Abstract: A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) may include mobile nodes, each having a wireless transceiver and a controller cooperating with wireless transceiver. The controller may be configured to operate in a geographic area using a time division multiple access (TDMA) protocol and based upon a TDMA epoch including TDMA time slots. The controller may also be configured to dynamically divide into first type mobile nodes and second type mobile nodes based upon a current topologic density in the topologic area relative to a topological density threshold so that each first type mobile node has a periodic TDMA time slot allocated in the TDMA epoch and so that each second type mobile node contends for contention interval TDMA time slots in the TDMA epoch.

Abstract: A communications system includes a plurality of nodes forming a time division multiple access (TDMA) communications network. Each node within the TDMA communications network includes a controller and wireless communications device allowing the nodes to communicate with each other using respective timeslots in a TDMA frame, also sometimes referred to as an epoch. Each node is operative for transmitting and receiving a beacon positioned in time at the front of a frame to carry configuration information about the nodes in the TDMA communications network.

Abstract: An electronic navigation device for a human user may include a housing to be carried by the human user, and at least one accelerometer carried by the housing and configured to sense acceleration during motion of the human user. The electronic navigation device may also include a controller carried by the housing and coupled to the at least one accelerometer. The controller may be configured to generate a plurality of acceleration sample values as the human user moves over a given distance, and determine an estimated distance traveled by the human user during movement over the given distance by at least multiplying each acceleration sample value by a scaling constant. The controller may also be configured to sum results thereof.

Abstract: The method and mobile ad hoc network include the use of a plurality of mobile nodes. A main communication path is established from a source node through intermediate nodes to a destination node. Alternative communication paths are established among intermediate nodes defined as standby nodes to define a multipath communication pathway from the source node to the destination node. The nodes include a controller and a wireless communications device cooperating therewith. Link quality is monitored by at least one intermediate node to neighboring nodes in the multipath communication pathway, and the main communication path is reconfigured within the multipath communication pathway to at least one of the alternative communication paths based upon monitored link quality.

Abstract: A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) may include mobile nodes, each having a wireless transceiver and a controller cooperating with wireless transceiver. The controller may be configured to operate in a geographic area using a time division multiple access (TDMA) protocol and based upon a TDMA epoch including TDMA time slots. The controller may also be configured to dynamically divide into first type mobile nodes and second type mobile nodes based upon a current topologic density in the topologic area relative to a topological density threshold so that each first type mobile node has a periodic TDMA time slot allocated in the TDMA epoch and so that each second type mobile node contends for contention interval TDMA time slots in the TDMA epoch.

Abstract: An electronic navigation device for a human user may include a housing to be carried by the human user, and at least one accelerometer carried by the housing and configured to sense acceleration during motion of the human user. The electronic navigation device may also include a controller carried by the housing and coupled to the at least one accelerometer. The controller may be configured to generate a plurality of acceleration sample values as the human user moves over a given distance, and determine an estimated distance traveled by the human user during movement over the given distance by at least multiplying each acceleration sample value by a scaling constant. The controller may also be configured to sum results thereof.

Abstract: The ad-hoc network includes a plurality of mobile nodes including at least one group of mobile nodes operating as a cluster with a currently elected cluster head node. The mobile nodes include a controller and a wireless communications device cooperating therewith to determine whether the currently elected cluster head node appears inactive and then initiate a token-based cluster head node election based thereon. During the token-based cluster head node election, the cluster mobile nodes generate and transmit tokens having respective token weights, receive tokens from neighboring nodes, selectively retransmit the tokens based upon the token weights, and elect a new cluster head node based upon the token weights.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plurality of mobile nodes forming a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) and having a network clock time. A plurality of wireless communications links connects the mobile nodes together. Each mobile node includes a communications device and controller for transmitting and routing data packets wirelessly to other mobile nodes via the wireless communications link using a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) data transmission. Each mobile node includes a clock circuit having a digital clock time. A clock circuit is operative for processing a second order internal clock compensation factor as a learned and accumulated value for establishing a virtual clock time to correct any clock timing errors of the physical clock time from the network clock time.

Abstract: A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) includes a source mobile node, a destination mobile node, and a plurality of neighboring mobile nodes. The mobile nodes are operative for contending for a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) slots in a frame using beacons. Each neighboring node selects a TDMA slot per frame. For neighboring nodes not receiving an acknowledgment for successful beacons, those nodes contend on empty TDMA slots and resolve residual collisions using a collision detection mechanism.

Abstract: A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) communicates between a source node and destination node and includes a plurality of intermediate nodes. A main communication path is established between the source node through intermediate nodes to the destination node based on an underlying routing protocol. Alternative communication paths are established among neighboring nodes as standby nodes that are positioned an “n” hop distance from nodes of the main communication paths to form a tube of multiple communication paths from the source node to the destination node. The main communication path reconfigured within the tube of multiple communication paths to an alternative communication path using at least one standby node when the main communication path is broken.

