Device discovery for mixed types of directional terminals

• US 8,325,659 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Chen, Richard, Zhai, Hong, Chou, Chun-Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANTON, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US12/522,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20100135224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,784 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An antenna (740) listens in each of a plurality of steerable sectors to determine if a primary beacon is present; transmits a primary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is not present; and transmits a secondary device beacon in a first one of the plurality of steerable sectors if a primary beacon is discovered. The antenna (740) may transmit the primary and secondary beacons on a different communication channel than a data communication channel or may transmit the primary and secondary beacons on a same communication channel as a data communication channel. The antenna (740) may divide the same communication channel into time slices wherein different time slices of a super-frame are utilized for the primary beacon, the secondary beacon, and the data communication. The secondary device (C, D) sends additional beacons in additional sectors if it receives non-primary beacon from the additional sectors.

Claims

1. A method of turning on a steerable antenna device to form a communication network, the method comprising acts of:

listening in each of a plurality of steerable sectors to determine whether a primary beacon is present;

transmitting a primary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is not present;

transmitting a secondary device beacon in a first one of the plurality of steerable sectors if a primary beacon is discovered, and

transmitting a secondary device beacon in a second one of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is discovered in the first one of the plurality of steerable sectors and a beacon from one of a fixed or secondary directional antenna device is detected in the second one of the plurality of steerable sectors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a different communication channel than a data communication channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a same communication channel as a data communication channel, wherein the same communication channel is divided into time slices and wherein a first given time slice of a super-frame is utilized for the primary beacon, a second given time slice of the super-frame is utilized for the secondary beacon, and a third given time slice of the super-frame is utilized for the data communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steerable device is one of a non-sharing primary or secondary device that is non-sharing of a communication channel in a non-sharing sector, the method comprising an act of stopping transmission of the primary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors other than the non-sharing sector.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary steerable device transmits a primary beacon to act as a primary device if the steerable device ceases to receive the primary beacon.

6. An application embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium arranged to control turn on of a steerable antenna device to form a communication network, the application comprising:

a portion configured to control listening in each of a plurality of steerable sectors to determine whether a primary beacon is present;

a portion configured to control transmitting a primary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is not present;

a portion configured to control transmitting a secondary device beacon in a first one of the plurality of steerable sectors if a primary beacon is discovered, and

a portion configured to control transmitting a secondary device beacon in a second one of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is discovered in the first one of the plurality of steerable sectors and a beacon from a fixed or secondary directional antenna device is detected in the second one of the plurality of steerable sectors.

7. The application of claim 6, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a different communication channel than a data communication channel.

8. The application of claim 6, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a same communication channel as a data communication channel, wherein the same communication channel is divided into time slices and wherein a first given time slice of a super-frame is utilized for the primary beacon, a second given time slice of the super-frame is utilized for the secondary beacon, and a third given time slice of the super-frame is utilized for the data communication.

9. The application of claim 6, wherein the steerable device is one of a non-sharing primary or secondary device that is non-sharing of a communication channel in a non-sharing sector, the application comprising a portion configured to control stopping transmission of the primary or secondary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors other than the non-sharing sector.

10. The application of claim 6, wherein the application is configured to repeat the listening and transmitting one of the primary or secondary beacons if the steerable device ceases to receive the primary beacon.

11. A steerable antenna device configured to form a communication network, the device comprising:

an antenna configured to;

listen in each of a plurality of steerable sectors to determine whether a primary beacon is present;

transmit a primary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is not present;

transmit a secondary device beacon in a first one of the plurality of steerable sectors if a primary beacon is discovered; and

transmit a secondary device beacon in a second one of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is discovered in the first one of the plurality of steerable sectors and a beacon from a fixed or secondary directional antenna device is detected in the second one of the plurality of steerable sectors.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the antenna is configured to transmit the primary and secondary beacons on a different communication channel than a data communication channel.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a same communication channel as a data communication channel and wherein the antenna is configured to divide the same communication channel into time slices, wherein the antenna is configured to utilize a first given time slice of a super-frame for the primary beacon, is configured to utilize a second given time slice of the super-frame for the secondary beacon, and is configured to utilize a third given time slice of the super-frame for the data communication.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the antenna is configured as a non-sharing antenna that is non-sharing of a communication channel in a non-sharing sector, and wherein the antenna is configured to stop transmission of the primary or secondary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors other than the non-sharing sector.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the antenna is configured to repeat the listening and transmitting one of the primary or secondary beacons if the antenna ceases to receive the primary beacon.

16. A communication protocol stored on a non-transitory computer readable memory medium for turning on a steerable antenna device to form a communication network, the communication protocol comprising acts of:

listening in each of a plurality of steerable sectors to determine whether a primary beacon is present;

transmitting a primary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is not present;

transmitting a secondary device beacon in a first one of the plurality of steerable sectors if a primary beacon is discovered; and

transmitting a secondary device beacon in a second one of the plurality of steerable sectors if the primary beacon is discovered in the first one of the plurality of steerable sectors and a beacon from a fixed or secondary directional antenna device is detected in the second one of the plurality of steerable sectors.

17. The communication protocol of claim 16, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a different communication channel than a data communication channel.

18. The communication protocol of claim 16, wherein the primary and secondary beacons are transmitted on a same communication channel as a data communication channel, wherein the same communication channel is divided into time slices, and wherein a first given time slice of a super-frame is utilized for the primary beacon, a second given time slice of the super-frame is utilized for the secondary beacon, and a third given time slice of the super-frame is utilized for the data communication.

19. The communication protocol of claim 16, wherein the communication protocol includes communicating with a non-sharing primary device that is non-sharing of a communication channel in a non-sharing sector, the communication protocol comprising stopping transmission of the primary or secondary device beacon in each of the plurality of steerable sectors other than the non-sharing sector.

20. The communication protocol of claim 16, wherein the protocol comprises repeating the listening and transmitting one of the primary or secondary beacons if the primary beacon ceases to be received.