio may be implemented. Further, in some example embodiments, changing communications to multipath connections over another radio connection may be a result of lack of capacity or the failure of another criterion of the current radio connection. In some example embodiments, multipath connections over different radios simultaneously may be permitted, if multiple radio connections may be needed for Internet resource balancing or to achieve greater throughput. In this regard, situations may arise where the implementation of a single radio connection may be a bottleneck. In this regard, multipath connections may be probed, temporarily, over various radio connection options to find a path that is more optimal, for example from both a throughput and energy efficiency perspective, than the radio connection that is currently being used. FIG. l is a block diagram of an apparatus configured for multipath communications in accordance with various example embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an example embodiment of the present invention is implemented as a example component (e.g., software or hardware component) within an application engine (APE). The APE may have the processing capability to execute applications. The APE may also maintain the protocol stack. The transport layer (e.g. TCP) protocols may also be executed in the APE. The example component may be implemented via a processor 102, which may be an application processor embodied and configured as the processor 205 described below. The implementation of the example component may be part of a transport layer implementation, or the example component may be a separate entity capable of conducting multipath transport outside of the transport layer.

The example component may be configured to access and evaluate current multipath connections, and further evaluate the wireless network interface (WNI) 104 over which the connections are directed. As referred to herein a WNI may also be referred to as a radio. In this regard, the WNI 104, or radio, may include a control unit 106 in connection with the processor 102. The WNI 104 may have specific radio related processing capabilities, and in some example embodiments, radio protocol processing capabilities. The control unit 106 may be, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) configured to implement a communications technique (e.g., WLAN). The control unit 106 may transmit and receive signals via a power amplifier 108, which in turn may interface with an antenna 110. From an energy consumption perspective, the power amplifier may be a significant contributor to the overall energy consumption of the apparatus. While FIG. 1 depicts a single WNI 104, example embodiments of the present invention may implement multiple WNIs. The example component may also have access to radio information and related energy consumption information. In this regard, the example component may be configured to be aware of energy as a function of bit rate curves (e.g., Joules per bit versus megabit per second curves) for all possible radios. Further, the example component may be configured to estimate the throughput over the radios based on the current network characteristics, since throughput may be time dependent. The example component may also be configured to estimate the energy consumption with respect to different individual radio selections or multiple radio selections. In this regard, the example component may be configured to guide the transport layer and modify the set of active (currently being utilized) multipath connections. Further, the example component may also be configured to guide in creating new multipath connections if no multipath connections are available with a selected radio.

In some example embodiments of the present invention, the concept of active and passive paths may be considered. In this regard, peers of a transport may generate multiple paths. Out of these paths only a subset may be active, or available to communication at a particular time, and the remaining paths may be passive paths that have restrictions on communications. Changes to a new set of active paths may be communicated between the peers, either through the active paths, or possibly through the passive paths.

FIGs. 2 and 3 present example graphical representations of the energies that a transmitted bit requires when transmitted by different radios in both uplink and downlink scenarios. Note that the graphs of FIGs. 2 and 3 are generated for measured data captured from an example communications device, and the content of the graphs are included to describe the advantages of example embodiments of the present invention. Based on the graphs, it may be determined that energy efficiency (e.g., energy expended per bit) may be increased by transmitting data at high bit rates. The result may be due to the fact that the power amplifier (e.g., power amplifier 108) may consume power independent of the bit rate. Additionally, while radios may differ in the energy efficiency, a consistent factor that plays a role in energy efficiency is the bit rate. Therefore, a first scenario where two multipath connections Fl and F2, having respective throughputs Tl and T2, directed through single radio (overall throughput equal Tl + TZ) may be more energy efficient than a second scenario where Tl is directed through a first radio and T2 is directed through a second radio.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example scenario consistent with the description of the second scenario described above. In this regard, the mobile device 112 includes an APE 114 in communication with two WNIs 116 and 118. WNI 116 is connected to a first radio network 120 and WNI 118 is connected to a second radio network 122. Both the first radio network 120 and the second radio network 122 are connected to the Internet 124. Via the Internet 124, a transport end-point 126 may be accessed. In FIG. 4, path 1 and path 2 are directed through separate radio connections

