A TDMA-BASED COMMUNICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20130336303A1
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensium Healthcare Limited
• Original Assignee: Toumaz UK Limited
• Inventors: Omeni, Okundu
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/029 reducing the clock frequency of the controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/003 Arrangements to increase tolerance to errors in transmission or reception timing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A TDMA-based communication method for enabling communication between a base station and a client, the base station and the client each comprising a clock for synchronising communications, the method comprising: allocating a TDMA channel to said client; causing a transceiver of the client to operate in a communication mode during client timeslots making up said allocated channel and to operate in a sleep mode at other times; causing a transceiver of said base station to begin operating in a communication mode with said client on said channel in advance of each said client timeslot and/or to continue operating in a communication mode with said client after each said client timeslot.

Claims

1. A TDMA-based communication method for enabling communication between a base station and a client, the base station and the client each comprising a clock for synchronising communications, the method comprising:

allocating a TDMA channel to said client, the TDMA channel being defined by a client time slot and a corresponding base time slot, the base timeslot beginning in advance of and/or continuing after said client time slot;

causing a transceiver of the client to operate in a communication mode during the client timeslots making up said allocated channel and to operate in a sleep mode at other times; and

causing a transceiver of said base station to begin operating in a communication mode with said client during the base time slots making up said allocated channel.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein when the base station is operating in communication mode with the client, the base station is either transmitting to the client or listening for a signal from the client.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein when the client is operating in communication mode with the base station, the client is either transmitting to the base station or listening for a signal from the base station.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the base station is configured as the initiator of communications and so the base station begins transmitting to the client prior to the client timeslot.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the client is configured as the initiator of communications and so the base station begins listening for the client prior to the client timeslot.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein the initiator repeats its transmission until it receives a response or until the initiator stops operating in its current communication mode.

7. The method according to claim 1 comprising the step of the client returning to sleep mode at the end of the client timeslot even if it has not completed its communication with the base station.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising the step of the client returning to sleep mode at the end of the client timeslot even if it has not begun its communication with the base station.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the client listens for a transmission from the base station for the whole of the client timeslot and if no transmission is received by the client it returns to sleep mode.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of causing the base station to transmit a synchronising signal to the client.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the synchronising signal causes the client to adjust its clock in line with the base station clock.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the synchronising signal is transmitted a plurality of times when the base station is in communication mode with the client.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the synchronising signal is transmitted in response to receipt of a signal from the client.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the base station begins operating in a communication mode with said client at a time calculated to take into account a worst case clock offset between the base station and the client.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the time is calculated by applying the worst case clock offset to said times when the transceiver of the client operates in sleep mode.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the base station continues to operate in communication mode with the client after each client timeslot until a time calculated to take into account a worst case clock offset between the base station and the client.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the base station stops operating in communication mode with the client after the client has finished its communication with the base station during the client timeslot.

18. The method according to claim 1, for enabling wireless communication between the base station and the client.

19. A TDMA communications system comprising:

a base station and a client each comprising a clock for synchronising TDMA communications therebetween,

the client comprising a transceiver configured to operate in a communication mode during client timeslots making up an allocated TDMA channel and to operate in a sleep mode at other times;

the base station comprising a transceiver configured to operate in a communication mode with said client during base time slots making up said allocated TDMA channel, wherein a TDMA channel is defined by a client time slot and a corresponding base time slot, the base timeslot beginning in advance of and/or continuing after said client time slot.

20. A base station for a TDMA communications system comprising:

a clock for synchronising TDMA communication with a client; and

a transceiver configured to operate in a communication mode with said client during base timeslots making up a TDMA channel, the TDMA channel being defined by a client time slot and a corresponding base time slot wherein said base timeslot it arranged to begin in advance of the corresponding client timeslot making up said TDMA channel and/or to expire after said client timeslots.

21. A client for a TDMA communications system comprising:

a clock for synchronising TDMA communication with a base station; and

a transceiver configured to operate in a communication mode during client timeslots making up a TDMA channel and to operate in a sleep mode at other times;

wherein the TDMA channel is defined by a client time slot and a corresponding base time slot and said client timeslot is arranged to begin after the corresponding base timeslot making up said TDMA channel and/or to expire before said base timeslots.

22-25. -25. (canceled)