ACCESS POINT DISCOVERY CHANNEL

• US 20140314003A1
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: ZHOU, Yan, ABRAHAM, Santosh Paul, BARRIAC, Gwendolyn Denise, MERLIN, Simone, TANDRA, Rahul, SAMPATH, Hemanth
• Application Number:
  US14/255,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20140314003A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]

Abstract

Access points communicate via a discovery channel. For example, access points may transmit at a higher transmit power and at a lower rate on the discovery channel than on operating channels. In this way, the radio frequency range of the discovery channel is longer than the range of any of the operating channels. Consequently, a particular access point can communicate with and thereby account for other access points that the particular access point might not hear via an operating channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

a processing system configured to determine information indicative of at least one first parameter associated with a first channel supported by the apparatus or at least one second parameter associated with a second channel supported by the apparatus; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the information via the second channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first channel is an operating channel; and

the second channel is a discovery channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the discovery channel is associated with a first communication range that is longer than a second communication range associated with the operating channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first parameter indicates transmit power used by the apparatus on the first channel; and

the at least one second parameter indicates transmit power used by the apparatus on the second channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicates at least one identifier of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicates a primary channel of the apparatus.

7. A method of communication, comprising:

determining information indicative of at least one first parameter associated with a first channel supported by an apparatus or at least one second parameter associated with a second channel supported by the apparatus; and

transmitting the information via the second channel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the first channel is an operating channel; and

the second channel is a discovery channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the discovery channel is associated with a first communication range that is longer than a second communication range associated with the operating channel.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the at least one first parameter indicates transmit power used by the apparatus on the first channel; and

the at least one second parameter indicates transmit power used by the apparatus on the second channel.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the information indicates at least one identifier of the apparatus.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the information indicates a primary channel of the apparatus.

13. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive at least one parameter of a discovery channel for communication among a plurality of apparatuses, wherein the discovery channel is associated with a communication range that is longer than any communication range associated with any operating channel of any of the plurality of apparatuses; and

a processing system configured to communicate with at least one of the plurality of apparatuses via the discovery channel, wherein the communication employs the received at least one parameter of the discovery channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising at least one transmitter configured to:

transmit a first discovery beacon via the discovery channel; and

transmit a second discovery beacon via an operating channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the first discovery beacon comprises an indication of the operating channel;

the first discovery beacon comprises an indication of transmission power used on the discovery channel; and

the second discovery beacon comprises an indication of transmission power used on the operating channel.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one parameter of the discovery channel comprises at least one of:

a communication window duration, a communication window periodicity, a communication window interval, a quantity of communication windows per period, a quantity of frequency hopping channels per period, a radio frequency of a frequency hopping channel, or a bandwidth of a frequency hopping channel.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the receiver is further configured to receive at least one operating parameter; and

the processing system is further configured to use the at least one operating parameter for the communication via the discovery channel.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises at least one of:

a parameter to control transmission activity during a communication window or a parameter to specify a size of a contention window.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises scheduling information that specifies transmit and receive timing for each of the plurality of apparatuses during a communication window.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication via the discovery channel comprises communicating at least one indication of transmit power used on an operating channel.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication via the discovery channel comprises communicating at least one indication of:

transmit power used on the discovery channel, operating channel number, primary channel number, cell-edge preferred sub-band, cell-edge preferred time slot, restricted access window schedule, location coordinates, hearable neighboring access point list, receiver sensitivity level, receiver noise floor, service set identifier, basis service set identifier, or Internet Protocol address.

22. A method of communication, comprising:

receiving at least one parameter of a discovery channel for communication among a plurality of apparatuses, wherein the discovery channel is associated with a communication range that is longer than any communication range associated with any operating channel of any of the plurality of apparatuses; and

communicating with at least one of the plurality of apparatuses via the discovery channel, wherein the communication employs the received at least one parameter of the discovery channel.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting a first discovery beacon via the discovery channel; and

transmitting a second discovery beacon via an operating channel.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the first discovery beacon comprises an indication of the operating channel;

the first discovery beacon comprises an indication of transmission power used on the discovery channel; and

the second discovery beacon comprises an indication of transmission power used on the operating channel.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one parameter of the discovery channel comprises at least one of:

a communication window duration, a communication window periodicity, a communication window interval, a quantity of communication windows per period, a quantity of frequency hopping channels per period, a radio frequency of a frequency hopping channel, or a bandwidth of a frequency hopping channel.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving at least one operating parameter; and

using the at least one operating parameter for the communication via the discovery channel.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises at least one of:

a parameter to control transmission activity during a communication window or a parameter to specify a size of a contention window.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises scheduling information that specifies transmit and receive timing for each of the plurality of apparatuses during a communication window.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the communication via the discovery channel comprises communicating at least one indication of transmit power used on an operating channel.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the communication via the discovery channel comprises communicating at least one indication of:

transmit power used on the discovery channel, operating channel number, primary channel number, cell-edge preferred sub-band, cell-edge preferred time slot, restricted access window schedule, location coordinates, hearable neighboring access point list, receiver sensitivity level, receiver noise floor, service set identifier, basis service set identifier, or Internet Protocol address.