COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DEVICES OF A NEIGHBOR AWARE NETWORK

• US 20170164327A1
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: RAISSINIA, Alireza, PATIL, Abhishek Pramod, CHERIAN, George, CHO, James, FREDERIKS, Guido, ABRAHAM, Santosh Paul
• Granted Patent: US 10,117,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during a particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in an active operating mode. The method also includes transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the particular time period in response to determining that the first device is unavailable during the particular time period.

Claims

1. A method of communication comprising:

receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during a particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in an active operating mode; and

transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the particular time period in response to determining that the first device is unavailable during the particular time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the second device is peered with other devices, determining that the other devices are unavailable during the particular time period prior to transitioning to the low-power operating mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement, and wherein the particular time period includes a discovery window of the NAN.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a paging message, and wherein the particular time period includes a paging window of the data link group.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the particular time period is identified by multiple logical channels, and wherein each of the multiple logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and at least one time period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the paging message is received 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.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a basic communication channel.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a supplemental communication channel of a plurality of supplemental communication channels referenced by the index of logical channels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication identifies unavailability if a particular bit has a first bit value, and wherein the indication indicates availability if the particular bit has a second bit value that is different from the first bit value.

10. 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;

receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available for a particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in an active operating mode; and

transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the particular time period in response to determining that the first device is unavailable during the particular time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, if the second device is peered with other devices, determining that the other devices are unavailable during the particular time period prior to transitioning to the low-power operating mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the message comprises a paging message.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the second device, a second message including a second indication of whether the first device is available for a second particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in the active operating mode; and

performing one or more operations associated with a different device corresponding to another service during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the second particular time period.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the second particular time period is identified by multiple logical channels, wherein each of the multiple logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to a portion of the second particular time period, and wherein the second message is received during a paging window portion of a transmission window corresponding to a first logical channel included in an index of logical channels corresponding to the data link group.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a basic communication channel.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a supplemental communication channel of a plurality of supplemental communication channels referenced by the index of logical channels.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the multiple logical channels represent communication channels, and wherein an indication of the communication channels follows an indication of the supplemental communication channel.

18. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), a message including an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available during a particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in an active operating mode; and

means for transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the particular time period in response to determining that the first device is unavailable during the particular time period.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the message comprises a service advertisement.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the message comprises a paging message.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for sending the message during a discovery window corresponding to the NAN or during a paging window of the data link group.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for receiving and the means for transitioning are included in a mobile communication device.

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

identifying, at a second device of a data link group of a neighbor aware network (NAN), an indication of whether a first device corresponding to a particular service is available for a particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in an active operating mode, the indication included in a message received at the second device; and

transitioning to a low-power operating mode during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the particular time period in response to determining that the first device is unavailable during the particular time period.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise, if the second device is peered with other devices, determining that the other devices are unavailable during the particular time period prior to transitioning to the low-power operating mode.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the indication identifies unavailability if a particular bit has a first bit value.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the indication identifies availability if the particular bit has a second bit value that is different from the first bit value.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, at the second device, a second message including a second indication of whether the first device is available for a second particular time period during which devices of the data link group are configured to operate in the active operating mode.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise performing one or more operations associated with a different device corresponding to another service during one or more transmission windows corresponding to the second particular time period.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein at least a portion of the second particular time period is identified by multiple logical channels.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein each of the multiple logical channels corresponds to a communication channel and to a portion of the second particular time period.