NAN datapath quality of service support

• US 10,165,464 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Yong, Hartman, Christiaan A., Borges, Daniel R., Li, Guoqing, Kurian, Lawrie, Kralian, Nathan A., Heerboth, Peter N., Yong, Su Khiong
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhury, Faisal
• Application Number:
  US15/271,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 370254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1042 using topology management mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

In embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, i.e., direct communication between the mobile stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to NAN datapath scheduling and NAN pre-datapath operation setup and scheduling. The NAN datapath embodiments described herein provide a mechanism through which devices can communicate and provide services. In particular, embodiments described herein provide a mechanism for NAN datapaths to support various levels of quality of service (QoS). Aspects of the datapath development include datapath scheduling, including datapath setup and scheduling attributes, as well as pre-datapath operation triggering and scheduling. Scheduling may include determination of a type of datapath, including paging and synchronized datapaths. NAN data cluster base schedules may be scheduled as equal-sets or subsets of datapath schedules. The datapath model may be implemented for unicast and multicast communication between wireless stations.

Claims

1. A wireless station, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a first wireless interface and a second wireless interface, each configured to perform wireless communications; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to one or more radios, wherein the one or more radios are associated with the first and second wireless interfaces;

wherein the wireless station is configured to;

detect, via the first wireless interface, a neighboring wireless station that is configured to perform peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communication;

establish, via peer-to-peer negotiation, a datapath schedule for a service with the neighboring wireless station, wherein the datapath schedule is based at least in part on quality of service requirements of the service, wherein the quality of service requirements include a required further availability slot allocation, wherein the further availability slot allocation is comprised in a quality of service request message that comprises a preferred size of a Neighbor Awareness Networking data link (NDL) time block.

2. The wireless station of claim 1,

wherein the wireless station is a quality of service source.

3. The wireless station of claim 2,

wherein the wireless station is further configured to:

transmit the quality of service requirements to the neighboring wireless station.

4. The wireless station of claim 2,

wherein the wireless station implements a protocol stack, wherein the protocol stack comprises at least one lower layer and at least one upper layer, and wherein the quality of service requirements are received by the at least one lower layer from the at least one upper layer.

5. The wireless station of claim 1,

wherein the wireless station is a quality of service sink.

6. The wireless station of claim 5,

wherein the wireless station is further configured to:

receive the quality of service requirements from the neighboring wireless station.

7. The wireless station of claim 1,

wherein the quality of service requirements comprise one or more parameters, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of:

a user priority;

a service interval;

a data rate;

a delay bound;

or

a burst size.

8. The wireless station of claim 1,

wherein the quality of service request message further comprises:

a maximum gap between contiguous Neighbor Awareness Networking data link (NDL) time blocks.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, wherein the processor is in communication with the memory and at least one Wi-Fi wireless interface comprising at least one antenna, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive, via the at least one antenna of the at least one Wi-Fi wireless interface, an indication that a neighboring wireless station is configured to perform peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications; and

negotiate, via exchange of peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications over the at least one antenna of the at least one Wi-Fi wireless interface, a datapath schedule for a service with the neighboring wireless station, wherein the datapath schedule is based at least in part on quality of service requirements of the service, wherein the negotiation includes exchange of a quality of service request message comprising at least a minimum number of time units required within a specified period, wherein the specified period comprises one or more discovery window intervals, and wherein the at least minimum number of time units required within a specified time period indicates a preferred size of a Neighbor Awareness Networking data link (NDL) time block.

10. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate instructions to transmit, via peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications over the at least one Wi-Fi wireless interface, the quality of service requirements to the neighboring wireless station.

11. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the processor is further configured to implement a protocol stack, wherein the protocol stack comprises at least one lower layer and at least one upper layer, and wherein the quality of service requirements are received by the at least one lower layer from the at least one upper layer.

12. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, via peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications over the at least one Wi-Fi wireless interface, the quality of service requirements from the neighboring wireless station.

13. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the quality of service requirements further comprise one or more parameters, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of:

a user priority;

a service interval;

a data rate;

a delay bound;

or

a burst size.

14. The apparatus of claim 13,

wherein the service interval includes a minimum service interval and/or a maximum service interval.

15. The apparatus of claim 13,

wherein the data rate includes one or more of a minimum data rate, a mean data rate, or a peak data rate.

16. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium storing program instructions executable by a processor to:

receive, via peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications, an indication that a neighboring wireless station is configured to perform peer-to-peer communications;

determine quality of service requirements for a service, wherein the quality of service requirements include a required further availability slot allocation; and

negotiate, via peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications, a schedule for the service with the neighboring wireless station, wherein the schedule is based at least in part on quality of service requirements of the service, wherein the schedule indicates a further availability slot allocation, wherein the schedule comprised in a quality of service request message that comprises a preferred size of a Neighbor Awareness Networking data link (NDL) time block.

17. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 16,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

generate instructions to transmit, via peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications, the quality of service requirements to the neighboring wireless station.

18. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 16,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement a protocol stack, wherein the protocol stack comprises at least one lower layer and at least one upper layer, and wherein the quality of service requirements are received by the at least one lower layer from the at least one upper layer.

19. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 16,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive, via peer-to-peer Wi-Fi communications, the quality of service requirements from the neighboring wireless station.

20. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 16,

wherein the quality of service request message further comprises:

a maximum gap between contiguous Neighbor Awareness Networking data link (NDL) time blocks.