Patent ID: 7233584

Claim:
A Group TDMA method of providing multiple-access in a multiple destination, multiple node wireless network, said network including a first destination having a first group of nodes within communication range thereof and a second destination having a second group of nodes within communication range thereof, wherein both said first and second destinations include a third group of nodes within communication range thereof of both said first and second destinations, and wherein each group of nodes is assigned a periodically recurring set of time slots for transmitting to a designated destination, comprising: providing a frame of a specified duration; dividing the frame into a number of fixed-length time slots; assigning a fraction 1−x of the time slots to said first and second groups of nodes; assigning a fraction x of the time slots to said third group; subdividing said third group into a fourth group of nodes and a fifth group of nodes; assigning a fraction y of the fraction x time slots to said fourth group for transmission to said first destination and a fraction 1−y of the fraction x time slots to said fifth group for transmission to said second destination; applying a multiple-access protocol in each group in its assigned set of time slots; optimizing the values of x and y in order to realize the maximum possible value of stable throughput rate λ*, and transmitting to said designated destination in response to the maximum possible value of stable throughput rate λ*.