Communication between devices of a neighbor aware network

• US 9,961,668 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Patil, Abhishek Pramod, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Cherian, George, Raissinia, Alireza, Cho, James, Frederiks, Guido
• Primary Examiner(s): TALUKDER, MD K
• Application Number:
  US14/883,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 455515, 455 411, 455 412, 455 413
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In some examples, a method includes generating, at a first device, a paging message including an indication of whether the first device is available for a particular time period during which devices of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN) are configured to operate in an active operating mode. The method also includes sending the message from the first device to one or more devices of the data link group of the NAN.

Claims

1. A method of communication comprising:

synchronizing, at a first device of a data link group, a clock based on a synchronization operation associated with a neighbor aware network (NAN);

generating, at the first device, a message including an indication of whether the first device is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group of the NAN to operate in an active operating mode, wherein timing of the multiple time periods is determined based on the synchronized clock, wherein one or more time periods of the multiple time periods are identified by one or more logical channels, and wherein each logical channel of the one or more logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to at least one time period of the one or more time periods; and

sending the message from the first device to one or more devices of the data link group, wherein the message is sent after the first device performs one or more association operations with the one or more devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement, wherein the message is sent during a discovery window of the NAN, and wherein the multiple time periods include periods of time between discovery windows of the NAN.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a paging message, wherein the message is sent during a paging window of the data link group.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least two time periods of the multiple time periods are identified by multiple logical channels of the one or more logical channels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is sent from the first device to the one or more devices during a paging window portion of a transmission window corresponding to a first logical channel of the one or more logical channels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a basic communication channel or a supplemental communication channel of a plurality of supplemental communication channels.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication includes an index number that corresponds to a particular logical channel of the one or more logical channels, the index number indicating the communication channel and the one or more time periods.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication includes a particular set of bits that indicate whether the first device is available to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods or is unavailable to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message indicates that the first device is available to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods, and wherein the message is configured to cause at least one device of the one or more devices to remain in the active operating mode during at least one time period of the multiple time periods.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message further indicates that the first device is unavailable to communicate with other devices of the data link group during at least one other time period of the multiple time periods.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, by the first device prior to generating the message, an association exchange with the one or more devices of the data link group, the association exchange including the one or more association operations.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that are executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

synchronizing, at a first device of a data link group, a clock based on a synchronization operation associated with a neighbor aware network (NAN);

generating, at the first device, a message including an indication of whether the first device is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group of the NAN to operate in an active operating mode, wherein timing of the multiple time periods is determined based on the synchronized clock, wherein one or more time periods of the multiple time periods are identified by one or more logical channels, and wherein each logical channel of the one or more logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to at least one time period of the one or more time periods; and

initiating transmission of the message from the first device to one or more devices of the data link group, wherein the message is transmitted after the first device performs one or more association operations with the one or more devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the message comprises a paging message, wherein the message is transmitted during a paging window corresponding to the data link group, and wherein the paging window includes a particular time period designated for devices of the data link group to operate in the active operating mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement, wherein the message is transmitted during a discovery window corresponding to the NAN, wherein the discovery window includes a particular time period designated for devices of the NAN to operate in the active operating mode, the devices of the NAN including the devices of the data link group, and wherein the multiple time periods include periods of time between discovery windows of the NAN.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the indication includes a particular set of bits, and wherein the particular set of bits having a first value indicates that the first device is available to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the particular set of bits includes a particular bit, and wherein the particular set of bits having a second value indicates that the first device is unavailable to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for synchronizing, at a first device of a data link group, a clock based on a synchronization operation associated with a neighbor aware network (NAN);

means for generating, at the first device, a message including an indication of whether the first device is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group of the NAN are configured to operate in an active operating mode, wherein timing of the multiple time periods is determined based on the synchronized clock, wherein one or more time periods of the multiple time periods are identified by one or more logical channels, and wherein each logical channel of the one or more logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to at least one time period of the one or more time periods; and

means for sending the message from the first device to one or more devices of the data link group, wherein the message is sent after the first device performs one or more association operations with the one or more devices.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement or a paging message.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for sending is configured to send the message during a discovery window corresponding to the NAN, and wherein the multiple time periods include periods of time between two consecutive discovery windows of the NAN.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for sending is configured to send the message during a paging window of the data link group.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for sending is configured to send the message during a paging window portion of a transmission window corresponding to a first logical channel referenced by an index of logical channels corresponding to the data link group of the NAN.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the indication includes a particular set of bits that indicate whether the first device is available to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods or is unavailable to communicate with other devices of the data link group during the multiple time periods.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein a first value of the particular set of bits is associated with the first device being available, and wherein a second value of the particular set of bits that is different from the first value is associated with the first device being unavailable.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for communication, the instructions when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

synchronizing, at a first device of a data link group, a clock based on a synchronization operation associated with a neighbor aware network (NAN);

generating, at the first device, a message including an indication of whether the first device is available during multiple time periods designated for devices of the data link group of the NAN are configured to operate in an active operating mode, wherein timing of the multiple time periods is determined based on the synchronized clock, wherein one or more time periods of the multiple time periods are identified by one or more logical channels, and wherein each logical channel of the one or more logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to at least one time period of the one or more time periods; and

initiating sending the message from the first device to one or more devices of the data link group, wherein the message is sent after the first device performs one or more association operations with the one or more devices.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the one or more logical channels are indicated by a channel identifier and a set of bits.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the indication of the message comprises the channel identifier, the channel identifier indicating the communication channel.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the indication of the message further comprises the set of bits, and wherein each bit of the set of bits indicates availability or unavailability of a particular time period of the one or more time periods.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the message is sent from the first device to the one or more devices during a paging window portion of a transmission window corresponding to a first logical channel referenced by a channel identifier.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a supplemental communication channel of a plurality of supplemental communication channels.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the one or more time periods includes multiple time periods, wherein the multiple time periods are identified by multiple logical channels, and wherein the multiple logical channels represent communication channels and multiple particular time periods designated for devices of the data link group to be in the active operating mode.