MSU Technologies

Collision Detection and Bitwise Arbitration for Multicarrier Wireless Networks

Introduction

The two main tasks that occur during wireless-communication data transmissions are the transmission of the data, and the resolution of conflicts caused by data collisions. Current data-transmission technology can only handle one data packet at a time. Data collisions occur when two or more data packets attempt to simultaneously use the same network segment. Conventional methods used to resolve collisions have the disadvantage of being unbounded in time with the possibility that the collision resolution (or back-off) time being significantly longer than the transmission time. Implementation of smaller back-off windows addresses the issue of disproportionate back-off to transmission time, an excessively small window causes an increase in collisions.

Description of Technology

This technology is a method for collision detection and resolution during transmission. This technology sends a preamble that transmits setup information and listens on the line ahead of the data transmission. If a collision is detected via the preamble, the transmitters contend with one another using bitwise arbitration until one transmission remains. The remaining transmission is then permitted to use the channel. This process ensures that only one device is granted transmission permission without requiring the winning transmission to terminate. This methodology also enables rapid transmission. Collisions are resolved in a short, bounded period of time, allowing higher total throughput. This technology also includes a method for prioritizing messages, which allows for real-time prioritized communication.

Key Benefits

Detects and resolves potential collisions without data stoppage/re-transmittance
Minimizes Channel Access Overhead, resulting in Faster Collision Resolution
Timely Collision Resolution using a Time-Bounded Arbitration Mechanism
Enables Real-time Prioritized Communication

Applications