Method, network nodes and system for broadcast transmission of data

• US 8,130,731 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Hollick, Matthias, Mogre, Parag Sudhir, Schwingenschlogl, Christian, Ziller, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Abelson, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US12/308,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20110206020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 370/314, 370/321, 370/336, 370/337, 370/345, 370/347, 370/442, 370/458, 370/461, 370/468, 370/498, 370/508, 370/519
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for broadcast transmission of data in frames having multiple time slots, from one transmitting node to multiple receiving nodes in a network, having the following steps: The sending out of at least one broadcast request message from the transmitter node to the receiver nodes, wherein the time slots available to the transmitter node for data transmission are indicated; the transmitting back of time-slot granting messages from the receiving nodes, wherein at least one of the time-slots available to the respective receiver node for data transmission is in each case indicated jointly with one at the transmitter node; the sending out of a confirmation message from the transmitter node to the neighboring receiving nodes, wherein all of the receiving nodes are indicated in the time-slot granting messages jointly with the time-slots available at the transmitter node; the performing of a broadcast transmission of the data from the transmitter node to the receiver nodes in the jointly available time slots.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of data comprising:

a transmitting node sending a request message to a plurality of receiving nodes, the request message specifying at least one specified time slot that is available for the transmitting node to transmit a data transmission;

a first receiving node of the plurality of receiving nodes transmitting a first time-slot grant message in response to the request message, the first time-slot grant message indicating at least one first time slot that is available for the first receiving node to receive a data transmission from the transmitting node, the at least one first time slot matching at least one time slot specified in the request message;

a second receiving node of the plurality of receiving nodes receiving the first time-slot grant message and evaluating the first time-slot grant message to determine if the at least one first time slot is available for the second receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node;

the second receiving node transmitting a second time-slot grant message in response to the request message and based on the evaluating of the first time-slot grant message, the second time-slot grant message indicating at least one second time slot that is available for the second receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node, the at least one second time slot matching at least one time slot specified in the request message;

the transmitting node receiving the first and second time-slot grant messages and evaluating the first and second time-slot grant messages to determine at least one available time slot for transmitting the data transmission;

the transmitting node transmitting a confirmation message to the first and second receiving nodes in response to the first and second received time-slot grant messages, the confirmation message confirming the at least one available time slot that is to be used for transmitting the data transmission from the transmitting node;

the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the at least one available time slot; and

wherein the request message comprises a demand level and a demand persistence.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot are the same or the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot are not the same.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second receiving node evaluates the first time-slot grant message by selecting at least one time slot of the first time-slot message that is available to the second receiving node for the at least one second time slot.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the transmitting node determining a number of receiving nodes that do not transmit a time-slot grant message in response to the request message, if the number of receiving nodes that do not transmit is greater than a predetermined threshold the transmitting node retransmitting the request message to the plurality of receiving nodes.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the transmitting node retransmitting the request message until the number of receiving nodes that do not transmit is below the predetermined threshold or the request message is retransmitted a predetermined number of times.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the at least one available time slot comprises the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission to the first receiving node in a time slot identified in the first time-slot grant message and after the data transmission to the first receiving node is complete, transmitting the data transmission in a time slot identified in the second time-slot grant message, wherein the first time slot differs from the second time slot.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the transmitting node storing a node ID of the first receiving node and a node ID of the second receiving node in response to the transmitting node receiving the first time-slot grant message and the second time-slot grant message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of receiving nodes comprise a network, the network comprising a mesh network, a WiMax network, or a fixed network, and wherein the request message is a broadcast message or a unicast message.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the first and second receiving nodes determining the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot such that the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot each satisfy a bandwidth request specified in the request message and such that the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot each optimize a transmission delay and utilization based on the bandwidth request.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein each grant message comprises a node ID of the transmitting node, the method further comprising each of the plurality of receiving nodes assigning each grant message to the transmitting node based on the node ID of the transmitting node.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting node and the receiving nodes are mobile terminals or base stations.

