Adaptive beacon period in a distributed network
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A wireless communications device, comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive a plurality of beacon messages from a plurality of other wireless devices in a group across a wireless transmission medium, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending the beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group;
a controller configured to determine a required beacon period length for the group including the wireless communications device based on at least information of the received beacon messages, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period; and
a transmitter configured to send a generated beacon message including a beacon period length field corresponding to the required beacon period length, announcing a number of beacon slots to the group by the wireless communications device.
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Abstract
A wireless communications network includes one or more wireless communications devices and a wireless transmission medium. The one or more wireless communications devices transmit beacon messages across the wireless transmission medium during a beacon period that is within a superframe. The beacon period has a number of beacon slots that is dynamically adjusted.
50 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A wireless communications device, comprising:
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a receiver configured to receive a plurality of beacon messages from a plurality of other wireless devices in a group across a wireless transmission medium, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending the beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group; a controller configured to determine a required beacon period length for the group including the wireless communications device based on at least information of the received beacon messages, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period; and a transmitter configured to send a generated beacon message including a beacon period length field corresponding to the required beacon period length, announcing a number of beacon slots to the group by the wireless communications device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method, comprising:
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(a) receiving at a first wireless device in a group a plurality of beacon messages from a plurality of other wireless devices in the group across a wireless transmission medium, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending the beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group; (b) determining at the first wireless device a required beacon period length for the group including the wireless communications device based on at least information of the received beacon messages, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period; and (c) sending by the first wireless device a beacon message including a beacon period length field corresponding to the required beacon period length, announcing a number of beacon slots to the group. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method, comprising:
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(a) receiving at a first wireless device in a group one or more beacon messages from a plurality of other wireless devices in the group across a wireless transmission medium, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending the beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group, wherein each of the one or more beacon messages is received within one or more corresponding beacon periods; (b) determining at the first wireless device a required beacon period length for the group including the first wireless communications device based on at least information of the received beacon messages, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period; and (c) sending by the first wireless device a beacon message including a beacon period length field corresponding to the required beacon period length, announcing a number of beacon slots to the group.
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15. A wireless communications network, comprising:
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a plurality of wireless communications devices in a group; and a wireless transmission medium; wherein the plurality of wireless communications devices transmit beacon messages across the wireless transmission medium during a beacon period, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending said beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group;
wherein the beacon period is within a superframe and has a number of beacon slots that is dynamically adjusted based on at least information of the received beacon messages, which is used by at least one of said devices to determine a required beacon period length for the group, to be sent in a message announcing a number of beacon slots to the group, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program to perform a method, comprising:
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receiving at a first wireless device in a group a plurality of beacon messages from a plurality of other wireless devices in the group across a wireless transmission medium, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending the beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group; determining at the first wireless device a required beacon period length for the group including the wireless communications device based on at least information of the received beacon messages, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period; and sending by the first wireless device a beacon message including a beacon period length field corresponding to the required beacon period length, announcing a number of beacon slots to the group. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An apparatus, comprising:
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means for receiving a plurality of beacon messages from a plurality of other wireless devices in a group across a wireless transmission medium, wherein the beacon messages are for maintaining coordination between wireless devices in the group, each of the beacon messages including a beacon period length field indicating at least a number of beacon slots announced to the group by a device sending the beacon message and the beacon messages including device identifications of all devices in the group; means for determining a required beacon period length for the group including the wireless communications device based on at least information of the received beacon messages, said required beacon period length being a commonly shared period for the plurality of wireless devices in the group to contain a required number of beacon slots sufficient for the identified devices to transmit beacon messages during the beacon period; and means for sending a generated beacon message including a beacon period length field corresponding to the required beacon period length, announcing a number of beacon slots to the group by the wireless communications device.
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Specification