Electronic device for performing low power wireless communication and operation method thereof

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing low power wireless communication in an electronic device. The electronic device comprises a communication circuit and a processor, wherein the processor may receive NAN communication-related operating state information of an external electronic device while NAN communication is activated, identify whether a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied on the basis of an NAN communication operating state of the external electronic device, identified from the NAN communication-related operating state information of the external electronic device, and perform the low power mode of the NAN communication on the basis of determining that the condition related to switching to the low power mode is satisfied. Other embodiments may also be possible.

Description

Electronic device for performing low-power wireless communication and method of operation thereof

[0001] One embodiment of the present invention relates to an electronic device for performing low-power wireless communication and a method of operating the same.

[0002] Advances in information and communication technology and semiconductor technology have led to the use of various electronic devices. Electronic devices can provide various types of proximity services utilizing low-power discovery technology. Proximity services can refer to communication capabilities that enable nearby electronic devices to quickly exchange data through a proximity network. For example, proximity services can include low-power proximity services utilizing Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons or low-power proximity services based on wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as neighbor awareness networking (NAN) and / or Wi-Fi aware (hereinafter referred to as "NAN").

[0003] A NAN-based low-power proximity service may represent a communication function that exchanges data by forming a proximity network that dynamically changes according to the movement of electronic devices. Electronic devices included in a cluster may perform at least one of transmitting or receiving a signal for discovery (e.g., a synchronization beacon) and a service discovery frame (SDF) for synchronization or to announce the presence of the cluster within a synchronized time duration (or communication period) (e.g., a discovery window (DW)). For example, a cluster may represent a set of electronic devices forming a proximity network.

[0004] The above information may be provided as background art to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the above is applicable as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0005] NAN-based low-power proximity services can support unsynchronized service discovery (USD) to reduce delays caused by synchronization (e.g., device discovery) between electronic devices when establishing communication connections between them.

[0006] When an electronic device performs USD, the synchronization process with an external electronic device is not performed first, so the electronic device must continuously maintain NAN communication active for a specified period of time from the start of the USD to discover the external electronic device. Even if the electronic device is not a node for performing data communication with the external electronic device, the electronic device must continuously maintain NAN communication active for a specified period of time, which may unnecessarily waste radio resources (e.g., frequency resources and / or time resources) and the power of the electronic device. When the electronic device performs NAN communication and wireless LAN communication with the AP concurrently, at least a portion of the radio resources available for wireless LAN communication with the AP may be unnecessarily used for NAN communication, which may unnecessarily cause delay in wireless LAN communication with the AP.

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a device and method for performing low-power wireless communication in an electronic device.

[0008] The technical problems to be achieved in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0009] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a communication circuit supporting wireless local area network (WLAN) communication, at least one processor operatively connected to the communication circuit, and a memory. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to receive operational status information related to neighbor awareness networking (NAN) communication of an external electronic device in a state where NAN communication is activated. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to determine whether a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied based on an operational status of NAN communication of the external electronic device identified in the operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform a low power mode of NAN communication based on a determination that a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the operating method of the electronic device may include an operation of receiving operation status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device while NAN communication is activated. According to one embodiment, the operating method of the electronic device may include an operation of determining whether a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied based on an operation status of NAN communication of the external electronic device identified from the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the operating method of the electronic device may include an operation of performing a low power mode of NAN communication based on a determination that a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied.

[0011] According to one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (or a computer program product) storing one or more programs may be described. According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the following operations: receiving operational status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device in a state where NAN communication is activated; determining whether a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied based on an operational status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device identified in the operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device; and performing the low power mode of the NAN communication based on a determination that the condition related to switching to the low power mode is satisfied.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device sets an operation mode (e.g., low power mode or active mode) of the electronic device for NAN communication with an external electronic device based on an operation state of NAN (neighbor awareness networking) communication of the external electronic device, thereby reducing unnecessary waste of radio resources and power of the electronic device for NAN communication with the external electronic device.

[0013] In addition, various effects may be provided, either directly or indirectly, through this document.

[0014] The effects that can be obtained from the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the embodiments of the present invention belong from the description below.

