Method and apparatus for configuring discovery window for wi-fi aware communication

Abstract

An electronic device for performing Wi-Fi Aware communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a transceiver and a processor. The processor may perform control to transmit, to a second electronic device, a frame including a first index for an interval of a discovery window (DW) used for Wi-Fi Aware communication and a second index for a duration of the DW. The processor may perform control to perform Wi-Fi Aware communication with the second electronic device in the DW configured on the basis of the first index and the second index.

Description

Method and device for setting up a discovery window for Wi-Fi-aware communication

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for setting a discovery window for Wi-Fi aware communication.

[0002] The Internet is evolving from a human-centric network where humans create and consume information to an Internet of Things (IoT) network where information is exchanged and processed between distributed components such as objects. The Internet of Everything (IoE) technology, which combines IoT technology with big data processing technology through connections to cloud servers, is also emerging. To implement the IoT, technological elements such as sensing technology, wired and wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technology, and security technology are required. Recently, technologies such as sensor networks for connecting objects, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, and Machine-Type Communication (MTC) are being researched.

[0003] In an IoT environment, intelligent IT (Internet Technology) services can be provided that collect and analyze data generated from connected objects, creating new value in human life. IoT, through the convergence and integration of existing IT (information technology) technologies with various industries, can be applied to fields such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart appliances, and advanced medical services.

[0004] Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Aware is a technology that extends Wi-Fi capabilities by enabling devices to quickly discover, connect, and exchange data with other Wi-Fi devices without the need for traditional network infrastructure, an Internet connection, or a GPS signal. Wi-Fi Aware can provide the ability for devices to discover and connect directly to each other without requiring any other type of connection. Wi-Fi Aware can also be referred to as neighbor awareness networking (NAN).

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a method for adaptively adjusting a discovery window for Wi-Fi aware communication.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a first electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication may include an operation of transmitting a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW to a second electronic device; and an operation of performing Wi-Fi aware communication with the second electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for operating a second electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication may include receiving, from a first electronic device, a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW; and performing Wi-Fi aware communication with the first electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication includes a transceiver; and a processor. The processor controls transmission of a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW to a second electronic device, and performs Wi-Fi aware communication with the second electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a second electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication includes a transceiver; and a processor. The processor receives a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW from a first electronic device, and performs Wi-Fi aware communication with the first electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

[0010] A method and device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can support efficient service discovery between Wi-Fi Aware devices.

[0011] In addition, the method and device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can improve communication efficiency by setting an efficient discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication.

[0012] Figure 1 illustrates a communication system including an access point and a station.

[0013] Figure 2a illustrates the operation of an access point and a station for establishing a Wi-Fi connection.

[0014] Figure 2b illustrates the operation of the first station and the second station for Wi-Fi Aware connection.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining time resource allocation for AP communication and Wi-Fi Aware communication of a station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a Wi-Fi Aware Discovery procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figures 5a to 5c illustrate examples of Continuity Services that can use Wi-Fi Aware-based communication.

[0018] FIG. 6A illustrates an example of Wi-Fi Aware-based communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 6b illustrates an example of Wi-Fi Aware-based communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of managing a discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a contention mitigation method within a discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are diagrams for explaining a method for limiting the number of Wi-Fi Aware devices within a discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of setting the duration of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of adjusting the interval of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a cluster to which an adaptive discovery window is applied when Wi-Fi Aware communication is performed according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a cluster to which an adaptive discovery window is applied during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 18 illustrates an example of adjusting the interval of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a second electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034] In describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical details that are well known in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains and are not directly related to the present disclosure will be omitted. This is to convey the gist of the present disclosure more clearly without obscuring it by omitting unnecessary explanations.

[0035] For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not entirely reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are assigned the same reference numbers.

[0036] The advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. The embodiments of the present disclosure are provided only to make the present disclosure complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the disclosure, and the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

[0037] At this time, it will be understood that each block of the processing flowchart drawings and combinations of the flowchart drawings can be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be installed in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment create a means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-available or computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory can also produce a manufactured item that includes an instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, a series of operational steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to create a computer-executable process, so that the instructions that cause the computer or other programmable data processing device to perform the steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s) may also be able to provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

[0038] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation examples, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks depicted in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on their respective functions.

[0039] Here, the term '~ unit' used in the present disclosure means a software or hardware component such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), and the '~ unit' performs certain roles. However, the '~ unit' is not limited to software or hardware. The '~ unit' may be configured to be on an addressable storage medium and may be configured to play one or more processors. Accordingly, according to some embodiments, the '~ unit' includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and '~ units' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ units' or further separated into additional components and '~ units'. Additionally, the components and '~parts' may be implemented to activate one or more CPUs within the device or secure multimedia card. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the '~parts' may include one or more processors.

[0040] Each of a station (STA), a transmitting device, a receiving device, and an electronic device used in the present disclosure may be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a user equipment (UE), a user terminal (UT), a wireless terminal, an access terminal (AT), a terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station (SS), a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), a mobile node, a mobile, or other terms. Each of the station, the transmitting device, the receiving device, and the electronic device may include a cellular telephone, a smart phone having a wireless communication function, a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a wireless communication function, a wireless modem, a portable computer having a wireless communication function, a photographing device such as a digital camera having a wireless communication function, a gaming device having a wireless communication function, a music storage and playback home appliance having a wireless communication function, an Internet home appliance capable of wireless Internet access and browsing, as well as portable units or terminals incorporating combinations of such functions. Additionally, each of the station, the transmitting device, the receiving device, and the electronic device may include, but is not limited to, an M2M (Machine to Machine) terminal or an MTC (Machine Type Communication) terminal / device. In the present disclosure, each of the station, the transmitting device, the receiving device, and the electronic device may also be simply referred to as a device.

