Wireless networking with flexibly-ordered relayers

摘要

The broadcast nature of wireless communication may be utilized by transmitting a packet frame identifying at least one relay node that can transmit the packet frame without transmitting an acknowledgement frame confirming receipt of the packet frame by a respective relay node. A relay node may cancel a relay obligation to transmit a packet frame based on detecting transmission of the packet frame by another node or based on detection of an acknowledgement frame confirming that a destination node received the packet frame. A transmission chain corresponding to the transmission of a packet frame may be assigned a priority. Alternatively or in addition, a relay node within a transmission chain may be assigned a priority. A priority may determine the amount of delay inserted prior to transmitting a packet frame.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a first relay node, a packet frame comprising a transmission chain, wherein the transmission chain identifies the first relay node and includes a first relay node priority value for the first relay node; transmitting the packet frame, by the first relay node, after a first delay time based on the first relay node priority value; receiving, at a second relay node, at the same time as or before the receiving of the packet frame by the first relay node, the packet frame, wherein the transmission chain identifies the second relay node as a subsequent relay node to the first relay node and includes a second relay node priority value for the second relay node, the second relay node priority value not equal to the first relay node priority value; and transmitting the packet frame, by the second relay node, after a second delay time based on the second relay node priority value, wherein the second delay time is longer than the first delay time and the transmitting of the packet frame by the second relay node occurs after the transmitting of the packet frame by the first relay node, and wherein the first relay node receives the packet frame before any transmission of the packet frame by the second relay node.