Efficient ranging

• US 9,949,156 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Patil, Abhishek Pramod, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Cherian, George, Raissinia, Alireza
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US15/042,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for efficient ranging, for example, in a neighbor aware network (NAN). According to certain aspects, an apparatus for wireless communications is provided. The apparatus generally includes a processing system configured to determine a period that at least one second apparatus is scheduled to be awake, generate a first frame for transmission to the second apparatus during the period, determine ranging information based on a time difference between transmission of the first frame and receipt of a second frame in response to the first frame, and generate a third frame including the ranging information; a transmit interface configured to output the first and third frames for transmission; and a receive interface configured to obtain the second frame. By exchanging ranging information in already scheduled wake-up periods and in existing frame, power consumption and signaling overhead may be reduced.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

determine a period that at least one wireless device is scheduled to be awake; and

generate a first frame for transmission to the at least one wireless device during the period;

a first interface configured to output the first frame for transmission; and

a second interface configured to obtain a second frame after the first frame is output for transmission, wherein;

the processing system is further configured to;

determine ranging information based on a time difference between outputting the first frame and obtaining the second frame; and

generate a third frame including the ranging information; and

the first interface is further configured to output the third frame for transmission.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the ranging information comprises fine timing measurement (FTM) information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the apparatus is configured as a non-access point (AP) station and the at least one wireless device comprises a non-AP station.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one wireless device is a member of a neighbor aware network (NAN); and

the processing system is configured to determine the period that the at least one wireless device is scheduled to be awake based on a synchronization signal of the NAN.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the first frame, the second frame, or the third frame is communicated during an association procedure performed with the at least one wireless device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the at least one of the first frame, the second frame, or the third frame comprises an association or authentication frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the second interface is configured to obtain, from the at least one wireless device, an indication of mobility information; and

the processing system is configured to initiate the association procedure with the at least one wireless device based on the indication.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the first frame, the second frame, or the third frame comprises a probe request, a probe response, a receive trigger frame or a transmit poll frame.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

determining the period that the at least one wireless device is scheduled to be awake comprises determining that the at least one wireless device is scheduled to send or receive data based on a traffic announcement.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first interface is configured to output the third frame for transmission to at least another wireless device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the processing system is configured to generate a fourth frame including mobility information indicating whether the apparatus is stationary; and

the first interface is configured to output the fourth frame for transmission to at least one of;

the at least one wireless device or the at least one other wireless device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the third frame comprises a broadcast discovery message, a broadcast synchronization beacon, or a neighbor aware network (NAN) service discovery message that includes service information about at least the wireless device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the second interface is further configured to obtain a fourth frame from the at least one other wireless device requesting the ranging information; and

the third frame is output for transmission to the at least one other wireless device in response to the fourth frame.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit the first frame and the third frame; and

a receiver configured to receive the second frame, wherein the apparatus is configured as a wireless station.

15. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a processing system configured to determine a period to awake from a first power state;

a first interface configured to obtain a first frame from a wireless device during the period, wherein the processing system is further configured to generate a second frame for transmission to the wireless device after the first frame is obtained from the wireless device during the period; and

a second interface configured to output the second frame for transmission to the wireless device, wherein;

the first interface is further configured to obtain a third frame comprising ranging information; and

the processing system is further configured to determine a relative location of the wireless device to the apparatus based on the ranging information included in the third frame.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the ranging information comprises fine timing measurement (FTM) information.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

at least one of the first frame, the second frame, or the third frame is communicated during an association procedure performed with the wireless device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

at least one of the first frame, the second frame, or the third frame comprises an association frame, an authentication frame, a probe request or a probe response.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the first interface is configured to obtain, from the wireless device, an indication of mobility information; and

the processing system is configured to initiate the association procedure based on the indication.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the processing system is configured to determine the period to awake from the first power state based on a synchronization signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

determining the period to awake from the first power state comprises determining that the apparatus is scheduled to send or receive data based on a traffic announcement.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

at least one of the first frame, the second frame, or the third frame comprises at least one of a receive trigger frame or a transmit poll frame.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the first interface is configured to obtain a fourth frame including ranging information regarding at least another wireless device; and

the processing system is configured to determine a relative distance between the wireless device and the other wireless device based on the ranging information included in the fourth frame.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the processing system is configured to determine a relative distance between the wireless device and the other wireless device based on the ranging information included in the fourth frame only if mobility information indicates the wireless device is stationary.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the fourth frame comprises a broadcast discovery message, a broadcast synchronization beacon, or a neighbor aware network (NAN) service discovery message that includes service information about at least the other wireless device.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the processing system is configured to generate a fifth frame requesting the ranging information regarding the other wireless device; and

the second interface is configured to output the fifth frame for transmission.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the fourth frame includes ranging information regarding one or more additional wireless devices.

28. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive the first frame and the third frame; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the second frame, wherein the apparatus is configured as a wireless station.

29. A method for wireless communications by an apparatus, comprising:

determining a period that at least one wireless device is scheduled to be awake;

generating a first frame for transmission to the wireless device during the period;

outputting the first frame for transmission and obtaining a second frame after outputting the first frame;

determining ranging information based on a time difference between outputting the first frame and obtaining the second frame

generating a third frame including the ranging information; and

outputting the third frame for transmission.

30. A method for wireless communications by an apparatus, comprising:

determining a period to awake from a first power state;

obtaining a first frame from a wireless device during the period;

generating a second frame for transmission to the wireless device after obtaining the first frame from the wireless device during the period;

outputting the second frame for transmission to the wireless device;

obtaining a third frame comprising ranging information; and

determining a relative location of the wireless device to the apparatus based on the ranging information included in the third frame.