METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO PEER TO PEER COMMUNICATIONS TIMING STRUCTURE

• US 20090010232A1
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jovicic, Aleksandar, Richardson, Thomas, Laroia, Rajiv, Wu, Xinzhou, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 8,385,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to peer to peer communication networks are described. A peer to peer timing structure is implemented which includes a pattern of different types of time intervals including at least a peer discovery time interval and a traffic interval. A wireless communications device, supporting peer to peer operations stores the peer to peer timing structure information, accesses the stored information, and used the accessed information to determine an operation to be performed during a current time period. The operation is, e.g., a peer discovery operation, a peer to peer timing synchronization operation, a peer paging operation, or a peer to peer traffic signaling operation. Various exemplary relationships between the different types of intervals, including relative frequencies, relative durations, and spacing information, are described. Advantageous construction of the recurring peer to peer timing structure facilitates efficient utilization of air link resources and/or higher traffic data throughput capabilities.

Claims

1. A method of operating a first wireless communications device, comprising:

accessing stored peer to peer timing structure information, said stored timing structure information defining a pattern of different types of time intervals, said different types of time intervals including at least a peer discovery interval and a traffic interval; and

using said accessed stored peer to peer timing structure information in determining an operation to be performed during a current time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said pattern of different types of time intervals repeats over time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said pattern has a predetermined periodicity and wherein each period includes at least one peer discovery interval and at least one traffic interval.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the duration of each peer discovery interval is less than 10 ms.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein during each period, the total time allocated to traffic intervals is at least 100 times the total time allocated to peer discovery intervals.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of a plurality of traffic intervals included in each period has a duration which is longer than the duration of any of the peer discovery intervals included in said period.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each time period includes at least 10 times as many traffic time intervals as peer discovery intervals.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the traffic and peer discovery intervals have the same duration or substantially the same duration and there are more traffic time intervals than peer discovery time intervals.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein two successive peer discovery intervals in a time period including two repetitions of said pattern are separated in time by a gap of at least 1 second.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein each period further includes a timing synchronization interval.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said timing synchronization interval is a time interval during which the first wireless terminal can collect signal timing data from a signal received from a peer device, said signal timing data being for use in adjusting the first wireless terminal'"'"'s symbol timing.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein each period further includes a paging interval.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the duration of each paging interval is less than 10 ms.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein during each period, the total time allocated to traffic intervals is at least 10 times the total time allocated to paging intervals.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each of a plurality of traffic intervals included in each period has a duration which is longer than the duration of any of the paging intervals included in said period.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each time period includes at least 10 times as many traffic time intervals as paging intervals.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the traffic and paging intervals have the same duration or substantially the same duration and there are there more traffic time intervals than paging intervals.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein two successive paging intervals in a time period including two repetitions of said pattern are separated in time by a gap of at least 100 milli-seconds.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the total amount of time for paging is at least twice the total amount of time for peer discovery.

20. A first wireless communications device, comprising:

stored timing structure information defining a pattern of different types of time intervals, said different types of time intervals including at least a peer discovery interval and a traffic interval;

an access module for accessing said stored peer to peer timing structure information; and

an operation determination module for using said accessed stored peer to peer timing structure information in determining an operation to be performed during a current time period.

21. The first wireless communications device of claim 20, wherein said pattern of different types of time intervals repeats over time.

22. The first wireless communications device of claim 21, wherein said pattern has a predetermined periodicity and wherein each period includes at least one peer discovery interval and at least one traffic interval.

23. The first wireless communications device of claim 22, wherein the duration of each peer discovery interval is less than 10 ms.

24. The first wireless communications device of claim 22, wherein during each period, the total time allocated to traffic intervals is at least 100 times the total time allocated to peer discovery intervals.

25. The first wireless communications device of claim 24, wherein each of a plurality of traffic intervals included in each period has a duration which is longer than the duration of any of the peer discovery intervals included in said period.

26. The first wireless communications device of claim 24, wherein each time period includes at least 10 times as many traffic time intervals as peer discovery intervals.

