Method for network merging and configuration sharing and associated apparatus

• US 9,906,290 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stationwala, Hasan Ali, Monga, Raghav, Shakya, Amit Kumar, Vig, Prakhar, Parmar, Rakesh Lavji
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US15/370,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 455 15, 455450-455, 455 411- 413, 455 7, 455 111, 455 121, 455 131, 455 25
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15592 Adapting at the relay station communication parameters for supporting cooperative relaying, i.e. transmission of the same data via direct - and relayed path cooperative diversity H04B7/024
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/23 Manipulation of direct-mode connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Each independent repeater network may be associated with a respective network weight and a respective group identifier. When two repeater networks with the same group identifier merge, configuration may flow from the network with a higher network weight to the network with a lower network weight. When two repeater networks with different group identifiers merge, configuration may flow from the connecting host interface of a repeater of one of the networks to the connecting client interface of a repeater of the other network. In cases of simultaneous connection between two networks, group identifier change may take precedence over configuration update caused by the merging of the two networks.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing, by a first communication device, a communication link with a second communication device to connect to the second communication device, the first communication device associated with a first weight, and a first group identifier, the second communication device associated with a second weight, and a second group identifier;

determining, by the first communication device, whether the first group identifier and the second group identifier are identical;

responsive to a determination that the first group identifier and the second group identifier are identical, comparing, by the first communication device, the first weight and the second weight; and

responsive to the comparing, adopting, by the first communication device, a configuration of the second communication device by receiving data related to the configuration of the second communication device from the second communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication device comprises a single-band communication device configured to communicate over a single frequency band, and wherein the first weight comprises a unique identifier associated with a host interface of the first communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication device comprises a dual-band communication device configured to communicate over two frequency bands, and wherein the first weight comprises a unique identifier associated with a host interface of the first communication device for one of the two frequency bands.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adopting of the configuration of the second communication device comprises adopting the configuration of the second communication device at each host interface and each client interface for each frequency band over which the first communication device is configured to communication wirelessly.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the second weight is higher than the first weight, transmitting, by the first communication device, the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to a third communication device that is connected to the first communication device such that the third communication device adopts the configuration of the second communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining of which of the first weight and the second weight is higher comprises receiving a first action from the second communication device indicating the second weight which is higher than the first weight, and wherein the transmitting of the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to the third communication device comprises transmitting a second action frame to the third communication device to trigger the third communication device to adopt the configuration of the second communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the first group identifier and the second group identifier are not identical, performing either of;

in an event that the communication link is between a client interface of the first communication device and a host interface of the second communication device, adopting, by the first communication device, the configuration of the second communication device by receiving the data related to the configuration of the second communication device from the second communication device;

or

in an event that the communication link is between a host interface of the first communication device and a client interface of the second communication device, transmitting, by the first communication device, the data related to the configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device such that the second communication device adopts the configuration of the first communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting of the data related to the configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device comprises transmitting an action frame to the second communication device to trigger a group identifier update from the second group identifier to the first group identifier for the second communication device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in an event that the communication link is between the client interface of the first communication device and the host interface of the second communication device, transmitting, by the first communication device, the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to a third communication device that is connected to the first communication device such that the third communication device adopts the configuration of the second communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the second communication device is not associated with any group identifier, transmitting, by the first communication device, the data related to the configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device such that the second communication device adopts the first group identifier and the configuration of the first communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the first communication device to the second communication device, a first information element (IE) containing data related to a configuration of the first communication device upon the establishing of the communication link;

receiving, by the first communication device from the second communication device, a second IE containing the data related to the configuration of the second communication device upon the establishing of the communication link; and

forwarding, by the first communication device, the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to one or more other peer communication devices.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

announcing, by the first communication device, an open merge capability in one or more beacons, one or more probe requests, or one or more probe responses indicating the open merge capability of the first communication device.

13. An apparatus implementable in a first communication device, comprising:

a memory configured to store one or more sets of instructions; and

a processor coupled to access the memory to execute the one or more instructions and, upon executing the one or more sets of instructions, the processor is configured to perform operations comprising;

establishing a communication link with a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices to connect to the second communication device, with the first communication device associated with a first weight, and a first group identifier; and

with the second communication device associated with a second weight, and a second group identifier;

determining whether the first group identifier and the second group identifier are identical;

responsive to a determination that the first group identifier and the second group identifier are identical, determining which of the first weight and the second weight is higher; and

performing one or more of;

responsive to a determination that the second weight is higher than the first weight, adopting a configuration of the second communication device by receiving data related to the configuration of the second communication device from the second communication device;

responsive to a determination that the first weight is higher than the second weight, transmitting data related to a configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device such that the second communication device adopts the configuration of the first communication device;

or

responsive to a determination that the second communication device is not associated with any group identifier, transmitting the data related to the configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device such that the second communication device adopts the first group identifier and the configuration of the first communication device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, in adopting the configuration of the second communication device, the processor is configured to adopt the configuration of the second communication device at each host interface and each client interface for each frequency band over which the first communication device is configured to communication wirelessly.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

responsive to a determination that the second weight is higher than the first weight, transmitting the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to a third communication device that is connected to the first communication device such that the third communication device adopts the configuration of the second communication device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, in determining which of the first weight and the second weight is higher, the processor is configured to receive a first action from the second communication device indicating the second weight which is higher than the first weight, and wherein, in transmitting the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to the third communication device, the processor is configured to transmit a second action frame to the third communication device to trigger the third communication device to adopt the configuration of the second communication device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

responsive to a determination that the first group identifier and the second group identifier are not identical, performing either of;

in an event that the communication link is between a client interface of the first communication device and a host interface of the second communication device, adopting the configuration of the second communication device by receiving the data related to the configuration of the second communication device from the second communication device;

or

in an event that the communication link is between a host interface of the first communication device and a client interface of the second communication device, transmitting the data related to the configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device such that the second communication device adopts the configuration of the first communication device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, in transmitting the data related to the configuration of the first communication device to the second communication device, the processor is configured to transmit an action frame to the second communication device to trigger a group identifier update from the second group identifier to the first group identifier for the second communication device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

in an event that the communication link is between the client interface of the first communication device and the host interface of the second communication device, transmitting the data related to the configuration of the second communication device to a third communication device that is connected to the first communication device such that the third communication device adopts the configuration of the second communication device.