TDMA wireless communications system and related methods

A wireless communications system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices communicating with one another via time division multiple access (TDMA) and frequency hopping;
• said plurality of mobile wireless communications devices comprising
• a first mobile wireless communications device defining a time master mobile wireless communications device configured to transmit
• a first synchronization message comprising a time value, and a hop count value,
• a first maintenance message comprising unique identifiers (UIDs) of other mobile wireless communications devices in a range of communications from the time master mobile wireless communications device, and
• a timing head relay designation message;
• a second mobile wireless communications device defining a timing head relay mobile wireless communications device corresponding to the timing head relay designation message and configured to
• receive the first synchronization message, first maintenance message and timing head relay designation message,
• transmit a second synchronization message comprising an updated time value and an updated hop count, and
• transmit a second maintenance message comprising unique identifiers (UIDs) of other mobile wireless communications devices in a range of communications from the timing head relay mobile wireless communications device;
• and
• a third mobile wireless communications device defining a time forwarding mobile wireless communications device configured to
• receive the second synchronization message and the second maintenance message,
• transmit a third synchronization message comprising a further updated time value and a further updated hop count when a downstream mobile wireless communications device is outside a range of said timing head relay mobile wireless communications device, and
• transmit a third maintenance message comprising unique identifiers (UIDs) of other mobile wireless communications devices in a range of communications from the time forwarding mobile wireless communications device.

A method of wireless communication in a wireless communications system comprising a plurality of wireless communications devices communicating with one another via time division multiple access (TDMA), the method comprising:

• transmitting from a first wireless communications device from among the plurality of wireless communications devices defining a time master wireless communications device
• a first synchronization message comprising a time value, and a hop count value,
• a first maintenance message comprising unique identifiers (UIDs) of other wireless communications devices in a range of communications from the time master wireless communications device, and
• a timing head relay designation message;
• receiving at a second wireless communications device defining from among the plurality of wireless communications devices defining a timing head relay wireless communications device corresponding to the timing head relay designation message and from among the plurality of wireless communications device, the first synchronization message, first maintenance message and timing head relay designation message;
• transmitting from the timing head relay wireless communications device
• a second synchronization message comprising an updated time value and an updated hop count, and
• a second maintenance message comprising unique identifiers (UIDs) of other wireless communications devices in a range of communications from the timing head relay wireless communications device;
• and
• receiving at a third wireless communications device from among the plurality of mobile wireless communications devices defining a time forwarding wireless communications device, the second synchronization message and the second maintenance message;
• and
• transmitting from the time forwarding wireless communications device
• a third synchronization message comprising a further updated time value and a further updated hop count when a downstream wireless communications device is outside a range of the timing head relay wireless communications device, and
• a third maintenance message comprising unique identifiers (UIDs) of other wireless communications devices in a range of communications from the time forwarding wireless communications device.