Method for arbitration and adaptive power-cycling in a multi-channel network

An apparatus, comprising:

• interface circuitry adapted to couple the apparatus to a communications link;
• encoding circuitry configured to receive a data stream from each of a plurality of channels;
• and
• an arbiter configured to:
• calculate unused bandwidth as a difference between total bandwidth provided by the communications link and bandwidth used by the plurality of channels;
• allocate the unused bandwidth to a virtual channel;
• use a power cycle to schedule the plurality of channels together with the virtual channel in accordance with a time-based multiplexing scheme, wherein each of the virtual channel and one or more channels are granted access to the communication link when scheduled;
• and
• calculate a power down period based on a ratio of the unused bandwidth to the total bandwidth,
• wherein at least a transmitter portion of the interface circuitry is disabled when the virtual channel is scheduled,
• wherein a duration of the power cycle is determined based on a maximum packet rate associated with at least one data channel, and
• wherein the bandwidth allocated to the virtual channel is increased by an amount corresponding to an amount of bandwidth released when a channel is removed from the plurality of channels.

An apparatus, comprising:

• means for providing a plurality of data channels on a communications link, wherein each of the plurality of data channels is assigned to a source of data to be transmitted on the communications link;
• means for determining unused bandwidth as a difference between total bandwidth provided by the communications link and bandwidth used by the plurality of data channels, wherein the unused bandwidth is allocated to a virtual channel;
• and
• means for scheduling the plurality of data channels together with the virtual channel in accordance with a time-based multiplexing scheme, wherein the means for scheduling the plurality of data channels and the virtual channel is configured using a duration of a power cycle that is based on a maximum packet rate associated with the plurality of data channels, a power down period calculated as a ratio of the unused bandwidth to the total bandwidth, wherein at least one data channel provides data for transmission at the maximum packet rate, and wherein each of the virtual channel and one or more data channels are granted access to the communication link when scheduled,
• wherein interface circuitry used to couple the apparatus to the communications link is disabled when the virtual channel is scheduled, and
• wherein the bandwidth allocated to the virtual channel is increased by an amount corresponding to an amount of bandwidth released when a channel is removed from the plurality of data channels.

A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having one or more instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processing circuit, cause the at least one processing circuit to:

• provide a plurality of data channels on a communications link, wherein each of the plurality of data channels is assigned to a source of data to be transmitted on the communications link;
• determine unused bandwidth as a difference between total bandwidth provided by the communications link and bandwidth used by the plurality of data channels;
• allocate the unused bandwidth to a virtual channel;
• determine a duration of a power cycle based on a maximum packet rate associated with at least one data channel of the plurality of data channels;
• use the power cycle to schedule the plurality of data channels together with the virtual channel in accordance with a time-based multiplexing scheme, wherein each of the virtual channel and one or more data channels are granted access to the communication link when scheduled;
• calculate a power down period based on a ratio of the unused bandwidth to the total bandwidth;
• and
• disable interface circuitry used to couple the at least one processing circuit to the communications link when the virtual channel is scheduled,
• wherein at least one data channel provides data for transmission at the maximum packet rate, and
• wherein the bandwidth allocated to the virtual channel is increased by an amount corresponding to an amount of bandwidth released when a channel is removed from the plurality of data channels.