27. The first wireless communications device of claim 24, wherein the traffic and peer discovery intervals have the same duration or substantially the same duration and there are more traffic time intervals than peer discovery time intervals.

28. The first wireless communications device of claim 26, wherein two successive peer discovery intervals in a time period including two repetitions of said pattern are separated in time by a gap of at least 1 second.

29. The first wireless communications device of claim 22, wherein each period further includes a timing synchronization interval.

30. The first wireless communications device of claim 29, wherein said timing synchronization interval is a time interval during which the first wireless terminal can collect signal timing data from a signal received from a peer device, said signal timing data being for use in adjusting the first wireless terminal'"'"'s symbol timing.

31. The first wireless communications device of claim 22, wherein each period further includes a paging interval.

32. The first wireless communications device of claim 31, wherein the duration of each paging interval is less than 10 ms.

33. The first wireless communications device of claim 32, wherein during each period, the total time allocated to traffic intervals is at least 10 times the total time allocated to paging intervals.

34. The first wireless communications device of claim 33, wherein each of a plurality of traffic intervals included in each period has a duration which is longer than the duration of any of the paging intervals included in said period.

35. The first wireless communications device of claim 33, wherein each time period includes at least 10 times as many traffic time intervals as paging intervals.

36. The first wireless communications device of claim 33, wherein the traffic and paging intervals have the same duration or substantially the same duration and there are there more traffic time intervals than paging intervals.

37. The first wireless communications device of claim 31, wherein two successive paging intervals in a time period including two repetitions of said pattern are separated in time by a gap of at least 100 ms.

38. The first wireless communications device of claim 31, wherein the total amount of time for paging is at least twice the total amount of time for peer discovery.

39. A first wireless communications device, comprising:

stored timing structure information means for defining a pattern of different types of time intervals, said different types of time intervals including at least a peer discovery interval and a traffic interval;

means for accessing said stored peer to peer timing structure information; and

means for using said accessed stored peer to peer timing structure information in determining an operation to be performed during a current time period.

40. The first wireless communications device of claim 39, wherein said pattern of different types of time intervals repeats over time.

41. The first wireless communications device of claim 40, wherein said pattern has a predetermined periodicity and wherein each period includes at least one peer discovery interval and at least one traffic interval.

42. The first wireless communications device of claim 41, wherein each period further includes a timing synchronization interval.

43. The first wireless communications device of claim 41, wherein each period further includes a paging interval.

44. The first wireless communications device of claim 43, wherein the total amount of time for paging is at least twice the total amount of time for peer discovery.

45. A computer readable medium embodying machine executable instructions to implement a method for operating a first wireless communications device, the method comprising:

accessing stored peer to peer timing structure information, said stored timing structure information defining a pattern of different types of time intervals, said different types of time intervals including at least a peer discovery interval and a traffic interval; and

using said accessed stored peer to peer timing structure information in determining an operation to be performed during a current time period.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 45, wherein said pattern of different types of time intervals repeats over time.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein said pattern has a predetermined periodicity and wherein each period includes at least one peer discovery interval and at least one traffic interval.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein each period further includes a timing synchronization interval.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein each period further includes a paging interval.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 49, wherein two successive paging intervals in a time period including two repetitions of said pattern are separated in time by a gap of at least 100 milli-seconds.

51. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

access stored peer to peer timing structure information, said stored timing structure information defining a pattern of different types of time intervals, said different types of time intervals including at least a peer discovery interval and a traffic interval; and

use said accessed stored peer to peer timing structure information to determine an operation to be performed during a current time period.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said pattern of different types of time intervals repeats over time.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein said pattern has a predetermined periodicity and wherein each period includes at least one peer discovery interval and at least one traffic interval.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein each period further includes a timing synchronization interval.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein each period further includes a paging interval.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein two successive paging intervals in a time period including two repetitions of said pattern are separated in time by a gap of at least 100 milli-seconds.