Method and apparatus for Wi-Fi direct connection

• US 9,706,590 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Buseop, Kim, Seongbin, Park, Jungchul, Yang, Sungkwang
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, WILL W
• Application Number:
  US14/454,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20150043484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 370331, 3703952, 455 411, 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a Wi-Fi direct connection are provided. The method for a Wi-Fi direct connection includes detecting an event for a group connection, determining whether a terminal belongs to a first group when the event for the group connection is detected, determining an operation mode within the first group when the terminal belongs to the group, exchanging group information or terminal information according to the determined operation mode within the first group, and comparing exchanged information, generating a new group according to the operation mode within the new group based on the compared information, and connecting the new group through a group reset according to the operation mode within the new group when the new group generation is completed.

Claims

1. A method for a Wi-Fi direct connection, the method comprising:

detecting an event for a group connection between a plurality of groups, each including a plurality of terminals;

determining whether a terminal belongs to a first group of the plurality of groups when the event for group connection is detected;

determining an operation mode within the first group when the terminal belongs to the first group;

exchanging group information between the plurality of groups according to the determined operation mode within the first group;

comparing the exchanged information;

generating a new group according to the operation mode within the first group based on the compared information; and

connecting the new group through a group reset while maintaining an existing connection according to an operation mode within the new group when the new group generation is completed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the operation mode within the first group comprises determining whether the operation mode within the first group is an owner terminal or a client terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchange of the group information or the terminal information comprises exchanging information of the terminal where the event for the group connection is detected or information of the first group to which the terminal belongs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing of the exchanged information comprises comparing group information for determining a master group for a group connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the master group is a group to accept a connection to the terminal or a terminal of a group which will be newly connected when generating a new group.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the master group comprises, when being determined as the master group, operating an existing owner terminal as an owner terminal of the master group, and operating another owner terminal that will be connected to the master group as a client terminal of the master group.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the new group comprises delivering a new group generation progress message to a terminal that is previously connected and a terminal that will be newly connected when generating the new group, when the operation mode within the first group is the owner terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the new group comprises delivering the compared information to an owner terminal within the new group, and receiving the new group generation progress message from the owner terminal of a master group, when the operation mode within the first group is the client terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the client terminal restricts a connection of another group or another terminal by using a flag when receiving the new group generation progress message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the flag is to block a new group generation operation of another group or another terminal corresponding to an event for the group connection during the new group generation procedure.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting of the new group comprises delivering the new group generation completion message to a previously connected terminal and a terminal which will be newly connected, if the new group generation is completed, when the operation mode within the new group is the owner terminal.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting of the new group comprises receiving the new group generation completion message from the owner terminal when the operation mode within the new group is the client terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting of the new group comprises disconnecting to a terminal that is not responsive in a master group or a slave group according to the number of the connectable terminals received from the owner terminal at the time of the group reset, and connecting to the new group.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the group reset comprises forming the new group by maintaining an existing group connection through the group reset, and connecting to the terminal which will be newly connected.

15. An apparatus for a Wi-Fi direct connection, the apparatus comprising:

a wireless LAN interface configured to form the Wi-Fi direct connection between portable terminals;

a short distance communication interface configured to detect an event for a group connection;

at least one processor configured to;

detect the event for the group connection between a plurality of groups, each including a plurality of terminals,

exchange group information between the plurality of groups when the event is detected,

compare the exchanged information for determination of a master group,

generate a new group when the master group is determined, and

connect the new group through a group reset while maintaining an existing connection according to an operation mode within the new group when the new group generation is completed.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine whether an operation mode within the group is operated as an owner terminal or a client terminal when the event for the group connection is detected.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor, when being determined as the master group, is further configured to:

operate the existing owner terminal as the owner terminal of the master group, and

operate another owner terminal that will be connected to the master group as a client terminal of the master group.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to block a new group generation operation of another group or another terminal corresponding to the event for the group connection through a flag when generating the group.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the group generation is completed, the at least one processor is configured to form a new group by maintaining the existing group connection through a group reset, and connecting to the terminal which will be newly connected.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

disconnect a group connection to the terminal that is not responsive in the master group or the slave group according to the number of the connectable terminals delivered from the owner terminal at the time of the group reset, and

connect to the new group.