Radio network communication system and protocol

• US 20060256798A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clipsal Integrated Systems Pty Limited (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Clipsal Integrated Systems Pty Limited (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Terrace, Donald Murray, Quick, Ashleigh Glen
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 5/12 Biphase level code, e.g. split phase code, Manchester code; Biphase space or mark code, e.g. double frequency code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1664 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with payload signals; piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/125 Arrangements for preventing errors in the return channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4904 using self-synchronising codes, e.g. split-phase codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/89 involving methods or arrangements for detection of transmission errors at the decoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A communications system and protocol for a radio communications network including a number of transceiver devices. The protocol ensures that network variables to be shared by all devices are correctly received and updated by all devices. The protocol also provides for accurately detecting the transition from one time slot to another, in a given data transaction.

Claims

1. A communications protocol for use in a network of devices, the protocol having a frame including a first time slot for transmitting data, a second time slot, after the first time slot, for transmitting a first acknowledgement state, and a third time slot, after the second time slot, for transmitting a second acknowledgement state.

2. A communications protocol according to claim 1 wherein the first acknowledgement state is a positive acknowledge and the second acknowledgement state is a negative acknowledge.

3. A communications protocol according to claim 2 wherein the first time slot is variable in length and the second and third time slots are fixed in length.

4. A communications protocol according to claim 2 wherein the positive acknowledge includes the transmission of a specific coded value containing sufficient redundancy to allow it to be recovered in the presence of received errors and the negative acknowledge includes the transmission of a specific coded value containing sufficient redundancy to allow it to be recovered in the presence of received errors.

6. A radio communication system according to claim 1 wherein the first acknowledgement state is a positive acknowledge and the second acknowledgement state is a negative acknowledge.

7. A radio communications system according to claim 6 wherein the first time slot is variable in length and the second and third time slots are fixed in length.

8. A radio communication system according to claim 7 wherein each transceiver monitors the transmission medium during any time slots during which each respective transceiver is not transmitting.

9. A radio communication system according to claim 8 wherein upon each transceiver/receiver detecting a correctly coded transmission in the negative acknowledge time slot, each transceiver/receiver discards the data previously received in the first time slot.

10. A radio communication system according to claim 9 wherein upon detecting a correctly coded transmission in the negative acknowledge time slot, the transceiver/transmitter retransmits the data to each of the transceiver/receivers.

5. A radio communication system including a transceiver/transmitter and at least two transceiver/receivers, wherein the transceiver/transmitter transmits data in a first time slot to the transceiver/receivers and wherein upon receipt of the data, each of the transceiver/receivers return either a first acknowledgement state in a second time slot, after the first time slot, or a second acknowledgement state in a third time slot after the second time slot.

11. A transceiver/receiver for use in a radio communication system including at least one transceiver/transmitter and at least one other transceiver/receiver, in use, the transceiver/receiver upon receiving a data packet in a first time slot from the transceiver/transmitter either transmits a first acknowledgement state in a second time slot, after the first time slot, or transmits a second acknowledgement state in a third time slot, after the second time slot.

12. A transceiver/receiver according to claim 11 wherein the transceiver/receiver further receives the first acknowledgement state in the second time slot from the at least one other transceiver/receiver in the communication system or receives the second acknowledgement state in the third time slot from the at least one other transceiver/receiver in the communication system.

13. A transceiver/receiver according to claim 12 wherein the first acknowledgement state is a positive acknowledge, and the second acknowledgement state is a negative acknowledge.

14. A transceiver/receiver according to claim 13 wherein the transceiver/receiver monitors the communications medium during a time slot during which the transceiver/receiver is not transmitting.

15. A transceiver/receiver according to claim 11 wherein upon receiving a negative acknowledge from the at least one other transceiver/receiver, the transceiver/receiver discards the data packet received in the first time slot.

16. A transceiver/receiver according to claim 15 wherein the discarded data is replaced with data retransmitted by the transceiver/transmitter.

17. A transceiver/transmitter for use in a communication system including at least one other transceiver/receiver, wherein in use, the transceiver/receiver transmits a data packet in a first time slot to the at least one transceiver/receiver and receives either a first acknowledge state in a second time slot after the first time slot from one or more of the transceiver/receivers or receives a second acknowledgement state in a third time slot after the second time slot from at least one of the transceiver/receivers.

18. A transceiver/transmitter according to claim 17 wherein the first acknowledgement state is a positive acknowledge and the second acknowledgement state is a negative acknowledge.

19. A transceiver/transmitter according to claim 18 wherein the transceiver/transmitter monitors the communications medium during a time slot during which the transceiver/transmitter is not transmitting.

20. A transceiver/transmitter according to claim 19 wherein upon receiving a negative acknowledge, the transceiver/transmitter retransmits the data to the at least one transceiver/receiver.

21. In a wireless network including a transceiver/transmitter and at least two transceivers/receivers, a method of disseminating data to be shared by the at least two transceiver/receivers, the method including:

Transmitting from the transceiver/transmitter, the data to the at least two transceiver/receivers;

Upon unsuccessfully receiving the data at at least one of the at least two transceiver/receivers, transmitting negative acknowledge data to indicate unsuccessful receipt of the data;

Retransmitting the data from the transceiver/transmitter; and

Replacing the data received by the plurality of transceiver/receivers with the retransmitted data.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the negative acknowledge data is also received by the transceiver/transmitter.

23. A method according to claim 21 wherein upon receiving the negative acknowledge, the other transceiver/receivers discard the data received from the transceiver/transmitter before receiving the retransmitted data.

24. A method according to claim 21 wherein the step of transmitting data is done in a first time slot, the step of transmitting the negative acknowledge is done in a second time slot and the step of retransmitting is done in a third time slot.

25. A method according to claim 23 wherein upon successful receipt of data, the transceiver/receiver transmits a positive acknowledge.

26. A method according to claim 25 wherein the step of transmitting the positive acknowledge is done in an additional time slot between the first and the second time slot.

27. A method of providing a marker in a data time frame, the method including:

encoding data bits at a particular point in a data sequence to provide states;

generating a state combination that is an illegal combination;

recognising that illegal combination as a marker.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the encoding used is Manchester coding.

29. A method according to claim 27 wherein a dc balance in the transmission is preserved.

30. A method according to claim 28 wherein the illegal combination commences with a state pair of OFF, OFF, or ON, ON.