Improving the performance of a slotted ALOHA packet radio network with an adaptive array

The use of an adaptive antenna array as a means of improving the performance of a slotted ALOHA packet radio network is presented. An adaptive array creates a strong capture effect at a packet radio terminal by automatically steering the receiver antenna pattern toward one packet and nulling other contending packets in a slot. A special code preamble and randomized arrival times within each slot allow the adaptive array to lock onto one packet in each slot. The throughput and delay performance of a network with an adaptive array are computed by applying the standard Markov chain analysis of slotted ALOHA. It is shown that throughput levels comparable to carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) are attainable with an adaptive array without the need for stations to be able to hear each other. The performance depends primarily on the number of adaptive array nulls, the array resolution, and the length of the randomization interval within each slot