12. A method for data transmission comprising:

a transmitting node sending a first request message to a plurality of receiving nodes, the first request message indicating a requested time slot that is requested for a data transmission;

a first receiving node of the plurality of receiving nodes transmitting a first time-slot grant message in response to the first request message, the first time-slot grant message indicating a first time slot that is available for the first receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node, the first time slot matching a time slot that is requested in the first request message;

a second receiving node transmitting a second time-slot grant message in response to the first request message, the second time-slot grant message indicating that the first time slot is available for the second receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node;

a third receiving node transmitting a third time-slot grant message in response to the first request message, the third time-slot grant message indicating a second time slot that is available for the third receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node, the second time slot matching a time slot that is requested in the first request message, the second time slot being different from the first time slot;

the transmitting node receiving the first, the second, and the third time-slot grant messages;

the transmitting node transmitting confirmation messages to the first, second, and third receiving nodes in response to the first, the second, and the third received time-slot grant messages, the confirmation messages confirming that the first time slot is to be used for the data transmission to the first and second receiving nodes and the second time slot is to be used for transmitting the data transmission to the third receiving node; and

the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the first time slot to the first and second receiving nodes and the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the second time slot to the third receiving node after completing the transmission in the first time slot;

the transmitting node transmitting a second request message to the plurality of receiving nodes, the second request message indicating at least one requested time slot that is requested for the data transmission;

a fourth receiving node transmitting a fourth time-slot grant message in response to the second request message, the fourth time-slot grant message indicating a third time slot being available for the fourth receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node, the third time slot matching at least one time slot requested in the second request message, the third time slot differing from the first time slot and also differing from the second time slot;

the transmitting node transmitting a second confirmation message to the fourth receiving node in response to the fourth received time-slot grant message, the confirmation message confirming that the third time slot is to be used for transmitting the data transmission to the fourth receiving node;

the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the third time slot to the fourth receiving node.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the plurality of receiving nodes determining a transmission ID of the second request message and if the transmission ID of the second request message matches a transmission ID of the first request, each receiving node that received the data transmission foregoing transmitting a further time-slot grant message in response to the second request message.

14. A system for transmission of data comprising:

a transmitting node;

a plurality of receiving nodes; and

the transmitting node sending a request message to the plurality of receiving nodes;

a first receiving node of the plurality of receiving nodes transmitting a first time-slot grant message in response to the request message, the first time-slot grant message indicating at least one first time slot that is available for the first receiving node to receive a data transmission from the transmitting node;

a second receiving node of the plurality of receiving nodes receiving the request message,

if the second receiving node determines at least one second time slot that is available for the second receiving node to receive a data transmission from the transmitting node in response to the request message;

the second receiving node transmitting a second time-slot grant message in response to the request message, the second time-slot grant message indicating the at least one second time slot that is available for the second receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node,

the transmitting node receiving the first and second time-slot grant messages and evaluating the first and second time-slot grant messages to determine at least one available time slot for transmitting the data transmission,

the transmitting node transmitting a confirmation message to the first and second receiving nodes in response to the first and second received time slot-grant messages, the confirmation message confirming the at least one available time slot that is to be used for transmitting the data transmission from the transmitting node to the first receiving node and the second receiving node, and

the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the at least one available time slot; and

if the second receiving node does not determine that the at least one second time slot is available for the second receiving node to receive the data transmission from the transmitting node;

the second receiving node forgoing transmitting the second time-slot grant message in response to the request message,

the transmitting node receiving the first time-slot grant message and evaluating the first time-slot grant message to determine the at least one available time slot for transmitting the data transmission,

the transmitting node transmitting a confirmation message to the first receiving node in response to the first received time-slot grant message, the confirmation message confirming the at least one available time slot that is to be used for transmitting the data transmission from the transmitting node to the first receiving node, and

the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the at least one available time slot; and

wherein the first and second receiving nodes determining the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot such that the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot satisfy a bandwidth request specified in the request message and such that the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot optimize a transmission delay and utilization based on the bandwidth request.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the transmitting node determining a number of receiving nodes that do not transmit a time slot-grant message in response to the request message, if the number of receiving nodes that do not transmit is greater than a predetermined threshold, the transmitting node retransmitting the request message to the plurality of receiving nodes.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the transmitting node retransmitting the request message until the number of receiving nodes that do not transmit is below the predetermined threshold or the request message is retransmitted a predetermined number of times.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one first time slot, the at least one second time slot, and the at least one available time slot are the same or the at least one first time slot and the at least one second time slot are not the same.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the second receiving node determines the at least one second time slot is available to the second receiving node and the second receiving node evaluating the first time-slot grant message and selecting at least one time slot of the first time-slot grant message that is available to the second receiving node as the at least one second time slot.