Method and apparatus for dynamic channel access within wireless networks

• US 7,639,663 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Global Communications, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nerses, Annita, Wetstein, Robert M., Patel, Kaushik B., Schafer, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMS, MATTHEW C
• Application Number:
  US11/071,587
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 370/445, 370/252, 370/328, 370/378, 370/338, 455/552.1
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present invention protocol offers guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) for a predetermined number of circuits in a highly dynamic, scalable network. The present invention protocol employs a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) reservation scheme to transmit deterministic data (e.g., image data) to a destination, while utilizing a Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) contention scheme to support non-deterministic data traffic. The protocol operates over a link-state based routing protocol that reliably floods routing and resource reservation information to the nodes in the network. Moreover, the present invention capitalizes on certain properties of a radio, such as a RAKE type receiver, to enable simultaneous re-transmissions of resource and route reservation information to constructively interfere and enhance the strength and range of the signal.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile communication unit to transmit and receive information within a wireless communications network including a plurality of hops, wherein said information includes deterministic data with a periodic occurrence and non-deterministic data with a random frequency of occurrence, said wireless mobile communication unit comprising:

a transmitter to transmit outgoing information to at least one other wireless mobile communication unit within the network;

a receiver to receive incoming information from at least one other wireless mobile communication unit within the network; and

a processor to control the transmission and reception of the outgoing and incoming information within said wireless mobile communication unit, wherein said processor includes;

a circuit interface module to facilitate transfer of said deterministic data over at least one communication circuit established within said network for transferring said deterministic data by a wireless mobile communication unit of said network serving as a controller unit, wherein each communication circuit is associated with a corresponding destination communication unit, wherein said at least one communication circuit employs a time division multiplexing scheme including one or more time slots allocated to transfer said deterministic data to said associated destination unit, and wherein at least one said communication circuit spans across at least two said hops of said network and transfers said deterministic data through at least one intermediate wireless mobile communication unit to said corresponding destination unit;

a transfer module to transfer said non-deterministic data with other communication units via a communication scheme other than said at least one communication circuit with said time division multiplexing scheme utilized for said deterministic data; and

a controller module to establish said at least one communication circuit between communication units to transfer said deterministic data and to manage resources and allocate said time slots for each said communication circuit within said wireless network in response to said wireless mobile communication unit being designated as said controller unit, wherein said time slots for transmission of said deterministic data are allocated to at least two wireless mobile communication units in communication range of each other and within adjacent hops of said network.

2. The unit of claim 1, wherein said network includes an ad-hoc wireless network and said time division multiplexing scheme includes time division multiple access (TDMA).

3. The unit of claim 2, wherein said deterministic data includes image information, and said other communication scheme includes a Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) communication scheme.

4. The unit of claim 3, wherein information is transferred between communication units via a communication architecture including a plurality of epochs with each epoch including a series of time slots, and wherein at least one epoch is utilized for transference of TDMA deterministic data and at least one epoch is utilized for transference of CSMA non-deterministic data.

5. The unit of claim 1, wherein said processor further includes:

a controller selection module to select said controller unit based on a configuration status and identification of said communication units, wherein said configuration status indicates a preference of a communication unit to be designated as a controller unit.

6. The unit of claim 1, wherein said controller module includes:

a flood module to facilitate transmission of resource allocation information for a communication circuit to the communication units in a manner to enable constructive superposition to enhance signal strength.

7. The unit of claim 1, wherein said circuit interface module includes:

a request module to facilitate transmission of a request to said controller unit to establish a communication circuit in response to the absence of a communication circuit to an intended destination communication unit.

8. The unit of claim 7, wherein said controller module includes:

a circuit module to establish a communication circuit between communication units in response to receiving said request.

9. The unit of claim 8, wherein said circuit module includes:

a resource allocation module to determine a routing path for said requested communication circuit and availability of resources for each link in said routing path to establish said requested communication circuit.

10. The unit of claim 9, wherein said circuit module further includes:

a preemption module to disable at least one communication circuit of lower priority than said requested communication circuit to enable resources of said disabled circuit to be utilized to establish said requested communication circuit in response to the absence of sufficient resources to construct said requested communication circuit.

11. The unit of claim 10, wherein said circuit interface module further includes:

a priority module to monitor a priority of each said at least one communication circuit based on said priority of information transferred over that circuit and to notify said controller unit of changes in said circuit priority.

12. The unit of claim 1, wherein said circuit interface module includes:

a circuit terminate module to facilitate transmission of a request to said controller unit to terminate a communication circuit based on conditions affecting transfer of information.

13. The unit of claim 12, wherein said controller module includes:

a resource module to terminate a communication circuit and release resources for that communication circuit in response to said termination request.

