Communication between devices of a neighbor aware network

• US 10,117,222 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Patil, Abhishek Pramod, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Cherian, George, Raissinia, Alireza, Cho, James, Frederiks, Guido
• Primary Examiner(s): Talukder, Md
• Application Number:
  US15/417,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 455515, 455 411, 455 412, 455 413
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In some examples, a method includes receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during a particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in an active operating mode. The method also includes transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the particular time period in response to determining that the first device is unavailable during the particular time period.

Claims

1. A method of communication comprising:

receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group to operate in an active operating mode; and

transitioning, by the second device, to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to at least one time period of the multiple time periods in response to determining, based on the message, that the first device is unavailable during the at least one time period, wherein the one or more transmission windows comprise a subset of all transmission windows between a first discovery window and a second discovery window; and

transitioning, by the second device, to an active operating mode during at least one transmission window between the first discovery window and the second discovery window, wherein the second device is available to communicate with at least one device of the NAN during the active operating mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a paging message, and wherein the paging message includes a Bloom filter that indicates a paged device list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement, wherein the at least one time period includes a discovery window of the NAN and further comprising, in response to determining that the second device is peered with other devices, determining that the other devices are unavailable during the at least one time period prior to transitioning to the low-power operating mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one time period includes a paging window of the data link group, wherein the at least one time period corresponds to at least one timeframe, and wherein the multiple time periods correspond to multiple timeframes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the at least one time period is identified by multiple logical channels, and wherein each of the multiple logical channels corresponds to a communication channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the message comprises a paging message, wherein the paging message is received during a paging window portion of a transmission window corresponding to a first logical channel referenced by an index of logical channels corresponding to the data link group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a supplemental communication channel of a plurality of supplemental communication channels referenced by the index of logical channels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message further includes an indication of multiple time periods during which the first device is scheduled to be unavailable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication identifies unavailability in response to a particular bit having a first bit value, and wherein the indication indicates availability in response to the particular bit having a second bit value that is different from the first bit value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the low-power operating mode comprises a sleep mode where the device is not available to send or receive messages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received after the second device performs one or more association operations with the first device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing a clock at the second device of the data link group based on a synchronization operation associated with the NAN, wherein timing of the multiple time periods is determined based on the synchronized clock.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more time periods of the multiple time periods are identified by one or more logical channels, and wherein each logical channel of the one or more logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to at least one time period of the one or more time periods.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that are executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group to operate in an active operating mode; and

transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to at least one time period of the multiple time periods in response to determining, based on the message, that the first device is unavailable during the at least one time period, wherein the one or more transmission windows comprise a subset of all transmission windows between a first discovery window and a second discovery window; and

transitioning to an active operating mode during at least one transmission window between the first discovery window and the second discovery window, wherein the second device is configured to available with at least one device of the NAN during the active operating mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the second device being peered with other devices, determining that the other devices are unavailable during the at least one time period prior to transitioning to the low-power operating mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the second device, a second message including a second indication of whether the first device is available for a second time period of the multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group to operate in the active operating mode; and

performing one or more operations associated with a different device corresponding to another service during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the second time period.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the second time period is identified by multiple logical channels, wherein each of the multiple logical channels corresponds to a communication channel, and wherein the second message is received during a paging window portion of a transmission window corresponding to a first logical channel included in an index of logical channels corresponding to the data link group.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a basic communication channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a supplemental communication channel of a plurality of supplemental communication channels referenced by the index of logical channels.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the multiple logical channels represent communication channels, and wherein an indication of the communication channels follows an indication of the supplemental communication channel.

21. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group to operate in an active operating mode; and

means for transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to at least one time period of the multiple time periods in response to determining, based on the message, that the first device is unavailable during the at least one time period, wherein the one or more transmission windows comprise a subset of all transmission windows between a first discovery window and a second discovery window, wherein the means for transitioning is further configured transition to an active operating mode during at least one transmission window between the first discovery window and the second discovery window, and wherein the second device is available to communicate with at least one device of the NAN during the active operating mode.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement for a service or a paging message, and wherein the service comprises a music service, a gaming service, a message sharing service, or an advertising service.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for sending the message during a discovery window corresponding to the NAN or during a paging window of the data link group.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for receiving and the means for transitioning are included in a mobile communication device.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for communication, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available for multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group to operate in an active operating mode, the indication included in a message received at the second device; and

transitioning, by the second device, to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to at least one time period of the multiple time periods in response to determining, based on the message, that the first device is unavailable during the at least one time period, wherein the one or more transmission windows comprise a subset of all transmission windows between a first discovery window and a second discovery window; and

transitioning, by the second device, to an active operating mode during at least one transmission window between the first discovery window and the second discovery window, wherein the second device is configured to communicate with at least one device of the NAN during the active operating mode.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise in response to the second device being peered with other devices, determining that the other devices are unavailable during the at least one time period prior to transitioning to the low-power operating mode.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, at the second device, a second message including a second indication of whether the first device is available for a second time period designated for devices of the data link group to operate in the active operating mode.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise performing one or more operations associated with a different device corresponding to another service during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the second time period.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein at least a portion of the second time period is identified by multiple logical channels.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein each of the multiple logical channels corresponds to a communication channel.