METHODS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR SHORT BEACON FRAMES IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20140192713A1
• Filed: 12/31/2011
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Minyoung, Stephens, Adrian P., Kenney, Thomas J., Qi, Emily H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,894,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments provide a new short beacon frame format and its operation with full beacon frame transmissions for wireless communications devices. Many embodiments comprise a medium access control (MAC) sublayer logic to build frames comprising the short beacon frame for a first communications device. In some embodiments, the MAC sublayer may determine a frame control field comprising a type field indicative of an extension frame and a subtype indicative of a short beacon. In further embodiments, the frame control field may comprise a service set identifier (SSID) control field, and a reserved field. Some embodiments may store the short beacon frame or frame format in memory, in logic, or in another manner that facilitates transmission of the short beacon frames. Some embodiments may receive and detect communications with the short beacon frames. Further embodiments may generate and transmit a communication with the short beacon frames.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a medium access control sublayer logic, one or more short beacon frames between generation of each full beacon frame to reduce the airtime consumed by the transmission of the beacon frames, the one or more short beacon frames comprising a field indicative of a time interval to a subsequent transmission of a full beacon frame; and

encapsulating, by a physical layer logic, the frames with preambles to create physical layer protocol data units to transmit;

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the one or more short beacon frames comprises generating at least one of the short beacon frames with a change sequence field comprising a value indicative of a revision of operations of a communications device comprising the medium access control sublayer logic.

5. The method of claim 1, generating the one or more short beacon frames comprises generating at least one of the short beacon frames with a service set identification control field, wherein the value of the service set control field is indicative of a format of the service set identification field in the at least one of the short beacon frames.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating at least one of the short beacon frames with a service set identification control field comprises generating the at least one of the short beacon frames with the service set identification control field, wherein the value of the service set control field indicates that the service set identification field comprises a hash of the service set identification.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein generating at least one of the short beacon frames with a service set identification control field comprises generating the at least one of the short beacon frames with the service set identification control field, wherein the value of the service set control field indicates that the service set identification field comprises a portion of the service set identification.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

8. A device comprising:

a memory;

a medium access control sublayer logic coupled with the memory to generate a frame comprising a type field, indicative of an extension type frame, a subtype field indicative of a short beacon frame, and a field indicative of a time interval to a subsequent transmission of a full beacon frame.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to generate the frame with a change sequence field comprising a value indicative of a revision of operations of a communications device comprising the medium access control sublayer logic.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to generate the frame with an service set identification control field, wherein the value of the service set control field is indicative of a format of a service set identification field in the frame.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to generate the frame with a hash of the service set identification.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to generate the frame with a portion of the service set identification.

9-11. -11. (canceled)

16. A method comprising:

receiving, by a medium access control sublayer logic, a frame comprising a field indicative of a time interval to a subsequent transmission of a full beacon frame;

determining, by the medium access control sublayer logic, based upon the frame, the time interval to the subsequent transmission of the full beacon frame;

entering a low power state for a time period based upon the time interval to the subsequent transmission of the full beacon frame;

entering a second power state; and

receiving, by the medium access control sublayer logic, the full beacon frame.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, by the antenna, the frame encapsulated by the preamble.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing, by the medium access control sublayer logic, at least part of the frame in memory.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a value indicative of a revision of operations of an access point based upon the frame to determine to receive the full beacon frame.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a value of the service set control field is indicative of a format of a service set identification field in the frame and determining the service set identification based upon a portion of the service set identification in the service set identification field.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a value of the service set control field is indicative of a hash format of a service set identification field in the frame and determining mapping information to determine the service set identification based upon a hash of the service set identification in the service set identification field.

22. A device comprising:

a memory;

a medium access control sublayer logic coupled with the memory to receive a frame comprising a field indicative of a time interval to a subsequent transmission of a full beacon frame;

to determine, based upon the frame, the time interval to the subsequent transmission of the full beacon frame;

to enter a low power state to await transmission of the full beacon frame;

to enter a second power state to receive the full beacon frame; and

to receive the full beacon frame.

23. The device of claim 22, further comprising a transmitter coupled with the medium access control logic to transmit the frame.

24. The device of claim 23, further comprising an antenna coupled with the transmitter to transmit the frame.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to determine the frame with a change sequence field comprising a value indicative of a revision of operations of a communications device comprising the medium access control sublayer logic and to determine to receive the full beacon based upon the value indicative of the revision of operations.

26. The device of claim 22, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to determine the frame with an service set identification control field, wherein the value of the service set control field is indicative of a format of a service set identification field in the frame and to determine the service set identification based upon a portion of the service set identification in the service set identification field.

27. The device of claim 22, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to determine the frame with a hash of the service set identification, to determine mapping information to determine the service set identification based upon a hash of the service set identification in the service set identification field, and to determine the service set identification based upon the hash.

28. A machine-accessible product comprising:

a medium containing instructions to cause a machine to perform operations, wherein the operations comprise;

generating, by a medium access control sublayer logic, a frame comprising a type field, indicative of an extension type frame, a subtype field indicative of a short beacon frame, and a field indicative of a time interval to a subsequent transmission of a full beacon frame.

29. The machine accessible product of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise generating the frame with a change sequence field comprising a value indicative of a revision of operations of a communications device comprising the medium access control sublayer logic.

30. The machine accessible product of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise generating the frame with a service set identification control field, wherein the value of the service set control field is indicative of a format of the service set identification field in the frame.