System and method for dynamically defining a TDMA management cycle for a wireless network

• US 7,782,831 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Feeney, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Byrd, Jr.; John B
• Application Number:
  US11/229,418
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/344, 370/442, 370/321, 370/337, 370/347, 370/326
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst

Abstract

A method for dynamically implementing a TDMA management cycle for a wireless network is described. The method includes communicating between nodes in the wireless network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including time divisions having time frames, each time frame having a plurality of time slots, the plurality of time slots including TDMA management slots. The method further includes defining a node partition, the node partition including all of the nodes within the wireless network that are able to route messages to each other, defining a TDMA management cycle, the TDMA management cycle configured to include a TDMA management slot assigned to every node within the partition, storing, at each node, an assignment of the node to a TDMA management slot number, and dynamically adapting the size of the TDMA management cycle based on the number of active nodes in the partition, wherein the size of the TDMA management cycle is a multiple of a base cycle.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically implementing a TDMA management cycle for a wireless network, the method comprising:

communicating between nodes in the wireless network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including time divisions having time frames, each time frame having a plurality of time slots, the plurality of time slots including TDMA management slots;

defining a node partition, the node partition including all of the nodes within the wireless network that are able to route messages to each other;

defining a TDMA management cycle, the TDMA management cycle configured to include a TDMA management slot assigned to every node within the partition;

storing, at each node, an assignment of the node to a TDMA management slot number; and

dynamically adapting the size of the TDMA management cycle based on the number of active nodes in the partition, wherein the size of the TDMA management cycle is a multiple of a fixed base cycle, the fixed base cycle being more than 2 and the multiple being an integer, wherein the multiple is increased when a free TDMA management slot is not available for a new node and is decreased when a number of free TDMA management slots are greater than or equal to the fixed base cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the TDMA management cycle includes defining one or more free TDMA management slots within the TDMA management cycle, and further including assigning the node joining the partition to the free TDMA management slot.

3. The method of claim 2, further including

determining that the TDMA management cycle does not contain any free TDMA management slots;

and

implementing a partition expansion protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, further including

receiving an indication that multiple new nodes have attempted to assign themselves to a free TDMA management slot;

performing a statistical calculation; and

re-attempting to assign a node to the free TDMA management slot based on the result of the statistical calculation.

5. The method of claim 1, further including

detecting a new partition;

implementing a partition merge protocol to combine the partition with the new partition; and

combining the TDMA management cycle of the partition with the TDMA management cycle of the new partition.

6. The method of claim 1, further including

determining that a node has exited the partition;

and

changing the TDMA management slot assigned to the exiting node to a free TDMA management slot.

7. The method of claim 6, further including

determining that the number of free TDMA management slots in the TDMA management cycle is greater than the base cycle;

and

implement a base cycle contraction protocol.

8. A communication system, comprising:

at least one transceiver node arranged in a network and configured to communicate with other transceiver nodes using a time division multiple access protocol, the time division multiple access protocol defining time slots including TDMA management slots; and

a TDMA management cycle table stored at each of the at least one transceiver nodes, the TDMA management cycle table including assignments of TDMA management slots to transceiver nodes, the TDMA management cycle table being configured to include a number of TDMA management slot entries equal to a multiple of a fixed base cycle, the fixed base cycle being more than 2 and the multiple being an integer, wherein the multiple is increased when a free TDMA management slot is not available for a new node and is decreased when a number of free TDMA management slots are greater than or equal to the fixed base cycle.

9. The communication system of claim 8, wherein the TDMA management cycle table is configured to include one or more free TDMA management slots.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the transceiver node is configured to expand the TDMA management cycle table upon receiving both an indication that the TDMA management cycle does not contain any free TDMA management slots and an indication that a new transceiver node is to be assigned to a TDMA management slot.

11. The communication system of claim 8, wherein the transceiver node is configured to determine whether any two of its one-hop neighbors are assigned to the same TDMA management slot and to force one of the two neighboring nodes to release the TDMA management slot upon detecting the assignment to the same TDMA management slot.

12. The communication system of claim 8, wherein each transceiver node is configured to determining whether a node has exited the partition and to change the TDMA management slot assigned to the exiting node to a free TDMA management slot.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the transceiver node is further configured to determine whether the number of free TDMA management slots in the TDMA management cycle table is greater than the base cycle and implement a base cycle contraction protocol wherein the number of free TDMA management slots is reduced by the base cycle.

14. A method for dynamically implementing a TDMA management cycle for a wireless network, the method comprising:

communicating between nodes in the wireless network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including time divisions having time frames, each time frame having a plurality of time slots, the plurality of time slots including TDMA management slots;

assigning a TDMA management slot to each node;

defining a TDMA management cycle to include all of the assigned TDMA management slots; and

dynamically adapting the size of the TDMA management cycle based on the number of active nodes in the partition, wherein the size of the TDMA management cycle is a multiple of a fixed base cycle, the fixed base cycle being more than 2 and the multiple being an integer, wherein the multiple is increased when a free TDMA management slot is not available for a new node and is decreased when a number of free TDMA management slots are greater than or equal to the fixed base.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein defining the TDMA management cycle includes defining one or more free TDMA management slots within the TDMA management cycle, and further including assigning the node joining the partition to a free TDMA management slot.

16. The method of claim 15, further including

determining that the TDMA management cycle does not contain any free TDMA management slots;

and

implementing a partition expansion protocol.

17. The method of claim 16, further including

receiving an indication that multiple new nodes have attempted to assign themselves to a free TDMA management slot;

performing a statistical calculation; and

re-attempting to assign a node to the free TDMA management slot based on the result of the statistical calculation.

18. The method of claim 17, further including

detecting a new partition;

implementing a partition merge protocol to combine the partition with the new partition; and

combining the TDMA management cycle of the partition with the TDMA management cycle of the new partition.

19. The method of claim 18, further including

determining that a node has exited the partition;

and

changing the TDMA management slot assigned to the exiting node to a free TDMA management slot.

20. The method of claim 19, further including

determining that the number of free TDMA management slots in the TDMA management cycle is greater than the base cycle;

and

implement a base cycle contraction protocol.