Traffic scheduling method, system and article of manufacture for a wireless access to an asynchronous transfer mode network

A system comprising:

• an asynchronous network including at least one asynchronous node;
• a synchronous network including a plurality of synchronous nodes;
• means for defining a sequence of time frames for exchanging data between nodes in the asynchronous network and nodes in the synchronous network;
• means for dividing each of the defined time frames into a plurality of time slots;
• means for requesting time slots within a time frame for carrying data cells over connections between the synchronous and asynchronous networks;
• means for allocating slots within a time frame to the requests for time slots according to cell deadlines which are proportional to a transmission delay of the connection over which the data cells are to be carried, said allocation proceeding in order of a connection priority and continuing until one of an exhaustion of all requests for time slots and an exhaustion of all time slots within the time frame occurs;
• means for partitioning each time frame into a down period for contention-free downlink transmission of data from the asynchronous network to the synchronous network, an up period for contention-free uplink transmission of data from the synchronous network to the asynchronous network, and a contention period for contention-based uplink transmission of data from the synchronous network to the asynchronous network;
• means for generating slot maps describing the partitioning of time frames into up, down, and contention periods and describing the allocation of time slots within the time frames;
• and
• means for exchanging data between the synchronous and asynchronous networks in time frames according to each time frame's slot map.

An article of manufacture, comprising:

• a processor usable medium having a readable program embodied therein for exchanging data between a synchronous network and an asynchronous network, wherein the processor readable program when executed on the processor causes the processor to
• define a sequence of time frames for exchanging data between nodes in an asynchronous network and nodes in a synchronous network;
• divide each of the defined time frames into a plurality of time slots;
• request time slots within a time frame for carrying data cells over connections between the synchronous and asynchronous networks;
• allocate slots within a time frame to the requests for time slots according to cell deadlines which are proportional to a transmission delay of the connection over which the data cells are to be carried, said allocation proceeding in order of a connection priority and continuing until one of an exhaustion of all requests for time slots and an exhaustion of all time slots within the time frame occurs;
• partition each time frame into a down period for contention-free downlink transmission of data from the asynchronous network to the synchronous network, an up period for contention-free uplink transmission of data from the synchronous network to the asynchronous network, and a contention period for contention-based uplink transmission of data from the synchronous network to the asynchronous network;
• generate slot maps describing the partitioning of time frames into up, down, and contention periods and describing the allocation of time slots within the time frames;
• and
• exchange data between the synchronous and asynchronous networks in time frames according to each time frame's slot map.

The article of manufacture of 18, wherein the processor readable program when executed on the processor further causes the processor to

• pack all allocations between the frame header and a left-most uplink data unit as close to the beginning of the time frame as possible;
• determine if the number of empty time slots N immediately preceding the left-most uplink data unit is greater than or equal to a number of time slots P reserved for a period overhead;
• reserve P slots immediately preceding the left-most uplink data unit for the period overhead if P is greater than or equal to N;
• reallocate (P-N) slots immediately preceding the left-most uplink data unit to the period overhead if N is less than P, and if said reallocating results in a data unit having .PHI. slots or less, then deallocating that data unit from the time frame;
• pack downlink data units allocated to slots to the right of the period overhead and any portions of data units greater than .PHI. slots allocated thereto into any empty slots immediately preceding the period overhead;
• pack all allocations between the period overhead and any downlink data unit following the period overhead as close to the period overhead as possible, then deallocating any such downlink data unit following the period overhead;
• and
• reserve a plurality of slots following the last uplink data unit in the time frame for contention-based uplink transmission of data from the asynchronous network to the synchronous network.