Beacon adjusting method and beacon adjusting device

Abstract

The invention provides a beacon adjusting method applied to a wireless base station. The beacon adjustment method comprises the following steps: detecting at least one signal or at least one signal collision event; calculating an adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event; and adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting the timing value of the timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a beacon adjustment method and a beacon adjustment device, in particular, to a beacon adjustment method and a beacon adjustment device for adjusting a target beacon transmission time or a timing synchronization function according to a detected signal or a signal collision event. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of wireless communication, wireless network (Wi-Fi) technology has been widely applied in various electronic products. In order to maintain the connection quality between the Wi-Fi access point (AP) and other wireless devices (Station, STA), the wireless access point needs to be able to stably and continuously transmit the beacon.

[0003] If the wireless access point cannot transmit the beacon, or the beacon output by the wireless access point cannot be transmitted to other wireless devices, the wireless device will prolong its idle time in order to wait for the beacon, and even worse, the wireless device may directly disconnect the connection with the wireless access point. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, one of the purposes of the present application (but not limited to) is to provide a beacon adjustment method and a beacon adjustment device to improve the deficiencies of the prior art.

[0005] In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment method is applied to a wireless access point. The beacon adjustment method comprises the following steps: detecting at least one signal or at least one signal collision event; calculating an adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event; and adjusting a target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting a timing value of a timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference.

[0006] In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment device comprises a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store at least one instruction. The processor is used to read the at least one instruction to perform the following steps: detecting at least one signal or at least one signal collision event; calculating an adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event; and adjusting a target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting a timing value of a timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference.

[0007] The technical means embodied by the embodiments of the present application can improve at least one of the shortcomings of the prior art. The beacon adjustment method and the beacon adjustment device of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time or the timing synchronization function according to the detected signal or the signal collision event, so that the present application can avoid the collision between the output beacon and other signals, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon to the wireless device.

[0008] The features, implementations and effects of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0010] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a beacon adjustment method according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0011] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0012] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0013] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0014] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0015] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0016] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0017] Figure 9 FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application; and

[0018] Figure 10 FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an operation of a beacon adjustment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0019] REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0020] 100: beacon adjustment apparatus 110: processor 120: memory

[0021] 130: communication circuit 131: reception circuit 132: transmission circuit

[0022] 200: beacon adjustment method 210-230: steps AIFS: arbitration interframe space

[0023] Backoff: backoff BI1, BI2: beacon interval CCA: clear channel assessment

[0024] Dev1-Dev5: wireless devices I1-I29: intervals EDCCA: energy detection CCA

[0025] NAV1: network allocation vector S: displacement Pkt1, Pkt2, Bcn1, Bcn2: signals

[0026] s1-s29: sub-intervals BCN: beacon T1-T4: time

[0027] T: offset TI: target interval TBTT: target beacon transmission time

[0028] TSF: timing synchronization function TBTT': new target beacon transmission time

[0029] Other signal: other signal TSF': new timing synchronization function DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] All words used herein are intended to have their ordinary meaning. The definitions of the above words in the commonly used dictionaries include examples of the use of such words in this document, which are merely illustrative, and should not be construed to limit the scope and meaning of the present invention. Also, the present invention is not limited only to the various embodiments shown in this specification.

[0031] As used herein, "coupled" or "connected" can mean two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with one another, or can mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with one another, but yet still co-operate or interact with one another. As used herein, the term "circuit" can refer to an apparatus configured to process signals using at least one active or passive element connected in a particular manner.

[0032] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the use of first, second, third, etc., to describe various elements is merely intended to differentiate one element from another. Thus, a first element discussed herein could be termed a second element without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For ease of understanding, like elements will be designated by the same reference number throughout the figures.

[0033] To improve the problem that the beacon cannot be effectively transmitted to the wireless device in the prior art, resulting in the wireless device prolonging its idle time or even disconnecting the connection with the Wi-Fi access point (AP), the present application proposes a beacon adjustment device and a beacon adjustment method, which are described in detail as follows.