[0041] In this disclosure, the terms "Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)" and "Wi-Fi" may be used interchangeably. For convenience of explanation, this disclosure describes a WLAN system including at least one Access Point (AP) and at least one Station (STA), but embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other WLAN systems, including, for example, multiple WLANs, peer-to-peer (or independent basic service set) systems, Wi-Fi Direct systems, and / or hotspots.

[0042] Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Aware TM Wi-Fi Aware is a technology that extends Wi-Fi capabilities by enabling rapid discovery, connection, and data exchange with other Wi-Fi devices without the need for traditional network infrastructure, an Internet connection, or a GPS signal. Wi-Fi Aware can enable devices to discover and connect directly to each other without requiring any other type of connection. Wi-Fi Aware can also be referred to as neighbor awareness networking (NAN).

[0043] Wi-Fi Aware networking can operate by forming clusters with nearby devices or by creating a new cluster if the device is the first in the area. Applications can use the Wi-Fi Aware application programming interface (API) to communicate with the Wi-Fi Aware system service, which manages the device's Wi-Fi Aware hardware. For example, Wi-Fi Aware network connections can support higher throughput at longer distances than Bluetooth connections. For example, Wi-Fi Aware network connections can be useful for apps that share large amounts of data between users, such as photo sharing apps.

[0044] The operating principles of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In the following description of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known functions or configurations will be omitted if they are deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined based on the functions of the present disclosure and may vary depending on the intent or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, their definitions should be based on the overall content of this specification.

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system (100) including an access point (AP) and a station (STA).

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1, a communication system (100) may include a wireless local area network (WLAN) (150) composed of a plurality of wireless access points (APs) (110, 115) and a plurality of stations (STAs) (120, 125). For convenience of explanation, only two access points (APs) (110, 115) and two stations (STAs) (120, 125) are illustrated in FIG. 1, but the WLAN (150) may include any number of access points (APs) and any number of stations (STAs).

[0047] A station (STA) (120, 125) may include at least one transceiver, at least one processor, and / or at least one memory. The at least one memory may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing an access point (AP) (110, 115) to perform operations according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] An access point (AP) (110, 115) may be a device that enables one or more stations (STAs) to connect to a network (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and / or the Internet) using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other suitable communication technology. The access point (AP) (110, 115) may include at least one transceiver, at least one processor, and / or at least one memory. The at least one memory may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for the access point (AP) (110, 115) to perform operations according to embodiments of the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, the access point (AP) (110, 115) may be implemented as a hardware device or a software device.

[0049] At least one transceiver included in an access point (AP) (110, 115) and / or a station (STA) (120, 125) may include a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a cellular transceiver, and / or other suitable radio frequency (RF) transceiver for transmitting and / or receiving signals. Each transceiver may communicate with other wireless devices in distinct operating frequency bands and / or using distinct communication protocols. For example, a Wi-Fi transceiver may communicate within a 2.4 GHz frequency band and / or a 5 GHz frequency band in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0050] A first station (120) can be connected to a first access point (110) via a first channel (e.g., channel 36 of 5 GHz), and a second station (125) can be connected to a second access point (115) via a second channel (e.g., channel 52 of 5 GHz). The first station (120) can be connected to a second station (125) via a Wi-Fi Aware (or NAN) via a third channel (e.g., channel 6 of 2 GHz).

[0051] In the present disclosure, the channel used by the station (120, 125) when communicating with the access point (110, 115) may be referred to as an AP channel, and the channel used when communicating between the stations (120, 125) may be referred to as a Wi-Fi Aware channel (or aware channel).

[0052] Figure 2a illustrates the operation of an access point (AP) and a station (STA) for establishing a Wi-Fi connection.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 2A, a station (220) may transmit or broadcast a probe request message to an access point (210) (S201). For example, the probe request message may include information regarding at least one communication capability supported by the station (220).

[0054] The access point (210) may transmit a probe response message in response to the probe request message (S202). Upon receiving the probe response message, the station (220) may transmit an authentication request message to the access point (210) (S203). The access point (210) may transmit an authentication response message to the station (220) in response to the authentication request message (S204), and the authentication procedure between the access point (210) and the station (220) may be completed.

[0055] Once the authentication process is completed, the station (220) can transmit an association request message to the access point (210) (S205). For example, the association request message can include information regarding at least one capability (e.g., according to the IEEE 802.11 standard) to be used for data communication between the station (220) and the access point (210). The access point (210) can generate an association ID for the station (220) and transmit an association response message to the station (220) (S206).

[0056] Figure 2b illustrates the operation of the first station and the second station for Wi-Fi Aware connection.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 2B, when the first station (230) and the second station (240) decide to proceed with a Wi-Fi Aware (or NAN) connection, the first station (230) can transmit at least one discovery beacon message to the second station (240) for synchronization (S211, S212). The first station (230) can transmit a synchronization beacon message to the second station (240) (S213). The second station (240) can scan at least one discovery beacon message and one synchronization beacon message and perform a synchronization procedure (or operation) with the first station (230).

[0058] The first station (230) transmits an SDF (service discovery frame) publish message to the second station (240) for service discovery (S214), and the second station (240) can transmit an SDF follow-up message corresponding to the SDF publish message to the first station (230) (S215).

[0059] The second station (240) transmits a data path request message to the first station (230) for NDP (NAN data path) setup (S216), and the first station (230) can transmit a data path response message to the second station (240) (S217). The second station (240) transmits a data path confirm message to the first station (230) (S218), and the first station (230) can transmit a data path key installment message to the second station (240) (S219). When the NDP setup is completed, the first station (230) and the second station (240) can establish a NAN connection (S220).

[0060] According to one embodiment, the first station (230) and the second station (240) may exchange information regarding quality of service (QoS) prior to the NDP setup procedure. According to one embodiment, the information regarding QoS may be included in a QoS field of an SDF message (e.g., an SDF Publish message, an SDF subscribe message, and / or an SDF follow-up message).

