Efficient routing in dense UGSS and wireless munitions control systems

摘要

Applications of radio control systems involving the deployment of 100's of devices connected to a central control point may be severely limited during certain operational scenarios unless multiple hop routing is supported. The reduction in full connectivity may be the result of a number of negative factors including local interference, hostile jamming, damage to communications equipment, or changes in environmental conditions. To counteract the potential deprecation in communications capacity the use of adjacent nodes to act as forwarders is employed to allow the network to remain fully connected. The network under consideration here is one in which the controlled elements remain mostly fixed in location though the remote control point is free to move as required during the operation of the communications network. The overall system effectiveness in a network containing both asynchronous sensors and remotely controllable munitions can be largely determined by the latency required when delivering data packets between endpoints. The ability to provide a high capacity / high data rate control channel is not always an option in deployable systems. The use of lower capacity communications channels can result in limitations when sensor / control information begins to flood the network during periods of high activity. In these situations the sending of control information to update routes based on the dynamic conditions in the network can become a drain on the network resources and must be minimized by the networking approach.