Method of increasing the data throughput in a communication system

1. A method of communicating in a communication system configured for bidirectional information exchange between a single master terminal unit and a number of slave terminal units on the basis of data packets, wherein:

a communication channel of the communication system has a predetermined timeslot structure with timeslots for transmitting either information from the master terminal unit to one or more of the slave terminal units or for transmitting information from a slave terminal unit to the master terminal unit; and

wherein, at least in a first type of link:

the master terminal unit addresses each slave terminal unit, to which an already existing connection is set up, by repeatedly sending to the slave terminal unit a data packet, addressed to the corresponding slave terminal unit, in accordance with a suitable addressing schedule; and

the slave terminal unit is enabled to send back a limited number of data packets carrying useful information to the master terminal unit only on having been addressed by the master terminal unit by receiving a data packet;

the method which comprises the following steps, carried out during an existing link:

monitoring the communication system for an occurrence of a given operating condition associated with a slave terminal unit, the given operating condition with respect to a slave terminal unit occurring when the slave terminal unit has sent out a data packet carrying useful information in response to a last addressing by the master terminal unit and the data packet is detected by the master terminal unit; and

updating the addressing schedule by inserting additional addressing times for the slave terminal unit, on verifying that the given operating condition exists for the slave terminal unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises implementing the method steps within a Bluetooth communication system.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises resetting the addressing schedule to the addressing schedule used before the occurrence of the operating condition allocated to a given slave terminal unit if the given operating condition is no longer met.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a slave terminal unit addressed by the master terminal unit is enabled to send back only a single data packet carrying useful information to the master terminal unit.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises transmitting solely data packets each occupying a single timeslot.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the timeslots for transmission of information from the master terminal unit to one or more of the slave terminal units, and the timeslots for transmission of information from a slave terminal unit to the master terminal unit are arranged to alternate with one another.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the addressing schedule for each slave terminal unit, prior to any updating, has a constant retransmission period.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the addressing schedule, prior to any updating, has an identical retransmission period for all slave terminal units.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the communication system is configured to operate with a second type of link for which certain timeslots are reserved and in which a slave terminal unit, following the receipt of a data packet from the master terminal unit, is enabled to send back data packets to the master terminal unit until another slave terminal unit is addressed by the master terminal unit, and the method further comprises:

operating the first type of link and the second type of link in competition with one another on the communication channel; and

when a condition occurs with respect to the other slave terminal unit, updating the addressing schedule by inserting additional addressing times into timeslots that are not reserved.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the communication system is configured to operate with a second type of link for which certain timeslots are reserved and in which a slave terminal unit, following the receipt of a data packet from the master terminal unit, is enabled to send back data packets to the master terminal unit until another slave terminal unit is addressed by the master terminal unit, and the method further comprises:

operating the first type of link and the second type of link in competition with one another on the communication channel; and

when a condition occurs with respect to the other slave terminal unit, updating the addressing schedule by reinserting additional addressing times only when a transmission of data packets from the slave terminal unit to the master terminal unit in the second type of link has ended.

11. A method of communicating in a communication system configured for bidirectional information exchange between a single master terminal unit and a number of slave terminal units on the basis of data packets, wherein:

a communication channel of the communication system has a predetermined timeslot structure with timeslots for transmitting either information from the master terminal unit to one or more of the slave terminal units or for transmitting information from a slave terminal unit to the master terminal unit; and

wherein, at least in a first type of link:

the master terminal unit addresses each slave terminal unit, to which an already existing connection is set up, by repeatedly sending to the slave terminal unit a data packet, addressed to the corresponding slave terminal unit, in accordance with a suitable addressing schedule;

the slave terminal unit is enabled to send back a limited number of data packets carrying useful information to the master terminal unit only on having been addressed by the master terminal unit by receiving a data packet; and

the slave terminal unit responds to an error-free receipt of a data packet carrying useful data from the master terminal unit by sending back to the master terminal unit a data packet confirming the error-free receipt of the data packet;

the method which comprises the following steps, carried out during an existing link:

monitoring the communication system for an occurrence of a given operating condition associated with a slave terminal unit, the predetermined operating condition with respect to the slave terminal unit occurring if no acknowledgement of the error-free receipt of the useful data is received at the master terminal unit in the data packet sent back from the slave terminal unit in response to a data packet addressed to the slave terminal unit; and

updating the addressing schedule by inserting additional addressing times for the slave terminal unit, on verifying that the given operating condition exists for the slave terminal unit.

12. The method according to claim 11 , which comprises implementing the method steps within a Bluetooth communication system.

13. The method according to claim 11 , which comprises resetting the addressing schedule to the addressing schedule used before the occurrence of the operating condition allocated to a given slave terminal unit if the given operating condition is no longer met.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein, upon resetting, a slave terminal unit addressed by the master terminal unit is enabled to send back only a single data packet carrying useful information to the master terminal unit.

15. The method according to claim 11 , which comprises transmitting solely data packets each occupying a single timeslot.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the timeslots for transmission of information from the master terminal unit to one or more of the slave terminal units, and the timeslots for transmission of information from a slave terminal unit to the master terminal unit are arranged to alternate with one another.

17. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the addressing schedule for each slave terminal unit, prior to any updating, has a constant retransmission period.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the addressing schedule, prior to any updating, has an identical retransmission period for all slave terminal units.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the communication system is configured to operate with a second type of link for which certain timeslots are reserved and in which a slave terminal unit, following the receipt of a data packet from the master terminal unit, is enabled to send back data packets to the master terminal unit until another slave terminal unit is addressed by the master terminal unit, and the method further comprises:

operating the first type of link and the second type of link in competition with one another on the communication channel; and

when a condition occurs with respect to the other slave terminal unit, updating the addressing schedule by inserting additional addressing times into timeslots that are not reserved.

20. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the communication system is configured to operate with a second type of link for which certain timeslots are reserved and in which a slave terminal unit, following the receipt of a data packet from the master terminal unit, is enabled to send back data packets to the master terminal unit until another slave terminal unit is addressed by the master terminal unit, and the method further comprises:

operating the first type of link and the second type of link in competition with one another on the communication channel; and

when a condition occurs with respect to the other slave terminal unit, updating the addressing schedule by reinserting additional addressing times only when a transmission of data packets from the slave terminal unit to the master terminal unit in the second type of link has ended.