Devices and methods for beacon communication in ad-hoc networks

• US 9,059,923 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Abraham, Santosh Paul, Cherian, George, Merlin, Simone, Sampath, Hemanth
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, SAI MING
• Application Number:
  US13/789,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method includes receiving discovery messages from respective devices of an ad-hoc wireless network. The messages are received by a first device in the ad-hoc wireless network prior to a particular discovery interval. The discovery messages include information identifying the respective devices. The method further includes caching the information identifying the respective devices. During the particular discovery interval, a first discovery message is sent. The first discovery message includes a request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval. The first discovery message further includes an indication of the information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

prior to a particular discovery interval, receiving by a first device in an ad-hoc wireless network discovery messages from respective devices of the ad-hoc wireless network, the discovery messages including information identifying the respective devices;

caching the information identifying the respective devices; and

during the particular discovery interval, sending a first discovery message that includes the information identifying the respective devices and a bit indicating that the first device has cached the information identifying the respective devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting at least a portion of the cached information in response to not detecting within a particular time interval any paging messages from a device associated with the information, in response to not detecting any packet from the device associated with the information, according to a cache eviction or memory replacement policy, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first discovery message includes a request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a second request from a second device of the ad-hoc wireless network during the paging interval, the second request responsive to the request and requesting at least a portion of the cached information; and

sending at least the portion of the cached information to the second device.

3. A method comprising:

prior to a particular discovery interval, sending a first discovery message by a first device of an ad-hoc wireless network, the first discovery message including information identifying the first device;

during the particular discovery interval, receiving from a second device of the ad-hoc wireless network a second discovery message that includes the information identifying the first device, information identifying a third device of the ad-hoc wireless network, and a bit indicating that the second device has cached the information identifying the first device; and

sending, by the first device, a request for information regarding the third device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first device sends the request to the second device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the information regarding the third device from the second device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first device sends the request to the third device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the information regarding the third device from the third device.

19. The method of claim 3, wherein the second discovery message includes a second request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the first device sends the request during the paging interval.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

prior to a particular discovery interval, receive by a first device in an ad-hoc wireless network discovery messages from respective devices of the ad-hoc wireless network, the discovery messages including information identifying the respective devices;

cache the information identifying the respective devices; and

during the particular discovery interval, send a first discovery message that includes the information identifying the respective devices and a bit indicating that the first device has cached the information identifying the respective devices.

20. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first discovery message includes a request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

prior to a particular discovery interval, send a first discovery message by a first device of an ad-hoc wireless network, the first discovery message including information identifying the first device;

during the particular discovery interval, receive from a second device of the ad-hoc wireless network a second discovery message that includes the information identifying the first device, information identifying a third device of the ad-hoc wireless network, and a bit indicating that the second device has cached the information identifying the first device; and

send, by the first device, a request for information regarding the third device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the request is sent to the second device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to receive the information regarding the third device from the second device.

21. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second discovery message includes a second request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

prior to a particular discovery interval, receive by a first device in an ad-hoc wireless network discovery messages from respective devices of the ad-hoc wireless network, the discovery messages including information identifying the respective devices;

cache the information identifying the respective devices; and

during the particular discovery interval, send a first discovery message that includes the information identifying the respective devices and a bit indicating that the first device has cached the information identifying the respective devices.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first discovery message includes a request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

prior to a particular discovery interval, send a first discovery message by a first device of an ad-hoc wireless network, the first discovery message including information identifying the first device;

during the particular discovery interval, receive from a second device of the ad-hoc wireless network a second discovery message that includes information identifying the first device, information identifying a third device of the ad-hoc wireless network, and a bit indicating that the second device has cached the information identifying the first device; and

send by the first device a request for information regarding the third device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first device sends the request to the third device.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second discovery message includes a second request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first device sends the request during the paging interval.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, prior to a particular discovery interval and by a first device in an ad-hoc wireless network, discovery messages from respective devices of the ad-hoc wireless network and for sending, during the particular discovery interval, a first discovery message,

wherein the discovery messages include information identifying the respective devices, and

wherein the first discovery message includes the information identifying the respective devices and a bit indicating that the first device has cached the information identifying the respective devices; and

means for caching the information.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first discovery message includes a request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.

16. An apparatus comprising:

means for sending, prior to a particular discovery interval, a first discovery message by a first device of an ad-hoc wireless network, for receiving, during the particular discovery interval, a second discovery message from a second device of the ad-hoc wireless network, and for sending a request to obtain information resending a third device,

wherein the first discovery message includes information identifying the first device,

wherein the second discovery message includes the information identifying the first device, information identifying the third device of the ad-hoc wireless network, and a bit indicating that the first device has cached the information identifying the respective devices, and

means for caching the information.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second request is sent to the second device.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second discovery message includes a second request to reserve a paging interval during the particular discovery interval.