Method and system for allocating bandwidth based on transmission power of devices transmitting over communications channels in a network
View Patent ↗A method performed by a central network device, such as a network edge device, or a CMTS, determines whether some of a plurality of user devices coupled to a communication device are transmitting at substantially their respective maximum power output level over a given channel. If the central device determines that some of the devices are operating at near their maximum output level (“power pegged,) the central device searches for another channel that can carry the traffic of the power pegged devices at reduced data rate. If another channel can accommodate transmission of signals of the power pegged device, the central device instructs the power pegged devices to tune to the new channel at a reduced data rate compared to the data rate of the current channel.
1. A method operable to tune user devices from a first upstream channel to a second upstream channel based on each of the devices transmit power levels, comprising:
determining whether a user device that has previously connected and registered is transmitting on the first upstream channel at a power level exceeding a threshold of its maximum output power level;
scanning transmission characteristics of at least one other upstream channel;
selecting from the at least one other scanned upstream channels a second upstream channel that can accommodate upstream transmissions from the user device without adversely affecting upstream transmissions from user devices that are not operating in excess of the threshold of their respective maximum output power level;
instructing the user device transmitting upstream at a power level exceeding a threshold of their maximum output power level to begin transmitting upstream on the second upstream channel; and
modifying transmission characteristics of the first upstream channel to provide better service to user devices still transmitting over it.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristics of an upstream channel include the channel width, modulation profile, and communications technology.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the upstream channels considered in the scanning processes can be logical channels at same frequency of the first channel or physical channels at different frequency from that of the first channel.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the measure of user devices transmitting power at the threshold is measured dynamically.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the measure of user devices transmitting power at the threshold is measured per upstream channel.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the better service comprises higher throughput.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user device comprises a multimedia terminal adapter or a cable modem.
8. A network-edge device comprising computer-readable media operable to be executed by the network edge device, and upon execution being configured to cause the network-edge device to:
determine whether a user device having an established connection to the network edge device is transmitting on the first upstream channel at a power level exceeding a threshold of its maximum output power level;
scan at least one other upstream channel to identify transmission characteristics of the at least one other upstream channel;
select from the at least one other scanned upstream channel a second upstream channel that can accommodate upstream transmissions from the user device without adversely affecting upstream transmissions from other user devices operating on the second upstream channel; and
send a channel change command from the network-edge device to the user device that instructs the user device to tune to the second upstream channel.
9. The network-edge device of claim 8 , wherein the network-edge device is further operable to modify transmission characteristics of the first upstream channel to provide better service to user devices still transmitting over the first upstream channel.
10. The network-edge device of claim 8 , wherein the characteristics of upstream channels include the channel width, modulation profile and communications technology.
11. The network-edge device of claim 8 , wherein the upstream channels considered in the scanning processes comprise logical channels at same frequency of the first channel or physical channels at different frequency from that of the first channel.
12. The network-edge device of claim 8 , wherein transmission power level of user devices is measured dynamically.
13. The network-edge device of claim 8 , wherein transmission power level of user devices is measured per upstream channel.
14. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
establishing connection and registration with a user device on a first upstream channel;
determining whether the user device is transmitting on the first upstream channel at a power level exceeding a threshold of a maximum output power level associated with the user device;
measuring at a network-edge device the received signal power of the user device transmitting at power level exceeding a threshold of its maximum output power level;
scanning at least one other upstream channel to identify characteristics associated with the at least one other upstream channel;
selecting from the at least one other scanned upstream channels a second upstream channel that can accommodate upstream transmissions from the user device without adversely affecting upstream transmissions from other user devices on the second channel;
sending a channel change command from the network-edge device to the user device that is transmitting at a power level exceeding the threshold of its maximum upstream transmit power level, the channel change command instructing the user device to tune to the second upstream channel;
modifying transmission characteristics of the first upstream channel based on the user device now transmitting on the second upstream channel.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the characteristics of an upstream channel includes the channel width, modulation profile and communications technology.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the at least one upstream channel considered in the scanning processes can be logical channels at same frequency of the first channel or physical channels at different frequency from that of the first channel.
17. The method of claim 14 wherein the measure of user devices transmitting at a power exceeding the threshold of the maximum power level is measured dynamically.
18. The method of claim 14 wherein the measure of user devices transmitting at a power exceeding the threshold of the maximum power level is measured per upstream channel.
19. The method of claim 14 wherein modifying transmission characteristics of the first upstream channel comprises providing higher throughput to the other devices on the first upstream channel.