Method and apparatus for efficient association procedure

• US 8,780,869 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bracha, Vered Bar
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/555,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20100265922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/336, 370/337, 370/338, 370/431, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/450, 455/452.1, 455/452.2
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for efficient ad-hoc peer to peer communication in a contention access period, while antenna directions of communicating peers can point to each other. Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for improved association of a device in a wireless network with a controller of the network.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

receiving, at a first apparatus, an association request transmitted from a second apparatus;

allocating, as a response to the received association request, an association channel time allocation (CTA) to the second apparatus;

transmitting, in response to the received association request, an association response message in the association CTA;

receiving, from the second apparatus, another association request sent as a response to the association response message detected at the second apparatus; and

allocating, as a response to the received other association request, another CTA to the second apparatus for beam training and data transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the association request is transmitted in one of association sub-contention access periods (S-CAPs).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the association CTA comprises:

transmitting, to the second apparatus, a quasi-omni beacon with an association response indication of the second apparatus, and

wherein the association response indication is received from a management entity associated with the first apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the association request comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the second apparatus or an identification of the second apparatus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the association response message comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the first apparatus, an identification of the second apparatus, or an address of the second apparatus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the other association request comprises the address of the second apparatus.

7. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an association request transmitted from another apparatus;

an allocating circuit configured to allocate, as a response to the received association request, an association channel time allocation (CTA) to the other apparatus; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, in response to the received association request, an association response message in the association CTA, wherein

the receiver is also configured to receive, from the other apparatus, another association request sent as a response to the association response message detected at the other apparatus, and wherein

the allocating circuit is also configured to allocate, as a response to the received other association request, another CTA to the other apparatus for beam training and data transmission.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the association request is transmitted in one of association sub-contention access periods (S-CAPs).

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the allocating circuit configured to allocate the association CTA comprises:

the transmitter also configured to transmit, to the other apparatus, a quasi-omni beacon with an association response indication of the other apparatus, and

wherein the association response indication is received from a management entity associated with the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the association request comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the other apparatus or an identification of the other apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the association response message comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the apparatus, an identification of the other apparatus, or an address of the other apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the other association request comprises the address of the other apparatus.

13. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for receiving an association request transmitted from another apparatus;

means for allocating, as a response to the received association request, an association channel time allocation (CTA) to the other apparatus;

means for transmitting, in response to the received association request, an association response message in the association CTA;

means for receiving, from the other apparatus, another association request sent as a response to the association response message detected at the other apparatus; and

means for allocating, as a response to the received other association request, another CTA to the other apparatus for beam training and data transmission.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the association request is transmitted in one of association sub-contention access periods (S-CAPs).

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for allocating the association CTA comprises:

means for transmitting, to the other apparatus, a quasi-omni beacon with an association response indication of the other apparatus, and

wherein the association response indication is received from a management entity associated with the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the association request comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the other apparatus or an identification of the other apparatus.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the association response message comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the apparatus, an identification of the other apparatus, or an address of the other apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the other association request comprises the address of the other apparatus.

19. A computer-program product for wireless communications, comprising a computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions executable to:

receive, at a first apparatus, an association request transmitted from a second apparatus;

allocate, as a response to the received association request, an association channel time allocation (CTA) to the second apparatus;

transmit, in response to the received association request, an association response message in the association CTA;

receive, from the second apparatus, another association request sent as a response to the association response message detected at the second apparatus; and

allocate, as a response to the received other association request, another CTA to the second apparatus for beam training and data transmission.

20. A piconet controller, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a receiver configured to receive via the at least one antenna an association request transmitted from a wireless device;

an allocating circuit configured to allocate, as a response to the received association request, an association channel time allocation (CTA) to the wireless device; and

a transmitter configured to transmit via the at least one antenna, in response to the received association request, an association response message in the association CTA, wherein

the receiver is also configured to receive, via the at least one antenna from the wireless device, another association request sent as a response to the association response message detected at the wireless device, and wherein

the allocating circuit is also configured to allocate, as a response to the received other association request, another CTA to the wireless device for beam training and data transmission.

21. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

transmitting, from a first apparatus to a second apparatus, an association request with an identification of the first apparatus;

receiving, at the first apparatus, an association response message sent from the second apparatus as a response to the association request and to the identification of the first apparatus; and

transmitting, from the first apparatus as a response to the received association response message, another association request to initiate channel time allocation (CTA) for beam training and data communication between the first apparatus and the second apparatus.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the association request is transmitted in one of a plurality of association sub-contention access periods (S-CAPs) using one of a plurality of transmit omni-directions of the first apparatus.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the other association request is transmitted in one of the plurality of association S-CAPs using a preferred transmit omni-direction of the plurality of transmit omni-directions.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

re-transmitting the association request using another transmit omni-direction of the plurality of transmit omni-directions of the first apparatus, if an immediate acknowledgement (IACK) message is not received from the second apparatus.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the received association response message comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the second apparatus, an address of the first apparatus, or an identification of the first apparatus.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the other association request comprises the address of the first apparatus.

27. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit to another apparatus an association request with an identification of the apparatus; and

a receiver configured to receive an association response message sent from the other apparatus as a response to the association request and to the identification of the apparatus, wherein

the transmitter is also configured to transmit, as a response to the received association response message, another association request to initiate channel time allocation (CTA) for beam training and data communication between the apparatus and the other apparatus.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the association request is transmitted in one of a plurality of association sub-contention access periods (S-CAPs) using one of a plurality of transmit omni-directions of the apparatus.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the other association request is transmitted in one of the plurality of association S-CAPs using a preferred transmit omni-direction of the plurality of transmit omni-directions.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the transmitter is also configured to re-transmit the association request using another transmit omni-direction of the plurality of transmit omni-directions of the apparatus, if an immediate acknowledgement (IACK) message is not received from the other apparatus.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the received association response message comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the other apparatus, an address of the apparatus, or an identification of the apparatus.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the other association request comprises the address of the apparatus.

33. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for transmitting to another apparatus, an association request with an identification of the apparatus;

means for receiving an association response message sent from the other apparatus as a response to the association request and to the identification of the apparatus; and

means for transmitting, as a response to the received association response message, another association request to initiate channel time allocation (CTA) for beam training and data communication between the apparatus and the other apparatus.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the association request is transmitted in one of a plurality of association sub-contention access periods (S-CAPs) using one of a plurality of transmit omni-directions of the apparatus.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the other association request is transmitted in one of the plurality of association S-CAPs using a preferred transmit omni-direction of the plurality of transmit omni-directions.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

means for re-transmitting the association request using another transmit omni-direction of the plurality of transmit omni-directions of the apparatus, if an immediate acknowledgement (IACK) message is not received from the other apparatus.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the received association response message comprises at least one of:

information about a preferred receive quasi-omni direction of the other apparatus, an address of the apparatus, or an identification of the apparatus.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the other association request comprises the address of the apparatus.

39. A computer-program product for wireless communications, comprising a computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions executable to:

transmit, from a first apparatus to a second apparatus, an association request with an identification of the first apparatus;

receive, at the first apparatus, an association response message sent from the second apparatus as a response to the association request and to the identification of the first apparatus; and

transmit, from the first apparatus as a response to the received association response message, another association request to initiate channel time allocation (CTA) for beam training and data communication between the first apparatus and the second apparatus.

40. A wireless device, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a transmitter configured to transmit to a piconet controller (PNC) via the at least one antenna an association request with an identification of the wireless device; and

a receiver configured to receive via the at least one antenna an association response message sent from the PNC as a response to the association request and to the identification of the wireless device, wherein

the transmitter is also configured to transmit, as a response to the received association response message, another association request to initiate channel time allocation (CTA) for beam training and data communication between the wireless device and the PNC.