Abstract: A bandwidth efficient and robust timing synchronization approach in an ad-hoc network is provided by a mobile ad-hoc network including at least one group of mobile nodes having at least one timing reference (TR) node. Mobile nodes include a controller and a wireless communications device cooperating therewith to generate and transmit timing synchronization beacons having a respective hop count indicating a number of hops to the at least one timing reference node, receive timing synchronization beacons from neighboring nodes, and synchronize node communication timing with neighboring nodes based upon the number of hops to the at least one timing reference node. The timing reference node may cooperate with the other mobile nodes based upon a timing source priority tree including levels defined by hop counts. The timing reference node is at a starting level of the timing source priority tree.

Abstract: A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) communicates between a source node and destination node and includes a plurality of intermediate nodes. A main communication path is established between the source node through intermediate nodes to the destination node based on an underlying routing protocol. Alternative communication paths are established among neighboring nodes as standby nodes that are positioned an “n” hop distance from nodes of the main communication paths to form a tube of multiple communication paths from the source node to the destination node. The main communication path reconfigured within the tube of multiple communication paths to an alternative communication path using at least one standby node when the main communication path is broken.

Abstract: A communications system includes a plurality of nodes forming a time division multiple access (TDMA) communications network. Each node within the TDMA communications network includes a controller and wireless communications device allowing the nodes to communicate with each other using respective timeslots in a TDMA frame, also sometimes referred to as an epoch. Each node is operative for transmitting and receiving a beacon positioned in time at the front of a frame to carry configuration information about the nodes in the TDMA communications network.

Abstract: The ad-hoc network includes a plurality of mobile nodes including at least one group of mobile nodes operating as a cluster with a currently elected cluster head node. The mobile nodes include a controller and a wireless communications device cooperating therewith to determine whether the currently elected cluster head node appears inactive and then initiate a token-based cluster head node election based thereon.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plurality of mobile nodes forming a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) and having a network clock time. A plurality of wireless communications links connects the mobile nodes together. Each mobile node includes a communications device and controller for transmitting and routing data packets wirelessly to other mobile nodes via the wireless communications link using a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) data transmission. Each mobile node includes a clock circuit having a digital clock time. A clock circuit is operative for processing a second order internal clock compensation factor as a learned and accumulated value for establishing a virtual clock time to correct any clock timing errors of the physical clock time from the network clock time.

Abstract: A bandwidth efficient and robust timing synchronization approach in an ad-hoc network is provided by a mobile ad-hoc network including at least one group of mobile nodes having at least one timing reference (TR) node. Mobile nodes include a controller and a wireless communications device cooperating therewith to generate and transmit timing synchronization beacons having a respective hop count indicating a number of hops to the at least one timing reference node, receive timing synchronization beacons from neighboring nodes, and synchronize node communication timing with neighboring nodes based upon the number of hops to the at least one timing reference node. The timing reference node may cooperate with the other mobile nodes based upon a timing source priority tree including levels defined by hop counts. The timing reference node is at a starting level of the timing source priority tree.

Abstract: The method and mobile ad hoc network include the use of a plurality of mobile nodes. A main communication path is established from a source node through intermediate nodes to a destination node. Alternative communication paths are established among intermediate nodes defined as standby nodes to define a multipath communication pathway from the source node to the destination node. The nodes include a controller and a wireless communications device cooperating therewith. Link quality is monitored by at least one intermediate node to neighboring nodes in the multipath communication pathway, and the main communication path is reconfigured within the multipath communication pathway to at least one of the alternative communication paths based upon monitored link quality.

Abstract: A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) includes a source mobile node, a destination mobile node, and a plurality of neighboring mobile nodes. The mobile nodes are operative for contending for a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) slots in a frame using beacons. Each neighboring node selects a TDMA slot per frame. For neighboring nodes not receiving an acknowledgment for successful beacons, those nodes contend on empty TDMA slots and resolve residual collisions using a collision detection mechanism.

Abstract: This invention is about creating a new routing protocol, called Small Geographical Area Cell-based Dynamic Source Routing (SGA-DSR), for the mobile ad-hoc network systems (MANET). The design of this SGA-DSR protocol has greatly reduced the routing overheads over the many other MANET protocols. Because of the routing overhead reduction and its insensitive to the network density, SGA-DSR scales very well to fairly large networks such as covering the whole area, having over thousands of nodes. In all geographical based protocols, the positions and the geographical area boundaries are used in their special ways. Here, in SGA-DSR, the SGA based cells are constructed in a special way. The routing routes are much less affected by the dynamics of the topology changes.

Abstract: This invention is about a method to reduce the near-far effect in the physical and media access control (MAC) layer for focusing on CDMA radio technologies in ad-hoc network systems. The radio resource is first organized and separated into small pieces, divided in both frequency domain (FDMA) and in time domain (TDMA). Each radio resource is considered as a physical radio channel (PRC). Any node in the network can dynamically allocate it. The near-far effect will be mitigated in each PRC, which is used for supporting a set of CDMA based sub-channels. The selection of the TX and RX PRC depends on which small geographical area (SGA) the node is located. As the nodes in the same SGA share the same PRC as the preferred and designated receiving PRC, power control is possible in a neighborhood of multiple SGA. Each SGA is viewed as a virtual base station regarding a designated PRC as the uplink channel. And each PRC provides a multiple sub-channels via the CDMA method.