Expediting sensor reporting in a time division multiple access shared-medium network

A hybrid time division multiple access (TDMA) shared-medium network system, comprising:

• a network host system that communicates with a plurality of sensor devices, wherein the network host system:
• performs a TDMA channel allocation process for the hybrid TDMA shared-medium network such that each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is assigned a different timeslot of a plurality of timeslots for data transmissions on the hybrid TDMA shared-medium network;
• and
• reserves, within each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots, a grant-free transmission window, wherein any sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is permitted to transmit data during any grant-free transmission window;
• and
• the plurality of sensor devices, wherein a sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices:
• transmits sensor data to the network host system during a timeslot of the plurality of timeslots assigned to the sensor device;
• measures sensor data;
• determines the sensor data is to be transmitted to the network host system prior to a next assigned timeslot assigned to the sensor device;
• and
• transmits, in response to the sensor device determining the sensor data is to be transmitted to the network host system prior to a next assigned timeslot assigned to the sensor device, a message comprising the sensor data and an identifier of the sensor device entirely within a grant-free transmission window of a timeslot assigned to a different sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices.

A hybrid time division multiple access (TDMA) shared-medium network system, comprising:

• a network host system that communicates with a plurality of sensor devices, wherein the network host system:
• performs a TDMA channel allocation process for the hybrid TDMA shared-medium network such that each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is assigned a different timeslot of a plurality of timeslots for data transmissions on the hybrid TDMA shared-medium network;
• and
• reserves, within each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots, a grant-free transmission window, wherein any sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is permitted to transmit data during any grant-free transmission window;
• and
• the plurality of sensor devices, wherein a sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices:
• transmits sensor data to the network host system during a timeslot of the plurality of timeslots assigned to the sensor device;
• measures sensor data;
• determines the sensor data is to be transmitted to the network host system prior to a next assigned timeslot assigned to the sensor device;
• transmits, in response to the sensor device determining the sensor data is to be transmitted to the network host system prior to a next assigned timeslot assigned to the sensor device, a message indicative of the sensor data and an identifier of the sensor device during a grant-free transmission window of a timeslot assigned to a different sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices;
• determines, after a defined period of time, that no acknowledgement message indicative of the message having been successfully received by the network host system has been received by the sensor device;
• waits a pseudo-random amount of time in response to determining that no acknowledgment message has been received;
• and
• after waiting the pseudo-random amount of time, retransmitting, by the sensor device, the message during a second grant-free transmission window of a second timeslot assigned to a second different sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices.