FREQUENCY HOPPING PICONETS IN AN UNCOORDINATED WIRELESS MULTI-USER SYSTEM

摘要

A wireless network includes master (1201) and slave units (1203). The master sends a master address (1205) and clock (1207) to the slaves. Communication is by means of a virtual frequency hopping channel whose hopping sequence is a function of the master address, and whose phase is a function of the master clock. Transmitted inquiry messages solicit slave address and topology information from the slaves, which may be used to generate a configuration tree (1001) for determining a route for a connection between the master and slave units. Slave address (1213) and topology information may include an own address from each of the slave units and only first order address lists from each of the slave units. Generating the configuration tree involves generating a hierarchy of connectivity rings from the first order address lists. Each connectivity ring may be generated in accordance with a rule that a highernumbered connectivity ring cannot include nodes representing units that are already represented by a node in a lower-numbered connectivity ring. Alternatively, each connectivity ring may be generated by considering a present numbered connectivity ring having parent nodes, and including in a next higher-numbered connectivity ring those nodes representing all children of the parent nodes such that no descendant of a parent can represent the same unit as the parent; no descendant of a parent's child can represent the same unit as any of the parent's children; and no child of any parent can have the same name as any other child of said any parent.