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US6331973B1
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Unifying slot assignment protocol multiple access system
Assignee: Rockwell Collins Inc
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Filing: 1999-04-30
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Granted: 2001-12-18
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Expires: 2019-04-30
Abstract
Abstract A method and system for managing communication resources between nodes in a network, and more particularly to a dynamic distributed multi-channel time division multiple access (TDMA) slot assignment method is presented. The method and apparatus include a set of higher level heuristics that enable the wireless channel access scheme to address predetermined characteristics of the wireless channel access system. These predetermined heuristics include using bootstrap slots, adaptive broadcast cycles, channelized neighborhoods, standby slots, speculation slots, neighbor segregation, hard circuits, and soft circuits.
Inventors
- 👤 C. David Young
- 👤 Roy W. Krueger
- 👤 Michael S. Becker
- 👤 Henry O. Harwell
- 👤 James A. Stevens
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 01:44
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W72/00; H04W72/50; H04W72/535; H04B; H04B7/00; H04B7/24; H04B7/26; H04B7/2643; H04B7/2656; H04W74/00; H04W74/04; H04W24/00; H04W72/04; H04W72/044; H04W72/0446; H04W72/20; H04W84/00; H04W84/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
211 words
A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of transceiver nodes, wherein each node communicates during specific time slots and uses multiple frequencies using a time division multiple access structure, the method comprising: storing possible communications time slots and frequencies between nodes in the network at each node; announcing and transmitting from a first node during a specific time slot, a specific transmit slot and frequency and the identification of a second node to all neighboring nodes of the first node comprising a first set of neighboring nodes; transmitting from the first node in a bootstrap slot a control packet containing: a set of slot and frequency pairs on which the first node is transmitting; a set of slot and frequency pairs on which the first node is receiving; and a set of slot and frequency pairs on which the first set of neighboring nodes are transmitting on; identifying in each of the nodes of the first set of neighboring nodes the announced selected transmit slot and frequency used to establish substantially contention free communication on the selected transmit slot and frequency between the first and second nodes; and assigning slot and frequency pairs from the communications channel resources by utilizing a heuristics.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
211 words
A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of transceiver nodes, wherein each node communicates during specific time slots and uses multiple frequencies using a time division multiple access structure, the method comprising: storing possible communications time slots and frequencies between nodes in the network at each node; announcing and transmitting from a first node during a specific time slot, a specific transmit slot and frequency and the identification of a second node to all neighboring nodes of the first node comprising a first set of neighboring nodes; transmitting from the first node in a bootstrap slot a control packet containing: a set of slot and frequency pairs on which the first node is transmitting; a set of slot and frequency pairs on which the first node is receiving; and a set of slot and frequency pairs on which the first set of neighboring nodes are transmitting on; identifying in each of the nodes of the first set of neighboring nodes the announced selected transmit slot and frequency used to establish substantially contention free communication on the selected transmit slot and frequency between the first and second nodes; and assigning slot and frequency pairs from the communications channel resources by utilizing a heuristics.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising: transmitting from the first set of neighboring nodes to all neighboring nodes of each node in the first set of neighboring nodes comprising a second set of neighboring nodes, the announced transmit slot and frequency used to establish contention free communication between the first and second nodes, and identifying in tables of each of the second set of neighboring nodes the announced transmit slot and frequency.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising: the first set of neighboring nodes each receiving confirmation from a second set of neighboring nodes that the announced slot and frequency have been identified in the tables of the second set of neighboring nodes; and the first node receiving confirmation from the first set of neighboring nodes that the announced transmit slot and frequency have been identified in the second set of neighboring nodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 3 further comprising: transmitting a confirmed message from the second node to the first node thereby establishing communication using the selected transmit slot and frequency.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising: identifying, to the first set of neighboring nodes, slot and frequencies not being used by the first node to thereby make available unused slots and frequencies to the first and second sets of neighboring nodes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising: resolving conflicts between nodes which have announced a desire to transmit on a same slot and frequency.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein storing possible communications slots and frequencies further comprises assigning a set of bootstrap slots for all nodes to transmit the control packets.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 7 wherein assigning slot and frequency pairs further includes dynamically assigning the set of bootstrap slots based on the density of neighboring nodes with a bootstrap slot heuristic.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 wherein storing possible communication time slots and frequencies includes assigning a plurality of broadcast slots to nodes to transmit to all neighboring nodes and assigning a plurality of reservation slots to nodes to communicate between two nodes.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 9 wherein assigning the plurality of reservation slots further includes assigning the reservation slots as standby broadcast slots for use by a same node as the reservation slot assignment by using a standby slot heuristic.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising adaptively assigning the standby broadcast slots according to network density using an adaptive broadcast cycle heuristic.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 11 further comprising reassigning standby broadcast slots with the adaptive broadcast cycle heuristic by using slot poaching.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising establishing channelized neighborhoods with a channelized neighborhood heuristic that allows standby broadcast slots to be assigned on different frequencies.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising selectively permitting contention access with a speculation slot heuristic that allows a node to transmit in an idle standby broadcast slot not assigned to the node.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 11 further comprising selectively permitting contention access with a speculation slot heuristic that allows a node to transmit in an idle standby broadcast slot not assigned to the node.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein assigning slot and frequency pairs further includes segregating neighbors based upon transmission rate between a node and it neighbors with a neighbor segregation heuristic.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising segregating neighbors based upon transmission rate between a node and it neighbors with a neighbor segregation heuristic.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein assigning slot and frequency pairs further includes dynamically assigning enough slots between nodes to satisfying traffic requirements by establishing soft circuits with a soft circuit heuristic.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 wherein assigning slot and frequency pairs further includes reserving all slots along a path from source to destination before transmitting traffic by establishing hard circuits with a hard circuit heuristic.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