[0015] In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for the same or similar components.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment, according to one embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a NAN cluster according to one embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a protocol for transmitting signals of electronic devices included in a NAN cluster according to one embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data transmission and / or reception within a NAN cluster according to one embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device and an external electronic device for NAN communication according to one embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for sharing operational status information of NAN communication in an external electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for setting the operating state of NAN communication based on NDP settings in an external electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for setting an operating state of NAN communication based on a second communication protocol in an external electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for performing NAN communication in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0025] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for activating NAN communication in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for switching the operation mode of NAN communication in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 12 is an example for setting a NAN communication mode based on NDP settings in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 13 is an example for setting a NAN communication mode based on a second communication protocol in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0029] The following examples are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to one embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of the electronic device (104) or the server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

[0031] The processor (120) may, for example, execute software (e.g., a program (140)) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) and perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculations, the processor (120) may store commands or data received from other components (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in a volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store result data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor)) that can operate independently or together therewith. For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and a secondary processor (123), the secondary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a specified function. The secondary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

[0032] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. This learning can be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or can be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm can include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model can include multiple artificial neural network layers.The artificial neural network may be one of, but is not limited to, a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more thereof. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may also include a software structure.

[0033] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., a processor (120) or a sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include a volatile memory (132) or a non-volatile memory (134).

[0034] The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0035] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0036] The audio output module (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0037] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by a touch.

[0038] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150), output sound through the sound output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0039] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0040] The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0041] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0042] A haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. In one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0043] The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0044] The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented, for example, as at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0045] A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0046] The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, the corresponding communication module can communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules can be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can verify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) by using subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0047] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following the 4G network, such as NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC realization.According to one embodiment, the subscriber identification module (196) may include multiple subscriber identification modules. For example, the multiple subscriber identification modules may store different subscriber information.

[0048] The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

[0049] In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may form a high-frequency (e.g., mmWave) antenna module. In one embodiment, the high-frequency (e.g., mmWave) antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC positioned on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) positioned on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high-frequency band. For example, the plurality of antennas may include patch array antennas and / or dipole array antennas.

[0050] At least some of the components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

[0051] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device (101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included in the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0052] An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may take various forms. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. The electronic device according to an embodiment of this document is not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0053] It should be understood that the embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to a specific embodiment, but include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the item, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0054] The term "module" used in one embodiment of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. It may be a module, an integrally formed component, or a minimum unit or portion of the component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0055] An embodiment of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the method according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be provided through an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones), online distribution (e.g., downloading or uploading). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0057] According to one embodiment, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to one embodiment, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to one embodiment, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a neighbor awareness network (NAN) cluster according to one embodiment.

[0059] According to one embodiment, FIG. 2 may illustrate an example configuration of a neighbor awareness networking (NAN) cluster (200) for a proximity network. For example, the NAN cluster (200) may refer to a set of electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) that form a proximity network so that each electronic device (or NAN device) (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) can transmit and / or receive data to and from each other.

[0060] According to one embodiment, a NAN cluster (200) may be composed of a plurality of electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230). The electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) may transmit and / or receive a beacon (or discovery beacon), a service discovery frame (SDF) and / or a NAN action frame (NAF) within a synchronized time duration (or communication period) (e.g., a discovery window (DW)).

[0061] According to one embodiment, the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) within the NAN cluster (200) may have their time clocks synchronized with each other. For example, the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) may be synchronized based on the time clock of one electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) and may transmit and / or receive beacons, SDFs, and / or NAFs in synchronized (or identical) discovery windows (DWs).

[0062] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device 1 (210) supporting a low-power short-range communication technology based on NAN may broadcast a search signal (e.g., a beacon) to discover at least one of the electronic device (101) or other external electronic devices (220 and / or 230) every first preset period (e.g., about 100 msec). The external electronic device 1 (210) may perform scanning every second preset period (e.g., about 10 msec) to receive a search signal broadcast from the electronic device (101) or at least one of the other external electronic devices (220 and / or 230).

[0063] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) can detect at least one of the electronic device (101) or other external electronic devices (220 and / or 230) located around the external electronic device 1 (210) based on a detection signal received through scanning. The external electronic device 1 (210) can perform NAN cluster synchronization with at least one of the electronic device (101) or other external electronic devices (220 and / or 230) detected to be located around the external electronic device 1 (210). The NAN cluster synchronization can include an operation of receiving time clock information of an electronic device representing a NAN cluster (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) so that the electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster transmit and / or receive data on the same channel and / or during the same time.

[0064] According to one embodiment, each of a plurality of electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) can form a NAN cluster (200) that operates according to a synchronized time clock by transmitting a beacon and receiving a beacon from other electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230). The electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) can perform NAN cluster synchronization (e.g., time and / or channel synchronization).

