Method, apparatus, and computer program product for hop count usage in cluster selection

• US 10,004,033 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasslin, Mika, Marin, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Man
• Application Number:
  US15/193,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 370254-310, 370328-350, 370503-520, 455503-507, 455456-458
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2678 Time synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• 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 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Embodiments enable access to a wireless communications medium. In example embodiments, a method comprises receiving first synchronization messages from a wireless device transmitting synchronization messages in a first neighbor awareness network cluster, the first synchronization messages including a first hop count value to a first anchor master in the first cluster and information describing a first master rank value of the first anchor master; receiving second synchronization messages from a wireless device transmitting synchronization messages in a second neighbor awareness network cluster, the second synchronization messages including a second hop count value to a second anchor master in the second cluster and information describing a second master rank value of the second anchor master; and selecting the first neighbor awareness network cluster or the second neighbor awareness network cluster, based on at least one of the first and second hop count values and the first and second master rank values.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an apparatus, one or more first synchronization messages from a first wireless device, the first synchronization message having a first signal level and including a cluster ID indicating that the first wireless device belongs to a first neighbor awareness network cluster and a first hop count value indicating hops to a first anchor master in the first neighbor awareness network cluster and information describing a first master rank value of the first anchor master;

receiving, by the apparatus, one or more second synchronization messages from a second wireless device, the second synchronization message having a second signal level and including a cluster ID indicating that the second wireless device belongs to a second neighbor awareness network cluster and a second hop count value indicating hops to a second anchor master in the second awareness network cluster and information describing a second master rank value of the second anchor master; and

when the signal level of both the first and the second synchronization messages exceeds a threshold signal level, comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second master rank values and selecting, by the apparatus, the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the greater master rank value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second hop count values and selecting the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the lower hop count value if the comparison of the master rank values indicates that the first master rank and the second master rank are substantially the same.

3. The method claim 1, wherein the threshold signal level is predefined.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second master rank values and master rank values in synchronization messages received from one or more other neighbor awareness network cluster and selecting, by the apparatus, the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization messages having the highest master rank value, if the signal level of the synchronization message exceeds a threshold signal level.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second hop count values and operating in the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the lower hop count value if the comparison of the master rank values indicates that the first master rank and the second master rank are substantially the same.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second master rank values and operating in the selected neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the greater master rank value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the apparatus, passive scanning of the synchronization messages.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive one or more first synchronization messages from a first wireless device, the first synchronization message having a first signal level and including a cluster ID indicating that the first wireless device belongs to a first neighbor awareness network cluster and a first hop count value indicating hops to a first anchor master in the first neighbor awareness network cluster and information describing a first master rank value of the first anchor master;

receive one or more second synchronization messages from a second wireless device, the second synchronization message having a second signal level and including a cluster ID indicating that the second wireless device belongs to a second neighbor awareness network cluster and a second hop count value indicating hops to a second anchor master in the second awareness network cluster and information describing a second master rank value of the second anchor master; and

when the signal level of both the first and the second synchronization messages exceeds a threshold signal level, compare the first and second master rank values and selecting, by the apparatus, the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the greater master rank value.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

compare the first and second hop count values and selecting the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the lower hop count value if the comparison of the master rank values indicates that the first master rank and the second master rank are substantially the same.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the threshold signal level is predefined.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

compare the first and second master rank values and master rank values in synchronization messages received from one or more other neighbor awareness network cluster and selecting, by the apparatus, the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization messages having the highest master rank value, if the signal level of the synchronization message exceeds a threshold signal level.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

compare the first and second hop count values and operating in the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the lower hop count value if the comparison of the master rank values indicates that the first master rank and the second master rank are substantially the same.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

compare the first and second master rank values and operating in the selected neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the greater master rank value.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

perform passive scanning of the synchronization messages.

15. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for receiving, by an apparatus, one or more first synchronization messages from a first wireless device, the first synchronization message having a first signal level and including a cluster ID indicating that the first wireless device belongs to a first neighbor awareness network cluster and a first hop count value indicating hops to a first anchor master in the first neighbor awareness network cluster and information describing a first master rank value of the first anchor master;

code for receiving, by the apparatus, one or more second synchronization messages from a second wireless device, the second synchronization message having a second signal level and including a cluster ID indicating that the second wireless device belongs to a second neighbor awareness network cluster and a second hop count value indicating hops to a second anchor master in the second awareness network cluster and information describing a second master rank value of the second anchor master; and

code for when the signal level of both the first and the second synchronization messages exceeds a threshold signal level, comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second master rank values and selecting, by the apparatus, the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the greater master rank value.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second hop count values and selecting the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the lower hop count value if the comparison of the master rank values indicates that the first master rank and the second master rank are substantially the same.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the threshold signal level is predefined.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second master rank values and master rank values in synchronization messages received from one or more other neighbor awareness network cluster and selecting, by the apparatus, the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization messages having the highest master rank value, if the signal level of the synchronization message exceeds a threshold signal level.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second hop count values and operating in the neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the lower hop count value if the comparison of the master rank values indicates that the first master rank and the second master rank are substantially the same.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for comparing, by the apparatus, the first and second master rank values and operating in the selected neighbor awareness network cluster corresponding to the synchronization message having the greater master rank value.