Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090040996 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS MODES OF OPERATION - Methods and apparatus for supporting multiple modes of communication operation, e.g., with different parameters and/or frequency bands being used in the different modes of operation are described. One or more adjustments are made based on a signal or signals received in a first frequency band from a second communications device, e.g., an access router with reliable timing. The communications device selects between and operates in either the first frequency band, e.g., a WAN frequency band, or in a second frequency band, e.g., a LAN frequency band. The WAN and LAN frequency bands may be non-overlapping. One or more parameters used in the second frequency band have a predetermined relationship to one or more parameters used for communications in the first frequency band making the adjustment based on the signal received in the first frequency band relevant and useful to support communications in the second frequency band. | 02-12-2009 |
20100110929 | TRANSMISSION WITH HOPPING FOR PEER-PEER COMMUNICATION - Techniques for transmitting signals using time hopping or time and frequency hopping are described. In one design, a terminal selects different slots to use for transmission in multiple frames with time hopping. Each frame includes multiple slots, and each slot covers a particular time duration. The selected slots are at different time locations in the multiple frames. In another design, a terminal selects different resource units to use for transmission in multiple frames with time and frequency hopping. The selected resource units are at different time and frequency locations in the multiple frames. For both designs, the terminal sends a signal (e.g., a peer discovery signal) in the selected slots or resource units in the multiple frames. The terminal may detect for signals (e.g., peer discovery signals) from other terminals in slots not used for transmission by the terminal. | 05-06-2010 |
20100110999 | TRANSMIT POWER CONTROL BASED ON RECEIVER GAIN SETTING IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK - Techniques for performing transmit power control based on receiver gain setting in a wireless communication network are described. In an aspect, a terminal A may estimate pathloss to another terminal B, e.g., based on a peer discovery signal received from terminal B. Terminal A may then determine a transmit power level for a peer-to-peer (PTP) signal (e.g., a paging signal) based on the estimated pathloss, a receiver gain setting at terminal B, and a target received power level for the PTP signal. Terminal A may send the PTP signal at the determined transmit power level to terminal B. In another aspect, terminal B may use different receiver gain settings in different time intervals to receive PTP signals from other terminals. Terminal A may then select a suitable time interval to send the PTP signal based on the pathloss and the different receiver gain settings used by terminal B. | 05-06-2010 |
20100189188 | AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL (AGC) FOR OFDM-BASED TRANSMISSION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK - Techniques for performing automatic gain control (AGC) at a receiver are described. The receiver may receive an OFDM-based symbol composed of a cyclic prefix and a useful portion. The receiver may scale the OFDM-based symbol with an initial receiver gain, adjust the initial receiver gain based on the cyclic prefix, apply the adjusted receiver gain prior to the useful portion, and process the useful portion to recover at least one signal sent by at least one transmitter. The receiver may select the initial receiver gain, e.g., based on a predicted received power level for the at least one transmitter, a pattern of different receiver gains, etc. The receiver may apply the initial receiver gain at the start of the OFDM-based symbol. The receiver may measure the power of a set of samples in the cyclic prefix and may adjust the receiver gain based on the measured power and a target power. | 07-29-2010 |
20100190459 | AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK - Techniques for performing automatic gain control (AGC) at a terminal in a wireless communication network are described. In an aspect, the terminal may use different receiver gain settings to receive different types of signals in different time intervals. The terminal may determine a receiver gain setting for each signal type and may use the receiver gain setting to receive signals of that signal type. In another aspect, the terminal may determine a receiver gain setting for a future time interval based on received power levels for peer terminals expected to transmit in that time interval. The terminal may measure received power levels of signals received from a plurality of terminals. The terminal may determine a set of terminals expected to transmit in the future time interval and may determine the receiver gain setting for the future time interval based on the measured received power levels for the set of terminals. | 07-29-2010 |
20100250673 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINED PEER TO PEER AND WIDE AREA NETWORK BASED DISCOVERY - A first wireless communications device includes a wide area network (WAN) interface and a peer to peer interface. The first device discovers the presence of a second wireless communications device via a peer discovery signal, received via its peer to peer interface. The second device has been transmitting, e.g., periodically, certain information, e.g., its location and/or shopping preferences, to a node within the WAN. The detected first signal triggers an application alert in the first device. The first device recovers past information about the second device through a second signal received via its WAN interface. The first device uses information communicated in the first signal, e.g., device identifier information, and information communicated in the second signal, e.g., past location and/or shopping information, to generate a targeted message for the second device. The first device communicates the targeted message via its peer to peer interface in a peer to peer traffic channel. | 09-30-2010 |
