Patent ID: 8576811
Filing Date: 2013-11-05
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for reliable exchange of information between nodes of a multi-hop wireless communication network, the method comprising: broadcasting, by a plurality of nodes operating within the multi-hop wireless communication network, network management information for a dedicated channel, wherein the network management information includes usage and interference information for one or more timeslots of the dedicated channel, wherein the dedicated channel comprises a dedicated Reliable Information Distribution (RID) channel comprising a plurality of timeslots within a superframe, and wherein each of the plurality of nodes and are assigned one of the plurality of timeslots in the dedicated RID channel for periodically performing the broadcasting of the network management information in a HELLO message; receiving, at a node in the neighborhood of the plurality of nodes, the dedicated RID channel comprising the network management information from the plurality of nodes in the multi-hop wireless communication network; monitoring, at the node, the RID channel until a predetermined number of superframes are detected; whereupon identifying, by a node, a particular timeslot of the dedicated channel as unused from the network management information received from the plurality of nodes over the dedicated channel; confirming, by the node, that the particular timeslot is unused by: when the particular timeslot is confirmed as unused, broadcasting by the node within the particular timeslot.