# US 8,787,266 B2 · Medium access control in industrial and automotive wireless with combined wired and wireless sensor networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,787,266 B2 - Document ID: US8787266B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/139,073 - Filed: 2008-06-13 - Published: 2009-12-17 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-06-13 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG - Applicants: Rainer Matischek; Markus Dielacher; Martin Flatscher; Josef Prainsack - Inventors: Rainer Matischek; Markus Dielacher; Martin Flatscher; Josef Prainsack - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787266B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/542: using measured or perceived quality - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 72/20: Control channels or signalling for resource management - H04W 28/26: Resource reservation - H04W 72/21: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network - H04W 74/04: Scheduled access (hybrid access H04W74/02) - H04W 84/10: Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks - H04W 84/22: with access to wired networks - H04W 88/16: Gateway arrangements - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract An embodiment of the invention relates to a local area sensor network including a central unit configured to receive a resource allocation request from a priority network sensor in a reserved timeslot and in response to designate a shared timeslot allocation. The priority network sensor transmits a resource allocation request in a reserved timeslot, and the sensor transmits data in the allocated shared timeslot. A sensor network can be formed with multiple gateways that each communicate over wired and wireless portions of the network. The central unit communicates with the gateways over the wired portion of the network. Wireless nodes communicate wirelessly with the gateways. The central unit receives a plurality of link quality indicators from the gateways for respective wireless paths to the wireless sensors, and selects a gateway for relaying a message from the central unit to a wireless sensor based on the link quality indicators. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A local area network, comprising: a central transceiver configured to receive a resource allocation request in a first reserved timeslot in a guaranteed reservation period from a first priority network sensor unit, the first reserved timeslot different from a second reserved timeslot in the guaranteed reservation period assigned to a second priority network sensor unit, transmit a reservation bit map including an allocation of a first shared timeslot in response to the resource allocation request, and receive data in the allocated first shared timeslot from the first priority network sensor unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The local area network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central transceiver is further configured to receive data from a non-priority network sensor unit in a shared time slot that is indicated by the reservation bit map to be unallocated. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The local area network as claimed in claim 2, wherein the central transceiver is configured to receive the data in the shared time slot that is indicated to be unallocated using a carrier sense multiple access collision avoidance communication mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The local area network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central transceiver is further configured to transmit a beacon to provide synchronization for network sensor units. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The local area network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reservation bit map includes an integrity code. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The local area network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central transceiver is configured to transmit an acknowledgment message in response to receiving data from a network sensor unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The local area network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local area network is a wireless sensor network. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The local area network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central transceiver is further configured to communicate with a plurality of gateways over a wired portion of the local area network, receive a plurality of link quality indicators from the plurality of gateways for respective wireless paths from a wireless node to the plurality of gateways, and select a gateway of the plurality of gateways for relaying a message from the central transceiver to the wireless node. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The local area network as claimed in claim 8, wherein the central transceiver is configured to select the gateway of the plurality of gateways for relaying the message based on the plurality of link quality indicators. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The local area network as claimed in claim 8, wherein the central transceiver establishes network synchronization for a wireless time division multiple access communication mode by broadcasting a beacon over the wired portion of the local area network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The local area network as claimed in claim 8, wherein the central transceiver is further configured to allocate a wireless timeslot for the selected gateway of the plurality of gateways to transmit the message to the wireless node. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The local area network as claimed in claim 8, wherein the central transceiver is configured to combine a plurality of messages received by the plurality of gateways from a wireless node to increase reliability of a wireless message from the wireless node. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The local area network of claim 1, wherein the a central transceiver is further configured to receive a further resource allocation request in the second reserved timeslot in the guaranteed reservation period from the second priority network sensor unit; transmit the reservation bit map including an allocation of a second shared timeslot in response to the further resource allocation request; and receive data in the allocated second shared timeslot from the second priority network sensor unit. ### Claim 14 A method of operating a local area network, the method comprising: receiving, by a central transceiver, a resource allocation request from a first priority network sensor unit in a first reserved timeslot in a guaranteed reservation period, the first reserved timeslot different from a second reserved timeslot in the guaranteed reservation period assigned to a second priority network sensor unit; transmitting a reservation bit map including an allocation of a first shared timeslot in response to the resource allocation request; and receiving data in the allocated first shared timeslot from the first priority network sensor unit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising receiving data from a non-priority network sensor unit in a shared timeslot that is indicated to be unallocated according to the reservation bit map. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising transmitting a synchronization beacon by the central transceiver. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising transmitting an acknowledgment message by the central transceiver in response to receiving data from a network sensor unit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the local area network is a wireless sensor network. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising: configuring the central transceiver to communicate communication with a plurality of gateways over a wired portion of the sensor network, wherein the gateways are configured to communicate over wired and wireless portions of the local area network; receiving, by the central transceiver, a plurality of link quality indicators from the plurality of gateways for respective wireless paths from a wireless node to the plurality of gateways; and selecting a gateway of the plurality of gateways by the central transceiver for relaying a message from the central transceiver to the wireless node. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the selected gateway is selected based on the plurality of link quality indicators. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising establishing, by the central transceiver, network synchronization for the wireless portion of the sensor network by broadcasting a beacon over the wired portion of the network. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising combining, in the central transceiver, a plurality of messages received by the plurality of gateways from the wireless node to increase message reliability. ### Claim 23 A communication unit for a sensor network, the communication unit comprising: a processor; and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor, the communication unit configured to receive a resource allocation request in a first reserved timeslot in a guaranteed reservation period from a first priority network sensor unit, the first reserved timeslot different from a second reserved timeslot in the guaranteed reservation period assigned to a second priority network sensor unit, transmit a reservation bit map including an allocation of a first shared timeslot in response to the resource allocation request, and receive data in the allocated first shared timeslot from the first priority network sensor unit. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The communication unit of claim 23, further comprising a wire line transceiver configured to communication with a central unit over a wired portion of the sensor network.