CONTENTION TREE RESOLUTION IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

A method of contention resolution in a medium access control system, with particular application to an upstream link in a HFC network is disclosed. In the medium, data is transmitted in frames, each comprising a plurality of slots. At least two (and typically more) of these slots in each frame are contention slots. At least one contention slot in each frame is reserved for new arrivals to a contention tree that wish to access the channel capacity using contention resolution and at least one further contention slot is reserved for resolving contention if there is collision in the arrival slot. Arrivals that collide in the arrival slot contend for entry into the tree in the contention slots.