Sigma Designs Israel S.d.i. Ltd.

Coppergate Communications Ltd.

Coppergate Communication Ltd.

Aharona Lurie

Ronald Bruce Sterenson

Ron Sterenson

Avner Aloush

Israel Lifshitz

Reuven Franco

Boaz Kol

Raphi Zadicario

Rani Keren

Lior Picherski

Ran Kern

Zuri Guzikevits

Ilan Rozen

A method includes scheduling a grid of sub-burst slots in a media access plan, each sub-burst slot having a shorter duration than a minimal transmission burst duration and representing an opportunity for the initiation of a data transmission by a network device. A network device includes a sub-burst slot scheduler and a sub-burst slot grid aligner. The sub-burst slot scheduler publicizes the sub-burst slot media access plan to the network devices. The sub-burst slot grid aligner aligns the sub-burst slot grid in the event of a transmission.

Collision avoidance media access method for shared networks

A coordinator for coordinating the use of a physical layer between a first network operating using a first network protocol and a second network operating using a second network protocol different from the first network protocol, the network protocols being non-interoperable and supporting centralized management of nodes by a master device in each network respectively, including a receiver, a transmitter, a coordinator first network type device (CNTD) and a coordinator second network type device (CNTD), both coupled with the receiver and the transmitter, and a synchronizer and coordinator (SAC) coupled with the CNTDand CNTD, the SAC including a required resources determinator, for determining the required resources of both networks for the next transmission cycle and for providing the required resources of one network to the other, wherein the master device of one network allocates resources to the other network and vice-versa.

Multi-network type coordinator for a single physical layer

A method for multicast transmissions between a source node and a client node includes the source node generating a multicast stream identifier to uniquely identify the multicast stream, and the source node establishing a path between the source node and the client node for a specified the multicast stream, each node in the path using unicast routing tables in order to identify a next node on the path during path establishment, and the source node transmitting messages of the specified multicast stream along the path. Network nodes implement the method.

Relaying of multicast transmissions

A method of generating a transmission schedule for a network device of a home network includes ensuring that strongly interfering nodes of different domains do not transmit simultaneously while enabling other non interfering nodes of the different domains to transmit simultaneously. A domain master for a home network includes a receiver and a scheduler. The receiver receives at least one transmission from at least one node of its domain indicating at least one node of at least one neighboring domain whose transmissions are interfering. The scheduler schedules transmissions of said nodes of its domain in coordination with a domain master of said neighboring domain according to inter-domain node interference.

Home network domain master

A method for routing communications on a network node in a communications network includes: updating a central domain master regarding changes detected in topology, receiving a routing plan from the central domain master, where the routing plan is calculated at least in accordance with the changes, and transmitting data as necessary in accordance with the routing plan. A method implementable on a central domain master for routing communications between network nodes in a communications network includes receiving transmissions regarding changes detected in topology from the network nodes, calculating a routing plan based on at least the transmissions, and distributing the routing plan to the network nodes, where the central domain server is one of the network nodes.

Routing and topology management

A method includes transmitting a next transmission after an inter-frame period after a previous transmission, wherein the inter-frame period is long enough to allow a return signal responding to the previous transmission. A network device includes a receiver to receive a transmission from a source device and a transmitter at least to transmit a return signal to the source device indicating successful receipt or lack thereof of the transmission during a return period forming part of an inter-frame period after the transmission.

After transmission return signal

Method for coordinating the use of a physical layer between a first network and a second network sharing the physical layer, the first network including at least one device operating using a first network protocol, the second network including at least one device operating using a second network protocol different from the first network protocol, a device in the first network not communicating with a device in the second network, including the procedures of determining required resources of the first network, determining required resources of the second network, requesting the required resources of the first network from a master device of the second network, requesting the required resources of the second network from a master device of the first network, allocating resources to the first network, by the master device of the second network, and allocating resources to the second network by the master of the first network.

A method implemented on a network node includes receiving an adjustable schedule of transmission start slots, where the transmission start slots represent transmission initiation opportunities for the initiation of data transmission by at least one of a plurality of network devices on a network, and transmitting a current position of the node within all groups of the schedule suitable for full resynchronization to the adjustable schedule by at least one other the network node.

Current position transmission in a shared robust scheme

A method implemented on a network node includes receiving an adjustable schedule of transmission start slots, the slots representing opportunities for initiating data transmission by at least one network device on a network, transmitting an expected duration indication in each slot associated with the network node as per the schedule, and adjusting the schedule in accordance with the expected duration for each transmission. A method for virtual carrier sensing includes receiving a schedule of transmission start slots on a network node, the slots representing opportunities initiating data transmission by at least one network device in a network, listening for transmissions by other network nodes according to the schedule, the transmissions indicating an expected length of a current transmission, adjusting the schedule in accordance with the indicating of a data transmission, and ignoring any subsequent transmissions until a next scheduled transmission start slot in accordance with the adjusted schedule.

Null indication in a shared robust scheme

A method includes receiving a schedule of transmission start slots on a network node, the slots representing reserved and/or nonreserved opportunities for initiating data transmission by at least one network device in a network, the reserved opportunities associated with specific network devices, and the non-reserved opportunities available for non-reserved use by any network device on the network, and adjusting the schedule in accordance with successful transmissions by other network nodes. Another method includes generating a schedule of transmission start slots on a master node, where the slots represent reserved and/or nonreserved transmission initiation opportunities for the initiation of data transmission by at least one of a plurality of network devices in a network, the reserved opportunities being associated with specific network nodes, and the nonreserved opportunities being available for nonreserved use by any the network devices on the network, and distributing the schedule to the network devices.

Contention slots in a shared robust scheme

In some embodiments of the present invention, asynchronous network nodes and synchronous network nodes coexist on a shared media network.

Growing community of inventors

Or Yehuda, Israel

Aharona Lurie