Slotted message access protocol for powerline communication networks

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for communication time slot allocation in a communication network. In one aspect, a first network device may determine that a second network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a first latency, and determine that a third network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a second latency. The first network device may determine to allocate a greater quantity of communication time slots to the second network device than to the third network device based, at least in part, on the first latency being less than the second latency. The first network device may allocate a first plurality of communication time slots of a beacon period to the second network device, and allocate a second plurality of communication time slots of the beacon period to the third network device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for communication time slot allocation in a communication network, comprising:
 determining, by a first network device, that a second network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a first latency;   determining, by the first network device, that a third network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a second latency, wherein the first latency is less than the second latency;   determining, by the first network device, to allocate a greater quantity of communication time slots to the second network device than to the third network device based, at least in part, on the first latency being less than the second latency;   allocating, by the first network device, a first plurality of communication time slots of a beacon period to the second network device based, at least in part, the first latency; and   allocating, by the first network device, a second plurality of communication time slots of the beacon period to the third network device based, at least in part, on the second latency, wherein a quantity of the first plurality of communication time slots is greater than a quantity of the second plurality of communication time slots.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing, to the second network device and the third network device, time slot allocation information indicating that the first plurality of communication time slots are allocated to the second network device and that the second plurality of communication time slots are allocated to the third network device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of communication time slots and the second plurality of communication time slots are contention-free communication time slots, further comprising:
 designating a third plurality of communication time slots as contention-based time slots for the communication network.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining to transmit a first packet from the first network device during a first contention-based time slot of a plurality of contention-based time slots; and   executing contention operations with one or more network devices of the communication network to determine whether to transmit the first packet during the first contention-based time slot based, at least in part, on a priority level associated with the first packet.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 classifying a first plurality of devices into a first group and a second plurality of devices into a second group;   allocating a first plurality of contention-based time slots to the first plurality of devices classified into the first group; and   allocating a second plurality of contention-based time slots to the second plurality of devices classified into the second group.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein
 the first plurality of devices classified into the first group are associated with a first traffic class, and   the second plurality of devices classified into the second group are associated with a second traffic class, wherein the first traffic class is different than the second traffic class.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the one or more packets associated with the first latency are also associated with a first cycle time,   the one or more packets associated with the second latency are also associated with a second cycle time, and   determining to allocate a greater quantity of communication time slots to the second network device than to the third network device is based, at least in part, on the first latency being less than the second latency and the first cycle time being less than the second cycle time.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein
 the one or more packets associated with the first latency and the first cycle time are associated with a first traffic class, and   the one or more packets associated with the second latency and the second cycle time are associated with a second traffic class, wherein the first traffic class is different than the second traffic class.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a slot allocation table from the first network device to the second network device and the third network device that indicates one or more communication time slots allocated to the first network device, the first plurality of communication time slots allocated to the second network device, the second plurality of communication time slots allocated to the third network device, one or more contention-based communication time slots for the communication network, and a traffic class associated with each allocated communication time slot.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first network device, the second network device, and the third network device are included in the communication network of a vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . A first network device comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory having instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processor, cause the first network device to:
 determine that a second network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a first latency via a communication network; 
 determine that a third network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a second latency via the communication network, wherein the first latency is less than the second latency; 
 determine to allocate a greater quantity of communication time slots to the second network device than to the third network device based, at least in part, on the first latency being less than the second latency; 
 allocate a first plurality of communication time slots of a beacon period to the second network device based, at least in part, the first latency; and 
 allocate a second plurality of communication time slots of the beacon period to the third network device based, at least in part, on the second latency, wherein a quantity of the first plurality of communication time slots is greater than a quantity of the second plurality of communication time slots. 
   
     
     
         12 . The first network device of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to:
 provide, to the second network device and the third network device, time slot allocation information indicating that the first plurality of communication time slots are allocated to the second network device and that the second plurality of communication time slots are allocated to the third network device.   
     
     
         13 . The first network device of  claim 11 , wherein the first plurality of communication time slots and the second plurality of communication time slots are contention-free communication time slots, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to:
 designate a third plurality of communication time slots as contention-based time slots for the communication network.   
     
     
         14 . The first network device of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to:
 determine to transmit a first packet during a first contention-based time slot of a plurality of contention-based time slots; and   execute contention operations with one or more network devices of the communication network to determine whether to transmit the first packet during the first contention-based time slot based, at least in part, on a priority level associated with the first packet.   
     
     
         15 . The first network device of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to:
 classify a first plurality of devices into a first group and a second plurality of devices into a second group;   allocate a first plurality of contention-based time slots to the first plurality of devices classified into the first group; and   allocate a second plurality of contention-based time slots to the second plurality of devices classified into the second group.   
     
     
         16 . A first network device comprising:
 means for determining that a second network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a first latency via a communication network;   means for determining that a third network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a second latency via the communication network, wherein the first latency is less than the second latency;   means for determining to allocate a greater quantity of communication time slots to the second network device than to the third network device based, at least in part, on the first latency being less than the second latency;   means for allocating a first plurality of communication time slots of a beacon period to the second network device based, at least in part, the first latency; and   means for allocating a second plurality of communication time slots of the beacon period to the third network device based, at least in part, on the second latency, wherein a quantity of the first plurality of communication time slots is greater than a quantity of the second plurality of communication time slots.   
     
     
         17 . The first network device of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 means for providing, to the second network device and the third network device, time slot allocation information indicating that the first plurality of communication time slots are allocated to the second network device and that the second plurality of communication time slots are allocated to the third network device.   
     
     
         18 . The first network device of  claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of communication time slots and the second plurality of communication time slots are contention-free communication time slots, further comprising:
 means for designating a third plurality of communication time slots as contention-based time slots for the communication network.   
     
     
         19 . The first network device of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 means for determining to transmit a first packet from the first network device during a first contention-based time slot of a plurality of contention-based time slots; and   means for executing contention operations with one or more network devices of the communication network to determine whether to transmit the first packet during the first contention-based time slot based, at least in part, on a priority level associated with the first packet.   
     
     
         20 . The first network device of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 means for classifying a first plurality of devices into a first group and a second plurality of devices into a second group;   means for allocating a first plurality of contention-based time slots to the first plurality of devices classified into the first group; and   means for allocating a second plurality of contention-based time slots to the second plurality of devices classified into the second group.