Low Power Media Access Control Protocol

• US 20090323571A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The University Court of the University of Edingburgh
• Original Assignee: The University Court of the University of Aberdeen
• Inventors: Wong, Kai Juan, Arvind, Damal K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of transmitting data from a transmitter to a receiver in an unsynchronized, ad-hoc, low-power, wireless network including: creating a packet including a header and data; and retransmitting the same created packet a plurality of times in succession.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data from a transmitter to a receiver in an unsynchronised, ad-hoc, low-power, wireless network comprising:

creating a packet comprising a header and data; and

retransmitting the same created packet a plurality of times in succession.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the packets are transmitted in a concatenated sequence of packets within the same communications channel.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the concatenated sequence has a predefined constant length and the start of the sequence is unscheduled.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the start of the sequence is random.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the packet comprises a field that enables a receiver to determine when the sequence ends and comprises a field that enables a receiver to determine when the packet ends.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data is a part of a larger data segment formed from an ordered plurality of data payloads and wherein the packet comprises fields that enable the plurality of payloads to be ordered.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the packet is an information packet comprising a time field and does not comprise a data payload.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein packets are transmitted in a concatenated sequence of packets within the same communications channel and the concatenated sequence comprises a data packet that terminates the sequence.

32. A computer readable physical entity tangibly embodying a computer program which when loaded into a processor enables the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

4. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. An electronic communications device for transmitting data to a receiver using an unsynchronised, ad-hoc, low-power, wireless network, the device comprising:

processing circuitry operable to create a packet comprising a header and data; and

a transceiver for retransmitting the same created packet a plurality of times in succession.

20. A method of receiving data transmitted from a transmitter in an unsynchronised, ad-hoc, low-power, wireless network, the method comprising:

switching on a receiver according to a first schedule;

detecting reception of a packet transmitted without a schedule;

extracting data from the received packet; and

switching off the receiver until it is next scheduled to be switched on.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein detecting reception of a packet includes detecting the correct receipt of a packet or identifying an address contained in the packet.

23. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the first schedule is periodic.

26. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the received packet is part of a concatenated sequence of packets and wherein the period is less than a length of the concatenated sequence.

27. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the extracted data is used to augment the first schedule to include a new wake-up time before the next scheduled wakeup, and wherein the receiver is switched off until the new scheduled wake-up time.

34. A computer readable physical entity tangibly embodying a computer program which when loaded into a processor enables the processor to perform the method of claim 20.

22. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. An electronic communications device for receiving data transmitted from a transmitter in an unsynchronised, ad-hoc, low-power, wireless network, the device comprising:

a receiver operable to detect reception of a packet transmitted without a schedule; and

processing circuitry operable to switch on the receiver according to a first schedule, to extract data from a received packet and to switch off the receiver until it is next scheduled to be switched on.

31. A method of receiving data transmitted from a transmitter, the method comprising:

switching on a receiver according to a first schedule;

detecting reception of an information packet transmitted without a schedule;

extracting time data from the received packet;

switching off the receiver for a duration determined by the time data and then switching the receiver on; and

detecting reception of a data packet transmitted without a schedule.

35. A computer readable physical entity tangibly embodying a computer program which when loaded into a processor enables the processor to perform the method of claim 31.

33. (canceled)