Method, device and router for providing a contention-based reservation mechanism within a mini-slotted dynamic entry polling slot supporting multiple service classes

• US 5,615,212 A
• Filed: 09/11/1995
• Issued: 03/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruszczyk, Chester A., Gun, Levent
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US08/526,517
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 370/79, 370/82, 370/85.2, 370/85.3, 370/85.6, 370/85.7, 370/85.8, 370/94.1, 370/95.1, 370/95.2, 340/825.08, 340/825.5, 340/825.51, 340/825.54
• US Class Current: 370/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4035 in which slots of a TDMA packet structure are assigned based on a contention resolution carried out at a master unit TDM/TDMA multiplex systems per se H04J3/1694; hybrid switching systems H04L12/64

Abstract

The entry polling (EP) method (900) of the present invention primarily incorporates two types of polling: contention based and standard polling. The present invention provides several advantages over present polling approaches. EP slots allow multi-priority users to compete for access into the standard polling scheme. The reservation channel is efficiently used by dynamically adjusting the frequency of contention slots based on system dynamics and dynamically changing the number of contention minislots for each service category within a contention slot with the case of sending only one minislot per slot. The channel is assigned primarily to active users. Pipeline polling is also incorporated, thus providing full use of the upstream channel. Since the local state information is provided by the user, the central controller may allow multiple variable length packets to be sent.

Claims

1. A method for providing a contention-based reservation mechanism within a mini-slotted dynamic Entry Polling (EP) slot in a multiple-access communication system having a central controller with local and global system state information, comprising:

A) contending, by a plurality of multi-class users, each having a service class, for minislots assigned to the service class to reserve an allocation of bandwidth for a service class request, providing contention outcomes;

B) processing the contention outcomes and assigning a service class to each of the minislots for a next mini-slotted dynamic EP slot, by a central controller, to each of the minislots, and updating the local and global system state information;

C) providing feedback and minislot assignments to the users, by the central controller;

D) determining, by the users, using the feedback from the central controller, whether the reservation was accepted and if the user is eligible to contend/recontend, wherein eligibility of each service class is updated immediately following an entry poll; and

E) repeating steps A-D for each successive entry poll.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step D includes:

D1) where the reservation was accepted, waiting for bandwidth to be allocated by the central controller and upon allocation, transmitting the service class request and updating local state information; and

D2) where users must contend again, determining eligibility and,

where eligible, contending on a next broadcast entry poll that supports the user'"'"'s service class, and

where ineligible, waiting for entry poll feedback to determine when the user may contend.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each service class defines a priority for a quality of service constraint.

4. A device/router for providing a contention-based reservation mechanism within a mini-slotted dynamic Entry Polling (EP) slot in a multiple-access communication system having a central controller with the local and global system state information, having a microprocessor that includes a computer program embodying the contention-based reservation mechanism and the computer program, stored in memory, for:

upon contending, by a plurality of multi-class users, each having a service class, for minislots assigned to the service class to provide a reservation of an allocation of bandwidth for a service class request, providing contention outcomes,

wherein the computer program comprises;

A) means for processing the contention outcomes and assigning a service class to each of the minislots for a next mini-slotted dynamic EP slot to each of the minislots, and updating local and global system state information;

B) means for providing feedback and minislot assignments to the multi-class users wherein the multi-class users determine whether the reservation was accepted and if a multi-class user is eligible to contend/recontend, wherein eligibility of each service class is updated immediately following an entry poll,

wherein

B1) where the reservation is accepted, means for waiting, by the multi-class users, for bandwidth to be allocated by the central controller and upon allocation, transmitting the service class request and updating local state information; and

B2) where users must contend again, means for determining eligibility and,

where eligible, contending on a next broadcast entry poll that supports the multi-class user'"'"'s service class, and

where ineligible, waiting for entry poll feedback to determine a time when the multi-class user may contend.

5. The device/router of claim 4 wherein each service class defines a priority for a quality of service constraint.