Method for assigning slots in a mobile network

• US 20060109831A1
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Tillotson, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,342,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/342
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A method of acquiring transmit and receive slots in a peer-to-peer network comprising acquiring data about a plurality of nodes in the network, the data including a code corresponding to send slots and receive slots for the plurality of nodes; finding an available code based upon the data about the plurality of nodes in the network; and setting send slots and receive slots based upon the available code. A method for setting a code for a node in a peer-to-peer network, the nodes indicative of send and receive time slots for the node, comprising determining a code length; assigning the node a first string of bits half the code length to create a first half of the code; and assigning the node a second string of bits that is the inverse of the first string of bits to create the second half of the code. In one embodiment, the methods described herein allow for a TDMA network utilizing a single frequency band.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring transmit and receive slots in a peer-to-peer network comprising:

acquiring data about a plurality of nodes in the network, the data including a code corresponding to send slots and receive slots for the plurality of nodes;

finding an available code based upon the data about the plurality of nodes in the network; and

setting send slots and receive slots based upon the available code.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending the available code to at least one of the plurality of nodes in the network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the available code is one of a set of codes, the set of codes defined by a set of even functions that are mutually orthogonal to each other.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the available code is one of a set of codes, the set of codes defined by a set of even functions that are inverse to each other.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each code in the set of codes includes half receive slots and half send slots.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of codes is defined by a square waves having periods of:

2^k, 2<sup>k−

1</sup> . . . 2¹, wherein k is an integer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein k is chosen such that (4k−

3)≧

N, where N is a minimum number of neighboring nodes.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of codes is defined by a function having periods of m, m−

2, m−

2 . . . m, wherein m is an integer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein m is the number of bits in a frame.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein m is smaller than the number of bits in a frame.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nodes send and receive data using the same frequency band.

3. The method of claim 3 further comprising sending a joining message to at least one of the plurality of nodes.

13. A method for setting a code for a node in a peer-to-peer network, the code indicative of send and receive time slots for the node, comprising:

determining a code length;

assigning the node a first string of bits half the code length to create a first half of the code; and

assigning the node a second string of bits that is the inverse of the first string of bits to create the second half of the code.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a 1 in the code corresponds to a receive slot and a 0 in the code corresponds to a send slot.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein a 0 in the code corresponds to a receive slot and a 1 in the code corresponds to a send slot.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the first string of bits assigned to the node is different to a string of bits assigned to any other node in the network.

17. A node in a peer-to-peer communication network comprising:

an antenna for sending and receiving data; and

a controller configured to acquire information about neighboring nodes within the peer-to-peer network and configured to set a code corresponding to send and receive slots based upon the information acquired about the neighboring nodes.

18. The node of claim 17 wherein the node sends data and receives data over the same frequency band.

19. The node of claim 17 wherein the code is one of a set of codes, the set of codes defined by a set of even functions that are mutually orthogonal to each other.

20. The node of claim 17 wherein the code is one of a set of codes, the set of codes defined by a set of even functions that are inverse to each other.

21. The node of claim 17 wherein each code in a set of codes includes half receive slots and half send slots.

22. The node of claim 17 wherein the set of codes is defined by square waves having periods of:

2^k, 2<sup>k−

1</sup> . . . 2¹, wherein k is an integer.

23. The node of claim 22 wherein k is chosen such that (4k−

3)≧

N, where N is a minimum number of neighboring nodes.

24. The node of claim 17 wherein the set of codes is defined by functions having periods of m, m−

1, m−

2 . . . 2, wherein m is an integer.

25. The node of claim 24 wherein m is the number of slots in a frame.

26. The node of claim 24 wherein m is smaller than the number of slots in a frame.

27. The node of claim 17 wherein the antenna is a directional antenna.

28. The node of claim 27 wherein the antenna is a phased array antenna.