20100254308 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PEER DISCOVERY IN A COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - Methods and apparatus supporting enhanced discovery operations in peer to peer networks are described. Peer discovery, based on direct peer to peer discovery between two mobile nodes can be somewhat limited, e.g., due to power limitations, processing power, and/or channel conditions. An access point, e.g., base station, monitors for and receives peer discovery signals conveying a set of identifiers from a wireless communications device. The access point retransmits at least one identifier in the set in a wireless peer to peer communications channel. Thus the access point effectively extends the peer discovery range for wireless communications devices utilizing the peer to peer network. Wireless communications devices can monitor for and recover the rebroadcast peer discovery signals from access points. Thus, via access point signaling a wireless communications device can be made situationally aware of other devices of interest which would be otherwise outside its discovery detection range. | 10-07-2010 |
20100272029 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION - Methods and apparatus for efficiently communicating small amounts of information relatively frequently in a wireless communications system are described. An access point's uplink timing frequency structure includes a set of dedicated uplink communications resources, e.g., expression advertisement interval air link resources, which may be in addition to regular traffic channel resources. The set of dedicated uplink communications resources comprises a small fraction of the total uplink communications resources. An individual one of the set of dedicated uplink communications resources can carry a small amount of information bits. An expression advertisement interval occurs relatively frequently. A wireless communications device, registered with the access point, is allocated one of the set of dedicated uplink resources. The wireless communications device can transmit information using its allocated resource in both a sleep state and an active state. | 10-28-2010 |
20100291872 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING COMMUNICATION OVER DIFFERENT RANGES IN A WIRELESS NETWORK - Methods and apparatus well suited for supporting communications over different ranges in, for example, a peer to peer wireless communications system, are described. In the peer to peer network at least some of the types of signals, e.g., peer discovery signals and/or paging signals, are transmitted with no closed loop power control. An exemplary peer to peer timing structure includes air link resources allocated for a particular type of signaling in which the resources are segmented into multiple blocks which do not overlap in time, different ones of the multiple blocks being associated with different ranges. The characteristics of the basic transmission units of the multiple blocks based on range are different, e.g., tone size and symbol width are different. A wireless communications device implements the peer to peer timing structure and uses resources from different range based blocks at different times. Data traffic transmission units may be the same regardless of the range. | 11-18-2010 |
20110019541 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING POWER EFFICIENCY AND LATENCY OF MOBILE DEVICES USING AN OUT OF BAND WIRELESS RESOURCE - Methods and apparatus of using a licensed spectrum to transmit data when an unlicensed spectrum is congested are disclosed. The method includes transmitting a first signal from a first mobile device to a second mobile device using an unlicensed spectrum, determining, at the first mobile device, whether a first response signal has been received by the first mobile device using the unlicensed spectrum, and transmitting a second signal from the first mobile device to the second mobile device using a licensed spectrum when the first response signal has not been received by the first mobile device using the unlicensed spectrum. | 01-27-2011 |
20110019601 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING POWER EFFICIENCY AND LATENCY OF MOBILE DEVICES USING AN EXTERNAL TIMING SOURCE - Methods and apparatus for increasing power efficiency and decreasing latency of communication of a mobile device operating in an unlicensed spectrum using global timing data are disclosed. The method includes receiving, at the mobile device, the global timing data from an external timing source, the mobile device communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, obtaining, at the mobile device, a time from the global timing data, and determining, at the mobile device, a wake time to switch the mobile device from a sleep state to an active state based on the time obtained from the global timing data. | 01-27-2011 |
20110028102 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USING A LICENSED SPECTRUM TO TRANSMIT A SIGNAL WHEN AN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM IS CONGESTED - Methods and apparatus of using a licensed spectrum to transmit a signal when an unlicensed spectrum is congested are disclosed. One method includes receiving, at a first mobile device, a request signal from a second mobile device, receiving, at the first mobile device, a remote signal from one or more mobile devices using the unlicensed spectrum, and transmitting a control signal from the first mobile device to the second mobile device using the licensed spectrum, the control signal being based on the remote signal. The control signal carries control information that is based on at least one of a time at which the second mobile device sends a signal to the first mobile device or the received powers of the remote signal and the request signal. | 02-03-2011 |
20120088450 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING COMMUNICATION OVER DIFFERENT RANGES IN A WIRELESS NETWORK - Methods and apparatus well suited for supporting communications over different ranges in, for example, a peer to peer wireless communications system, are described. In the peer to peer network at least some of the types of signals, e.g., peer discovery signals and/or paging signals, are transmitted with no closed loop power control. An exemplary peer to peer timing structure includes air link resources allocated for a particular type of signaling in which the resources are segmented into multiple blocks which do not overlap in time, different ones of the multiple blocks being associated with different ranges. The characteristics of the basic transmission units of the multiple blocks based on range are different, e.g., tone size and symbol width are different. A wireless communications device implements the peer to peer timing structure and uses resources from different range based blocks at different times. Data traffic transmission units may be the same regardless of the range. | 04-12-2012 |