96 words
A communication network comprising: a network of transceiver nodes each node having neighbors; a time division multiple access structure having broadcast slots and reservation slots and the time division multiple access structure including: a slot assignment protocol that allows nodes to choose available transmit slots based on slot usage by neighboring nodes and coordinates the activation of the slots for the nodes; a plurality of bootstrap slots for each node to transmit slot assignment information from the slot assignment protocol; and at least one slot handling heuristic that adaptively and dynamically controls the assignment of slots.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
96 words
A communication network comprising: a network of transceiver nodes each node having neighbors; a time division multiple access structure having broadcast slots and reservation slots and the time division multiple access structure including: a slot assignment protocol that allows nodes to choose available transmit slots based on slot usage by neighboring nodes and coordinates the activation of the slots for the nodes; a plurality of bootstrap slots for each node to transmit slot assignment information from the slot assignment protocol; and at least one slot handling heuristic that adaptively and dynamically controls the assignment of slots.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
The communications network of claim 20 wherein the plurality of bootstraps slots are fixed bootstrap slots assigned with one bootstrap slot for each transceiver node.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
43 words
The communications network of claim 20 wherein the time division multiple access structure reservation slots are also assigned as standby broadcast slots for use by a same node as the reservation slots by using a standby slot heuristic as the slot handling heuristic.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
29 words
The communications network of claim 20 wherein the at least one slot handling heuristic includes a bootstrap slot heuristic for dynamically assigning the bootstrap slots to the transceiver nodes.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
The communication network of claim 21 wherein the bootstrap slot protocol is a fixed bootstrap slot protocol.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
The communications network of claim 22 wherein the at least one slot handling heuristic includes an adaptive broadcast cycle for adaptively assigning the standby broadcast slots according to network density.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
37 words
The communications network of claim 22 wherein the at least one slot handling heuristic includes a channelized neighborhood heuristic that allows standby broadcast slots to be assigned on different frequencies when the number of neighboring nodes increases.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
33 words
The communication network of claim 22 wherein the at least one adaptive slot handling heuristic includes a soft circuit heuristic for allocating time slots in response to traffic demands during transmission of information.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
28 words
The communication network of claim 22 wherein the at least one adaptive slot handling heuristic includes a hard circuit heuristic for allocating time slots prior to transmitting information.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
40 words
The communications network of claim 22 wherein the at least one slot handling heuristic includes a speculation slot heuristic that allows other nodes to use standby broadcast slots that are unused by the node assigned to the standby broadcast slot.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
40 words
The communication network of claim 20 wherein the at least one adaptive slot handling heuristic includes a neighbor segregation heuristic that divides the neighbors of a node into at least two groups and adjusts transmission parameters separately for each group.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
91 words
A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of transceiver nodes, wherein each node communicates during specific time slots and uses multiple frequencies using a time division multiple access structure, the method comprising: assigning broadcast and reservation slots and frequencies to the nodes with a slot assignment protocol; assigning bootstrap slots to the nodes; sharing the broadcast and reservation slot and frequency assignments between nodes using the bootstrap slots; and dynamically adapting the slot and frequency assignments by utilizing a family of heuristics.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
91 words
A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of transceiver nodes, wherein each node communicates during specific time slots and uses multiple frequencies using a time division multiple access structure, the method comprising: assigning broadcast and reservation slots and frequencies to the nodes with a slot assignment protocol; assigning bootstrap slots to the nodes; sharing the broadcast and reservation slot and frequency assignments between nodes using the bootstrap slots; and dynamically adapting the slot and frequency assignments by utilizing a family of heuristics.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 31 further comprising dynamically assigning the bootstrap slots to nodes of the network using a bootstrap heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 31 further comprising assigning the reservation slots as standby broadcast slots for use by a same node as the reservation slot assignment using a standby slot heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 33 further comprising adaptively assigning the broadcast slots and the standby broadcast slots in a broadcast cycle according to network density using an adaptive broadcast cycle heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 34 further comprising assigning standby broadcast slots on different frequencies when the network density exceeds the capacity of the broadcast cycle using a channelized neighborhood heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 33 further comprising allowing neighboring nodes to transmit information in idle standby broadcast slots assigned to a first node using a speculation slot heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 31 further comprising segregating neighbors into at least two groups based on the transmission quality of each neighbor using a neighbor segregation heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 31 further comprising establishing hard circuits by reserving all slots alone a path from a source node to a destination node before transmitting by using a hard circuit heuristic in the family of heuristics.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 31 further comprising establishing soft circuits by assigning enough slots between nodes to satisfying traffic requirements by using a soft circuit heuristic in the family of heuristics.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-12-17 | 2005-06-18 | 2005-12-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-12-17 | 2009-06-18 | 2009-12-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-12-17 | 2013-06-18 | 2013-12-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |