Transmitting data to and from nodes of a clustered multi-hop network with a TDMA scheme

• US 9,762,342 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2012
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lombriser, Clemens, Truong, Hong Linh
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Assistant Examiner(s): TACDIRAN, ANDRE GEE
• Application Number:
  US14/346,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20140233464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/16 in which the time allocation to individual channels within a transmission cycle is variable, e.g. to accommodate varying complexity of signals, to vary number of channels transmitted H04J3/17, H04J3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method for transmitting data to and from nodes of a multi-hop network with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) scheme is suggested. The network is clustered into N clusters, wherein each cluster of the N clusters has at least one of the nodes. In a first step, the TDMA scheme is organized by periodic superframes. Each superframe of the periodic superframes has a number of frames including at least one broadcast frame and one collection frame for the N clusters. In a second step, one dedicated communication channel is shared by the N clusters within the broadcast frame. In a third step, N separate communication channels are used by the N clusters within the collection frame.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data to and from nodes of a multi-hop network with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) scheme,

wherein the multi-hop network is clustered into a plurality of N clusters and each cluster of the plurality of N clusters includes a plurality of nodes, the method comprising:

organizing the TDMA scheme into a plurality of periodic superframes,

wherein each superframe of the plurality of periodic superframes comprises a number of frames including a broadcast frame and a collection frame for the plurality of N clusters;

sharing a dedicated communication channel by the plurality of N clusters in the broadcast frame,

wherein each node uses the dedicated communication channel in the broadcast frame;

transmitting data using a plurality of N separate communication channels by the plurality of N clusters in the collection frame;

each cluster of the plurality of N clusters has one node acting as a base station of the cluster;

among a plurality of N base stations of the plurality of N clusters, one base station acts as a main base station;

the main base station uses the broadcast frame to distribute information via a single broadcast tree that spans over all of the plurality of nodes of the plurality of N clusters;

the collection frame uses a collection tree that spans over only the plurality of nodes that belong to the cluster in each cluster of the plurality of N clusters;

the plurality of nodes of the cluster uses the collection tree to exchange information with the base station of the cluster;

the broadcast tree and each collection tree in the multi-hop network is hierarchically arranged in a plurality of different levels;

the plurality of different levels include;

(i) one root node;

(ii) at least one parent node which is the parent of at least one child node, and

(iii) at least one child node; and

the child node is arranged in a lower level than the parent node.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein:

a configuration phase comprises a channel indication which is provided to each node of a plurality of nodes of the multi-hop network; and

the channel indication indicates the communication channel allocated to the node in the collection frame.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein:

the broadcast tree is calculated from a whole topology of the multi-hop network; and

the main base station is a root.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein:

the collection tree of the cluster is calculated from a topology of the cluster; and

the base station of the cluster is a root.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each superframe of the plurality of periodic superframes has at least the broadcast frame, the collection frame, and a listening frame;

the broadcast frame comprises the dedicated communication channel which is shared by the plurality of N clusters;

the collection frame comprises the plurality of N separate communication channels that are used by the plurality of N clusters; and

the listening frame comprises the dedicated communication channel which is shared by the plurality of N clusters.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein a black-burst is transmitted at the beginning of the listening frame for synchronizing the plurality of un-synchronized nodes in the multi-hop network.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein, information is exchanged using either a Carrier-Service Multiple Access (CSMA) or a Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (MACA) in the listening frame for synchronizing a plurality of un-synchronized nodes with the multi-hop network.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the superframe comprises the broadcast frame which is followed by the listening frame.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each superframe of the plurality of periodic superframes comprises;

the broadcast frame, the collection frame, a listening frame, a downtree frame, and an uptree frame;

the broadcast frame and the listening frame comprise a dedicated communication channel which is shared by the plurality of N clusters; and

the collection frame, the downtree frame, and the uptree frame comprise the plurality of N separate communication channels which are used by the plurality of N clusters.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein:

the multi-hop network comprises a plurality of nodes; and

each node of the plurality of nodes has a processor which enables the node to follow the method.