14. A wireless communications network including a plurality of hops for transferring information, wherein said information includes deterministic data with a periodic occurrence and non-deterministic data with a random frequency of occurrence, said communications network comprising:

a plurality of wireless mobile communication nodes for transferring said deterministic data therebetween over at least one communication circuit established within said network for transferring said deterministic data and employing a time division multiplexing scheme including one or more time slots allocated to transfer said deterministic data, wherein each communication circuit is established by a wireless mobile communication node of said network serving as a controller node and is associated with a corresponding destination node, and for transferring said non-deterministic data via a communication scheme other than said at least one communication circuit with said time division multiplexing scheme utilized for said deterministic data, wherein a wireless mobile node within said network is designated as said controller node to establish said at least one communication circuit between communication nodes to transfer said deterministic data and to manage resources and allocate said time slots for each said communication circuit within said wireless network, wherein at least one said communication circuit spans across at least two said hops of said network and transfers said deterministic data through at least one intermediate wireless mobile communication node to said corresponding destination node, and wherein said time slots for transmission of said deterministic data are allocated to at least two wireless mobile communication nodes in communication range of each other and within adjacent hops of said network.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein said network includes an ad-hoc wireless network and said time division multiplexing scheme includes time division multiple access (TDMA).

16. The network of claim 14, wherein said deterministic data includes image information, and said nodes transfer said non-deterministic data via a Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) communication scheme.

17. The network of claim 14, wherein said controller node includes:

a flood module to transmit resource allocation information for a communication circuit to the communication nodes in a manner to enable constructive superposition to enhance signal strength.

18. The network of claim 14, wherein said controller node includes:

a resource allocation module to determine a routing path for a requested communication circuit and availability of resources for each link in said routing path to establish said requested communication circuit.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein said controller node further includes:

a preemption module to disable at least one communication circuit of lower priority than said requested communication circuit to enable resources of said disabled circuit to be utilized to establish said requested communication circuit in response to the absence of sufficient resources to construct said requested communication circuit.

20. A method of transferring information between wireless mobile communication units within a wireless network including a plurality of hops, wherein said information includes deterministic data with a periodic occurrence and non-deterministic data with a random frequency of occurrence, said method comprising:

(a) transferring said deterministic data over at least one communication circuit established within said network for transferring said deterministic data and employing a time division multiplexing scheme including one or more time slots allocated to transfer said deterministic data, wherein each communication circuit is established by a wireless mobile communication unit of said network serving as a controller unit and is associated with a corresponding destination communication unit, and transferring said non-deterministic data with other communication units via a communication scheme other than said at least one communication circuit with said time division multiplexing scheme utilized for said deterministic data; and

(b) establishing said at least one communication circuit between communication units to transfer said deterministic data and managing resources and allocating said time slots for each said communication circuit within said wireless network via a wireless mobile communication unit designated as said controller unit, wherein at least one said communication circuit spans across at least two said hops of said network and transfers said deterministic data through at least one intermediate wireless mobile communication unit to said corresponding destination communication unit, and wherein said time slots for transmission of said deterministic data are allocated to at least two wireless mobile communication units in communication range of each other and within adjacent hops of said network.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said network includes an ad-hoc wireless network and said time division multiplexing scheme includes time division multiple access (TDMA).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said deterministic data includes image information, and step (a) further includes:

(a.1) transferring said non-deterministic data between communication units via a Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) communication scheme.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein information is transferred between communication units via a communication architecture including a plurality of epochs with each epoch including a series of time slots, and wherein at least one epoch is utilized for transference of TDMA deterministic data and at least one epoch is utilized for transference of CSMA non-deterministic data.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) selecting said controller unit based on a configuration status and identification of said communication units, wherein said configuration status indicates a preference of a communication unit to be designated as a controller unit.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) transmitting resource allocation information for a communication circuit from said controller unit to the communication units in a manner to enable constructive superposition to enhance signal strength.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) transmitting a request to said controller unit to establish a communication circuit in response to the absence of a communication circuit to an intended destination communication unit.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) establishing a communication circuit between communication units in response to receiving said request.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.1) determining a routing path for said requested communication circuit and availability of resources for each link in said routing path to establish said requested communication circuit.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.2) disabling at least one communication circuit of lower priority than said requested communication circuit to enable resources of said disabled circuit to be utilized to establish said requested communication circuit in response to the absence of sufficient resources to construct said requested communication circuit.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.2) monitoring a priority of each said at least one communication circuit based on said priority of information transferred over that circuit and notifying said controller unit of changes in said circuit priority.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) transmitting to said controller unit a request to terminate a communication circuit based on conditions affecting transfer of information.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) terminating a communication circuit and releasing resources for that communication circuit in response to said termination request.