[0061] According to one embodiment, the first station (230) and the second station (240) may exchange time synchronization function (TSF) information during a service discovery procedure (e.g., S214 and / or S215) to optimize AP and Wi-Fi Aware scheduling. According to one embodiment, the first station (230) and / or the second station (240) may use the exchanged TSF information to adjust and / or reduce an AP interval (or period) for communication with an access point (AP). For example, the AP interval may be reduced from 8 slots to 5 slots based on the TSF information.

[0062] In one embodiment, if neither the first station (230) nor the second station (240) transmits and / or receives traffic requiring high QoS when communicating with an access point, more time resources may be allocated to Wi-Fi Aware communication between the first station (230) and the second station (240). In one embodiment, more time resources may be allocated to Wi-Fi Aware communication to perform one-hop data transmission (e.g., QuickShare function) between the first station (230) and the second station (240).

[0063] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining time resource allocation for AP communication and Wi-Fi Aware communication of a station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 3, the communication system may include a first access point (310), a first station (320) connected to the first access point (310), a second access point (315), and a second station (325) connected to the second access point (315). At this time, the first station (320) and the second station (325) may perform Wi-Fi Aware communication.

[0065] The first access point (310) can broadcast a plurality of beacons (301, 303, 305, 307, 309, 311) through a first AP channel (e.g., channel 36), and the second access point 2 (315) can broadcast a plurality of beacons (321, 323, 325, 327, 329) through a second AP channel (e.g., channel 52). In the present disclosure, the beacons broadcast by the access points may also be referred to as AP beacons.

[0066] The first access point (310) can broadcast each of a plurality of beacons (301, 303, 305, 307, 309, 311) at a set cycle (e.g., 100 TU (time unit)) through the first AP channel (e.g., channel 36). The second access point 2 (315) can broadcast each of a plurality of beacons (321, 323, 325, 327, 329) at a set cycle (e.g., 100 TU (time unit)) through the second AP channel (e.g., channel 52). For example, the time interval between the beacon broadcast by the first access point (310) and the beacon broadcast by the second access point 2 (315) can be set to 50 TU.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the beacon broadcast by the first access point (310) and / or the second access point (315) may include at least one of identity information such as a service set identifier (SSID) and a basic service set identifier (BSSID), frequency information related to data transmission and reception, and frequency type information.

[0068] According to one embodiment, 1 slot, which is a time resource allocation unit for AP communication and Wi-Fi Aware communication, may be set to 16TU. In FIG. 3, 8 slots (= 128TU) may be allocated to each of the AP sections (340, 343) for AP communication, and 8 slots (= 128TU) may be allocated to each of the Aware sections (341, 345) for Wi-Fi Aware communication.

[0069] The first station (320) can receive two beacons (301, 303) broadcast by the first access point (310) during the first AP period (340). The first station (320) performs Wi-Fi Aware communication with the second station (325) during the first Aware period (341) and may not receive one beacon (305) broadcast by the first access point (310).

[0070] The first station (320) can receive one beacon (307) broadcast by the first access point (310) during the second AP period (343). The first station (320) performs Wi-Fi Aware communication with the second station (325) during the second Aware period (345) and may not receive two beacons (309, 311) broadcast by the first access point (310).

[0071] The second station (325) can receive one beacon (321, 303) broadcast by the second access point (315) during the first AP period (340). The second station (325) performs Wi-Fi Aware communication with the first station (320) during the first Aware period (341) and may not receive two beacons (323, 325) broadcast by the second access point (315).

[0072] The second station (325) may receive one beacon (327) broadcast by the second access point (315) during the second AP period (343). The second station (325) may perform Wi-Fi Aware communication with the first station (320) during the second Aware period (345) and may not receive one beacon (329) broadcast by the second access point (315). In FIG. 3, each of the first station (320) and the second station (325) may not receive one or two AP beacons during Wi-Fi Aware communication.

[0073] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a Wi-Fi Aware Discovery procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] Electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication can perform data communication based on Wi-Fi Aware communication after completing device discovery and service discovery. Among electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication, both the master device and non-master device can perform Wi-Fi Aware communication.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 4, the duration for a discovery window (DW) for a Wi-Fi Aware Discovery procedure may be set to 16 TU (time units), and the interval for the DW may be set to 512 TU (= approximately 524 ms). In FIG. 4, 16 DWs (DW0 to DW15) may be set for the Wi-Fi Aware Discovery procedure. In one embodiment, the DW0 section, which is the first of the 16 DW sections, may be re-implemented after the DW15 section, which is the last of the 16 DW sections.

[0076] Meanwhile, the completion time of service discovery may vary depending on the DW interval and DW duration, and data transmission latency may be determined depending on the DW interval and DW duration.

[0077] Among electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication, a master device may broadcast a discovery beacon frame for device discovery at a preset interval. In one embodiment, the master device may skip broadcasting the discovery beacon frame within the DW.

[0078] Each electronic device supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication can transmit and / or receive a service discovery frame for service discovery within the DW.

[0079] Among electronic devices that support Wi-Fi Aware communication, the master device can change channels to the discovery channel at each DW section and perform DW operations.

[0080] Among electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication, a non-master and / or non-sync state device may perform a channel change to a discovery channel every DW0 period and perform a DW operation. According to one embodiment, a non-master non-sync state device may selectively perform a channel change to a discovery channel for the remaining DW periods (at least one of DW1 to DW15) excluding DW0 and perform a DW operation.

[0081] For example, in the DW3 section, a first electronic device (or master device) supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication can transmit a sync beacon to a second electronic device (or non-master device) supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication. The first electronic device and the second electronic device can exchange at least one of a service publish message, a service subscribe message, a data path request message, and a data path response message.

[0082] For example, in the DW12 section, a first electronic device (or master device) supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication can transmit a sync beacon to a second electronic device (or non-master device) supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication. The first electronic device and the second electronic device can exchange at least one of a service publish message, a service subscribe message, a data path security request message, a data path security response message, a data path security confirm message, and a data path security install message.

