A scatternet operation protocol for Bluetooth ad hoc networks

In recent years there is increasing interest in building ad hoc networks composed of Bluetooth devices. In this paper, we propose a scatternet operation protocol, which constructs and maintains a scattrnet in a distributed way. This protocol allows Bluetooth devices (nodes) to move arbitrarily in an area. In this area, nodes may not be able to communicate each other directly. The scatternet operation protocol consists of neighbor discovery protocol, scatternet formation protocol and scatternet adjustment protocol. The neighbor discovery protocol has each node discover its neighboring nodes. Then, the scatternet formation protocol constructs piconets and connects them into a larger network, called a scatternet. After that, each node can start data communication with other nodes. Assuming node mobility, scatternet connectivity is maintained by using the scatternet adjustment protocol. We particularly focus on the structure of the scatternet constructed through these protocols. We first examine the performance of the neighbor discovery protocol and the scatternet formation protocol without node mobility. Next, we show that the scatternet adjustment protocol improves scatternet connectivity.