[0034] Figure 1FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a beacon adjustment apparatus 100 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 includes a processor 110, a memory 120, and a communication circuit 130 electrically coupled to each other. The memory 120 is configured to store at least one instruction. The processor 110 is configured to read the at least one instruction to perform adjustment of a beacon. The communication circuit 130 further includes a receiving circuit 131 and a transmitting circuit 132, which are mainly configured to receive and transmit packets. For ease of understanding the operation of the beacon adjustment apparatus 100, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of a beacon adjustment method 200 according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment method 200 can be applied to a wireless base station. In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment method 200 can be applied to a hotspot of a wireless station (STA) such as a mobile phone, for example, a software enabled access point (Soft AP) or a mobile AP.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In step 210, at least one signal or at least one signal collision event is detected. For example, the signal includes a packet or energy, and the receiving circuit 131 of the communication circuit 130 of the present application can detect the signal by clear channel assessment (CCA) or energy detection clear channel assessment (EDCCA). By using the above-mentioned techniques, the communication circuit 130 of the present application can detect the packet and check the header of the packet to determine whether it is a Wi-Fi packet. In addition, the communication circuit 130 of the present application can also detect the energy in the channel. If the detected energy is significantly greater than a predetermined threshold, it means that the channel is currently in use, in other words, there is energy being transmitted in the channel. On the other hand, if the signal is transmitted and other signals are still detected, the signal (e.g., a beacon (BCN)) transmitted by the transmitting circuit 132 of the communication circuit 130 of the present application will collide with the other signals. It should be noted that the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. In other embodiments, the present application can use other appropriate techniques to detect the signal, depending on the actual application requirements.

[0036] In step 220, the adjustment reference is calculated based on at least one signal or at least one signal collision event. For example, the signal includes a packet or energy. After detecting the signal or the signal collision event, the communication circuit 130 of the present application can determine the time point at which the signal or the signal collision event occurs based on the signal or the signal collision event, and calculate the adjustment reference based on the time point.

[0037] In step 230, the target beacon transmission time (TBTT) is adjusted based on the adjustment reference, or the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) is adjusted based on the adjustment reference. For example, the signal includes a packet or energy. The communication circuit 130 of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time (TBTT) based on the adjustment reference calculated based on the signal or the signal collision event, or adjust the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) based on the adjustment reference, so as to avoid the time point at which other signals or signal collision events occur, and enable the transmission circuit 132 of the communication circuit 130 of the present application to effectively transmit signals (e.g. beacons) to wireless devices (e.g. mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc.). In this way, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can avoid the problem that the wireless devices prolong their idle time or even disconnect from the wireless base station while waiting for beacons.

[0038] In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT directly according to the adjustment reference, or adjust the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) according to the adjustment reference to adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT. For example, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT directly according to the adjustment reference, or the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can adjust the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) according to the adjustment reference, and output the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) to other wireless apparatuses. When the other wireless apparatuses receive the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF), the other wireless apparatuses will adjust the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) to be the same as the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF) of the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application, so that the target beacon transmission time TBTT of the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application and the other wireless apparatuses are synchronized. Therefore, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT by adjusting the timing value of the timing synchronization function (TSF). In addition, since the remaining signals are likely to be signals outputted by other wireless base stations, the remaining signals can appear periodically. In order to avoid the signal outputted by the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application colliding with the remaining signals again, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT so that the signal outputted by the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application in the next period has a large time difference (e.g. 50 milliseconds (ms)) with the remaining signals outputted by other wireless base stations in the next period. In this way, the signal outputted by the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application in the next period will not collide with the remaining signals outputted by other wireless base stations in the next period.

[0039] In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can detect the signal or the signal collision event by the communication circuit 130. For example, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can be a physical layer circuit. Then, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can transmit the information related to the signal or the signal collision event to the hardware circuit of the media access control layer by software, so that the hardware circuit adjusts the target beacon transmission time TBTT.