[0083] Figures 5a through 5c illustrate examples of Continuity Services that can utilize Wi-Fi Aware-based communication. Wi-Fi Aware-based communication enables seamless service linking and switching between (different types of) devices authenticated with the same account.

[0084] Compared to providing Continuity Service based on BLE, when providing Continuity Service based on Wi-Fi Aware, Wi-Fi Aware has faster data transmission speed than BLE, but power consumption may be relatively high.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 5A, a wireless earphone (513) is connected to a first electronic device (e.g., a tablet PC) (511), and the first electronic device (511) and a second electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) (512) can perform Wi-Fi Aware-based communication.

[0086] When a call is initiated from the second electronic device (512), the wireless earphones (513) can be automatically connected to the second electronic device (512) through Wi-Fi Aware-based communication between the first electronic device (511) and the second electronic device (512).

[0087] Referring to FIG. 5b, when a user performs a copy function on an image and / or text on a screen on the first electronic device (521) using Wi-Fi Aware-based communication between a first electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) (521) and a second electronic device (e.g., a tablet PC) (522), a paste function corresponding to the copy function can be performed on the second electronic device (522).

[0088] Referring to FIG. 5c, a first electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) (531) and a second electronic device (e.g., a tablet PC) (532) can simultaneously use a single application using Wi-Fi Aware-based communication (In-app collaboration). For example, the first electronic device (531) can select and use the characteristics of a pen to be used in an application based on user input, and the second electronic device (532) can display the results based on the user input.

[0089] The latency requirements for each service of the Continuity Service, which can utilize Wi-Fi Aware-based communication as illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5C, may be set differently. However, to satisfy high latency requirements, the DW duration needs to be increased and the DW interval needs to be decreased.

[0090] FIG. 6A illustrates an example of Wi-Fi Aware-based communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 6a, a first electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) (611) can operate as a WFD (Wi-Fi Display) source device and a master device, and a second electronic device (e.g., a tablet PC) (612) can operate as a WFD sink device and a non-master device.

[0092] The first electronic device (611) performs Wi-Fi Aware-based communication with the second electronic device (612), and the content of the first electronic device (611) can be streamed to the second electronic device (612).

[0093] However, when data transmission starts after device discovery and service discovery, the content of the first electronic device (611) may not be streamed to the second electronic device (612) at least during the DW section (e.g., 16 TU / 512 TU = 3.125%). Although the above problem can be solved to some extent through buffering, the first electronic device (611) and the second electronic device (612) during WFD streaming do not need to perform DW operation, and adjustment and / or reset of the DW may be required to improve streaming efficiency and quality.

[0094] FIG. 6b illustrates an example of Wi-Fi Aware-based communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 6b, a first electronic device (e.g., AR glasses) (621) may operate as a non-master device, and a second electronic device (e.g., a rendering device) (622) may operate as a master device.

[0096] If the first electronic device (621) has difficulty rendering on its own, it can be connected to a second electronic device (622) with rendering capabilities based on Wi-Fi Aware, and content rendered on the second electronic device (622) can be streamed in real time on the first electronic device (621).

[0097] However, when data transmission begins after device discovery and service discovery, content rendered on the second electronic device (622) may not be streamed in real time on the first electronic device (621) at least during the DW section.

[0098] In this disclosure, a method for adjusting DW duration and / or DW interval is proposed to improve communication efficiency and quality for Wi-Fi Aware-based services.

[0099] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 7, NAN management frames may be transmitted and / or received in a specific DW (e.g., DW6), and NAN discovery beacons may be transmitted and / or received at regular intervals.

[0101] According to one embodiment, electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication may transmit and / or receive at least one of a NAN synchronization beacon, a NAN service discovery frame (SDF), and a NAN action frame (NAF) in a specific DW (e.g., DW6).

[0102] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of managing a discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0103] Method (1) and / or method (2) below can be implemented as a DW adjustment method to improve communication efficiency and quality for Wi-Fi Aware-based services.

[0104] Method (1): Contention mitigation within DW;

[0105] Method (2): Limiting the number of Wi-Fi Aware devices within DW;

[0106] Referring to FIG. 8, to implement method (1), electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication can be configured to alleviate transmission competition for beacons and / or frames in a specific DW (e.g., DW6).

[0107] To implement method (2), the first electronic device (801), the fourth electronic device (804), and the seventh electronic device (807) may be set to use the first DW (811), the second electronic device (802), the fifth electronic device (805), and the ninth electronic device (809) may be set to use the second DW (812), and the third electronic device (803), the sixth electronic device (806), and the eighth electronic device (808) may be set to use the third DW (813).

[0108] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a contention mitigation method within a discovery window during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] Electronic devices that support Wi-Fi Aware communication can be configured to mitigate transmission contention for beacons and / or frames in a particular DW (e.g., DW6).

[0110] Referring to FIG. 9, a start time (TStartDW) ​​and an end time (TEndDW) of a DW can be defined in a specific DW (e.g., DW6). At this time, the time (Tpkt(p)) at which packet p can be transmitted in the specific DW can satisfy mathematical expression 1.

[0111] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0112] TStartDW ≤ Tpkt(p) ≤ TEndDW

[0113] <If the packet p that can be transmitted from a specific DW is a NAN synchronization beacon>

[0114] If packet p is a NAN synchronization beacon, the transmittable time (Tpkt(p)) can satisfy mathematical expression 2.

[0115] [Equation 2]

[0116] Tpkt(p) = TStartDW + mod(HC,10) × 40 × aSlotTime

[0117] Here, HC can refer to the hop count to the Anchor Master. Additionally, aSlotTime is the minimum time unit defined by the physical layer, and its value can vary depending on the physical layer specification.

