Systems and methods for device discovery

• US 20060142034A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Assets 197 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), TP-Link USA Corporation (TP-Link Technologies Co Limited)
• Original Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jeger, Tobias, Wentink, Menzo
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/515
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods for enabling wireless devices to discover a number of other proximate wireless devices are disclosed. The discovery may include the discovery of network configuration parameters useful for establishing a connection between the wireless devices. The disclosed systems and methods for device discovery may operate in a number of different modes to timely discover wireless devices that receive communications continuously, as well as wireless devices that turn off their wireless receivers for intermittent periods of time. The wireless devices may, for example, communicate using the IEEE 802.11 protocol.

Claims

1. A method for discovering a wireless device comprising:

scanning each channel in a channel set, the scan of each channel comprising;

broadcasting a discovery request from a scanning wireless device on the channel; and

listening for a period of time on the channel for a discovery response transmitted on the channel by each receiving wireless device in response to the broadcast of the discovery request, the discovery response transmitted by each receiving wireless device including discovery information of the respective receiving wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan of each channel further comprises:

listening for a period of time on the channel for an unsolicited discovery frame transmitted by at least one wireless device other than the scanning wireless device, the unsolicited discovery frame including discovery information of the at least one wireless device other than the scanning wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, periodically, a plurality of unsolicited discovery frames on a base channel of the scanning device, each of the plurality of unsolicited discovery frames including discovery information of the scanning device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of broadcasting a discovery request further includes broadcasting discovery information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery information from the receiving wireless device includes at least one of a basic service set identifier (BSSID) or a service set identifier (SSID), and the method further includes:

establishing a connection to the receiving wireless device by associating with the BSSID or SSID in the discovery information.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

embedding the discovery request in a probe request frame.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

embedding the discovery request in a discovery request frame; and

wherein the step of broadcasting the discovery request further includes broadcasting the discovery request frame on the channel at substantially the same time as broadcasting a probe request frame transmitted by the scanning wireless device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting the discovery information from the discovery response transmitted by each receiving wireless device; and

storing the discovery information in a database accessible by the scanning wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery response transmitted by the respective receiving wireless device includes a second discovery request;

and

the scanning wireless device transmits a unicast frame to the respective receiving wireless device in response to the second discovery request, the unicast frame including discovery information of the scanning wireless device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of periodic unsolicited discovery frames on a base channel, each of the plurality of discovery frames including discovery information of a scanning wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10, further including powering off a receiver associated with the scanning wireless device between the transmissions of the plurality of periodic discovery frames.

12. The method of claim 10;

listening for the period of time on the channel for an unsolicited discovery frame transmitted by a wireless device other than the scanning wireless device, the period of time on the channel being a time equal to or longer than the time between successive periodic unsolicited discovery frames transmitted by the wireless device other than the scanning wireless device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

periodically powering on a receiver for the duration of a receive window; and

demarcating the beginning of the receive window by a transmitting a receive window start indication frame.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the receive window start indication frame is transmitted on the base channel.

15. A scanning wireless device comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions for discovering other proximate wireless devices, the instructions including scanning each channel in a channel set, the scan of each channel comprising;

broadcasting a discovery request from the scanning wireless device on the channel; and

listening for a period of time on the channel for a discovery response transmitted on the channel by each receiving wireless device in response to the broadcast of the discovery request, the discovery response transmitted by each receiving wireless device including discovery information of the respective receiving wireless device.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions including:

listening for a period of time on the channel for an unsolicited discovery frame transmitted by at least one wireless device other than the scanning wireless device, the unsolicited discovery frame including discovery information of the at least one wireless device other than the scanning wireless device.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions including:

extracting a second discovery request from the discovery response transmitted by the respective receiving wireless device.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions including:

transmitting a unicast frame to the respective receiving wireless device in response to the second discovery request, the unicast frame including discovery information of the scanning wireless device.

19. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions including:

transmitting a plurality of periodic discovery frames, each of the plurality of discovery frames including discovery information of the scanning wireless device.

20. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions including:

embedding the discovery request in a probe request frame.

21. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions including:

embedding the discovery request in a discovery request frame; and

broadcasting the discovery request frame on the channel at substantially the same time as broadcasting a probe request frame transmitted by the scanning wireless device.

22. A system for discovering a proximate wireless device comprising:

a first device configured to;

broadcast periodic unsolicited discovery frames including discovery information associated with the first device; and

scan each channel in a channel set, the scan of each channel comprising;

broadcasting a discovery request on the channel;

listening on the channel for a discovery response sent in reply to the discovery request; and

listening for a predetermined period of time on the channel for unsolicited discovery frames wirelessly transmitted by another device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first device is further configured to transmit the unsolicited discovery frames periodically at a time interval less than or equal to the predetermined period of time.

24. The system of claim 22, further including:

a second device configured to;

receive the discovery request on the channel; and

transmit the discovery response to the first device in response to receiving the discovery request, the discovery response including discovery information associated with the second device.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the second device is configured to broadcast periodic unsolicited discovery frames including discovery information associated with the second device on a time interval less than or equal to the predetermined period of time.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the second device further includes:

a receiver configured to be intermittently powered off; and

a transmitter configured to broadcast unsolicited discovery frames at a time when the receiver is powered off.

27. A system for discovering a proximate wireless device comprising:

means for iteratively scanning a first channel and a second channel, the iterative scan including pausing for a predetermined period of time on each of the first and second channels, and at a time when paused on each of the first and second channels;

broadcasting a discovery request from a scanning wireless device;

listening for any discovery response transmitted by a receiving wireless device in response to the broadcast of the discovery request, the discovery response transmitted by the receiving wireless device including discovery information of the respective receiving wireless device; and

listening for the predetermined period of time for unsolicited discovery frames wirelessly transmitted by a device other than the scanning wireless client.

28. The system of claim 27, further including:

means for broadcasting periodic unsolicited discovery frames including discovery information associated with the scanning device.

29. The system of claim 27, further including:

means for intermittently powering off a receiver associated with the scanning device; and

means for broadcasting unsolicited discovery frames at a time when the receiver is powered off.

30. A method for connecting to a wireless device comprising:

receiving discovery information from the wireless device;

extracting a BSSID or a SSID from the discovery information; and

establishing a connection to a network by associating with the BSSID or the SSID extracted from the discovery information.