[0040] In order to transmit the beacon effectively, the beacon adjustment apparatus 100 of the present application can adopt an active or passive beacon adjustment mode. For example, in the passive beacon adjustment mode, please refer to Figure 3The communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can detect whether a signal collision event occurs after transmitting the beacon BCN. As shown in the figure, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application detects that there is a beacon BCN transmitted by the communication circuit 130 and a remaining signal S1 during the time period from time T1 to time T2. Therefore, the beacon BCN transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the present application collides with the remaining signal S1, which affects the transmission of the beacon BCN.

[0041] To avoid the beacon BCN transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application from colliding with the above-mentioned signal, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can calculate an offset according to the signal collision event, and shift the original target beacon transmission time TBTT to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT' according to the offset. In this way, the transmission time point of the next beacon BCN is offset from the signal, so as to avoid collision events, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon BCN to the wireless device. For example, if the time point of the remaining signal S1 is set to 0, the time point of the beacon BCN is 2 microseconds (us) (equivalent to 0.002 milliseconds (ms)). Since the time difference between the remaining signal S1 and the beacon BCN is small, the two will collide. The remaining signal S1 is likely to be a signal output by another wireless base station, so the remaining signal S1 may appear periodically, for example, the remaining signal S1 will appear periodically every 100 milliseconds, for example, the remaining signal S1 will appear at 0 milliseconds (initial), 100 milliseconds (next period), 200 milliseconds (next two periods), and so on. On the other hand, the beacon BCN will also appear periodically every 100 milliseconds, for example, the beacon BCN will appear at 0.002 milliseconds (initial), 100.002 milliseconds (next period), 200.002 milliseconds (next two periods), and so on. To avoid the collision event from occurring again, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can shift the time point of the next period of the beacon BCN by 50 milliseconds by adjusting the target beacon transmission time TBTT, from 100.002 milliseconds to 150.002 milliseconds, in addition, the time point of the next period of the remaining signal S1 remains at 100 milliseconds. In this way, the next period of the beacon BCN (appearing at 150.002 milliseconds) will be offset from the next period of the remaining signal S1 (appearing at 100 milliseconds), so that the beacon BCN output by the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application in the next period has a large time difference (e.g., more than 50 milliseconds) from the remaining signal S1 output by another wireless base station in the next period. In this way, the beacon BCN output by the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application in the next period will not collide with the remaining signal S1 output by another wireless base station in the next period.

[0042] Referring to Figure 3 In the embodiment of the passive beacon adjustment mode, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application waits for an arbitration inter-frame spacing AIFS before transmitting the beacon BCN, and starts counting down after the arbitration inter-frame spacing AIFS. In this embodiment, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application needs to count down four times before transmitting the beacon BCN. As shown in the figure, after counting down three, two, and one, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application starts counting down zero, and during the counting down of zero, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application detects the remaining signal S1. Since the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application has already started counting down zero, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application cannot stop the output of the beacon BCN in time, resulting in a collision event between the beacon BCN and the remaining signal S1. The processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can calculate the displacement amount according to the signal collision event, and displace the original target beacon transmission time TBTT to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT' according to the displacement amount, so as to avoid the collision event and effectively transmit the beacon BCN to the wireless device. In some embodiments, in detail, if the time point of the remaining signal S1 is set as the origin during the counting down of zero, the time point of the beacon BCN is 0.002 milliseconds. Since the remaining signal S1 and the beacon BCN are only 0.002 milliseconds apart, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application cannot stop the output of the beacon BCN in time, resulting in a collision event between the beacon BCN and the remaining signal S1.