[0118] When HC=0, the back-off counter (c_dwb) for the NAN synchronization beacon can be randomly selected from [0, CW_RS]. In one embodiment, CW_RS can be set to 15. When HC≠0, CW_RS can be set to 31.

[0119] <If multiple NAN SDFs (service discovery frames) and / or NAFs (NAN action frames) are buffered for transmission before a specific DW starts>

[0120] The Tpkt(p) of the first frame can be set to TStartDW. The Tpkt(p) of the subsequent frame can be set to the time after the transmission completion time of the preceding frame.

[0121] The back-off counter (c_dw) can be randomly selected from [0, CW]. In one embodiment, CW can be set to 511. Trs(p) can be randomly selected from [Tpkt(p), TEndDW]. If c_dw≠0 in Trs(p), c_dw can be randomly selected from [0, CW_RS] if the selected value is less than the residual value.

[0122] The operation of decrementing the back-off counter (c_dw) may be interrupted while decrementing the back-off counter (c_dwb) for a NAN synchronization beacon (i.e., the synchronization beacon has higher priority).

[0123] In one embodiment, if the contention countdown is not completed and an SDF or NAF is carried over from the previous DW, the back-off counter (c_dw) may be set to the residual counter value remaining in the previous DW.

[0124] In one embodiment, if a Wi-Fi Aware device within a DW determines that the medium is not busy for the length of the CW, the Wi-Fi Aware device may assume that there are no further Wi-Fi Aware transmissions. In this case, CW × aSlotTime may be approximately 4.6 ms (CW = 511, aSlotTime = 9 us).

[0125] FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are diagrams for explaining a method for limiting the number of Wi-Fi Aware devices within a discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0126] Referring to FIG. 10, a start time (TStartDW) ​​of a DW and an end time (TEndDW) of a DW can be defined in a specific DW (e.g., DW6). Multiple packets can be transmitted between the start time (TStartDW) ​​of the DW and the end time (TEndDW) of the DW.

[0127] Referring to FIG. 11, a current TSF (timing synchronization function) timer may be set for a Wi-Fi Aware device. The Wi-Fi Aware device may set and / or maintain a variable transmit window (TW). The initial value of the variable TW may be set to 0.

[0128] A Wi-Fi Aware device having a new frame for transmission (TX) can select a random integer n from [0,TW].

[0129] A Wi-Fi Aware device can initiate channel access for frame transmission at the start of the nth DW based on the TSF value of the device. Here, n=0 can represent a DW with a start time greater than the current TSF timer value.

[0130] In FIG. 11, for example, n=0 may correspond to the first DW (1101), n=1 may correspond to the second DW (1102), and n=2 may correspond to the third DW (1103).

[0131] In one embodiment, if the packet transmission point in time within a particular frame is before a point in time 0.75×DW duration, TW may be set to satisfy TW=max(0,TW-1).

[0132] In one embodiment, if the packet transmission point in time within a particular frame is not earlier than 0.75×DW duration point in time, TW may be set to satisfy TW=min(16,TW+2).

[0133] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of setting the duration of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0134] In this disclosure, we propose a method for establishing an adaptive DW to adaptively respond to a temporal environment state or state change.

[0135] From the perspective of a Wi-Fi Aware device, two consecutive frames may be placed in temporarily faraway DWs.

[0136] T_last (normalized by the duration of the DW) may correspond to the time point of transmission or reception of the last frame transmitted (TX) within the DW. For example, if the last frame is transmitted at a time point of 0.65×DW duration, T_last may be set to 0.65. In one embodiment, T_last may satisfy the condition of 0≤T_last≤1.

[0137] The duration of the DW (i.e., the end time of the DW (TEndDW) - the start time of the DW (TStartDW)) can be adjusted based on the T_last value. In one embodiment, when the start time of the DW (TStartDW) ​​is fixed, the end time of the DW (TEndDW) can be adjusted based on the T_last value.

[0138] In one embodiment, if T_last>0.5+a is satisfied, DW duration index=min(4, DW duration index+1) may be set, where a may be a preset threshold.

[0139] According to one embodiment, the relationship between the DW duration index and the DW duration can be set based on mathematical expression 3.

[0140] [Equation 3]

[0141] DW duration=16×2^(DW duration index-1)

[0142] Here, the DW duration index is set to one value within the set of {1,2,3,4}, and the DW duration can be set to one value within the set of {16,32,64,128}. The unit of the value of the DW duration can be TU.

[0143] That is, the DW duration can be adjusted between a minimum of 16 TU and a maximum of 128 TU, considering the channel switching overhead and STA mode time guarantee, and the value of the DW duration index can be set to any one of 1 to 4.

[0144] In one embodiment, if T_last>0.5-b is satisfied, DW duration index may be set to max(1, DW duration index-1), where b may be a preset threshold.

[0145] Referring to Fig. 12, the DW can be extended based on the T_last value. The DW duration index for the extended DW can be set to 3, and the DW duration can be set to 64TUs.

[0146] In one embodiment, a probability-based maximum likelihood estimation technique may be used for DW duration adaptation.

[0147] The number of Wi-Fi Aware devices (Ni) participating in DWi can be estimated using the value (normalized by DW duration) for the time at which the last Wi-Fi Aware frame (SDF or NAF) was received in the i-th DW interval (DWi), which corresponds to the congestion level.

[0148] In one embodiment, the number of Wi-Fi Aware devices (Ni) participating in DWi can be estimated using a value regarding the time at which the last Wi-Fi Aware frame (SDF or NAF) was received in DWi and a value regarding the time at which the previous frame(s) were received (normalized by the DW duration). In one embodiment, the value regarding the time at which the previous frame was received can be used as an input in the form of a vector.

[0149] The value is the observed value (T RX ) is the probability of the number of Wi-Fi Aware devices participating in DW (N), and can be derived through Bayes' Theorem as in Equation 4.

