Adaptive synchronous media access protocol for shared media networks

• US 20030198246A1
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sigma Designs Israel S.D.I Ltd. (Uphill Investment Co.)
• Original Assignee: Coppergate Communications Limited (Sigma Designs Incorporated)
• Inventors: Picherski, Lior, Sterenson, Ron, Lifshitz, Israel, Lurie, Aharona
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6454 Random, e.g. Ethernet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6462 Movable boundaries in packets or frames

Abstract

In some embodiments of the present invention, asynchronous network nodes and synchronous network nodes coexist on a shared media network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more asynchronous nodes to make asynchronous transmissions over a shared media network according to an asynchronous protocol; and

one or more synchronous nodes to make synchronous transmissions over said network according to a synchronous protocol that includes carrier sense multiple access and collision detection and resolution techniques,

wherein when a transmission by an asynchronous node causes interference, said synchronous protocol is able to dynamically adapt to said interference by using said techniques and by rescheduling synchronous transmissions subsequent to said interference.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said shared media network is a local area network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said shared media network is a telephone line.

4. A system comprising:

a master synchronous node coupled to a shared media network to provide a media access plan for said network;

slave synchronous nodes coupled to said network to transmit synchronously according to said media access plan; and

asynchronous nodes coupled to said network,

said media access plan defining opportunities for time-limited synchronous transmissions from said slave synchronous nodes and defining opportunities for unbounded asynchronous transmissions from said asynchronous nodes to begin.

5. A node comprising:

a device comprising;

means for scheduling at predetermined times opportunities for unbounded asynchronous transmissions on a shared medium; and

means for identifying a service provided by said asynchronous transmissions,

wherein said opportunities are scheduled at a frequency and of a duration so as to enable said service to meet its inherent quality requirements.

6. A method comprising:

scheduling at predetermined times opportunities for unbounded asynchronous transmissions on a shared medium; and

identifying a service provided by said asynchronous transmissions,

wherein said opportunities are scheduled at a frequency and of a duration so as to enable said service to meet its inherent quality requirements.

7. A method for a node in a network, the method comprising:

sensing whether said network is currently idle once a scheduled transmission opportunity dedicated to said node has begun;

if said network is sensed as currently idle, initiating transmission on said network, and otherwise, waiting until said network is sensed as currently idle and then initiating transmission on said network;

detecting whether initiating said transmission has caused a collision between said node and another node; and

resolving said collision.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting said transmission for no more than a time substantially equal to a duration of said scheduled transmission opportunity.

9. A method for a node in a network, the method comprising:

sensing whether said network is currently idle once a scheduled transmission opportunity dedicated to a group of which said node is a member has begun;

if said network is sensed as currently idle, initiating transmission on said network, and otherwise, waiting until said network is sensed as currently idle and then initiating transmission on said network;

detecting whether initiating said transmission has caused a collision between said node and another node; and

resolving said collision.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting said transmission for no more than a time substantially equal to a duration of said scheduled transmission opportunity.

11. A method for a node in a network, the method comprising:

sensing whether said network is currently idle during an unallocated scheduled transmission opportunity;

if said network is sensed as currently idle, initiating transmission on said network, and otherwise, waiting until said network is sensed as currently idle and then, if said unallocated scheduled transmission opportunity has not yet ended, initiating transmission on said network;

detecting whether initiating said transmission has caused a collision between said node and another node; and

resolving said collision.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

restricting said transmission so that said transmission ends no later than when said unallocated transmission opportunity ends.

13. A method comprising:

dynamically adjusting timing of future scheduled synchronous transmissions on a shared media network to compensate for interference by asynchronous transmissions on said network.

14. A method comprising:

generating plans of access to a shared medium, each of said plans describing a planned media access period, where different ones of said plans describe different media access periods not all of the same length.

15. A method comprising:

generating consecutive plans of access to a shared medium, wherein a generated plan may specify its start time to be later than an end time of an immediately preceding generated plan.

16. A method comprising:

generating consecutive plans of access to a shared medium, each of said plans describing scheduled transmission opportunities to said shared medium; and

where a particular plan of said plans is identical to a previous plan of said plans, transmitting instead of said particular plan a shorter plan indicating that said particular plan is identical to said previous plan.

17. A method comprising:

generating plans of access to a shared media network to which one or more asynchronous nodes are coupled and to which one or more synchronous nodes are coupled, each of said plans describing scheduled transmission opportunities for services provided via synchronous transmissions, where the length of said scheduled transmission opportunities is longer than requested for by said services.

18. A method comprising:

allocating one or more timed transmission opportunities on a shared media network to a group of nodes coupled to said network, said network supporting carrier sense multiple access and collision detection techniques; and

specifying a collision resolution technique to be used by colliding nodes during said timed transmission opportunities.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

ranking said nodes to serialize access by said nodes to said network during said one or more timed transmission opportunities.

20. A method comprising:

generating a plan of access to a shared medium, said plan describing a cycle of timed transmission opportunities, two or more of said timed transmission opportunities being allocated to a particular stream or a particular node.

21. A method comprising:

generating a plan of access to a shared medium, said plan describing a cycle of timed transmission opportunities, two or more of said timed transmission opportunities being allocated to a particular node; and

said particular node reallocating said two or more timed transmissions among services provided by said node.

22. A method comprising:

abandoning collision resolution between nodes colliding in their transmissions on a shared medium during a timed transmission opportunity of a specified length when not enough time is left of said transmission opportunity for a transmission by one of said nodes.

23. A method comprising:

transmitting a scheduled transmission from a source synchronous node to a destination node during a timed transmission opportunity on a shared media network at a power sufficient for said destination node to receive said transmission over said network but not so high as to ensure that all nodes coupled to said network are able to sense said transmission.