[0043] Referring to Figure 4In another embodiment of the passive beacon adjustment mode, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention starts counting down after waiting for an arbitration inter-frame interval (AIFS). When the countdown reaches time T1, the remaining signals are detected through the ECCA mechanism. At this time, it is necessary to wait for the remaining signals to be transmitted. After time T2, it waits for another arbitration inter-frame interval (AIFS) and continues counting down from the number 1 until there are no remaining signals when the countdown reaches the number 0. Only then does the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention transmit the beacon BCN at time T3. It should be noted that the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention performs the countdown consecutively in the two countdowns. In other words, it counts down sequentially from 3 to 0 in the two countdowns. Specifically, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention starts counting down from 1 in the second countdown, rather than starting counting down from 3 again in the second countdown. This is because if the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention starts counting down from 3 every time it encounters a signal, it may cause the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention to be unable to transmit the beacon successfully. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In other embodiments, the present invention may also use other appropriate countdown numbers, depending on the actual application requirements.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, after transmitting the beacon BCN, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention detects the remaining signal S1. To avoid a collision between the beacon BCN transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 and the signal S1, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention... Figure 3 The mechanism described in the embodiment shifts the original target beacon transmission time TBTT to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT' based on the signal collision event to avoid collision events, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon BCN to the wireless device.

[0045] Please see Figure 5 In another embodiment of the passive beacon adjustment mode, after transmitting the beacon BCN, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention can detect whether a signal collision event has occurred. As shown in the figure, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention detects that there is an additional signal S1 during the period from time T1 to time T2. The beacon BCN transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention will collide with this additional signal S1, thereby affecting the transmission of the beacon.

[0046] To avoid the beacon BCN transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application from colliding with the remaining signal S1, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can calculate an offset T according to the duration of the signal collision event, and shift the original target beacon transmission time TBTT by a target shift S according to the offset T to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT', and the target shift S is greater than the offset T. In this way, since the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' can further avoid the remaining signal S1, the transmission time point of the next beacon BCN can be further staggered from the remaining signal S1 to avoid the collision event, so that the beacon BCN can be effectively transmitted to the wireless device.

[0047] Figure 6 An operation schematic diagram of a beacon adjustment device 100 according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. As shown in Figure 6 , an embodiment of another passive beacon adjustment mode is shown. Compared with the embodiment of Figure 5 , the embodiment of Figure 6 , the embodiment of adjusting the timing synchronization function TSF is used to avoid the collision event. In detail, please refer to Figure 5 , the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application directly shifts the original target beacon transmission time TBTT by a target shift S to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT'. In comparison, please refer to Figure 6 , the timing synchronization function TSF has a counter function, Figure 6 , the abscissa represents the counter value of the timing synchronization function TSF, and the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application calculates an offset T according to the duration of the signal collision event, and shifts the original target beacon transmission time TBTT by a target shift S according to the offset T to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT'. Figure 6 , the counter value of the timing synchronization function TSF on the abscissa is reset to zero to generate Figure 6 , the counter value of the new timing synchronization function TSF' shown on the abscissa, the above operation is equivalent to shifting the counter value of the timing synchronization function TSF on the abscissa by a target shift S to Figure 6 , the counter value of the new timing synchronization function TSF' shown on the abscissa, once the counter value of the timing synchronization function TSF is reset to the counter value of the new timing synchronization function TSF', the original target beacon transmission time TBTT is also reset to the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' to avoid the collision event, so that the beacon BCN can be effectively transmitted to the wireless device. Figure 7

[0048] Figure 7 ​This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a beacon adjustment device 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. For example... Figure 7 As shown, this illustrates an embodiment of another passive beacon adjustment mode. Assuming that the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention previously detected the remaining signal S1, and the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention has shifted the original target beacon transmission time TBTT to the new target beacon transmission time TBTT', if subsequently... Figure 8 If no further signal collision events are detected, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention can restore the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' to the original target beacon transmission time TBTT.

[0049] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a beacon adjustment device 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. For example... Figure 8 As shown, an embodiment of the active beacon adjustment mode is illustrated. First, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention detects signals (such as beacons) in at least two beacon intervals, where the beacon interval is the time interval between emitting two beacons, for example, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention emits a beacon interval BI1 or BI2 between two beacons.