[0150] [Equation 4]

[0151]

[0152] In mathematical expression 4, if the distribution for the random variable N (i.e., the prior probability Pr{N=n}) is unknown, it can generally be calculated by assuming a uniform distribution. In one embodiment, if the distribution Pr{N=n} can be obtained and / or estimated based on statistical data, improved accuracy can be expected.

[0153] After estimating the number of Wi-Fi Aware devices (Ni) participating in DWi, duration in DWi The probability of completing the SDF and / or NAF exchange within can be calculated. According to one embodiment, The values ​​can be derived through mathematical analysis (e.g., Markov analysis).

[0154] Silver DW duration (Unit: TU) may mean the probability of completing the SDF and / or NAF exchange within. According to one embodiment, can be determined based on mathematical expression 5.

[0155] [Equation 5]

[0156]

[0157] The time of the last frame within the DW can be estimated probabilistically through the reception time(s) for the Wi-Fi Aware frame, which is the measured (or observed) input value(s), and compared with a threshold, which is the probability value that service discovery and data path setup cannot be completed within the current DW given as a hyper-parameter of the algorithm, and the DW duration can be adjusted to satisfy the threshold.

[0158] for example, If =0.85, this indicates that there is an 85% probability that the SDF and / or NAF exchange will be completed within 16TU, and if the threshold value is 0.05, the DW duration can be increased to operate so that the probability value becomes 0.95 or higher.

[0159] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of adjusting the interval of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0160] Wi-Fi Aware devices can adaptively adjust the DW interval for responsiveness and power savings. For example, Wi-Fi Aware devices can adaptively adjust the DW interval for responsiveness in instant communication mode. For example, Wi-Fi Aware devices can adaptively adjust the DW interval for fast discovery and NDP setup.

[0161] In one embodiment, the original interval between DWs during Wi-Fi Aware communication may be fixed to a specific value, d0 (e.g., 512 TUs).

[0162] In one embodiment, the basic interval between consecutive DWs is d0 / 2 k can be set to . Here, k can be set to an integer value.

[0163] In one embodiment, k may be set to any value within the set {0,1,2,3}. For example, if d0=512 and k=1, the basic interval may be set to 256 TUs, and if d0=512 and k=2, the basic interval may be set to 128 TUs.

[0164] In one embodiment, when k is a negative integer less than 0, the basic interval may be set to a value greater than d0 (e.g., 512 TUs).

[0165] Referring to Fig. 13, when d0 = 512 and k = 1, the original interval and the basic interval between DWs can be set differently. In this case, the original interval can be set to 512 TUs, and the basic interval can be set to 256 TUs.

[0166] Among multiple electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication, the master device is required to wake up all DWs on the basic interval.

[0167] Among multiple electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication, a non-master device can optionally be set to wake up in DW at a basic interval.

[0168] In one embodiment, the DW interval or basic interval may be adjusted according to the serving service of the electronic device. In one embodiment, the k value for determining the basic interval may be set differently depending on the latency requirements of the service.

[0169] In one embodiment, a neighboring electronic device may receive or acquire an adjusted DW interval (or basic interval) and apply the adjusted DW interval (or basic interval) to a beacon and / or frame (e.g., SDF) for at least one of the serving services.

[0170] According to one embodiment, NAN management frames, such as NAN discovery frame, NAN synchronization frame, and NAN SDF frame, may include a Device Capability attribute, either mandatory (M) or optionally (O), as shown in Table 1.

[0171] [Table 1] NAN attributes in NAN Beacon frames and SDF frames

[0172]

[0173] Referring to Table 1, for example, the NAN discovery frame and the NAN synchronization frame may optionally include the Device Capability attribute ("YES / O"). For example, the publish-data required NAN SDF frame may mandatory include the Device Capability attribute ("YES / M").

[0174] In one embodiment, a Device Capability attribute including an adjusted DW duration may be included within NAN synchronization beacon frames.

[0175] In one embodiment, a Device Capability attribute including an adjusted DW interval may be included within NAN SDF frames.

[0176] The above Device Capability attribute may include the Committed DW Information field format described in Table 2.

[0177] [Table 2] Committed DW Information field format

[0178]

[0179] Referring to Table 2, two reserved bits (values ​​6 and 7) in the 2.4 GHz DW field can be used to indicate the index of the DW interval for 2.4 GHz DW (e.g., k∈{0,1,2,3}).

[0180] Referring to Table 2, two reserved bits (values ​​6 and 7) in the 5 GHz DW field can be used to indicate the index of the DW interval for the 5 GHz DW field (e.g., k∈{0,1,2,3}).

[0181] Referring to Table 2, the index of the DW duration can be indicated using two reserved bits in the Reserved field. The index of the DW duration can be set to any one value from the set {0,1,2,3}.

[0182] According to one embodiment, NAN management frames, such as a NAN discovery frame, a NAN synchronization frame, and / or a NAN SDF frame, may include a Vendor Specific attribute format as shown in Table 3.

[0183] [Table 3] Vendor Specific attribute format

[0184]

[0185] According to one embodiment, NAN management frames, such as a NAN discovery frame, a NAN synchronization frame, and / or a NAN SDF frame, may include a vendor specific Discovery Window attribute as shown in Table 4.

[0186] [Table 4] Discovery Window attribute format

[0187]

[0188] Referring to Table 4, the Discovery Window attribute format may include a DW Duration Index field and a DW Interval Index field.

[0189] In one embodiment, it may also be possible to increase the size of the DW Interval Index field (e.g., to 2 octets) to set the DW interval to exceed 512 TU (e.g., 1024 TU, 2048 TU). This can minimize interruptions when supporting streaming services such as Miracast.

[0190] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a cluster to which an adaptive discovery window is applied when Wi-Fi Aware communication is performed according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0191] Among electronic devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware communication, each of the master device and non-master sync device can adjust the DW duration based on the previous DW state.

[0192] Among electronic devices that support Wi-Fi Aware communication, non-master non-sync (NMNS) devices can set the DW duration according to the received synchronization beacon frame(s).

