Motorola Corporation

Eric F Meihofer

Leo George Dehner

Slim S Souissi

Spread spectrum packet-switching radio devices () are operated in two or more ad-hoc networks or pico-networks () that share frequency-hopping channel and time slots that may collide. The frequency hopping sequences () of two or more masters () are exchanged using identity codes, permitting the devices to anticipate collision time slots (). Priorities are assigned to the simultaneously operating piconets () during collision slots (), e.g., as a function of their message queue size or latency, or other factors. Lower priority devices may abstain from transmitting during predicted collision slots (), and/or a higher priority device may employ enhanced transmission resources during those slots, such as higher error correction levels, or various combinations of abstinence and error correction may be applied. Collisions are avoided or the higher priority piconet () is made likely to prevail in a collision.

Multiple access frequency hopping network with interference anticipation

A first master transceiver (,) of a first wireless network monitors (,) neighboring wireless networks to discover a strongest interfering master transceiver in one of the neighboring wireless networks. The first master transceiver then time-aligns (,) hop intervals of the first master transceiver with the hop intervals of the strongest interfering master transceiver to ensure that a transmission of the strongest interfering master transceiver during each hop interval used by the strongest interfering master transceiver cannot interfere with the transmission of the first master transceiver during more than one hop interval of the first master transceiver, thereby minimizing the probability of self-interference between the first wireless network and the one of the neighboring wireless networks.

Method and apparatus for minimizing a probability of self-interference among neighboring wireless networks

A first portable subscriber unit (122, 602) of a plurality of portable subscriber units transmits (504) an inbound message (400) on an inbound channel. The inbound message is intended for a base receiver (616). The inbound message is received (506) by a second portable subscriber unit (606, 608) of the plurality of portable subscriber units. The second portable subscriber unit retransmits (520) the inbound message on the inbound channel only when a predetermined attribute of the inbound message satisfies (508, 510, 512, 514, 518) a predetermined condition.

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Euless, TX, United States of America

Eric F Meihofer