[0050] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention detects multiple signals in two beacon intervals BI1 and BI2, and establishes a communication circuit based on the detected multiple signals. Figure 9 The histogram is shown. Next, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention, according to... Figure 9 The histogram is used to calculate multiple signal densities, and the interval I21 with the lowest signal density is set as the target interval TI. For example, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention builds a histogram based on the signal, for example, intervals with signals have larger values, and intervals without signals have smaller values, and so on. Then, the signal density of each interval is calculated according to the value of the interval itself and the values ​​of its neighboring intervals. For example, the signal density of interval I3 is calculated by the value of interval I3 itself and the values ​​of its neighboring intervals (such as intervals I2, I4, etc.). Then, after the signal density calculation is completed, the signal density is calculated by... Figure 10 It is known that the interval with the lowest signal density is I21. Therefore, the interval I21 is set as the target interval TI.

[0051] Subsequently, as Figure 8As shown, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application adjusts the target beacon transmission time TBTT to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT' according to the target interval TI. For example, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT to the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' by adjusting the timing synchronization function TSF. Since the target interval TI is the minimum signal density interval actively detected and calculated by the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application, in other words, the target interval TI has a low probability of having other signals, if the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' is adjusted to the target interval TI, the beacon transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application has a low probability of encountering collision events, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon BCN to the wireless device.

[0052] Referring to Figure 8 In another embodiment of the active beacon adjustment mode, the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application detects signals Pktl, Pkt2, Bcnl, Bcn2 and a network allocation vector (NAVl) in at least two beacon intervals BIl, BI2. The signals Pktl, Pkt2 are from other wireless devices Devl, Dev5 in the environment, the network allocation vector (NAVl) is from other wireless device Dev3 in the environment, and the signals Bcnl, Bcn2 are from other wireless devices Dev2, Dev4 in the environment. In some embodiments, the wireless devices Dev2, Dev4 can be wireless base stations and output beacons Bcnl, Bcn2, respectively.

[0053] As shown, the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the signal Pktl is high (in Figure 8 HRSSI), which represents that the wireless device Devl sending the signal Pktl is close to the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application and has a great impact on the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. Therefore, the sub-intervals s4-s8 of the beacon interval BIl corresponding to the signal Pktl are set to intensity 2. In comparison, the sub-intervals sl-s3 and s9-s10 of the beacon interval BIl have no signals and have no impact on the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. Therefore, these intervals are set to intensity 0. It should be noted that the sub-intervals without signals are also set to intensity 0. In addition, the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the signal Pkt2 is low (in Figure 9The wireless device Dev 5 which transmits the signal Pkt 2 is far away from the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application, and has a small influence on the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. Therefore, the sub-intervals sll-sl6 of the beacon interval BI 1 corresponding to the signal Pkt 2 are set to strength 1.

[0054] Furthermore, the sub-interval s22 of the beacon interval BI 1 to the sub-interval s3 of the beacon interval BI 2 have the network allocation vector NAV 1, which represents that the wireless device Dev 3 intends to transmit a signal in this interval, and has an influence on the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. Therefore, the sub-intervals s22 of the beacon interval BI 1 to the sub-interval s3 of the beacon interval BI 2 corresponding to the network allocation vector NAV 1 are set to strength 1.

[0055] In some embodiments, the signal Bcn 1 can be a beacon Bcn 1, and the received signal strength indication RSSI of the beacon Bcn 1 is low, which represents that the wireless device Dev 2 which transmits the beacon Bcn 1 is far away from the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. However, the wireless device Dev 2 which transmits the beacon Bcn 1 can be a wireless base station, and still has an influence on the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. Therefore, the sub-intervals s4-slO of the beacon interval BI 2 corresponding to the beacon Bcn 1 are set to strength 2. In addition, the signal Bcn 2 can be a beacon Bcn 2, and the received signal strength indication RSSI of the beacon Bcn 2 is high, which represents that the wireless device Dev 4 which transmits the beacon Bcn 2 is close to the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application, and the wireless device Dev 4 which transmits the beacon Bcn 2 can be a wireless base station, and has a large influence on the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. Therefore, the sub-intervals sl4-s22 of the beacon interval BI 2 corresponding to the beacon Bcn 2 are set to strength 3.

