Dynamic multiple access for distributed device communication networks with scheduled and unscheduled transmissions

A packet-switched communications network comprising:

• a) a plurality of data source nodes, the plurality of data source nodes comprising a sensor or an actuator generating data packets;
• and
• b) a network operations server (NOS) receiving the data packets from the nodes via a shared data backhaul link;
• the shared data backhaul link between the plurality of data source nodes and the NOS, the shared data backhaul link shared by the plurality of data source nodes to access the NOS, the shared data backhaul link having bandwidth partitioned into channels;
• the NOS configured to perform at least the following:
• i) provide a management console allowing a user to perform at least the following:
• 1) select a configuration target comprising at least one data source node, and
• 2) configure a plurality of network multi-access protocols for the selected configuration target;
• ii) receive from the user the plurality of configured network multi-access protocols for the configuration target;
• iii) program each data source node of the configuration target based on the plurality of configured network multi-access protocols for the configuration target;
• and
• iv) dynamically create a channel assignment to allocate the bandwidth of the shared data backhaul link among the channels based on:
• the user-configured network multi-access protocols programmed in each data source node, data within each of the data packets, and a predefined level of responsiveness for the data within each of the data packets to regulate access of the data source nodes to the NOS through the shared data backhaul link and prevent saturation and minimize data collisions in the packet-switched communications network.

A computer-implemented system comprising:

• a digital processing device comprising:
• at least one processor, an operating system configured to perform executable instructions, a memory, and instructions executable by the digital processing device to create a network operations server (NOS) application for improving efficiency of a packet-switched communications network having a plurality of data source nodes and a shared data backhaul link between the plurality of data source nodes and the NOS application, the shared data backhaul link shared by the plurality of data source nodes to access the NOS application and having bandwidth partitioned into channels, the application configured to perform at least the following:
• a) receive data packets from the plurality of data source nodes, the plurality of data source nodes comprising a sensor or an actuator generating the data packets and at least one human-operated node generating human-to-machine communications (H2M) and at least one machine-operated node generating machine-to-machine (M2M) communications;
• b) provide a management console allowing a user to perform at least the following:
• i) select a configuration target, the configuration target comprising at least one human-operated node, at least one machine-operated node, or at least one human-operated node and at least one machine-operated node, and
• ii) configure a plurality of network multi-access protocols for the selected configuration target;
• c) receive from the user the plurality of configured network multi-access protocols for the configuration target;
• d) program each data source node of the configuration target based on the plurality of configured network multi-access protocols for the configuration target;
• and
• e) dynamically allocate the bandwidth of the shared data backhaul link among one or more channels that use random access protocols and one or more channels that use scheduled access protocols among the nodes based on:
• the user-configured network multi-access protocols programmed in each data source node, data within each of the data packets, and a predefined level of responsiveness for the data within each of the data packets to adjust for temporal requirements of the H2M communications and the M2M communications thus regulating access of the data source nodes to the NOS application through the shared data backhaul link and preventing saturation and minimizing data collisions in the packet-switched communications network.

A packet-switched communications network comprising:

• a) a plurality of data source nodes comprising at least one human-operated node generating human-to-machine communications (H2M) and at least one machine-operated node generating machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, the plurality of data source nodes comprising a sensor or an actuator generating data packets;
• and
• b) a network operations server (NOS) receiving the data packets from the data source nodes via a shared data backhaul link;
• the shared data backhaul link between the plurality of data source nodes and the NOS, the shared data backhaul link shared by the plurality of data source nodes to access the NOS, the shared data backhaul link having bandwidth partitioned into channels;
• the NOS configured to perform at least the following:
• i) provide a management console allowing a user to perform at least the following:
• 1) select a configuration target, the configuration target comprising at least one human-operated node, at least one machine-operated node, or at least one human-operated node and at least one machine-operated node, and
• 2) configure a plurality of network multi-access protocols for the selected configuration target;
• ii) receive from the user the plurality of configured network multi-access protocols for the configuration target;
• iii) program each data source node of the configuration target based on the plurality of configured network multi-access protocols for the configuration target;
• and
• iv) dynamically allocate the bandwidth of the shared data backhaul link among one or more channels that use random access protocols and one or more channels that use scheduled access protocols among the nodes based on:
• the user-configured network multi-access protocols programmed in each data source node, data within each of the data packets, and a predefined level of responsiveness for the data within each of the data packets to adjust for temporal requirements of the H2M communications and the M2M communications thus regulating access of the data source nodes to the NOS through the shared data backhaul link and preventing saturation and minimizing data collisions in the packet-switched communications network.