[0065] According to one embodiment, NAN cluster synchronization may be performed based on the time and channel of an electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) with the highest master preference within the NAN cluster (200). For example, electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in a NAN cluster (200) formed through discovery may exchange signals regarding master preference information indicating a preference for operating as an anchor master device. Electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) may determine an electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) with the highest master preference as an anchor master device (or master electronic device) through signals related to the master preference information.

[0066] According to one embodiment, an anchor master device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) may refer to an electronic device that serves as a reference for time and channel synchronization of electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in a NAN cluster (200). The anchor master device may be changed according to the master preference of the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230). Each of the time and channel synchronized electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) may transmit a beacon and / or SDF within a discovery window (or search section) that is repeated according to a preset cycle, and may receive beacons and SDFs from other electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) within the NAN cluster (200). For example, a beacon may be periodically transmitted and / or received at each discovery window to maintain time and channel synchronization of electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in a NAN cluster (200). An SDF may be transmitted and / or received at each discovery window as needed to provide services to discovered electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230). For example, among the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) whose time and channel are synchronized, an electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) operating as an anchor master device may transmit a beacon (e.g., discovery beacon) to detect a new electronic device during a period between discovery windows.

[0067] According to one embodiment, each of the NAN cluster-synchronized (e.g., time and / or channel-synchronized) electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) can transmit a NAN Action Frame (NAF) and receive NAFs from other electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) within the NAN cluster (200) within a discovery window (or search interval) that repeats according to a preset cycle. For example, the NAF can include at least one of information related to setting up a NAN data path (NDP), information related to scheduling update, or information related to NAN ranging to enable data communication in the interval between discovery windows. For example, the NAF can control scheduling of radio resources for coexistence of NAN operations and non-NAN operations (e.g., Wi-Fi Direct, mesh, IBSS, WLAN, Bluetooth, or NFC). NAF may contain time and / or channel information available for NAN communication.

[0068] According to one embodiment, each of the electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) operates in an active state only during a discovery window, and operates in a low-power state (e.g., a sleep state) during the remaining period other than the discovery window, thereby reducing current consumption.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the discovery window is a time (e.g., milliseconds) during which the electronic device (101, 210, 220, or 230) is in an active state (or wake state) and consumes a lot of current, whereas outside the discovery window, the electronic device (101, 210, 220, or 230) remains in a sleep state, thereby enabling low-power discovery.

[0070] According to one embodiment, electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in a NAN cluster (200) can be simultaneously activated at the start time of a synchronized discovery window (e.g., DW start) and simultaneously transition to a sleep state at the end time of the discovery window (e.g., DW end).

[0071] According to one embodiment, each of the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) can transmit and / or receive data not only in the discovery window period but also in the period between the discovery windows. The electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) can perform additional communication by setting an active time slot in the period between the discovery windows. For example, the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in the NAN cluster (200) can transmit and / or receive an SDF that was not transmitted and / or received within the discovery window period through the active time slot. For example, electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in a NAN cluster (200) can perform NAN communication and / or non-NAN communication during an active time slot by setting (or designating) a NAN communication operation section and / or a non-NAN communication operation section during an active time slot.

[0072] According to one embodiment, electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in a NAN cluster (200) may perform discovery, synchronization, and / or data exchange operations using the protocol illustrated in FIG. 3 described below.

[0073] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a protocol for transmitting a signal of an electronic device included in a NAN cluster according to one embodiment. According to one embodiment, FIG. 3 may represent an exemplary diagram for a discovery window. FIG. 3 may explain, by way of example, that electronic devices (e.g., electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) of FIG. 2) included in one NAN cluster (e.g., NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2) transmit signals through a specific channel (e.g., channel 6 (Ch6)) based on the NAN standard.

[0074] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 3, electronic devices (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) included in one NAN cluster (e.g., NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2) can transmit a synchronization beacon (310) and an SDF (320) in a synchronized discovery window (DW) (325). A discovery beacon (330) can be transmitted by at least one electronic device (101, 210, 220 and / or 230) in a period (340) other than the discovery window (325) (e.g., an interval between discovery windows). For example, the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) may transmit the synchronization beacon (310) and the SDF (320) on a contention basis. For example, the synchronization beacon (310) and the SDF (320) may be transmitted on a contention basis between the respective electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) belonging to a NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2).

