US 6,584,100 B1 · System for establishing a transmission sequence for plural terminals in a wireless network

Abstract

The system establishes a transmission sequence for effecting communications between plural terminals in a wireless network. This transmission sequence is defined by a control data frame comprised of plural slots, each of which can be allocated for communication between one pair of the plural terminals. In operation, the system begins by generating a transmit/receive matrix for the plural terminals in the wireless network. This transmit/receive matrix includes plural rows and plural columns, where each of the plural rows corresponds to a terminal and each of the plural columns corresponding to a same or different terminal. At each row/column nexus, the transmit/receive matrix includes an entry which indicates whether communications are to be effected between a pair of terminals that corresponds thereto. Slots in the control data frame are then allocated to pairs of the plural terminals based on these entries in the transmit/receive matrix.

Claims38

Dependent claims

A method of establishing a transmission sequence for effecting communications between plural terminals in a wireless network, where the transmission sequence is defined by a control data frame comprised of plural slots, each of which can be allocated for communication between one pair of the plural terminals, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a transmit/receive matrix for the plural terminals in the wireless network, the transmit/receive matrix comprising plural rows and plural columns, each of the plural rows corresponding to a terminal and each of the plural columns corresponding to a terminal, the transmit/receive matrix including an entry at each row/column nexus, each entry indicating whether communications are to be effected between a pair of the terminals that corresponds to the entry;
and
allocating slots in the control data frame for communication between pairs of the plural terminals based on the entries in the transmit/receive matrix.

Computer-executable process steps stored on a computer-readable medium, the computer-executable process steps to establish a transmission sequence for effecting communications between plural terminals in a wireless network, where the transmission sequence is defined by a control data frame comprised of plural slots, each of which can be allocated for communication between one pair of the plural terminals, the computer-executable process steps comprising:

code to generate a transmit/receive matrix for the plural terminals in the wireless network, the transmit/receive matrix comprising plural rows and plural columns, each of the plural rows corresponding to a terminal and each of the plural columns corresponding to a terminal, the transmit/receive matrix including an entry at each row/column nexus, each entry indicating whether communications are to be effected between a pair of the terminals that corresponds to the entry;
and
code to allocate slots in the control data frame for communication between pairs of the plural terminals based on the entries in the transmit/receive matrix.

An apparatus for establishing a transmission sequence for effecting communications between plural terminals in a wireless network, where the transmission sequence is defined by a control data frame comprised of plural slots, each of which can be allocated for communication between one pair of the plural terminals, the apparatus comprising:

a memory which stores computer-executable process steps;
and
a processor which executes the process steps so as (A) to generate a transmit/receive matrix for the plural terminals in the wireless network, the transmit/receive matrix comprising plural rows and plural columns, each of the plural rows corresponding to a terminal and each of the plural columns corresponding to a terminal, the transmit/receive matrix including an entry at each row/column nexus, each entry indicating whether communications are to be effected between a pair of the terminals that corresponds to the entry, and (B) to allocate slots in the control data frame for communication between pairs of the plural terminals based on the entries in the transmit/receive matrix.

A method of using a transmit/receive matrix to allocate data slots in a control data frame to pairs of terminals, where the transmit/receive matrix is comprised of plural rows and plural columns, each of the plural rows corresponding to a terminal and each of the plural columns corresponding to a terminal, the transmit/receive matrix including an entry at each row/column nexus, each entry comprising either a one to indicate that communications are to be effected between a pair of the terminals that corresponds to the entry or a zero to indicate that communications are not to be effected between a pair of terminals that corresponds to the entry, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) selecting an entry (i0,j0) in the transmit/receive matrix which has at least one of a minimum non-zero row sum and a minimum non-zero column sum, where “i” represents a row number and “j” represents a column number;
(B) allocating a first available data slot in the control data frame to a pair of terminals that corresponds to entry (i0,j0) in the transmit/receive matrix;
(C) searching row i0 for non-zero entries with increasing column sums;
(D) allocating succeeding data slots in the control data frame to pairs of terminals that have non-zero entries in row i0 with increasing column sums;
(E) setting, to zero, non-zero entries in row i0;
(F) searching column jL for a non-zero entry with a minimum row sum, where column jL comprises a last column in row i0 having a highest non-zero column sum;
wherein, in a case that a non-zero entry with a minimum row sum is found in column jL the method further comprises (i) allocating a next succeeding data slot in the control data frame to a pair of terminals that has a non-zero entry in column jL with a minimum row sum, (ii) setting, to zero, the non-zero entry in column jL with the minimum row sum, and (iii) repeating at least steps (B) through (F) substituting the non-zero entry in column jL with the minimum row sum for entry (i0,j0);
wherein, in a case that a non-zero entry with a minimum row sum is not found in column jL the method further comprises (i) masking a row having a value jL and a column having a value i0 to produce a masked transmit/receive matrix, and (ii) determining whether the masked transmit/receive matrix includes an entry (i1,j1) which has at least one of a minimum non-zero row sum and a minimum non-zero column sum;
wherein, in a case that the masked transmit/receive matrix includes an entry (i1,j1) with at least one of a minimum non-zero row sum and a minimum non-zero column sum, the method further comprises repeating at least steps (B) through (F) substituting entry (i1,j1) for entry (i0,j0);
and
wherein, in a case that the masked transmit/receive matrix does not include an entry (i1,j1) with at least one of a minimum non-zero row sum and a minimum non-zero column sum, the method further comprises (i) unmasking row jL and column i0 to produce an unmasked transmit/receive matrix, (ii) selecting an entry (i2,j2) from the unmasked transmit/receive matrix, and (iii) repeating at least steps (B) through (F) substituting entry (i2,j2) for entry (i0,j0) and using the unmasked transmit/receive matrix.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for establishing a transmission sequence for plural terminals in a wireless network

Life of this patent

System for establishing a transmission sequence for plural terminals in a wireless network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims38