Method and apparatus for managing communication resources using channelized neighborhoods

• US 6,504,829 B1
• Filed: 06/28/1999
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Becker, Michael S., Krueger, Roy W., Stevens, James A., Young, C. David
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHULTZ, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US09/342,004
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/227, 370/228, 370/280, 370/330, 370/329, 370/310, 370/321, 370/335, 370/342, 370/350, 370/343, 370/347, 370/337, 370/338, 370/436, 370/442
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

A method and system for managing communication resources between nodes in a network, and more particularly to a dynamic distributed multi-channel time division multiple access (TDMA) slot assignment method is presented. The method and apparatus include a set of higher level heuristics that enable the wireless channel access scheme to address predetermined characteristics of the wireless channel access system. These predetermined heuristics include using bootstrap slots, adaptive broadcast cycles, channelized neighborhoods, standby slots, speculation slots, neighbor segregation, hard circuits, and soft circuits.

Claims

1. A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of nodes, each node being configured to communicate during specific time slots on a time multiplex basis, the method comprising:

communicating between nodes in the network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including broadcast cycles having a plurality of time frames, each time frame having a plurality of time slots and a plurality of frequency channels;

storing, at each node, an assignment of possible time slots and frequency channels to communicate between nodes in the network;

grouping neighboring nodes of a particular node into at least a first group and a second group when the number of neighboring nodes of the particular node exceeds a predetermined limit;

assigning a first frequency channel to the first group on which to transmit communications to nodes in the network;

assigning a second frequency channel to the second group on which to transmit communications to nodes in the network;

creating a third group, wherein members of the third group include a first pair of nodes from the first group and a second pair of nodes from the second group;

assigning a frequency channel to the first and second pairs of nodes, respectively, on which to receive communications from nodes in the network; and

shifting, based on density of the network, the respective frequency channels assigned to the first and second pairs of nodes in the third group on which to receive communications from nodes in the network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined limit is seven (7) neighboring nodes.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

shifting, at a predetermined interval, the respective frequency channels assigned to the first and second pairs of nodes in the third group on which to receive communications from nodes in the network.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the predetermined interval is a time frame.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

altering membership of the third group at a predetermined interval.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

shifting, each time frame, the respective channels assigned to the first and second pairs of nodes on which to receive communications from nodes in the network.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining substantially contention free access to the communication channels using a unifying slot assignment protocol.

8. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of transceiver nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of nodes, the transceiver nodes being configured to communicate on the network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including time frames, each time frame having time slots and frequency channels;

an assignment, stored at each node, of possible time slots and frequency channels to communicate between nodes in the networks;

a channelized neighborhooding protocol to group neighboring nodes of a particular transceiver node into at least first and second groups and to assign a schedule of possible frequency channels to the first and second groups for transmitting communications during one or more time frames, wherein the channelized neighborhooding protocol creates a third group having members that include a first pair of transceiver nodes from the first group and a second pair of transceiver nodes from the second group, assigns a frequency channel to each of the first and second pairs of nodes, respectively, on which to receive communications during one or more time frames, and assigns, at a predetermined interval, a different frequency channel to each of the first and second pairs of nodes, respectively, in the third group on which to receive communications.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the channelized neighborhooding protocol alters membership of the third group at a predetermined interval.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the channelized neighborhooding protocol groups neighboring nodes into the first and second groups when the number of neighboring nodes of the particular transceiver node exceeds a predetermined limit.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the predetermined limit is seven (7) neighboring nodes.

12. A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of nodes, each node being configured to communicate during specific time slots and use multiple channels on a time multiplex basis, the method comprising:

communicating between nodes in the network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including time slots and frequency channels arranged with each of a plurality of times frames of a time division;

storing, at each node, a table of possible time slots and frequency channels to communicate between nodes in the network during each time frame; and

grouping the neighboring nodes of a particular node into first and second groups;

grouping a portion of the nodes in the first group and a portion of the nodes in the second group as members of a third group;

scheduling the members of the third group to listen on particular frequency channels, respectively; and

rescheduling the members of the third group to listen on different frequency channels, respectively.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

changing membership of the third group at a predetermined interval.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein rescheduling members of the third group occurs at a predetermined interval.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein rescheduling members of the third group is based on density of the network.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein grouping the neighboring nodes into first and second groups occurs when the number of neighboring nodes exceeds seven (7).

17. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

maintaining substantially contention free access to the communication channel resources using a unifying slot assignment protocol.