Baseband wireless network for isochronous communication

• US 7,031,294 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2001
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Link Incorporated
• Inventors: Aiello, Roberto, Gehring, Stephan, Lynch, William, Rahardja, Krisnawan, Rogerson, Gerald, Sparell, Carlton J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US09/949,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20020018458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370312-314, 370328-329, 370336-337, 370347-348, 370/443
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/04 Speed or phase control by synchronisation signals H04L7/0075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A wireless communication network system apparatus which provides for isochronous data transfer between node devices of the network, which provides at least one master node device which manages the data transmission between the other node devices of the network, which avoids or reduces interference from other wireless products and which resolves random errors associated with wireless technology including multipath fading. The system provides a communication protocol which shares the wireless transport medium between the node devices of the network, and which provides each node device on the network a designated transmit time slot for data communication.

Claims

1. A wireless communication network system comprising at least three transceivers, each said transceiver having a transmitter and a receiver, one of said transceivers being structured and configured as a master device, said master device structured and configured to manage data transmission between said transceivers;

and a frame definition having a master slot, a command slot, and a plurality of data slots, said master slot having a master sync code, said protocol operating in slotted aloha mode and time division multiple access mode, said master device managing said protocol and said data slots in said protocol.

2. A wireless communication network system comprising at least three transceivers, each said transceiver having a transmitter and a receiver, one of said transceivers being structured and configured as a master device, said master device structured and configured to manage data transmission between said transceivers;

and

a Medium Access Control hardware interface comprising a multiplexer/demultiplexer unit and a plurality of slot allocation units, said multiplexer/demultiplexer unit operatively coupled to said plurality of slot allocation units.

3. A wireless communication network system comprising:

(a) at least three transceivers, one of which is structured and configured as a master device to manage data transmission between said transceivers;

(b) a transmitter in each said transceiver;

(c) a receiver in each said transceiver; and

(d) a time division multiple access frame structure having a master slot, a command slot, and a plurality of data slots.

4. A wireless communication network system comprising:

(a) at least three transceivers, one of which is structured and configured as a master device to manage data transmission between said transceivers;

(b) a transmitter in each said transceiver;

(c) a receiver in each said transceiver; and

(d) a Medium Access Control unit comprising a Physical layer interface, a multiplexer/demultiplexer unit operatively coupled to said Physical layer interface, a plurality of slot allocation units operatively coupled to said multiplexer/demultiplexer unit, an interface to higher level protocols operatively coupled to said plurality of slot allocation units.

5. A method for providing wireless network communication comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a master transceiver;

(b) providing a plurality of slave transceivers in communication with said master transceiver;

(c) synchronizing said slave transceivers with said master transceiver;

(d) providing a Medium Access Control protocol which is executed in said master transceiver and in said slave transceivers, said protocol including a Time Division Multiple Access frame definition having a master slot, a command slot, a plurality of variable length data slots;

(e) requesting a data slot from said master transceiver by a source slave transceiver;

(f) assigning to said source slave transceiver an assigned data slot by said master transceiver; and

(g) after said assigning step, transferring data in said assigned data slot, by said source slave transceiver, to a target slave transceiver, said data transferring carried out without intervention from said master transceiver.