Power save mechanism for peer-to-peer communication networks

• US 9,049,658 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ponmudi, Kayalvizhi, Chandrasekar, Karthick Raja
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhury, Zahid
• Application Number:
  US13/413,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/323
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A group owner of a peer-to-peer communication network is configured to determine whether all client devices associated with the peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication. The group owner is configured to implement an awake mode for a portion of each beacon interval when all the associated client devices support direct data communication. The group owner is configured to implement a sleep mode for a remaining portion of each beacon interval to save power at the group owner without interrupting communications between the associated client devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, at a network coordinator device of a peer-to-peer communication network, whether all client devices associated with the peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication; and

in response to determining that all of the client devices support direct data communication,

initiating an awake mode for the network coordinator device at a start time of a beacon interval associated with the network coordinator device and maintaining the awake mode for a predefined time period of the beacon interval,

in response to detecting that handshake operations between the network coordinator device and a new client device attempting to connect to the peer-to-peer communication network have not been completed during maintenance of the awake mode, extending maintenance of the awake mode to complete the handshake operations, and

initiating a sleep mode for the network coordinator device after maintaining the awake mode and maintaining the sleep mode until completion of the beacon interval when a client device is in awake mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator device is configured to operate as a group owner of the peer-to-peer communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a beacon frame at the start time of the beacon interval, and wherein said maintaining the awake mode for the predefined time period of the beacon interval comprises maintaining the awake mode for a predefined contention window period associated with the beacon interval.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to detecting that a client request has not been fulfilled during maintenance of the awake mode, extending maintenance of the awake mode past the predefined time period for the network coordinator device to fulfill the client request, wherein extending is based, at least in part, on a type of the client request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said extending comprises continuously extending the maintenance of the awake mode until the client request has been fulfilled or extending maintenance of the awake mode of the beacon interval by another predefined amount of time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to completing second handshake operations with a second new client device and determining the second new client device has connected to the peer-to-peer communication network via the network coordinator device, determining whether the second new client device supports direct data communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in response to determining that the second new client device does not support direct data communication, implementing a conventional power save mechanism at the network coordinator device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client devices include a second client device that connected to the peer-to-peer communication network via the network coordinator device.

9. A method comprising:

determining, at a group owner of a peer-to-peer communication network, whether all client devices associated with the peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication;

in response to determining that all of the client devices support direct data communication,

initiating an awake mode for the group owner at a start time of a beacon interval associated with the group owner and maintaining the awake mode for a predefined time period of the beacon interval,

in response to detecting that handshake operations between the group owner and a new client device attempting to connect to the peer-to-peer communication network have not been completed during maintenance of the awake mode, extending maintenance of the awake mode to complete the handshake operations, and

initiating a sleep mode for the group owner after the awake mode of the beacon interval and maintaining the sleep mode until completion of the beacon interval when a client device is in awake mode.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to detecting that a new client device request or a client request has not been fulfilled during maintenance of the awake mode, extending maintenance of the awake mode for the group owner to fulfill the new client device request or the client request, wherein extending is based, at least in part, on a number of pending client requests.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, in response to determining at least one of the client devices does not support direct data communication, implementing a conventional power save mechanism at the group owner.

12. A network coordinator device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory having stored thereon executable instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the network coordinator device to;

determine whether all client devices associated with a peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication;

in response to a determination that all of the client devices support direct data communication,

initiate an awake mode for the network coordinator device for a at a start time a beacon interval associated with the network coordinator device and maintain the awake mode for a predefined time period of the beacon interval,

detect that handshake operations between the network coordinator device and a new client device attempting to connect to the peer-to-peer communication network have not been completed during maintenance of the awake mode,

extend maintenance of the awake mode in response to detection that the handshake operations have not been completed, and

initiate a sleep mode for the network coordinator device after maintenance of the awake mode and maintain the sleep mode until completion of the beacon interval when a client device is in awake mode.

13. The network coordinator device of claim 12, wherein the network coordinator device is configured to operate as a group owner of the peer-to-peer communication network.

14. The network coordinator device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include instructions to cause the network coordinator device to:

detect that a client request has not been fulfilled during maintenance of the awake mode; and

extend maintenance of the awake mode in response to detection that the client request has not been fulfilled during maintenance of the of the awake mode.

15. The network coordinator device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include instructions to cause the network coordinator device to implement a conventional power save mechanism in response to a determination that at least one of the client devices does not support direct data communication.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining whether all client devices associated with a peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication; and

in response to determining that all of the client devices support direct data communication,

initiating an awake mode at a start time of a beacon interval and maintaining the awake mode for a predefined time period of the beacon interval,

detecting that handshake operations between a network coordinator device and a new client device attempting to connect to the peer-to-peer communication network have not been completed during maintenance of the awake mode,

extending maintenance of the awake mode in response to detection that the handshake operations have not been completed, and

initiating a sleep mode after maintenance of the awake mode and maintaining the sleep mode until completion of the beacon interval when a client device is in awake mode.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise detecting that a new client device request or a client request has not been fulfilled during maintenance of the awake mode, and extending maintenance of the awake mode in response to detecting that the new client device request or the client request has not been fulfilled.

18. A network coordinator device comprising:

means for determining whether all client devices associated with a peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication;

means for initiating an awake mode for the network coordinator device at a start time of a beacon interval associated with the network coordinator device and maintaining the awake mode for a predefined time period of the beacon interval in response to determining all of the client devices support direct data communication;

means for detecting that handshake operations between the network coordinator device and a new client device attempting to connect to the peer-to-peer communication network have not been completed during maintenance of the awake mode;

means for extending maintenance of the awake mode in response to detection that the handshake operations have not been completed; and

means for initiating a sleep mode for the network coordinator device after maintenance of the awake mode and maintaining the sleep mode until completion of the beacon interval when a client device is in awake mode in response to determining that all of the client devices support direct data communication.

19. The network coordinator device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for detecting that a new client device request or a client request has not been fulfilled during maintenance of the awake mode, and

means for extending maintenance of the awake mode in response to the means for detecting that the new client device request or the client request has not been fulfilled.