Bluetooth assisted NAN cluster discovery

• US 9,554,344 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Po-Kai, Stacey, Robert, Cordeiro, Carlos, Qi, Emily H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US14/318,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques to enable discovery of a NAN cluster using low-power communication. According to such techniques, a NAN discovery beacon including information indicative of a schedule for communication using a first radio is transmitted using a second radio that utilizes a lower amount of power relative to the first radio.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a device in a wireless network, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry;

a scheduling component executable by the circuitry, the scheduling component to determine a schedule for communication using a first radio; and

a beacon component executable by the circuitry, the beacon component to;

generate a discovery beacon for communication using a second radio, the discovery beacon to include an indication of the schedule,

cause the second radio to enter a lower power state subsequent communication of the discovery beacon,

cause the second radio to exit the lower power state after a delay comprising a discovery beacon interval plus a discovery beacon interval offset randomly generated, and

generate another discovery beacon for communication subsequent the delay.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the first radio operably coupled to the circuitry; and

the second radio operably coupled to the circuitry, the second radio to utilize a lower amount of power relative to the first radio.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the second radio operably coupled to the circuitry, the beacon component to send a control directive to power on the second radio in order to communicate the discovery beacon.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, the beacon component to repeatedly power on the second radio to repeatedly communicate discovery beacons.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the first radio to comprise a Wi-Fi radio and the second radio to comprise a Bluetooth radio.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, the beacon component to communicate the discovery beacon in a discovery beacon window.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the discovery beacon window to comprise the discovery beacon interval and the discovery beacon interval offset.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a first antenna array operably coupled to the first radio; and

a second antenna array operably coupled to the second radio.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the circuitry to comprise one of an application processor, or a baseband processor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the schedule is a schedule for communication in a Neighbor Aware Networking (NAN) cluster.

11. An apparatus for a device in a wireless network, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry; and

a scheduling component executable by the circuitry, the scheduling component to determine a schedule for communication using a first radio; and

a beacon component executable by the circuitry, the beacon component to conduct a background scan to receive a discovery beacon using a second radio, the discovery beacon to include an indication of the schedule, and

wherein the background scan is conducted using a first background scan interval, the beacon component to determine whether the discovery beacon was received and to repeat the background scan using a second background scan interval based on the determination that the discovery beacon was received, and the second background scan interval is different than the first background scan interval.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

the first radio operably coupled to the circuitry; and

the second radio operably coupled to the circuitry, wherein the second radio utilizes a lower amount of power relative to the first radio.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the schedule is a schedule for communication in a Neighbor Aware Networking (NAN) cluster.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a first antenna array operably coupled to the first radio; and

a second antenna array operably coupled to the second radio.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, the circuitry to comprise one of an application processor or a baseband processor.

16. A method implemented by a device in a wireless network, the method comprising:

determining a schedule for communication using a first radio;

generating a discovery beacon to be communicated using a second radio, the discovery beacon to include an indication of the schedule, the second radio to utilize a lower amount of power relative to the first radio;

causing the second radio to enter a lower power state subsequent communication of the discovery beacon;

causing the second radio to exit the lower power state after a delay comprising a discovery beacon interval plus a discovery beacon interval offset randomly generated; and

generating another discovery beacon for communication subsequent the delay.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising communicating the discovery beacon using the second radio in a discovery beacon window, the discovery beacon window to comprise the discovery beacon interval and the discovery beacon interval offset.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending a control directive to power on the second radio in order to communicate the discovery beacon.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the schedule corresponds to a Neighbor Aware Networking cluster.

20. A method implemented by a device in a wireless network, the method comprising:

conducting a background scan to receive a discovery beacon using a first scan interval, the discovery beacon to include an indication of a schedule for communication using a first radio, wherein the background scan is conducted using a second radio, wherein the second radio utilizes a lower amount of power relative to the first radio;

determining whether the discovery beacon was received; and

repeating the background scan using a second background scan interval based on the determination that the discovery beacon was received, wherein the second background scan interval is different than the first background scan interval.

21. The method of claims 20, wherein the schedule is a schedule for communication in a Neighbor Aware Networking (NAN) cluster.