[0193] Referring to FIG. 14, an anchor master device (1401) can set timing information and transmit a Sync Beacon and a Discovery Beacon. The duration of the DW to which the Sync Beacon of the anchor master device (1401) is transmitted can be set to 16 TUs.

[0194] The master device (1402) can transmit a Sync Beacon and a Discovery Beacon. The duration of the DW to which the Sync Beacon of the master device (1402) is transmitted can be set to 32 TUs.

[0195] The sync device (1403) transmits timing information to other devices (or master devices), and the duration of the DW to which the sync beacon of the sync device (1403) is transmitted can be set to 16 TUs.

[0196] The duration of the DW for each of the first non-sync device (1404), the second non-sync device (1405), and the third non-sync device (1406) can be set to 32 TUs.

[0197] However, the duration of the DW for the fourth non-sync device (1407) may be set to 16 Tus or 32 Tus. In one embodiment, the fourth non-sync device (1407) may select one DW duration from among 16 Tus and 32 Tus. In one embodiment, the fourth non-sync device (1407) may select 32 Tus, which is a larger value from among 16 Tus and 32 Tus, as the DW duration.

[0198] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0199] Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the fourth non-sink device (1407) can select and apply a larger DW duration (e.g., 32Tus) among candidate DW durations (e.g., 16Tus and 32Tus) in a specific DW (e.g., DW6).

[0200] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a cluster to which an adaptive discovery window is applied during Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0201] Referring to FIG. 16, an anchor master device (1601) can set timing information and transmit a Sync Beacon and a Discovery Beacon. The duration of the DW to which the Sync Beacon of the anchor master device (1601) is transmitted can be set to 32 TUs.

[0202] The master device (1602) can transmit a Sync Beacon and a Discovery Beacon. The duration of the DW to which the Sync Beacon of the master device (1602) is transmitted can be set to 16 TUs.

[0203] Each of the first sync device (1603) and the second sync device (1604) transmits timing information to other devices (or master devices), and the duration of the DW to which the Sync Beacon of the first sync device (1603) is transmitted may be set to 16 TUs, and the duration of the DW to which the Sync Beacon of the second sync device (1604) is transmitted may be set to 32 TUs.

[0204] The duration of the DW for each of the first non-sync device (1605) and the second non-sync device (1606) may be set to 32 TUs. The duration of the DW for the third non-sync device (1607) may be set to 16 TUs.

[0205] However, the duration of the DW for each of the fourth non-sink device (1608), the fifth non-sink device (1409), and the sixth non-sink device (1410) may be set to 16Tus or 32TUs.

[0206] In one embodiment, each of the fourth non-sync device (1608), the fifth non-sync device (1409), and the sixth non-sync device (1410) may select a duration of the DW from among 16Tus and 32Tus. In one embodiment, at least one of the fourth non-sync device (1608), the fifth non-sync device (1409), and the sixth non-sync device (1410) may select a larger value of 32Tus as the duration of the DW from among 16Tus and 32Tus.

[0207] The duration of the DW for the third non-sync device (1607) is set to 16TUs, and the fourth non-sync device (1608) can select a duration of one DW from among 16Tus and 32Tus. At this time, an NDP setup is set between the third non-sync device (1607) and the fourth non-sync device (1608), and the duration of the DW of the fourth non-sync device (1608) can be set to 32Tus. If the third non-sync device (1607) does not receive an SDF or NAF within the DW, the fourth non-sync device (1608) can retransmit the SDF or NAF in a subsequent DW.

[0208] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0209] Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the third non-sync device (1607) can transmit a Sync beacon, an SDF publish message, and an NDP request message within a DW (e.g., DW6) in which the duration of the DW is set to 16 TUs.

[0210] The fourth non-sync device (1608) can transmit a Sync beacon, an SDF subscribe message, and an NDP response message within a DW (e.g., DW6) whose duration is set to 32 TUs.

[0211] In one embodiment, even if the third non-sync device (1607) does not receive an NDP response message within the DW, the fourth non-sync device (1608) may retransmit the NDP response message in the next DW.

[0212] FIG. 18 illustrates an example of adjusting the interval of an adaptive discovery window used in Wi-Fi Aware communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0213] Different parameters of DW (e.g. DW interval) can be applied to different devices within the cluster.

[0214] Any device can adjust the interval of the DW depending on the serving service(s) and latency requirements.

[0215] In one embodiment, if a master (or non-master sink) device extends the interval of a DW to a greater extent than that of a neighboring NMNS device, the NMNS device may not be able to synchronize during the DW. Therefore, the interval of a DW may be adjusted (or extended) if one or more of the following conditions 1) and 2) are met.

[0216] 1) The device receives a synchronous beacon frame having an RSSI higher than RSSI_close (e.g., -60 dBm) and a DW interval value of the source device less than or equal to the target interval value;

[0217] 2) The device receives at least three individual sync beacon frames with a DW interval value of the source device less than or equal to the target interval value, as well as an RSSI_middle (e.g., -75 dBm);

[0218] If one or more of conditions 1) and 2) are not met, the device must restore the interval value of the DW.

[0219] Referring to FIG. 18, the DW interval between neighboring NMNS devices (Interval of neighbor NMNS) and the DW interval between master devices (Interval of a master) can be set differently.

[0220] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0221] The first electronic device of FIG. 19 may be implemented as a station, electronic device, or electronic device (sender) that transmits data using NAN (or Wi-Fi Aware) communication as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 18.

[0222] Referring to FIG. 19, the first electronic device may include a processor (1901), a transceiver (1903), and a memory (1905). In the present disclosure, the processor (1901) may be defined as a circuit or application-specific integrated circuit or at least one processor. The processor (1901) may also be referred to as a control unit or controller.