WNI 116 and WNI 118, respectively. Via the separate radio connections, path 1 and path 2 connect to respective radio networks, namely radio network 120 and radio network 122. From the respective radio networks, paths 1 and 2 reach the transport end-point 126 via Internet 124. FIG. 5 depicts the same device and network configuration of FIG. 4, with the exception that both path 1 and path 2 are routed through WNI 116 and radio network 120. According to various embodiments, the scenario of FIG. 5 may be more energy efficient than the scenario depicted in FIG. 4, because, for example, only the power amplifier of WNI 116 has been utilized. Similar to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 depicts the same device and network configuration of

FIG. 4, with the exception that both path 1 and path 2 are routed through a single WNI. However, in FIG. 6, paths 1 and 2 are routed through WNI 118 and radio network 122. Again, according to various embodiments, the scenario of FIG. 6 may be more energy efficient than the scenario depicted in FIG. 4, because, for example, only the power amplifier of WNI 122 has been utilized. As such, some example embodiments may attempt to route some or all multipath communications via a single WNI.

FIGs. 5 and 6 present scenarios where paths 1 and 2 are routed through only one WNI. Moreover, paths 1 and 2 are directed through the same radio connection, via the same radio network, and via the Internet 124 to provide communications to the common transport end-point 126. Note that even though the same WNI and radio network are used, paths 1 and 2 may use different routes in Internet 124, and also within the respective radio network (e.g., different base stations and/or access points) using, for example, any one of various diversity schemes (e.g., space, time, frequency, code diversity, or the like). FIG. 7 presents a flowchart of an example method for energy efficient multipath transport in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The example method of FIG. 7 may be performed by a device such as a processor (e.g., processor 102 or processor 205) included in a device (e.g., apparatus 200) that is multi- radio capable (e.g. 3G, WLAN, etc.) According to some example embodiments, with respect to the example method of FIG. 7, the selection of a radio, or WNI, is described for use with active multipath connections as described above.

At 130, the example method may begin and if communications are desired, the example method may proceed to determine if a plurality of paths or multipaths are already routed to multiple radios, or determine if a plurality of paths may be routed to multiple radios at 132. If only one radio is available for use, for example due to loss of coverage or limited access rights, the method may continue at operation 142. If multiple radios are available, one or more radios may be pre-selected as candidates based on communication requirements (e.g., type of communication, bit rate/throughput requirements, connectivity requirements, delay requirements, etc.) at 134. Estimates or measures of the energy consumption or energy efficiency of the candidate radios may be performed at 136, for example to determine a Joules per bit value for each candidate radio.

At 138, a determination may be made as to whether a currently implemented radio or radios are an optimal selection with respect to energy efficiency. A radio having optimal energy efficiency may be the radio with the lowest predicted Joules per bit estimation. Further, a threshold value for energy efficiency (e.g., Joules per bit) may be set and a determination may be made as to whether the currently implemented radio satisfies the threshold value (e.g., whether the energy efficiency value is lower than the threshold value) to determine if the radio is optimal. In a scenario where multiple radios are to be used, a determination may be made as to how to optimally use the multiple radios based on, for example, the joules per bit for each radio and a target overall bit rate.

If the currently implemented radio or radios are not optimal, a determination may be made as to which of the candidate radios or candidate collection of radios would be optimal. If the currently implemented radio or radios are optimal, the example method may continue at operation 142. If the currently implemented radio or radios are not optimal, the communications paths may be re-routed to passive paths or communications may be routed to newly created paths for the identified optimal radio at 140. At 142, a periodic timer may be implemented, such that when the timer elapses, the example method may begin again at the start 130. Additionally or alternatively, at 142, if new paths are identified, the example method may begin again at the start 130. Additionally or alternatively, at 142, if new radios become available (e.g., due to a newly available network connection), the example method may begin again at the start 130.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example apparatus 200 configured to implement energy efficient multipath transport according to various embodiments of the present invention. The apparatus 200, and in particular the processor 205, may be configured to implement the concepts described in association with FIGs. 1-7 and as otherwise generally described above. Further, the apparatus 200, and in particular the processor 205 may be configured to carry out some or all of the operations described with respect to FIG. 7. In some example embodiments, the apparatus 200 may be embodied as, or included as a component of, a computing device and/or a communications device with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities. Some examples of the apparatus 200 may include a computer, a server, a mobile terminal such as, a mobile telephone, a portable digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a mobile television, a gaming device, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a camera, a video recorder, an audio/video player, a radio, and/or a global positioning system (GPS) device, a network entity such as an access point such as a base station, or any combination of the aforementioned, or the like. Further, the apparatus 200 may be configured to implement various aspects of the present invention as described herein including, for example, various example methods of the present invention (e.g., the methods described with respect to FIGs. 7 and/or 9), where the methods may be implemented by means of a hardware or software configured processor (e.g., processor 205), computer-readable medium, or the like.

