METHOD FOR OPERATING A MOBILE TERMINAL AS ACCESS POINT AND CORRESPONDING MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20120195193A1
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Europe Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Camps Mur, Daniel, Perez Costa, Xavier
• Granted Patent: US 9,204,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for operating a mobile terminal as access point, wherein the access point composes a network together with one or more associated client stations, wherein the access point has an operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods, and wherein the access point broadcasts beacon frames at regular intervals for signaling communication parameters to the associated client stations, is characterized in that the access point, based on the level of activity in the network, adjusts the communication parameters by slowing down or accelerating the access of the associated client stations to the network. Furthermore, a corresponding mobile terminal is disclosed.

Claims

1. Method for operating a mobile terminal as access point, wherein said access point composes a network together with one or more associated client stations,

wherein said access point has an operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods, and

wherein said access point broadcasts beacon frames at regular intervals for signaling communication parameters to said associated client stations,

characterized in that said access point, based on the level of activity in said network, adjusts said communication parameters by slowing down or accelerating the access of said associated client stations to said network.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the level of activity in said network is detected by said access point.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to enter into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods in case the level of activity in said network is below a configurable threshold for a predetermined period of time.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to stay in an awake state for a configurable period of time without any activity in said network.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said communication parameters include the contention window, data rate and/or a number of retransmissions, and wherein said access point adjusts any or a combination of said communication parameters in order to slow down or accelerate the access of said associated client stations to said network.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein said associated client stations are configured to support the Wi-Fi Wireless MultiMedia (WMM) specification.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the access of said associated client stations to said network is slowed down in case said access point enters into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the access of said associated client stations to said network is accelerated as soon as activity in said network is detected.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to switch between at least two operational modes with different access configurations for said associated client stations to said network.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein as soon as activity in said network is detected, said access point restores the communication parameters of the access configuration that was being employed before the access to said network was slowed down.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to support at least two different awake/sleep patterns with different lengths of the awake and sleep periods.

12. Mobile terminal, in particular for executing a method according to claim 1, said terminal being operated as access point,

wherein said access point composes a network together with one or more associated client stations,

wherein said access point performs alternating awake and sleep periods, and

wherein said access point broadcasts beacon frames at regular intervals for signaling communication parameters to said associated client stations,

characterized in that said access point, based on the level of activity in said network, adjusts said communication parameters by slowing down or accelerating the access of said associated client stations to said network.

13. Method according to claim 2, wherein said access point is configured to enter into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods in case the level of activity in said network is below a configurable threshold for a predetermined period of time.