Device and method for automatic network detection and formation

• US 10,298,413 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entropic Communications, LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Entropic Communications, LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Petrovic, Branislav, Hebron, Yoav, Jogadhenu, Sagar, Tsatsanis, Michail, O'Leary, Mark, Li, Yunhong, Singh, Inderjit, Lee, Ronald B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US15/037,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20160294576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/24 Testing correct operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0833 for reduction of network energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A communication device includes a communication port including network interface circuitry; and a processor, and a non-transitory storage medium configured to store program instructions which, when executed by the processor cause the communication device to perform a network operation comprising: entering into a listening phase; and searching for and attempting to acquire a network.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

at least one module operable to, at least;

select a number of beacon phase cycles, between a minimum number of beacon phase cycles and a maximum number of beacon phase cycles, to perform in a beacon phase;

operate in a listening phase in which the at least one module, at least, searches for a beacon on a plurality of channels of the network; and

if no beacon is heard during the listening phase, then operate in the beacon phase in which the at least one module, at least, transmits beacons over the network and listens for a transmission on the network by another communication device, wherein the beacon phase comprises the selected number of beacon phase cycles.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to listen for a transmission on the network by another communication device by, at least in part, operating to:

listen for a response to beacons transmitted by the communication device; and

listen for beacons transmitted over the network.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to select a second number of beacon phase cycles, different from the selected number of beacon cycles, during a single network forming procedure.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to select the number of beacon phase cycles randomly.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine the maximum number of beacon phase cycles based, at least in part, on a last operating frequency of the communication device.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to:

select a duration of the listening phase; and

operate in the listening phase for the selected duration of the listening phase.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the at least one module is operable to select the duration of the listening phase randomly.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to:

select a listening phase duration between a minimum listening phase duration and a maximum listening phase duration; and

operate in the listening phase for the selected listening phase duration.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the at least one module is operable to listen for a transmission on the network by another communication device by, at least in part, operating to:

listen for a response to beacons transmitted by the communication device; and

listen for beacons transmitted over the network.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the at least one module is operable to select a second listening phase duration, different from the listening phase duration, during a single network forming procedure.

11. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the at least one module is operable to select the listening phase duration randomly.

12. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the minimum listening phase duration is an amount of time required to search each channel of the plurality of channels at least once.

13. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the at least one module is operable to select the number of beacon phase cycles based at least in part on frequency.

14. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine the maximum number of beacon phase cycles based, at least in part, on a last operating frequency of the communication device.

15. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the at least one module is operable to randomly select the number of beacon phase cycles to perform in the beacon phase.