Proximity-based wireless handshaking for connection establishment

• US 8,774,041 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Akay, Enis, Chang, Richard T., Hsu, Meng-Ta, Hu, Yu-Chang, Kearney, Philip F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMBAYE, MEWALE A
• Application Number:
  US13/411,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 709/204, 709/229, 455/41.1, 455/68, 455/461
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A first network device can implement functionality to establish a proximity-based wireless connection with a second network device. It can be determined whether the second network device is within a threshold detection distance from the first network device based on a signal strength associated with RF signals received from the second network device or based on detecting RF saturation at the first network device. Device credentials associated with the first network device can be transmitted to the second network device at a reduced transmit power level in response to determining that the second network device is within the threshold detection distance from the first network device. A communication link can be established between the first network device and the second network device based, at least in part, on the device credentials associated with the first network device and device credentials received from the second network device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a signal strength associated with an RF signal received at a first wireless network device from a second wireless network device of a wireless communication network;

detecting RF saturation at the first wireless network device;

determining, in response to detecting the RF saturation, whether the second wireless network device is within a threshold detection distance from the first wireless network device based, at least in part, on the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device;

transmitting a device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at a reduced transmit power level in response to determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

establishing a communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the device credential associated with the first wireless network device and a device credential associated with the second wireless network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance comprises:

comparing the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device against a signal strength threshold to determine whether the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is greater than the signal strength threshold; and

in response to determining that the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is greater than the signal strength threshold, determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in response to determining that the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is less than the signal strength threshold, the method further comprises:

determining that the second wireless network device is not within the threshold detection distance; and

determining to not establish the communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to transmitting the device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at the reduced transmit power level,

determining whether the first wireless network device is being moved away from the second wireless network device;

and

in response to determining that the first wireless network device is being moved away from the second wireless network device,

increasing a transmit power associated with the first wireless network device from the reduced transmit power level to a first transmit power level that is greater than the reduced transmit power level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to said transmitting the device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at the reduced transmit power level, the method further comprises:

increasing a transmit power associated with the first wireless network device from the reduced transmit power level to a first transmit power level that is greater than the reduced transmit power level.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first wireless network device is configured in an idle operating mode;

in response to determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device,

switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to an active device discovery mode;

transmitting a control message to the second wireless network device in response to said switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to the active device discovery mode; and

determining the signal strength associated with the RF signal received at the first wireless network device from the second wireless network device to determine whether the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a device credential associated with the second wireless network device at the first wireless network device, wherein the device credential associated with the second wireless network device are transmitted to the first network device at a low transmit power level associated with the second wireless network device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal strength associated with the RF signal received at the first wireless network device from the second wireless network device comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the RF signal.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the signal strength threshold is determined based, at least in part, on the threshold detection distance.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device comprise a wireless local area network (WLAN) device.

11. A method comprising:

determining whether RF saturation is detected at a first wireless network device based, at least in part, on an RF signal received from a second wireless network device of a wireless communication network;

determining that the second wireless network device is within a threshold detection distance from the first wireless network device in response to determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device;

transmitting a device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at a reduced transmit power level in response to said determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

establishing a communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the device credential associated with the first wireless network device and a device credential associated with the second wireless network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said determining whether the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device further comprises:

determining an RF saturation event count at the first wireless network device;

determining whether the RF saturation event count is greater than an RF saturation event count threshold;

determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device, in response to determining that the RF saturation event count is greater than the RF saturation event count threshold; and

determining that the RF saturation is not detected at the first wireless network device, in response to determining that the RF saturation event count is less than the RF saturation event count threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the RF saturation event count comprises one of:

a consecutive number of packets received at the first wireless network device that cause the RF saturation at the first wireless network device;

or

a consecutive number of packets received at the first wireless network device within a predetermined time interval that cause the RF saturation at the first wireless network device.

14. The method of claim 12,

wherein the RF saturation event count is determined based, at least in part, on accumulating RF saturation events detected at the first wireless network device;

and

wherein the RF saturation events are generated in response to receiving a plurality of packets from the second wireless network device during a predetermined time interval.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein, in response to determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device, the method further comprises:

determining whether the first wireless network device is configured in an idle operating mode;

in response to determining that the first wireless network device is configured in the idle operating mode,

switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to an active device discovery mode; and

transmitting a control message to the second wireless network device in response to said switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to the active device discovery mode.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein in response to said transmitting the device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at the reduced transmit power level, the method further comprises:

determining whether the first wireless network device is being moved away from the second wireless network device;

in response to determining that the first wireless network device is being moved away from the second wireless network device,

increasing a transmit power associated with the first wireless network device from the reduced transmit power level to a first transmit power level that is greater than the reduced transmit power level;

transmitting information to the second wireless network device at the first transmit power level; and

in response to determining that the first wireless network device is not being moved away from the second wireless network device,

transmitting information to the second wireless network device at the reduced transmit power level.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said determining whether the first wireless network device is being moved away from the second wireless network device comprises one of:

determining whether a subsequent packet transmitted from the second wireless network device is being received at the first wireless network device;

determining whether a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the subsequent packet received from the second wireless network device is less than a predetermined RSSI detection threshold;

determining whether a performance measurement associated with the second wireless network device is less than a corresponding performance measurement threshold; and

determining whether a data transmission rate associated with the first wireless network device has decreased by a predetermined number of data transmission rate levels.

