Telecommunication network with improved access protocol

A telecommunication network comprising a primary station and a plurality of secondary stations, the secondary stations being linked to the primary station by a transmission medium which is at least partly shared in common by the secondary stations;

• characterized in that:
• the secondary stations each comprise request transmitting means for transmitting a transmission request signal to the primary station;
• the primary station comprises allocation transmitting means for transmitting an allocation signal to each of the secondary stations from which request signals have been received;
• the secondary stations each comprise payload transmitting means which, in response to an allocation signal, transmit payload data from the requesting secondary stations in respective timeslots of equal predetermined duration;
• the number of said timeslots being determined by the number of secondary stations which transmit a request signal to said primary station;
• and
• the request transmitting means of each secondary station is adapted to transmit a request signal to the primary station directly following a transmission of payload data by said secondary station if it then has further data to transmit;
• wherein the payload transmitting means of each secondary station is adapted to transmit payload data during a predetermined number of symbol intervals which corresponds to an integral number of short information cells or to a single synchronous transfer mode cell;
• wherein the short information cells have a duration of sixteen bytes and the number of such cell is equal to four;
• wherein the short information cells have a four byte header and the synchronous transfer mode cell has an additional four bytes header.

A telecommunication network comprising a primary station and a plurality of secondary stations, the secondary stations being linked to the primary station by a transmission medium which is at least partly shared in common by the secondary stations;

• characterized in that:
• the secondary stations each comprise request transmitting means for transmitting a transmission request signal to the primary station;
• the primary station comprises allocation transmitting means for transmitting an allocation signal to each of the secondary stations from which request signals have been received;
• the secondary stations each comprise payload transmitting means which, in response to an allocation signal, transmit payload data from the requesting secondary stations in respective timeslots of equal predetermined duration;
• the number of said timeslots being determined by the number of secondary stations which transmit a request signal to said primary station;
• and
• the request transmitting means of each secondary station is adapted to transmit a request signal to the primary station directly following a transmission of payload data by said secondary station if it then has further data to transmit;
• wherein the payload transmitting means of each secondary station is adapted to transmit payload data during a predetermined number of symbol intervals which corresponds to an integral number of short information cells or to a single synchronous transfer mode cell;
• wherein the short information cells have a duration of nine bytes and the number of said cells is equal to six;
• wherein the short information cells have a one byte header and the synchronous transfer mode cell has an additional one byte header.

A secondary station for use in a telecommunication network wherein a plurality of secondary stations are linked to a primary station by a transmission medium which is at least partly shared in common by the secondary stations;

• said secondary station comprising:
• request transmitting means for transmitting a transmission request signal to the primary station when said secondary station has data which is to be transmitted;
• and
• payload transmitting means responsive to an allocation signal from the primary station to transmit data thereto in a timeslot of predetermined duration, different timeslots of said duration being assigned to different secondary stations;
• the number of said timeslots being determined by the number of secondary stations which transmit a request signal to said primary station;
• the request transmitting means being adapted to transmit a request signal to the primary station directly following a transmission of payload data by said secondary station if it then has further data which is to be transmitted;
• wherein the allocation signal from the primary station is the transmission request signals received by the primary station.

A primary station for use in a telecommunication network wherein a plurality of secondary stations are linked to the primary station by a transmission medium which is shared at least partly in common by the secondary stations, said primary station comprising:

• request reception means for receiving transmission request signals which are transmitted by secondary stations;
• allocation transmitting means for transmitting an allocation signal to each of the secondary stations from which transmission request signals have been received;
• and
• payload reception means for receiving data transmitted by the respective secondary stations in respectively corresponding payload timeslots assigned thereto, the payload timeslots being of equal predetermined duration;
• the number of said payload timeslots being determined by the number of secondary stations which transmit a request signal to said primary station;
• said payload reception means being adapted to receive request signals immediately after reception of payload data transmitted by the secondary stations pursuant to an allocation signal;
• wherein the allocation transmitting means is adapted to retransmit as an allocation signal the transmission request signals which have been received by the primary station.

A communication method for use in a network comprising a primary station and a plurality of secondary stations, the secondary stations being linked to the primary station by a transmission medium which is shared at least partly in common by the secondary stations, said method comprising the steps of:

• transmission during a predetermined time period of a transmission request signal from at least one secondary station to the primary station;
• transmission by the primary station of an allocation signal to the secondary stations from which transmission requests signal have been received;
• transmission in response to the allocation signal of payload data by the secondary stations to the primary station, the transmission from successive secondary stations being during successive time intervals of predetermined duration;
• the number of said time intervals being determined by the number of secondary stations which transmit a request signal to said primary station;
• and
• transmission by each secondary station of a transmission request signal to the primary station directly after transmission of payload data by said secondary station if it still has further data to transmit;
• wherein the allocation signal to the secondary stations is the transmission request signal received by the primary station.

A telecommunication network comprising:

• a primary station;
• a plurality of secondary stations;
• said secondary stations each having a request transmitter for transmitting to said primary station a request to transmit information;
• an allocation signal generated by said primary station;
• said allocation signal allocating time slots for each secondary station that requests to transmit information to said primary station;
• said primary station defining a payload period defined by the number of secondary stations that request to transmit information and by a request period;
• and
• said request period being effective to allow said secondary stations to transmit said requests;
• wherein said allocation signal is the request to transmit information from one of said secondary stations.