METHOD TO ENABLE WI-FI DIRECT USAGE IN RADAR BANDS

• US 20130171941A1
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kenney, Thomas J., Perahia, Eldad, Hattig, Myron P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,879,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/23 Manipulation of direct-mode connections

Abstract

A method and system for allowing a client device to establish a direct communications session such as Wi-Fi Direct service using the 5 GHz band. In one embodiment, a client device first establishes a direct communications session, in the 2.4 GHz band with another client device, and then, based on the content used in that service, establishes a 5 GHz service if needed.

Claims

1. A method for operating a device having an RF transceiver capable of operating in a 2.4 GHz band and a 5 GHz band, comprising:

as a group owner, establishing a direct communications service with one or more other devices using the 2.4 GHz band;

scanning one or more DFS-required channels of the 5 GHz band for radar or other activity to determine their availability; and

if one or more channels of the 5 GHz band are available, moving at least part of the 2.4 GHz communications service with the other device to the 5 GHz band if a higher quality of service is needed by the communications session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device is equipped with multiple RF transceivers and further comprising using one RF transceiver to monitor the 5 GHz band for activity when the direct communications service is over the 2.4 GHz band.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the device further comprises a duplexer to allow the RF transceiver to monitor the 5 GHz band while transmitting over the 2.4 GHz band.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising moving the communications service back to the 2.4 GHz band if channels in the 5 GHz band become unavailable.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising moving the communications session back to the 2.4 GHz band if quality of service requirements are low enough.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising beginning scanning of the 5 GHz band for available channels immediately upon establishing a direct communications service in the 2.4 GHz band.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising beginning scanning of the 5 GHz band for available channels based on QOS requirements after establishing the direct communications service in the 2.4 GHz band.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising continuing a portion of the direct communications service in the 2.4 GHz band after establishing a communications service in the 5 GHz band.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing, as a group owner, a direct communications service with one or more other devices using one or more non-DFS-required channels at the edges of the 5 GHz band.

10. A medium containing processor-executable instructions for executing the method recited by claim 1.

11. A device, comprising:

an RF transceiver operated by a processor that is capable of operating in a 2.4 GHz band and a 5 GHz band;

wherein the processor is configured to;

as a group owner, establish a direct communications service with one or more other devices using the 2.4 GHz band;

scan one or more DFS-required channels of the 5 GHz band for radar or other activity to determine their availability;

if one or more channels of the 5 GHz band are available, move at least part of the 2.4 GHz communications service with the other device to the 5 GHz band if a higher quality of service is needed by the communications session.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the device is equipped with multiple RF transceivers and the processor is configured to use one RF transceiver to monitor the 5 GHz band for activity when the direct communications service is over the 2.4 GHz band.

13. The device of claim 11 further comprising a duplexer to allow the RF transceiver to monitor the 5 GHz band while transmitting over the 2.4 GHz band.

14. The device of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to move the communications service back to the 2.4 GHz band if channels in the 5 GHz band become unavailable.

15. The device of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to move the communications session back to the 2.4 GHz band if quality of service requirements are low enough.

16. The device of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured begin scanning the 5 GHz band for available channels immediately upon establishing a direct communications service in the 2.4 GHz band.

17. The device of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to begin scanning the 5 GHz band for available channels based on QOS requirements after establishing the direct communications service in the 2.4 GHz band.

18. The device of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to continue a portion of the direct communications service in the 2.4 GHz band after establishing a communications service in the 5 GHz band.

19. The device of claim 11 wherein the process is further configured to establish, as a group owner, a direct communications service with one or more other devices using one or more non-DFS-required channels at the edges of the 5 GHz band.

20. The device of claim 11 wherein the device is 802.11 compliant.