18. A first wireless network device comprising:

a network interface; and

a communication unit coupled with the network interface, the communication unit operable to;

determine a signal strength associated with an RF signal received at the first wireless network device from a second wireless network device;

detect RF saturation at the first wireless network device;

determine, in response to detecting the RF saturation, whether the second wireless network device is within a threshold detection distance from the first wireless network device based, at least in part, on the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device;

transmit a device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at a reduced transmit power level in response to the communication unit determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

establish a communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the device credential associated with the first wireless network device and a device credential associated with the second wireless network device.

19. The first wireless network device of claim 18, wherein the communication unit operable to determine whether the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance comprises the communication unit operable to:

compare the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device against a signal strength threshold to determine whether the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is greater than the signal strength threshold;

in response to the communication unit determining that the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is greater than the signal strength threshold, determine that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

in response to the communication unit determining that the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is less than the signal strength threshold,

determine that the second wireless network device is not within the threshold detection distance, and

determine to not establish the communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device.

20. The first wireless network device of claim 18, wherein the communication unit is further operable to:

determine that the first wireless network device is configured in an idle operating mode;

in response to the communication unit determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device,

switch the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to an active device discovery mode; and

transmit a control message to the second wireless network device in response to the communication unit switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to the active device discovery mode; and

determine the signal strength associated with the RF signal received at the first wireless network device from the second wireless network device to determine whether the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance.

21. A first wireless network device comprising:

a network device; and

a communication unit coupled with the network device, the communication unit operable to;

determine whether RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device based, at least in part, on an RF signal received from a second wireless network device;

determine that the second wireless network device is within a threshold detection distance from the first wireless network device in response to the communication unit determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device;

transmit a device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at a reduced transmit power level in response to the communication unit determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

establish a communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the device credential associated with the first wireless network device and a device credential associated with the second wireless network device.

22. The first wireless network device of claim 21, wherein the communication unit operable to determine whether the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device further comprises the communication unit operable to:

determine an RF saturation event count at the first wireless network device;

determine whether the RF saturation event count is greater than an RF saturation event count threshold;

determine that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device, in response to the communication unit determining that the RF saturation event count is greater than the RF saturation event count threshold; and

determine that the RF saturation is not detected at the first wireless network device, in response to the communication unit determining that the RF saturation event count is less than the RF saturation event count threshold.

23. The first wireless network device of claim 21, wherein, in response to the communication unit determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device, the communication unit is further operable to:

determine whether the first wireless network device is configured in an idle operating mode;

in response to the communication unit determining that the first wireless network device is configured in the idle operating mode,

switch the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to an active device discovery mode; and

transmit a control message to the second wireless network device in response to the communication unit switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to the active device discovery mode.

24. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform operations that comprise:

determining a signal strength associated with an RF signal received at a first wireless network device from a second wireless network device of a wireless communication network;

detecting RF saturation at the first wireless network device;

determining, in response to detecting the RF saturation, whether the second wireless network device is within a threshold detection distance from the first wireless network device based, at least in part, on the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device;

transmitting a device credential associated with the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device at a reduced transmit power level in response to determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

establishing a communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the device credential associated with the first wireless network device and a device credential associated with the second wireless network device.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said operation of determining whether the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance comprises:

comparing the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device against a signal strength threshold to determine whether the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is greater than the signal strength threshold;

in response to determining that the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is greater than the signal strength threshold,

determining that the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance; and

in response to determining that the signal strength associated with the second wireless network device is less than the signal strength threshold,

determining that the second wireless network device is not within the threshold detection distance, and

determining to not establish the communication link between the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the first wireless network device is configured in an idle operating mode;

in response to determining that the RF saturation is detected at the first wireless network device,

switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to an active device discovery mode;

transmitting a control message to the second wireless network device in response to said operation of switching the first wireless network device from the idle operating mode to the active device discovery mode; and

determining the signal strength associated with the RF signal received at the first wireless network device from the second wireless network device to determine whether the second wireless network device is within the threshold detection distance.