Analysis of a slotted access channel with average cycle method

Random access techniques in the packet broadcasting environment are a very important research topic. A broadcast channel is a radio packet communication channel, and the relative distances between the users and the receiver can vary greatly. Thus, packets from different transmitters arrive at the receiver with substantially different power levels. These phenomena give rise to a capture effect at the receiver. The packet arriving with the highest power level has a good chance of being detected accurately, even when other packets arrive at the same time. This capture effect improves the system throughput and other performance measures. The mean cycle times of the slotted access channel are analyzed by using the average cycle method. Analytic formulae for mean values of a successful period and a colliding period and an idle period are derived. Also, the upper bounds on the throughput of the system with capture effect are provided.