The apparatus 200 may include or otherwise be in communication with a processor 205, a memory device 210, and a communications interface 215. Further, in some embodiments, such as embodiments where the apparatus 200 is a mobile terminal, the apparatus 200 also includes a user interface 225. The processor 205 may be embodied as various means including, for example, a microprocessor, a coprocessor, a controller, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or a hardware accelerator. In an example embodiment, the processor 205 is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 210 or instructions otherwise accessible to the processor 205. Processor 205 may be configured to facilitate communications via the communications interface 215 by, for example, controlling hardware and/or software included in the communications interface 215. The memory device 210 may be configured to store various information involved in implementing embodiments of the present invention such as, for example, energy determinations associated with respective radio connections. The memory device 210 may be a computer-readable storage medium that may include volatile and/or non- volatile memory. For example, memory device 210 may include Random Access Memory (RAM) including dynamic and/or static RAM, on-chip or off-chip cache memory, and/or the like. Further, memory device 210 may include non- volatile memory, which may be embedded and/or removable, and may include, for example, read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape, etc.), optical disc drives and/or media, non- volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and/or the like. Memory device 210 may include a cache area for temporary storage of data. In this regard, some or all of memory device 210 may be included within the processor 205.

Further, the memory device 210 may be configured to store information, data, applications, computer-readable program code instructions, or the like for enabling the processor 205 and the apparatus 200 to carry out various functions in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention. For example, the memory device 210 could be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 205. Additionally, or alternatively, the memory device 210 may be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor 205.

The communication interface 215 may be any device or means embodied in either hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/to a network and/or any other device or module in communication with the apparatus 200. In this regard, the communication interface 215 may include, for example, an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and/or supporting hardware, including a processor or software for enabling communications with network 220. In some example embodiments, network 220 may exemplify a peer-to-peer connection. Via the communication interface 215, the apparatus 200 may communicate with various other network entities. The communications interface 215 may be configured to implement a plurality of wireless network interfaces (WNI) as described with respect to FIG. 1. The WNIs implemented by the communications interface 215 may be associated with a respective radio for communications within the network 220 in accordance with the radio. Radios of the Communications interface 215 may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the communications standards and/or techniques provided below.

In this regard, the communications interface 215 may be configured to provide for communications in accordance with any wired or wireless communication standard. For example, communications interface 215 may be configured to provide for communications in accordance with second-generation (2G) wireless communication protocols IS-136 (time division multiple access (TDMA)), GSM (global system for mobile communication), IS-95 (code division multiple access (CDMA)), third-generation (3G) wireless communication protocols, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA2000, wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and time division-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), 3.9 generation (3.9G) wireless communication protocols, such as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), with fourth-generation (4G) wireless communication protocols, international mobile telecommunications advanced (IMT- Advanced) protocols, Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols including LTE-advanced, or the like. Further, communications interface 215 may be configured to provide for communications in accordance with techniques such as, for example, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IrDA) or any of a number of different wireless networking techniques, including WLAN techniques such as IEEE 802.11 (e.g., 802.1 Ia, 802.1 Ib, 802.1 Ig, 802.1 In, etc.), wireless local area network (WLAN) protocols, world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) techniques such as IEEE 802.16, and/or wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) techniques such as IEEE 802.15, BlueTooth (BT), ultra wideband (UWB) and/or the like.

The user interface 225 may be in communication with the processor 205 to receive user input at the user interface 225 and/or to provide output to a user as, for example, audible, visual, mechanical or other output indications. The user interface 225 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a microphone, a speaker, or other input/output mechanisms.

The energy analyzer 230 and/or the communications router 232 may be any means or device embodied in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, such as processor 205 implementing software instructions or a hardware configured processor 205, that is configured to carry out the functions of the energy analyzer 230 and/or the communications router 232 as described herein. In an example embodiment, the processor 205 may include, or otherwise control the energy analyzer 230 and/or the communications router 232. In various example embodiments, the energy analyzer 230 and/or the communications router 232 may reside on differing apparatuses such that some or all of the functionality of the energy analyzer 230 and/or the communications router 232 may be performed by a first apparatus, and the remainder of the functionality of the energy analyzer 230 and/or the communications router 232 may be performed by one or more other apparatuses.

