Adaptation of TDMA Parameters Based on Network Conditions

Soft clustering of the nodes combined with Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) channel access within a cluster has been shown to provide an energy-efficient solution for Mobile Ad-Hoc NETworks (MANET). Such channel access schemes use a parameter that is critical in determining network performance: the number of frames per superframe, which determines the amount of spatial reuse possible, similar to the frequency reuse factor in cellular networks. When a smaller number of frames per superframe is used, each frame will consist of a larger number of slots, enabling the frame (i.e., cluster) to support more nodes, but also limiting the choices of frames for clusterheads to select, causing higher co-channel interference and collisions.