Infrastructure and ad-hoc node device

• US 8,310,967 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Goel, Sandesh, Bhagwat, Rajesh Shreeram, Patwardhan, Kaustubh Shrikrishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh-Vu
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANWAR, MOHAMMAD S
• Application Number:
  US12/484,563
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/324, 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An infrastructure and ad-hoc node device is described. In embodiments, a node device includes an ad-hoc interface for data communications via an ad-hoc network that includes peer devices of a first basic service set (BSS). The node device also includes an infrastructure interface for additional data communications via an infrastructure network of nodes that communicate via an access point of a second basic service set. A power save service can optimize a power save mode of the node device by minimizing a device communication mode during which the data communications and the additional data communications are received over a shared communication channel, or are received over different communication channels.

Claims

1. A node device, comprising:

a first communication interface configured to communicate data via an ad-hoc wireless local-area-network (WLAN), the ad-hoc WLAN including peer devices of a first basic service set (BSS);

a second communication interface configured to communicate other data via an infrastructure WLAN, communications of the infrastructure WLAN managed via an access point of a second BSS, the first and the second communication interfaces communicating over a same WLAN communication channel and associated with the first and the second BSSs respectively; and

a power save service configured to;

determine a time synchronization function (TSF) offset based on a time duration between when an infrastructure beacon is received and when an ad-hoc beacon is received; and

minimize, based at least in part on the TSF offset, transitions between an inactive communication mode and an active communication mode during which the data and the other data are received over the same WLAN communication channel via the ad-hoc WLAN and the infrastructure WLAN respectively.

2. A node device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and the second communication interfaces are virtual interfaces of a single media access controller (MAC) operably coupled with a wireless physical layer (PHY), the MAC and wireless PHY configured to process the data and the other data over the same WLAN communication channel.

3. A node device as recited in claim 1, wherein minimizing the transitions between the inactive communication mode and the active communication mode includes causing the data and the other data to be received during a same period of the active communication mode.

4. A node device as recited in claim 1, wherein an indication of when the infrastructure beacon is received is tagged to the infrastructure beacon by a MAC of the second wireless communication interface.

5. A node device as recited in claim 1, wherein the power save service includes a timer configured to determine a TSF update from a BSS identifier (BSSID) that is received via the first communication interface from the first BSS, and wherein the power save service is further configured to compute the TSF offset based on a timestamp field of the infrastructure beacon.

6. A node device as recited in claim 1, wherein the power save service is further configured to cause an ad-hoc beacon interval to be approximately equal to an infrastructure beacon interval or equal to a multiple of the infrastructure beacon interval.

7. A node device as recited in claim 1, wherein the power save service is further configured to cause, based on the TSF offset, a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) for the ad-hoc network to follow an infrastructure beacon interval.

8. A node device as recited in claim 7, wherein the power save service is further configured to establish a TSF for the ad-hoc network at the node device that is higher in value than an ad-hoc TSF received from the first BSS.

9. A method, comprising:

communicating data of a device via an ad-hoc wireless local-area-network (WLAN), the ad-hoc WLAN including peer devices of a first basic service set (BSS);

communicating other data of the device via an infrastructure WLAN, the infrastructure WLAN managed via an access point of a second BSS, the data and the other data communicated over a same WLAN communication channel using a single media access controller (MAC) and physical layer interface (PHY) configured to receive frames having two or more BSS identifiers (BSSIDs); and

optimizing a power save mode of the device by;

determining a time synchronization function (TSF) offset based on a time duration between when an infrastructure beacon is received and when an ad-hoc beacon is received; and

minimizing, based at least in part on the TSF offset, transitions between an inactive communication mode and an active communication mode during which the data and the other data are received over the same WLAN communication channel via the ad-hoc WLAN and the infrastructure WLAN respectively.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the data communicated via the ad-hoc WLAN is associated with a state machine and the other data communicated via the infrastructure WLAN is associated with another state machine, the state machine and the other state machine configured to receive the data and the other data respectively from the single MAC.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein determining the TSF offset is further based on a beacon interval of the ad-hoc WLAN or the infrastructure WLAN.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising determining a TSF offset update based on a timestamp associated with a frame received via the ad-hoc WLAN and a timer counting from a previous TSF offset.

13. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising causing, based on the TSF offset, a beacon interval of the ad-hoc WLAN to be approximately equal to a beacon interval of the infrastructure WLAN.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising causing, based on the TSF offset, a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) for the ad-hoc WLAN to follow beacon intervals of the infrastructure WLAN.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of causing includes establishing a TSF that is higher in value than another TSF value received from the first BSS.

16. A node device, comprising:

a first communication interface configured to communicate data via an ad-hoc wireless local-area-network (WLAN), the ad-hoc WLAN including peer devices of a first basic service set (BSS);

a second communication interface configured to communicate other data via an infrastructure WLAN, communications of the infrastructure WLAN managed by an access point of a second BSS, the first and the second communication interfaces communicating over a same WLAN communication channel; and

a power save service configured to;

determine a time synchronization function (TSF) offset based on a time duration between when an infrastructure beacon is received and when an ad-hoc beacon is received; and

minimize, based at least in part on the TSF offset, transitions between an inactive communication mode and an active communication mode during which the data and the other data are communicated over the same WLAN communication channel via the ad-hoc WLAN and the infrastructure WLAN respectively.

17. A node device as recited in claim 16, wherein the power save service is further configured to determine the TSF offset based on a beacon interval of the ad-hoc WLAN or the infrastructure WLAN.

18. A node device as recited in claim 16, wherein the power save service is further configured to cause, based on the TSF offset, a beacon interval of the ad-hoc WLAN to be approximately equal to a beacon interval of the infrastructure WLAN.

19. A node device as recited in claim 16, wherein the power save service is further configured to cause, based on the TSF offset, a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) for the ad-hoc WLAN to follow beacon intervals of the infrastructure WLAN.

20. A node device as recited in claim 19, wherein the power save service is further configured to establish a new TSF for the first BSS that is higher in value than another TSF value previously received from the first BSS.