[0056] The signals or network allocation vectors transmitted by the remaining wireless devices Dev 1-Dev 5 all have an influence on the beacon transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application, and the degree of influence is related to the strength of the above-mentioned sub-intervals. Therefore, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application actively adjusts according to the conditions of the signals or network allocation vectors transmitted by the remaining wireless devices Dev 1-Dev 5 (for example, the conditions of the strength of the sub-intervals corresponding to the above-mentioned signals or network allocation vectors) to avoid the beacon transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application from colliding with the signals transmitted by the remaining wireless devices Dev 1-Dev 5. Details are described below.

[0057] The processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application establishes a histogram according to the detected signals and network allocation vectors. Figure 9 The histogram is shown. Then, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application adjusts the beacon interval according to the histogram. Figure 9The histogram is used to calculate multiple signal densities of the corresponding signals Pkt1, Pkt2, Bcn1, Bcn2 and the network allocation vector NAV1, and the target interval TI is selected based on the signal density in the histogram. For example, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention, according to... Figure 10 The histogram is used to calculate the signal density of interval I1 as 129, interval I2 as 140, interval I3 as 136, etc., to obtain the signal density of all intervals I1 to I29. Among the above intervals I1 to I29, the interval with the lowest signal density is interval I21. Therefore, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention selects the interval I21 with the lowest signal density as the target interval TI.

[0058] Subsequently, as Figure 8 As shown, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention shifts the target beacon transmission time TBTT to the target interval TI by adjusting the timing synchronization function TSF. In other words, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention can use the timing synchronization function TSF to adjust the target beacon transmission time TBTT to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT'. Since the target interval TI is the minimum signal density interval actively detected and calculated by the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention, if the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' is adjusted to the target interval TI, the probability of the beacon transmitted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present invention encountering a collision event is lower, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon BCN to the wireless device.

[0059] Please see Figure 8 to Figure 10In some embodiments, the sub-interval s4 of the beacon interval BI1 and the sub-interval s4 of the beacon interval BI2 both appear signals, for example, the sub-interval s4 of the beacon interval BI1 appears the signal Pkt1 and the sub-interval s4 of the beacon interval BI2 appears the signal Bcn1, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application infers that the sub-interval s4 of the beacon interval BI1 and BI2 both appear signals regularly, to avoid the beacon outputted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application encountering the signals appearing regularly in the sub-interval s4 of the beacon interval BI1 and BI2, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application sets the sub-interval s4 as an interfered interval, and subsequently avoids setting the above-mentioned interfered interval as the target interval TI of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application, to avoid the beacon outputted by the communication circuit 130 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application being affected. According to the above-mentioned manner, the sub-intervals s5, s6, s7 and s8 of the beacon interval BI1 and BI2 also appear signals regularly, the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application also sets the sub-intervals s5, s6, s7 and s8 as interfered intervals, and subsequently also avoids setting the above-mentioned interfered intervals as the target interval TI of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application. It should be noted that the processor 110 of the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can also set the intervals appearing signals regularly as interfered intervals in the same manner.