[0075] According to one embodiment, electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) included in one NAN cluster (e.g., NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2) may transmit and / or receive an NAF in a discovery window (DW) (325). For example, the NAF may include at least one of information related to setting up a NAN data path (NDP), information related to scheduling update, or information related to NAN ranging to enable data communication in the interval between discovery windows.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the discovery window (325) may be a period during which the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) are activated from a communication standby state (e.g., a sleep state) in a power-saving mode to a communication state (e.g., a wake-up state) for data exchange between the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230). For example, the discovery window (325) may be divided into time units (TU) in milliseconds. For example, a discovery window (325) for transmitting and / or receiving a synchronization beacon (310) and an SDF (320) may occupy 16 time units (TUs) (16 TUs) and may have a cycle (or interval) that repeats at 512 time units (512 TUs).

[0077] According to one embodiment, the discovery beacon (330) may represent a signal transmitted so that other electronic devices that have not joined the NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2) can discover the NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2). For example, the discovery beacon (330) is a signal for notifying the existence of the NAN cluster, and electronic devices that have not joined the NAN cluster can perform a passive scan to receive the discovery beacon (330), thereby discovering and joining the NAN cluster.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the discovery beacon (330) may include information necessary to synchronize with a NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2). For example, the discovery beacon (330) may include at least one of a frame control (FC) field indicating a function of a signal (e.g., a beacon), a broadcast address, a media access control (MAC) address of a transmitting electronic device, a cluster identifier (ID), a sequence control field, a time stamp for a beacon frame, a beacon interval indicating a transmission interval of the discovery beacon (330), or capability information for an electronic device transmitting the discovery beacon (330).

[0079] In one embodiment, the discovery beacon (330) may include at least one proximity network (or NAN cluster) related information element. In one embodiment, the proximity network related information may be referred to as attribute information.

[0080] According to one embodiment, a synchronization beacon (310) may represent a signal for maintaining synchronization between synchronized electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) within a NAN cluster (e.g., a NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2). The synchronization beacon (310) may be transmitted by a synchronization device among the electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) within the NAN cluster. For example, the synchronization device may include an anchor master device, a master device, or a non-master sync device as defined in the NAN standard.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the synchronization beacon (310) may include information necessary for electronic devices (101, 210, 220, and / or 230) to synchronize within a NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2). For example, the synchronization beacon (310) may include at least one of an FC field indicating a function of the signal (e.g., a beacon), a broadcast address, a MAC address of the transmitting electronic device, a cluster identifier, a sequence control field, a timestamp for the beacon frame, a beacon interval indicating an interval between start points of the discovery window (325), or capability information for the transmitting electronic device. According to one embodiment, the synchronization beacon (310) may include at least one proximity network (or cluster) related information element. For example, the proximity network related information may include contents for a service provided through the proximity network.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the SDF (320) may represent a signal for exchanging data over a proximity network. For example, the SDF (320) represents a vendor-specific public action frame and may include various fields. For example, the SDF (320) may include a category or action field, and may include at least one piece of proximity network-related information.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the synchronization beacon (310), the SDF (320), and the discovery beacon (330) may include proximity network related information. For example, the proximity network related information may include an identifier indicating the type of information, a length of the information, and a body field which is corresponding information. For example, the corresponding information may include at least one of master indication information, cluster information, service identifier list information, service descriptor information, connection capability information, wireless LAN infrastructure information, peer to peer (P2P) operation information, independent basic service set (IBSS) information, mesh information, additional proximity network service discovery information, further availability map information, country code information, ranging information, cluster discovery information, or vendor specific information.

[0084] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data transmission and / or reception within a NAN cluster according to one embodiment.

[0085] According to one embodiment, FIG. 4 may illustrate an example in which an electronic device (101), an external electronic device 1 (210), and an external electronic device 2 (220) form a single NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2) via a wireless short-range communication technology. For example, each of the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) may transmit and / or receive a beacon, an SDF, and / or an NAF to each other. For example, FIG. 4 may illustrate an example in which, among the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) forming the NAN cluster, the external electronic device 1 (210) serves as a master device.

[0086] According to one embodiment, external electronic device 1 (210) can transmit a beacon, an SDF, and / or an NAF within a discovery window (450). External electronic device 1 (210) can broadcast the beacon, an SDF, and / or an NAF within a discovery window (450) that repeats at preset intervals (e.g., intervals (460)).

[0087] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device 2 (220) can receive a beacon, an SDF and / or an NAF transmitted by the external electronic device 1 (210). According to one embodiment, each of the electronic device (101) and the external electronic device 2 (220) can receive a beacon, an SDF and / or an NAF broadcast by the external electronic device 1 (210) within a discovery window (450).

