Time division protocol for an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network having coordinating channel access to shared parallel data channels with separate reservation channel

• US 7,099,296 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2001
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MeshNetworks, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belcea, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US09/846,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20020150075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/343, 370/345, 370/347, 370/348, 370/436, 370/437, 370/438, 370/441, 370/442, 370/443, 370/445, 370/461, 370/462
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/247 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter sent by another terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/325 Power control of control or pilot channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A novel protocol for an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network that provides collision-free channel access with an emphasis on improving geographic reuse of the frequency spectrum. The protocol of the invention is executed on the reservation or control channel, and provides a method for allocating data transactions on the data channels. The system of the invention utilizes multiple parallel data channels that are coordinated by a single reservation channel. The transceiver of the system employs two modems to solve the channel reliability issues with multiple channel designs, where one is dedicated as a receive-only modem for gathering channel usage information on the reservation channel. High quality voice, video and data may be transmitted. The reservation channel implements a time division multiple access algorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodes determine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality extracted from the modem. Signal quality calculations are used to determine the likelihood of a slot reuse causing destructive interference within a node'"'"'s neighborhood. Requests for slot usage are compared with the known traffic pattern and accepted or rejected by nodes within RF signal range based on the signal quality calculations.

Claims

1. A protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of terminals where each said terminal is capable of making at least one of an outgoing call or receiving an incoming call, and where each said terminal comprising computer means, memory means for storing program software means therein, and where each said terminal is capable of being hop of a routing path connecting a call from a source to a destination, comprising:

software means for said memory means of each said terminal, said software means comprising means for generating communications-information for transmission based on time-division messaging;

said communications-information comprising a series of time frames (TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS);

said communications-information comprising at least one time slot in which control-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, and other time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaging information;

each said time frame (TF) comprising a last time slot;

said software means further comprising means for generating initial control communications-information in a respective said last time slot (LTS) of a respective said time frame (TF) indicating initial presence of a respective said terminal in order to start communicating with other said terminals.

2. The protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 1, wherein the length of each said time slot for transmitting said communications-information is equal to each other.

3. The protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 2, wherein said software means further comprises means for switching transmission of initial control communications-information from said last time slot (TS) to another, free, earlier time slot of a subsequent time frame (TF) in order to reduce the chance of collision with other said terminals also initially registering.

4. The protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 3, wherein said initial control communications-information in said last time slot (TS) and in said another, free, earlier time slot of a subsequent time frame (TF) are transmitted at a frequency F0.

5. The protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one time slot (TS) for said control-channel (CC) information is transmitted at a first power level, and said other time slots (TS) for said data-channel(DC) information are transmitted at a second power level.

6. The protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system according to claim 5, wherein said second power level is equal to or less than said first power level, whereby RF interference is reduced.

7. In a protocol for use in a network of terminals each having computer means, memory means for storing program, and software means therein, said software means of each said terminal comprising means for generating communications-information for transmission based on time division messaging, said communications-information comprising a series of time frames (TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS);

said communications-information comprising at least one time slot in which control-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, and other time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaging information, the improvement comprising;

each said time frame (TF) comprising a last time slot;

said software means further comprising means for generating initial control communications-information in a respective said last time slot (LTS) of a respective said time frame (TF) indicating initial presence of a respective said terminal in order to start communicating with other said terminals.