Method for operating a mobile terminal as access point and mobile terminal

• US 9,204,384 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Europe Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Camps Mur, Daniel, Perez Costa, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENSON, JAMAAL R
• Application Number:
  US13/389,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20120195193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/338, 370/468, 455/419, 455/411, 455/574, 713/320, 375/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for operating a mobile terminal as access point, wherein the access point composes a network together with one or more associated client stations, wherein the access point has an operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods, and wherein the access point broadcasts beacon frames at regular intervals for signaling communication parameters to the associated client stations, is characterized in that the access point, based on the level of activity in the network, adjusts the communication parameters by slowing down or accelerating the access of the associated client stations to the network. Furthermore, a corresponding mobile terminal is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile terminal as an access point, said access point composing a network together with one or more associated client stations, the method comprising:

alternating awake and sleep periods of an operational mode of said access point; and

broadcasting, from said access point, beacon frames including communication parameters at regular intervals to said one or more associated client stations, the communication parameters including at least one of a contention window, a data rate, or a number of retransmissions,

wherein said access point, based on a level of activity in said network, adjusts one or more of said communication parameters in order to slow down or accelerate the access of said associated client stations to said network, and

wherein one or more of the communication parameters is adjusted by the access point such that a probability that a retransmission of the associated client stations occurs is increased, when the access point is in the awake state.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the level of activity in said network is detected by said access point.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said access point is configured to enter into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods in case the level of activity in said network is below a configurable threshold for a predetermined period of time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to enter into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods in case the level of activity in said network is below a configurable threshold for a predetermined period of time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to stay in an awake state for a configurable period of time without any activity in said network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said associated client stations are configured to support a Wi-Fi Wireless MultiMedia (WMM) specification.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access of said associated client stations to said network is slowed down in case said access point enters into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access of said associated client stations to said network is accelerated as soon as activity in said network is detected.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to switch between at least two operational modes with different access configurations for said associated client stations to said network.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein as soon as activity in said network is detected, said access point restores the communication parameters of an access configuration that was being employed before the access to said network was slowed down.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is configured to support at least two different awake/sleep patterns with different lengths of the awake and sleep periods.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access point has an AP/client functionality and acts as a software access point.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein there are awake and sleep periods:

i) light power saving where the access point stays awake 70 ms after a Beacon and then sleeps 30 ms until the next Beacon,

ii) moderate power saving where the access point stays awake 50 ms and sleeps 50 ms, and

iii) aggressive power saving where the access point stays awake 30 ms and sleeps 70 ms.

14. A mobile terminal, for executing the method according to claim 1 said terminal being operated as the access point,

wherein said access point composes the network together with the one or more associated client stations,

wherein said access point performs alternating the awake and sleep periods, and

wherein said access point broadcasts the beacon frames including the communication parameters at regular intervals to said associated client stations,

wherein said access point, based on the level of activity in said network, is configured to adjust at least one of said communication parameters in order to slow down or accelerate the access of said associated client stations to said network, and

wherein one or more of the communication parameters is adjusted by the access point such that a probability that a retransmission of the associated client stations occurs is increased, when the access point is in the awake state.

15. A mobile terminal configured to operate as a software access point,

wherein said software access point is configured to compose a network together with one or more associated client stations,

wherein said software access point is configured to perform alternating awake and sleep periods of an operational mode of said access point,

wherein said software access point is configured to broadcast beacon frames including communication parameters at regular intervals to said one or more associated client stations, said communication parameters including at least one of a contention window, a data rate, or a number of retransmissions,

wherein said software access point, based on the level of activity in said network, is configured to adjust one or more of said communication parameters in order to slow down or accelerate the access of said associated client stations to said network, and

wherein one or more of the communication parameters is adjusted by the software access point such that a probability that a retransmission of the associated client stations occurs is increased, when the software access point is in the awake state.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein the level of activity in said network is detected by said software access point.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein said software access point is configured to enter into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods in case the level of activity in said network is below a configurable threshold for a predetermined period of time.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein said software access point is configured to stay in an awake state for a configurable period of time without any activity in said network.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein said associated client stations are configured to support a Wi-Fi Wireless MultiMedia (WMM) specification.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, configured so that the access of said associated client stations to said network is slowed down in case said software access point enters into said operational mode of alternating awake and sleep periods.