[0060] In some embodiments, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can adopt a mixed beacon adjustment mode, which can combine the advantages of the active or passive beacon adjustment mode, for example, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can adopt the active beacon adjustment mode according to the embodiment of Figure 3 to Figure 7 The beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can set the intervals in which the beacon BCN collides as interfered intervals, assuming that the beacon BCN collides with the signal Pkt1 in the sub-intervals s4-s8, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can set the sub-intervals s4-s8 as interfered intervals, and subsequently avoids setting the above-mentioned interfered intervals as the target interval TI of the present application. In addition, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can obtain the interval with the minimum signal density as the target interval TI according to the signals, and adjust the new target beacon transmission time TBTT' to the target interval TI, to actively avoid the collision event. Furthermore, the beacon adjustment device 100 of the present application can use the passive beacon adjustment mode on the basis of using the active beacon adjustment mode, and subsequently uses the mixed beacon adjustment mode. Figure 1 to Figure 10The passive beacon adjustment mode of the embodiment of the present application calculates the offset according to the signal collision event after the beacon transmission, and shifts the original target beacon transmission time TBTT to a new target beacon transmission time TBTT' according to the offset. In this way, the transmission time point of the next beacon BCN is staggered with the signal to avoid collision events, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon BCN to the wireless device. It should be noted that the details of the remaining active or passive beacon adjustment mode have been described in detail above, and for the sake of brevity of the present application, will not be described here.

[0061] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to ​ The embodiments shown in the drawings are used to exemplarily show one of the implementations of the present application, so that the skilled in the art can easily understand the technology of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application should be defined according to the claims of the present application. The modifications and refinements made by the skilled in the art to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the spirit of the present application still fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0062] In summary, the technical means embodied by the embodiments of the present application can improve at least one of the shortcomings of the prior art. The beacon adjustment method and the beacon adjustment device of the present application can adjust the target beacon transmission time or the timing synchronization function according to the detected signal or the signal collision event, so that the present application can avoid the collision of the output beacon with other signals, thereby effectively transmitting the beacon to the wireless device.

[0063] Although the embodiments of the present application are described above, these embodiments are not used to limit the present application, and the skilled in the art can make changes to the technical features of the present application according to the content explicitly or implicitly disclosed in the present application, and these changes all fall within the protection scope of the present application. In other words, the protection scope of the present application should be defined according to the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A beacon adjustment method, applied to a wireless base station, comprising: detecting at least one signal or at least one signal collision event; calculating an adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event; and adjusting a target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting a timing value of a timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference.

2. A beacon adjustment apparatus, comprising: a memory for storing at least one instruction; and a processor for reading the at least one instruction to perform the following steps: detecting at least one signal or at least one signal collision event; calculating an adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event; and adjusting a target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting a timing value of a timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference. The step of adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting the timing value of the timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises: directly adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, or adjusting the timing value of the timing synchronization function according to the adjustment reference to adjust the target beacon transmission time. The step of detecting the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises:

3. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 2, wherein, detecting whether the at least one signal collision event occurs after a beacon transmission. The step of calculating the adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises:

4. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 2, wherein, calculating an offset according to a duration of the at least one signal collision event; The step of adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises:

5. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 2, wherein, shifting the target beacon transmission time by a target shift amount according to the offset, wherein the target shift amount is greater than the offset. The step of calculating the adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises: establishing a histogram according to the at least one signal detected; calculating a plurality of signal densities according to the histogram; and 6. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 2, wherein, setting a target interval according to the plurality of signal densities. The step of adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises: adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the target interval. The processor is further for reading the at least one instruction to perform the following steps:

7. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 6, wherein, detecting whether the at least one signal collision event occurs after a beacon transmission; setting an interval in which the at least one signal collision event occurs as an interference interval; and 8. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 7, wherein, avoiding setting the interference interval as the target interval. The step of detecting the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event, performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction, comprises: ​ ​ 9. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 2, wherein, ​ Detecting a plurality of signals and a plurality of network allocation vectors in at least two beacon intervals.

10. The beacon adjustment apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The step of calculating the adjustment reference according to the at least one signal or the at least one signal collision event performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction comprises: building a histogram according to the detected plurality of signals and the plurality of network allocation vectors; calculating a plurality of densities of the plurality of signals and the plurality of network allocation vectors according to the histogram; and selecting a target bin in the histogram according to the plurality of densities; wherein the step of adjusting the target beacon transmission time according to the adjustment reference performed by the processor according to the at least one instruction comprises: shifting the target beacon transmission time to the target bin by adjusting the timing synchronization function.

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