System and Method for Timeslot and Channel Allocation

• US 20080137620A1
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kiyon, Inc.
• Inventors: Nova, Michael, Gui, Chao, Wang, Weilin, Wang, Xudong, Wu, Yun, Tao, Xiaojing
• Granted Patent: US 8,040,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

A distributed multi-channel TDMA MAC time slot and channel allocation algorithm for wireless networks is provided. The time slot and channel allocation includes a distributed allocation phase and an allocation adjustment phase. Each phase begins allocation at a first node and continues node-by-node until the last node in the network. The allocation then reflects back from the last node to the first node. At each node in the path, the node can initiate resource allocation between itself and its neighbor nodes. Nodes that are within range of the wireless network but are not on the path do not initiate resource allocation but instead participate in the resource allocation initiated from other nodes.

Claims

1. A method for time division multiple access timeslot and channel allocation in a wireless communication network having a plurality of nodes comprising:

identifying a path from a first node to a last node through the wireless communication network, the path comprising a plurality of nodes;

identifying a current wave leader node;

allocating timeslots and channels by the current wave leader node for direct wireless communication with its neighbor nodes;

selecting a new wave leader node after the current wave leader node has completed allocation of timeslots and channels, wherein the new wave leader node is a node in the plurality of nodes on said path;

repeating the allocating and selecting steps through each node in the path to the last node;

identifying the last node in the path as the current wave leader;

notifying the first node that the last node in the path has been reached;

traversing said path in the reverse direction from the last node to the first node, comprising;

successively selecting each node in the path as the current wave leader; and

allocating additional timeslots and channels as needed by each current wave leader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication network is one of a WiMAX network, and 802.11 network, and a sensor network.