Patent ID: 6711177
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: H04J,H04W

Abstract:
A method for automatically managing communication channel resources between nodes having neighboring nodes in a network of nodes, each node being configured to communicate during specific time slots on a time multiplex basis, the method comprising:communicating between nodes in the network using a time division multiple access structure, the time division multiple access structure including time divisions having time frames, each time frame having at least one time slot; storing, at each node, an assignment of possible time slots to communicate between nodes in the network; designating the at least one time slot in a first time frame as a first variable length slot; assigning the first variable length slot to a particular node in the network; updating, at the neighboring nodes of the particular node, the assignment of possible time slots to include the assignment of the first variable length slot; determining a need to increase the number of slots within the first time frame; shortening the length of the first variable length slot to allocate a first fixed length slot at the end of the first variable length slot; and updating, at the neighboring nodes of the particular node, the assignment of possible time slots to include the assignment of the first fixed length time slot.