A wireless network with network-level channel hopping. A wireless network includes a wireless device. The wireless device includes a receiver, a data channel selector, and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive a beacon signal comprising a beacon sequence value. The data channel selector is configured to select, as a pseudorandom function of the beacon sequence value, a data channel on which to transmit in an interval following reception of the beacon signal. The transmitter is configured to transmit on the data channel selected by the channel selector.

A network includes at least one node to communicate with at least one other node via a wireless network protocol. The node includes a network configuration module to periodically switch a current node function of the node between an intermediate node function and a leaf node function. The switch of the current node function enables automatic reconfiguration of the wireless network based on detected communications between the at least one node and at least one intermediate node or at least one leaf node via the wireless network protocol.

A system and method for acquiring a frequency hopped spread spectrum (FHSS) signal with no prior knowledge about the FHSS signal. In example implementations, an RF signal is received at a receiver. The RF signal is converted into a stream of digital signal levels. Energy detections are identified in the stream of digital signal as possible hops of a FHSS signal. A feature set is blindly acquired for defining an FHSS signal from the energy detections. At least one waveform classification is generated based on the feature set. Energy detections are re-acquired from the RF signal based on the waveform classification.

Techniques providing opportunistic frequency switching for frame based equipment (FBE), such as may be configured to minimize opportunistic frequency switching delay in FBE new radio (NR) unlicensed (NR-U) networks and/or to provide frequency diversity FBE access based on offset sequences of medium sensing occasions for the carrier frequencies are disclosed. Within the FBE mode network, a base station may configure a pattern of sensing locations in each frame for each frequency transmission unit of the plurality of frequency transmission units, wherein an inter-unit delay of sensing locations between a first frequency transmission unit and a next adjacent frequency transmission unit and between a last frequency transmission unit and the first frequency transmission unit is a fixed duration. Opportunistic frequency switching of embodiments may utilize the medium sensing locations for opportunistically switching between a sequence of the frequency transmission units for implementing frequency diversity FBE access.

A radio communications device includes a RTC configured to run even during sleep for receiving from a coordinator node (CN) in an asynchronous channel hopping WPAN an asynchronous hopping sequence (AHS) frame that includes the CN's hopping sequence. A processor implements a stored sleepy device operation in asynchronous channel hopping networks algorithm. The algorithm is for determining a time stamp for the AHS frame and the CN's initial timing position within the hopping sequence, storing the time stamp, going to sleep and upon waking up changing a frequency band of its receive (Rx) channel to an updated fixed channel. A data request command frame is transmitted by the device on the CN's listening channel that is calculated from the CN's hopping sequence, time stamp, CN's initial timing position and current time, and the device receives an ACK frame transmitted by the CN at the updated fixed channel of Rx operation.

A mesh network topology assessment mechanism is provided. The mechanism includes a wireless router, coupled to other wireless routers over a multi-hop mesh network, responsive to a message having a link assessment mode, configured to introduce a unique delay into forwarding of the message to a next one of the other wireless routers in route to a destination device. The router has a store-and-forward controller, having a unique delay time corresponding to the unique delay, where the unique delay time is substantial and thus provides for creation of measurable latency in the message sent between an origination device and the destination device.

A spinous process device and method are disclosed. The device includes a first plate having a first part slidably coupled to a second part, a second plate having a third part slidably coupled to a fourth part, and first and second connector devices configured to be placed through openings created in spinous processes and rotatably couple respective first and second parts to third and fourth parts of the first and second plates together allowing angular displacement of the second plate with respect to the first plate and secure the spinous processes between the first and second plates.

Systems, apparatuses and methods for synchronizing communication actions between multiple communication devices by accounting for discrepancies between timing functionality in communicating devices. A time value indicative of a remote device's view of current time is received. Where it is determined that the time value differs from a locally generated view of current time by at least an established amount, the range of time in which communications signals with the remote device will be monitored and transmitted is extended.

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing scheduled communication between a primary network, such as a time synchronized channel hopping (“TSCH”) network, and a secondary network, such as a carrier sense multiple access (“CSMA”) network. During a first selected slot-offset in a TSCH hopping pattern, a gateway node communicates with a primary network node. During a second selected slot-offset in the TSCH hopping pattern, the gateway node communicates with a secondary network node. A communication schedule identifies the source and destination nodes and channel frequency for each slot-offset. The communication schedule is set such that the CSMA wake-up period for the secondary network is synchronized with the second slot-offset in the TSCH hopping pattern.

A network coordinator in a time-slotted channel hopping (“TSCH”) network can include a processing device and a memory on which instructions are stored for causing the processing device to (i) determine a first guaranteed time slot in a first occurrence of a hopping pattern is unassigned to any TSCH node of a plurality of TSCH nodes in the TSCH network; (ii) transmit a beacon during the first guaranteed time slot in the first occurrence of the hopping pattern; (iii) receive a signal from a TSCH node outside the TSCH network requesting joinder to the TSCH network; (iv) join the TSCH as a joined TSCH node; (v) assign a second guaranteed time slot to the joined TSCH node; (vi) determine the second guaranteed time slot in a second occurrence of the hopping pattern is assigned; and (vii) listen for communication from the joined TSCH node during the second guaranteed time slot.