Peak Audio, Inc.

Cirrus Logic Inc.

Derek W Lieb

Charles William Anderson

Kevin Paul Gross

William W Lowe

Gerrit E Rosenboom

Gerrit Eimbertus Rosenboom

Media access control for isochronous data packets in carrier sensing multiple access systems

The present invention has solved the collision problems in a CSMA network protocol and at the same time optimized performance of the network. This is accomplished by giving control of the size of the reserved portion and the size of the reservation portion of the communication frame to stations in the network. Further, the reserved portion is allotted to isochronous data packets each of whose length is variable. Also, only those packets that have a reservation are in the frame, and they are placed in the frame in order in accordance with there position of the permission or reservation list. The network timing is controlled by one of the stations acting as a conductor for the network. This conductor station receives the reservation requests from the other stations and builds a beat packet. The beat packet is transmitted from the conductor station to all stations of the network, and provides the timing or beat of the network that all stations are synchronized with. In addition, the beat packet contains the permission list (reservation list) identifying the stations that will transmit, and the order they will transmit during the frame. The network interrupt handler (46) and the conductor (56) at the conductor station build this beat packet.

Media access control for isochronous data packets in carrier sensing

The present invention has solved the collision problems in a CSMA network protocol and at the same time optimized performance of the network. This is accomplished by giving control of the size of the reserved portion and the size of the reservation portion of the communication frame to stations in the network. Further, the reserved portion is allotted to isochronous data packets each of whose length is variable. Also, only those packets that have a reservation are in the frame, and they are placed in the frame in order in accordance with there position of the permission or reservation list. The network timing is controlled by one of the stations acting as a conductor for the network. This conductor station receives the reservation requests from the other stations and builds a beat packet. The beat packet is transmitted from the conductor station to all stations of the network, and provides the timing or beat of the network that all stations are synchronized with. In addition, the beat packet contains the permission list (reservation list) identifying the stations that will transmit, and when they will transmit during the frame. The network interrupt handler and the conductor at the conductor station build this beat packet.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Derek W Lieb