Granted Patent B2

US 7,929,547 · App. 12/043,555 · Granted Apr 19, 2011

Abstract

Claims (23)

1. A method of communicating in a network with a plurality of nodes, comprising:

gathering information from the plurality of nodes where information from each node specifies other nodes from which the node detected a transmission;

based on the gathered information, determining a transmit sequence made up of a plurality of transmission opportunities according to which the plurality of nodes are to transmit, wherein at least two nodes that detected the transmission from one another are assigned to a shared transmission opportunity.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein nodes that were unable to detect transmissions from one another are assigned to different transmission opportunities within the transmit sequence.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the at least two nodes compete for medium access during the shared transmission opportunity according to a set of rules.

4. A master node adapted to be associated with a network, comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive a plurality of status messages from a plurality of nodes, where a status message from a node specifies other nodes from which the node detected messages; and

analysis circuitry adapted to analyze the status messages and assign the plurality of nodes to transmission opportunities based at least in part on the status messages, wherein the analysis circuitry is adapted to assign nodes that fail to detect transmissions from one another to different, non-overlapping transmission opportunities.

5. The master node of claim 4 , wherein the analysis circuitry is adapted to assign at least two nodes that detect messages from one another to a shared transmission opportunity.

6. The master node of claim 4 , further comprising:

a transmitter adapted to transmit at least one control message to the plurality of nodes, where the at least one control message specifies the transmission opportunities in which the plurality of nodes are to transmit.

7. A method of communicating over a network, comprising:

sending a first control signal from a master node to a plurality of network nodes, wherein the first control signal assigns the plurality of network nodes to a plurality of respective timeslots during which the network nodes are to transmit respective test messages;

at a first network node, attempting to detect test messages sent from other network nodes during the other nodes' respectively assigned timeslots;

transmitting a status message from the first network node to the master node, where the status message specifies other network nodes from which the first network node detected a test message;

based on the status message, sending a second control signal from the master node to the plurality of network nodes, where the second control signal assigns the plurality of network nodes to transmit according to a transmission sequence.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

assigning the first network node to a shared transmission opportunity with another network node from which the first network node detected a test message.

9. The method of claim 7 , where a test message is transmitted during a timeslot assigned to a second network node, such that the first network node can correlate the test message to the second network node via the timeslot.

10. The method of claim 7 , where a test message is transmitted along with a node ID of a second network node that transmitted the test message, such that the first network node can correlate the test message to the second network node.

11. The method of claim 7 , where a test message is transmitted over an assigned frequency or modulation method assigned to a second network node, such that the first network node can correlate the test message to the second network node.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

assigning the first network node to a different transmission opportunity than other network nodes from which the first network node was unable to detect a test message.

Assignments (11)