Medium access control protocol for centralized wireless network communication management

• US 20030193924A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Inventors: Gehring, Stephan, Rahardja, Krisnawan K., Lynch, William, Rogerson, Gerald, Sparrell, Carlton J.
• Application Number:
  US10/427,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20030193924A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/43 with synchronous transmission, e.g. time division multiplex [TDM], slotted rings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Medium Access Control protocol software architecture which comprises a microcode component providing the protocol implementation level functions and an engine component providing hardware level functions. The Medium Access Control protocol and method for use in a network system allows for centralized management of all MAC-level services by a master device. The Medium Access Control protocol provides an improved protocol message put via the sequence retransmission request protocol scheme. The Medium Access protocol provides a reduced data transmission latency and provides dynamic allocation slots within a Time Division Multiple Access frame definition. The Medium Access protocol also provides a set of failure management functions and power control support.

Claims

1. An ultra wide band network, comprising:

a master device;

a plurality of slave devices structured to communicate with the master device using a plurality of ultra wide band pulses; and

a medium access control protocol comprising a time division multiple access frame.

2. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises a first mode for protocol exchange and a second mode for data exchange.

3. The ultra wide band network of claim 2, wherein the first mode is a slotted ALOHA mode and the second mode is a time division multiple access mode.

4. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises a synchronization frame section, a protocol message exchange section, and a plurality of data sections.

5. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises a plurality of data sections, with at least one data section having a variable size.

6. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises a start-of-frame section, a command section, and a plurality of data sections.

7. The ultra wide band network of claim 6, wherein the start-of-frame section synchronizes a clock in the slave device with a clock in the master device.

8. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the master device provides a communication path between two or more slave devices.

9. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the ultra wide band network comprises media selected from a group consisting of:

guided media, wired media, unguided media, and wireless media.

10. The ultra wide band network of claim 1, wherein the ultra wide band network comprises a wireless communication between the master device and the plurality of slave devices.

11. An ultra wide band network, comprising:

means for communicating between a master device and a plurality of slave devices by using a plurality of ultra wide band pulses; and

means for a medium access control protocol comprising means for a time division multiple access frame.

12. An ultra wide band network, comprising:

a master device;

a plurality of slave devices structured to communicate with the master device using ultra wide band pulses;

a computer program product comprising a medium access control protocol that includes a time division multiple access frame.

13. The ultra wide band network of claim 12, wherein the computer program product comprising a medium access control protocol that includes a time division multiple access frame is translated into a physical implementation.

14. The ultra wide band network of claim 12, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises computer software comprising a first mode for protocol exchange and a second mode for data exchange.

15. The ultra wide band network of claim 14, wherein the first mode is computer code for a slotted ALOHA mode and the second mode is computer code for a time division multiple access mode.

16. The ultra wide band network of claim 12, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises computer code structured to create a synchronization frame section, a protocol message exchange section, and a plurality of data sections.

17. The ultra wide band network of claim 12, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises computer code structured to create a plurality of data sections, with at least one data section having a variable size.

18. The ultra wide band network of claim 12, wherein the time division multiple access frame comprises computer code structured to create a start-of-frame section, a command section, and a plurality of data sections.

19. The ultra wide band network of claim 18, wherein the start-of-frame section synchronizes a clock in the slave device with a clock in the master device.

20. An ultra wide band network, comprising:

a master device;

a plurality of slave devices structured to communicate with the master device using ultra wide band pulses; and

a medium access control protocol comprising a time division multiple access frame, the time division multiple access frame including a plurality of data sections, with at least one data section having a variable size.

21. The ultra wide band network of claim 20, wherein the variable size data section comprises a variable-length data slot.

22. An ultra wide band network, comprising:

means for communicating between a master device and a plurality of slave devices by using a plurality of ultra wide band pulses; and

wherein the means for communicating comprises;

means for a medium access control protocol that includes a time division multiple access frame means comprising a plurality of data sections, with means for varying a size of at least one data section.