Systems and methods for providing communications within wireless sensor networks based on at least one periodic guaranteed time slot for sensor nodes

An apparatus, comprising:

• a memory for storing instructions;
• one or more processing units to execute instructions for monitoring a plurality of sensor nodes in a wireless network architecture;
• and
• radio frequency (RF) circuitry to transmit communications to and receive communications from the plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device that includes circuitry with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the RF circuitry of the apparatus in the wireless network architecture, wherein the one or more processing units of the apparatus are configured to execute instructions
• to negotiate a timing of at least one periodic guaranteed time slot for the plurality of sensor nodes using a single timeslot definition signal that is defined with a timing of a first periodic guaranteed time slot for a first group of sensor nodes and a second periodic guaranteed time slot for a second group of sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes,
• to transmit a first periodic beacon signal and the single timeslot definition signal to the plurality of sensor nodes, and
• to transmit a second periodic beacon signal without the single timeslot definition signal to the plurality of sensor nodes, and
• to decode content of transmissions received from the second group of sensor nodes during the second periodic guaranteed time slot,
• wherein the single timeslot definition signal is separate from the periodic beacon signal, wherein at least one sensor node of the second group of sensor nodes is configured to detect a preamble of a transmission from one of the other sensor nodes of the second group of sensors nodes without decoding at least some of the content of the transmission during the second periodic guaranteed time slot to ascertain the transmission without needing to process data of the transmission.

A sensor node for a wireless network architecture, comprising:

• at least one sensor;
• a memory for storing instructions;
• processing logic coupled to the memory and the at least one sensor, the processing logic to execute instructions for processing data received from the at least one sensor and for processing communications for the sensor node;
• and
• radio frequency (RF) circuitry coupled to the processing logic, the RF circuitry includes transmitter and receiver functionality to transmit communications to a hub and to receive communications from the hub in the wireless network architecture,
• wherein the processing logic is configured to execute instructions to receive a first periodic beacon signal from the hub and a single timeslot definition signal from the hub that defines a first periodic guaranteed time slot for a first group of sensor nodes and a second periodic guaranteed time slot for a second group of sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes and to receive a second periodic beacon signal from the hub without the single timeslot definition signal,
• wherein the hub is configured to decode content of transmissions received from the second group of sensor nodes during the second periodic guaranteed time slot,
• wherein the single timeslot definition signal is separate from the periodic beacon signal, wherein the sensor node is configured to detect a preamble of a transmission from one of the sensor nodes of the second group of sensors nodes without decoding at least some of the content of the transmission during the second periodic guaranteed time slot to ascertain the transmission without needing to process data of the transmission.