Method and system for providing efficient data transmission based upon a contention protocol
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the method comprising:
- determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused time slots in a previous frame;
transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;
reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;
maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and
relinquishing said reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;
wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communication system; and
wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha; and
the method further comprising;
designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission.
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Abstract
An approach for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel is disclosed. A satellite terminal (ST) (103, 105, 107, 109) contains a processor that transmits a packet over a transmission slot of the channel using a contention protocol, such as persistent Aloha. The processor reserves an available transmission slot, which is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period.
41 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the method comprising:
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determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused time slots in a previous frame; transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol; reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot; maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and relinquishing said reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communication system; and wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha; and the method further comprising; designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the method comprising:
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determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused time slots in a previous frame; transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol; reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot; maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and relinquishing said reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; and wherein the maintaining step comprises; transmitting null packets into the reserved transmission slot.
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7. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:
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a plurality of queues configured to store the packets; and a processor configured to determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of the said one packet on the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communication system; and wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha and one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame is provided for contention transmission. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:
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a plurality of queues configured to store the packets; and a processor configured to determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of the said one packet of the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the processor is configured to instruct transmission of null packets into the reserved transmission slot to maintain the reservation.
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13. A satellite communication system comprising:
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a payload configured to forward packets; and a plurality of terminals configured to transmit the packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, each of the terminals comprising; a plurality of queues configured to store the packets; and a processor configured to receive at least one information message associated with a channel and determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in said channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period, and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames; and wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha and one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame is provided for contention transmission. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A satellite communications system, comprising:
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a payload configured to forward packets; and a plurality of terminals configured to transmit the packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, each of the terminals comprising; a plurality of queues configured to store the packets, and a processor configured to receive at least one information message associated with a channel and determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in said channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period, and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the processor is configured to instruct transmission of null packets into the reserved transmission slot to maintain the reservation.
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19. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:
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means for determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame; means for transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol; means for reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot; means for maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and means for relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communications system; and wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha; and the apparatus further comprising; means for designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:
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means for determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame; means for transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol; means for reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot; means for maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and means for relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein them maintaining means transmits null packets into the reserved transmission slot.
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25. A computer-readable medium encoded with one or more sequences of one or more instructions for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instruction which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
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determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame; transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol; reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot; maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communications system; and wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha, the one or more processors further performing the step of; designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A computer-readable medium encoded with one or more sequences of one or more instructions for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instruction which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
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determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame; transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol; reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot; maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; and wherein the maintaining step comprises; transmitting null packets into the reserved transmission slot.
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Specification