[0223] The processor (1901) can control the overall operation of the first electronic device described in the embodiments proposed in the present disclosure. Specifically, the processor (1901) can control the operation of a station, electronic device, or electronic device (sender) that transmits data using NAN (or Wi-Fi Aware) communication, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 18 .

[0224] The transceiver (1903) can transmit and receive signals with other electronic devices or access points. The transceiver (1903) may also be referred to as a transceiver or transceiver.

[0225] The memory (1905) can store at least one of information transmitted and received through the transceiver (1903) and information generated through the processor (1901).

[0226] According to one embodiment, the processor (1901) may control transmission of a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW to a second electronic device. The processor (1901) may perform Wi-Fi aware communication with the second electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

[0227] The processor (1901) controls the DW to transmit a synchronization beacon frame and can transmit or receive a service discovery frame from the DW.

[0228] According to one embodiment, the frame may be at least one of a discovery beacon frame, a synchronization beacon frame, and a service discovery frame.

[0229] In one embodiment, the first index and the second index may be indicated by reserved bits included in a device capability attribute of the frame.

[0230] In one embodiment, the first index may be indicated by a DW interval index field included in a discovery window attribute of the frame, and the second index may be indicated by a DW duration index field included in the discovery window attribute of the frame.

[0231] According to one embodiment, the interval of the DW (DW duration) and the first index (k) may satisfy mathematical expression 6.

[0232] [Equation 6]

[0233] DW duration= 512 / 2 k

[0234] According to one embodiment, the duration of the DW (DW duration) and the second index (j) may satisfy mathematical expression 7.

[0235] [Equation 7]

[0236] DW duration=16×2 (j-1)

[0237] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a second electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0238] The second electronic device of FIG. 20 may be implemented as a station, electronic device, or electronic device (receiver) that receives data using NAN (or Wi-Fi Aware) communication as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 18.

[0239] Referring to FIG. 20, the second electronic device may include a processor (2001), a transceiver (2003), and a memory (2005). In the present disclosure, the processor (2001) may be defined as a circuit or application-specific integrated circuit or at least one processor. The processor (2001) may also be referred to as a control unit or controller.

[0240] The processor (2001) can control the overall operation of the second electronic device described in the embodiments proposed in the present disclosure. Specifically, the processor (2001) can control the operation of a station, electronic device, or electronic device (receiver) that receives data using NAN (or Wi-Fi Aware) communication, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 18.

[0241] The transceiver (2003) can transmit and receive signals with other electronic devices or other access points. The transceiver (2003) may also be referred to as a transceiver or transceiver.

[0242] The memory (2005) can store at least one of information transmitted and received through the transceiver (2003) and information generated through the processor (2001).

[0243] According to one embodiment, the processor (2001) may receive a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW from the first electronic device. The processor (2001) may perform Wi-Fi aware communication with the first electronic device in the DW set based on the first index and the second index.

[0244] In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure described above, components included in the present disclosure are expressed singularly or plurally, depending on the specific embodiment presented. However, the singular or plural expressions are selected to suit the presented situation for convenience of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components. Components expressed in plural may be composed of singular elements, or components expressed in singular may be composed of plural elements.

[0245] While the detailed description of this disclosure has described specific embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the scope of the claims described below, but also by equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method for operating a first electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication, An operation of transmitting a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW to a second electronic device; and A method characterized by including an operation of performing Wi-Fi aware communication with the second electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

2. In the first paragraph, the operation of performing the Wi-Fi aware communication is: An operation of transmitting a synchronization beacon frame in the above DW; and A method characterized by including an operation of transmitting or receiving a service discovery frame in the above DW.

3. In paragraph 1, the frame, A method characterized by at least one of a discovery beacon frame, a synchronization beacon frame, and a service discovery frame.

4. In paragraph 3, A method characterized in that the first index and the second index are indicated by reserved bits included in a device capability attribute of the frame.

5. In paragraph 3, The above first index is indicated by the DW interval index field included in the discovery window attribute of the frame, A method characterized in that the second index is indicated by a DW duration index field included in the discovery window property of the frame.

6. In paragraph 1, The interval of the above DW (DW duration) and the first index (k) satisfy mathematical expression 1, [Mathematical Formula 1] DW duration= 512 / 2 k A method characterized by:

7. In paragraph 1, The duration of the above DW (DW duration) and the second index (j) satisfy mathematical expression 2, [Mathematical formula 2] DW duration=16×2 (j-1) A method characterized by:

8. In a method of operating a second electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication, An operation of receiving a frame from a first electronic device, the frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW; and A method characterized by including an operation of performing Wi-Fi aware communication with the first electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

9. In paragraph 8, A method characterized in that the first index and the second index are indicated by reserved bits included in a device capability attribute of the frame.

10. In paragraph 8, The above first index is indicated by the DW interval index field included in the discovery window attribute of the frame, A method characterized in that the second index is indicated by a DW duration index field included in the discovery window property of the frame.

11. In a first electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication, Transmitter and receiver; and comprising a processor, said processor comprising: Controlling to transmit a frame including a first index regarding an interval of a DW (discovery window) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW to a second electronic device, A device characterized in that it performs Wi-Fi aware communication with the second electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

12. In the 11th paragraph, the processor, Control to transmit a synchronization beacon frame from the above DW, A device characterized by transmitting or receiving a service discovery frame in the above DW.

13. In the 11th paragraph, the frame, A device characterized by at least one of a discovery beacon frame, a synchronization beacon frame, and a service discovery frame.

14. In paragraph 13, A device characterized in that the first index and the second index are indicated by reserved bits included in a device capability attribute of the frame.

15. In a second electronic device performing Wi-Fi aware communication, Transmitter and receiver; and comprising a processor, said processor comprising: A frame including a first index regarding an interval of a discovery window (DW) used in Wi-Fi aware communication and a second index regarding a duration of the DW is received from a first electronic device, A device characterized in that it performs Wi-Fi aware communication with the first electronic device in a DW set based on the first index and the second index.

Images