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US 2002/0163695 A1Published application
Time slot scheduling for shared-medium communications networks
AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorsBrian Unitt, Michael Grant
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AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorsBrian Unitt, Michael Grant
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for allocating time slots in a communications network, comprising a headend, a plurality of outstations, and a shared medium connecting each outstation to the headend. The method involves scheduling timeslots for each outstation responsive to the measures of distance of each outstation from the headend. The method reduces the requirement for guard bands between timeslots, since it obviates allocation of a guard band between consecutive first and second timeslots where the outstation allocated the second timeslot is located no closer to the headend than the outstation allocated the first time slot. Ideally, the timeslots are allocated to outstations cyclically in ascending order of distance of the outstations from the headend, with the closest outstation following the farthest to complete the cycle, so that guard bands are rendered unnecessary between the majority of timeslots. In preferred embodiments distance may be round-trip delay, and the outstations and head end may be configured to form a ring network.
A method of allocating guard bands between time slots in a communications network comprising a headend, a plurality of outstations, and a shared medium connecting each outstation to the headend, the method comprising the steps of:
10 A method according to claim 1 in which the head end, shared medium, and outstations are configured as a loop.
11 A method according to claim 10 in which separate shared media are provided for upstream and downstream communication between the head end and the outstations.
12 A method according to claim 1 in which the outstations and head end are configured in a ring network, in which differential distance between each outstation and the headend is substantially eliminated by causing both downstream and upstream traffic to travel around the ring in the same direction.
A line termination unit for a telecommunication network comprising a plurality of outstations and a shared medium connecting each outstation to the headend, the line termination unit comprising:
A program for a computer in a machine readable form, for allocating guard bands between time slots in a communications network, comprising a headend, a plurality of outstations, and a shared medium connecting each outstation to the headend, the program being arranged to perform the steps of:
A method of allocating timeslots in a communications network comprising a head end, a plurality of outstations, and a shared medium connecting each outstation to the head end, round-trip delay between the head end and each outstation being substantially the same, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.