The energy analyzer 230 may be configured to determine a relationship between the energy efficiency of multipath communications via a first radio connection against the energy efficiency of multipath communications via at least a second radio connection. In this regard, the energy analyzer may be configured to determine a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via a first radio connection and a second radio connection. Accordingly, the energy analyzer 230 may be configured to determine the radio connection having the appropriate network connectivity to send/receive particular data to a desired destination that is also the most energy efficient radio to communicate the data. Further, the energy analyzer 230 may also be configured to probe the first and at least the second radio connections to determine the relationship between the energy efficiency of multipath communications via the first radio connection against the energy efficiency of multipath communications via at least the second radio connection.

Further, in some example embodiments, the energy analyzer 230 may be configured to also evaluate various criteria associated with communications with a network associated with a particular radio. For example, the energy analyzer 230 may be configured to evaluate a first network capacity or link capacity associated with the first radio connection and at least a second network capacity or link capacity associated with a second radio connection. Based on the respective network or link capacities, in addition to other criteria including the energy efficiency, a radio connection may be selected.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the energy analyzer 230 may be configured to evaluate a first throughput for the first radio connection and at least a second throughput for a second radio connection and select a radio connection based, at least in part, on the respective throughputs. Further, in some example embodiments, the energy analyzer 230 may be configured to select two or more radio connections based on the associated energy efficiencies and other criteria. In this manner, the selection of two or more radio connections may allow for maximum overall throughout using multiple radios or balancing of network loads between the networks associated with the respective radios. The Communications router 232 may be configured to route multipath communications through one or more selected radio connections based on the analyses performed by the energy analyzer 230. In this regard, the communications router 232 may be configured to determine a routing for multipath communications through at least one of a first or a second radio connection, based at least in part upon a relative energy efficiency of the connections. The communications router 232 may be configured to determine a routing for multipath communications to be directed through, for example, a second radio connection based on a determination by the energy analyzer 230 that the second radio connection is more energy efficient than at least a first radio connection. In some example embodiments, the communications router 232 may be configured to determine that routing to a relatively energy inefficient radio connection should be discontinued. According to various example embodiments, the multipath communications may be routed via a transport layer of the network (e.g., network 220). In this regard, the communications router 232 may be configured to pass or control the routing of network capacities, link capacities, throughputs, relative energy efficiencies, or the like to the transport layer form a lower layer, such as the Internet or link layer of TCP/IP. Further, the communication router 232 may be configured to select or assign a source address at the transport layer for each of the selected radio connections for routing multipath communications. The communications router 232 may also be configured to determine that the routing for the multipath communications should be directed through a selected radio connection based on network capacities and/or throughputs associated with the radio connections.

FIG. 9, and similarly FIG. 7, illustrates a flowchart of a system, method, and computer program product according to example embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block, step, or operation of the flowchart, and/or combinations of blocks, steps, or operations in the flowchart, may be implemented by various means.

Example means for implementing the blocks, steps, or operations of the flowchart, and/or combinations of the blocks, steps or operations in the flowchart include hardware, firmware, and/or software including one or more computer program code instructions, program instructions, or executable computer-readable program code instructions. Example means for implementing the blocks, steps, or operations of the flowchart, and/or combinations of the blocks, steps or operations in the flowchart also include a processor such as the processor 205. The processor may, for example, be configured to perform the operations of FIG. 9 and/or FIG. 7, by performing hardware implemented logical functions, executing stored instructions, or executing algorithms for performing each of the operations. Alternatively, an example apparatus may comprise means for performing each of the operations of the flowchart. In this regard, according to an example embodiment, examples of means for performing the operations of FIG. 9 and/or FIG. 7 include, for example, the processor 205, the energy analyzer 230, the communications router 232, and/or an algorithm executed by the processor 205 for processing information as described herein.

In one example embodiment, one or more of the procedures described herein are embodied by program code instructions. In this regard, the program code instructions which embody the procedures described herein may be stored by or on a memory device, such as memory device 210, of an apparatus, such as apparatus 200, and executed by a processor, such as the processor 205. As will be appreciated, any such program code instructions may be loaded onto a computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus (e.g., processor 205, memory device 210) to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart's block(s), step(s), or operation(s). In some example embodiments, these program code instructions are also stored in a computer-readable storage medium that directs a computer, a processor, or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart's block(s), step(s), or operation(s). The program code instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on or by the computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart's block(s), step(s), or operation(s).

Accordingly, blocks, steps, or operations of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions, and program code instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that, in some example embodiments, one or more blocks, steps, or operations of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks, steps, or operations in the flowchart, are implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems or processors which perform the specified functions or steps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and program code instructions. FIG. 9 depicts a flowchart describing an example method for energy efficient multipath transport. According to some example embodiments, at 300, the method may include determining a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections. In some exemplary embodiments, determining a relative efficiency includes probing the one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections to determine the relative energy efficiency.

The method may also include, at 310, determining a routing for multipath communications through one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency. For example, the routing may be determined such that multipath communications are routed through a single radio connection. Additionally, determining the routing for multipath communications may include determining the routing for the multipath communications via a transport layer. In this regard, link capacities, throughputs, and relative energy efficiencies may be passed to the transport layer from a lower layer, such as an Internet or link layer of TCP/IP. Further, in some example embodiments, determining the routing for multipath communications may include being configured to discontinue multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections based on at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency. Additionally, or alternatively, determining the routing for the multipath communications may include evaluating network and/or link capacities associated with radio connections and throughputs associated with radio connections and determining the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the capacities and the throughputs. In this manner, in some example embodiments, the overall throughput may be increased. Additionally, or alternatively, determining the routing for the multipath communications may include evaluating a first network capacity associated with the first radio connection and a second network capacity associated with the second radio connection, and determining the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the first and second network capacities such that the multipath communications are routed through the first radio connection or through the second radio connection.

Additionally, or alternatively, the example method may include selecting one or more transport layer source addresses for the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections included in the determined routing of the multipath communications. Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions other than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method comprising: determining, via a processor, a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections; and determining a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the routing for the multipath communications comprises evaluating link capacities and throughputs of one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections and determining the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the link capacities and the throughputs, in addition to relative energy efficiencies.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the routing for multipath communications comprises determining the routing to be through a single radio connection.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4 further comprising selecting one or more transport layer source addresses for the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections included in the determined routing of the multipath communications.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising passing the link capacities, throughputs, and relative energy efficiencies from a lower layer to a transport layer.

6. An apparatus comprising a processor, the processor configured to: determine a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections; and determine a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor configured to determine the routing for multipath communications comprises being configured to discontinue multipath communications via at least one of the plurality of radio connections based on at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor configured to determine the routing for the multipath communications comprises being configured to evaluate link capacities and throughputs of the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections and determine the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the link capacities and the throughputs, in addition to relative energy efficiencies.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to pass the link capacities, throughputs, and relative energy efficiencies from a lower layer to a transport layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor configured to determine the routing for the multipath communications comprises being configured to evaluate throughputs of the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections and determine the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the throughputs to increase an overall throughput.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor configured to determine a relative efficiency comprises being configured to probe the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections to determine the relative efficiency.

12. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a memory device, the memory device comprising stored computer-readable program code instructions accessible to the processor for configuring the processor.

13. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor configured to determine the routing of multipath communications comprises being configured to determine the routing to be through a single radio connection.

15. The apparatus of any one of claims 6 to 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to select one or more transport layer source addresses for the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections included in the determined routing of the multipath communications.

16. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having executable program code instructions stored therein, the program code instructions being configured to: determine a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections; and determine a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program code instructions configured to determine the routing for the multipath communications comprise being configured to evaluate link capacities and throughputs of the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections and determine the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the link capacities and the throughputs, in addition to relative energy efficiencies.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the program code instructions are further configured to pass the link capacities, throughputs, and relative energy efficiencies from a lower layer to a transport layer.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program code instructions configured to determine the routing for the multipath communications comprise being configured to evaluate throughputs of the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections and determine the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the first and second throughputs to increase an overall throughput.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program code instructions configured to determine the routing for multipath communications comprise being configured to determining the routing to be through a single radio connection.

21. The computer program product of any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the program code instructions are further configured to select one or more transport layer source addresses for the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections included in the determined routing of the multipath communications.

22. An apparatus comprising: means for determining a relative energy efficiency of multipath communications via one or more radio connections within a plurality of radio connections; and means for determining a routing for multipath communications through the one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections based at least in part upon the relative energy efficiency.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein means for determining means for evaluating link capacities and throughputs of one or more radio connections within the plurality of radio connections and means for determining the routing for multipath communications based at least in part on the link capacities and the throughputs, in addition to relative energy efficiencies.