Sub-channel detection for wireless data communication

• US 9,699,735 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Anders, Jr., Billy R., Flanagan, Dennis E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed, Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US13/662,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 370252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques for sub-channel detection for wireless data communication are described. In at least some implementations, techniques can utilize subsets of available wireless channels for inter-device data communication. For instance, in at least some embodiments, a wireless connection between a client device and a wireless device can be established according to a pre-specified subset of sub-channels. Further, in at least some embodiments, a wireless device can be configured to transmit and/or receive data using a specific subset of sub-channels, while a client device can be configured to scan a larger set of sub-channels to search for data communication from the wireless device. The client device can detect transmitted signal from the wireless device at the subset of sub-channels, and can utilize the set of sub-channels for data communication between the wireless device and the client device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying, by a client device, a device table that includes different device types of at least one of input device types or output device types, and different pre-specified sets of wireless sub-channels that are each specific to a particular device type of the different device types;

identifying a pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels associated with a particular wireless device from the device table;

scanning, by the client device, the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels for signal transmission from the particular wireless device;

detecting, at the client device and independent of an intermediate entity, data transmitted from the wireless device in the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels by comparing a function of the signal strength in the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels to a threshold, and determining at the client device that signal in the discrete subset of multiple of the wireless sub-channels meets or exceeds the threshold signal strength; and

initiating, at the client device and independent of the intermediate entity, data communication with the wireless device via the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels, the wireless device comprising at least one of an input device configured to provide input to the client device, or an output device configured to output information from the client device.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein said initiating comprises establishing a direct wireless local area network (WLAN) connection between the client device and the wireless device via the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the data transmitted from the wireless device comprises a request from the wireless device to form a direct wireless local area network (WLAN) connection with the wireless device via the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels, and wherein said initiating comprises establishing a direct WLAN connection between the client device and the wireless device via the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises ignoring one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels responsive to determining that the signal for the one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels falls below the threshold signal strength.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising storing, in the device table, an indication of an association between the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels and the wireless device to be used for subsequent data communication with the wireless device.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the sub-channels comprise divisions of a radio frequency (RF) channel.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises ignoring one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels responsive to determining that the signal for the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels falls below the threshold signal strength, such that wireless communication between the client device and the wireless device is not established utilizing all of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

identifying, by a client device, a device table that includes different device types of at least one of input device types or output device types, and different pre-specified sets of wireless sub-channels that are each specific to a particular device type of the different device types;

identifying a pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels associated with a particular wireless device from the device table;

processing, by the computing device and independent of an intermediate device, a received wireless signal to ascertain a signal strength for individual sub-channels of the pre-specified set of sub-channels included in the wireless signal;

comparing the signal strength of the individual sub-channels within the pre-specified set of sub-channels to a threshold signal strength;

detecting signal in the pre-specified set of sub-channels that meets or exceeds the threshold signal strength; and

initiating, by the computing device and independent of the intermediate device, data communication between the computing device and a wireless device via the pre-specified set of sub-channels responsive to ascertaining that the signal in the pre-specified set of sub-channels is transmitted from the wireless device, the wireless device comprising one of an input device configured to provide input to the computing device via the pre-specified set of sub-channels, or an output device configured to output information from the computing device via the pre-specified set of sub-channels.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise processing the wireless signal by applying a Fourier transform to the wireless signal to ascertain the signal strength for the individual sub-channels within the pre-specified set of sub-channels.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise causing the computing device to initiate data communication with the wireless device by established a direct wireless local area network (WLAN) connection between the computing device and the wireless device.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise at least one of receiving input from or providing input to the wireless device via the data communication with the wireless device.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise storing, in the device table, an indication of an association between the pre-specified set of sub-channels and the wireless device, wherein the indication of the association is configured to be used to initiate subsequent data communication between the computing device and the wireless device.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein said processing is performed response to scanning the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels for signal transmission from the particular wireless device.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein said detecting includes ignoring one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels responsive to determining that the signal for the one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels falls below the threshold signal strength.

15. A wireless device comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media including instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, cause the wireless device to perform operations comprising;

identifying a device table that includes different device types of at least one of input device types or output device types, and different pre-specified sets of wireless sub-channels that are each specific to a particular device type of the different device types;

identifying a pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels associated with a particular different device from the device table;

processing, by the wireless device and independent of an intermediate device, a received wireless signal to ascertain a signal strength for individual sub-channels of the pre-specified set of sub-channels included in the wireless signal;

comparing the signal strength of the individual sub-channels within the pre-specified set of sub-channels to a threshold signal strength;

detecting signal in the pre-specified set of sub-channels that meets or exceeds the threshold signal strength; and

initiating, by the wireless device and independent of the intermediate device, data communication between the wireless device and a different device via the pre-specified set of sub-channels responsive to ascertaining that the signal in the pre-specified set of sub-channels is transmitted from the different device, the different device comprising one of an input device configured to provide input to the wireless device via the pre-specified set of sub-channels, or an output device configured to output information from the wireless device via the pre-specified set of sub-channels.

16. A wireless device as described in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise causing the wireless device to initiate data communication with the different device by established a direct wireless local area network (WLAN) connection between the wireless device and the different device.

17. A wireless device as described in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise at least one of receiving input from or providing input to the different device via the data communication with the different device.

18. A wireless device as described in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise storing, in the device table, an indication of an association between the pre-specified set of sub-channels and the different device, wherein the indication of the association is configured to be used to initiate subsequent data communication between the wireless device and the different device.

19. A wireless device as described in claim 15, wherein said processing is performed response to scanning the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels for signal transmission from the particular different device.

20. A wireless device as described in claim 15, wherein said detecting includes ignoring one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels responsive to determining that the signal for the one or more sub-channels of the pre-specified set of wireless sub-channels falls below the threshold signal strength.