[0088] According to one embodiment, the beacon transmitted within the discovery window (450) may include a synchronization beacon and may include information for maintaining synchronization between the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220). For example, at least one of the electronic device (101) or the external electronic device 2 (220) may perform NAN cluster synchronization based on time clock information of the external electronic device 1 (210) included in the beacon transmitted by the external electronic device 1 (210) operating as a master device. At least one of the electronic device (101) or the external electronic device 2 (220) may be synchronized based on the time clock information of the external electronic device 1 (210) and thus may recognize the discovery window (450) at the same time.

[0089] According to one embodiment, in a period (e.g., interval (460)) other than the discovery window (450), the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) may maintain a communication standby state (e.g., sleep state) to reduce current consumption. For example, the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) may operate in a communication state (e.g., wake state) only during the discovery window (450) based on a synchronized time clock to reduce current consumption.

[0090] According to one embodiment, in a period other than the discovery window (450) (e.g., interval (460)), the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) can perform additional communication by setting an active time slot. For example, the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) can transmit and / or receive SDFs that were not transmitted and / or received within the discovery window (450) period through the active time slot. For example, the electronic devices (101, 210, and / or 220) can perform a connection or discovery operation to legacy Wi-Fi through the active time slot by specifying an operation for Wi-Fi Direct, mesh, IBSS, WLAN, Bluetooth, or NFC connection in the active time slot.

[0091] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device and an external electronic device for NAN communication according to one embodiment. For example, the electronic device (101) of FIG. 5 may be at least partially similar to the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG. 4, or may include another embodiment of the electronic device. For example, the external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 5 may be at least partially similar to the external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG. 4, or may include another embodiment of the electronic device.

[0092] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 5, the external electronic device 1 (210) may include at least one of a processor (500) (e.g., a first processor), a communication circuit (502) (e.g., a first communication circuit), or a memory (504) (e.g., a first memory). For example, the processor (500) may be substantially the same as the processor (120) of FIG. 1 or may be included in the processor (120). The communication circuit (502) may be substantially the same as the wireless communication module (192) of FIG. 1 or may be included in the wireless communication module (192). The memory (504) may be substantially the same as the memory (130) of FIG. 1 or may be included in the memory (130). For example, the processor (500) may include at least one of an application processor or a communication processor. For example, the processor (500) may be operatively, functionally, and / or electrically connected to at least one of a communication circuit (502) or a memory (504). For example, the processor (500) may include at least one processor that includes a processing circuit.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (502) may include various circuit structures used for at least one of modulation or demodulation of a signal within the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the communication circuit (502) may modulate a baseband signal into a radio frequency (RF) band signal to be output through an antenna (not shown), or may demodulate (or decode) an RF band signal received through the antenna into a baseband signal and transmit the baseband signal to the processor (500). For example, the communication circuit (502) may perform at least one of transmission or reception of various data with another electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 2 or other external electronic devices (220 and / or 230)) through a frequency band used for NAN communication (e.g., at least one of about 2.4 GHz band, about 5 GHz band, or about 6 GHz band).

[0094] According to one embodiment, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to perform NAN communication. For example, when a NAN activity event is detected, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to activate NAN communication. The processor (500) may control the communication circuit (510) to perform NAN synchronization or USD (unsynchronized service discovery) based on the activation of NAN communication. For example, the NAN synchronization or USD may be performed based on information related to NAN communication transmitted (or broadcast) based on the occurrence (or detection) of the NAN activity event. For example, the NAN activity event may be generated based on at least one of the execution of an application program or function related to NAN communication, the reception of a user input (e.g., a touch input or a voice input), the reception of a control signal, or the detection of a gesture input. For example, the NAN activity event may also be generated based on the execution of a user interface related to NAN discovery. For example, a NAN activity event may include an event related to NAN discovery based on USD. For example, information related to NAN communication may be transmitted via a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, the low-power interface-based discovery mode may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) mode, a layer 3 discovery protocol mode related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request mode, or a wireless LAN search mode. For example, the OOB mode may include a series of operations for transmitting or receiving information related to NAN communication via a second communication mode that is different from the first communication mode based on NAN.For example, the second communication method may include at least one of Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), quick response (QR), or wireless LAN (e.g., Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct). For example, the three-layer discovery protocol method may include a series of operations for transmitting or receiving information related to NAN communication through an access point (AP) to which the electronic device is connected for communication. For example, the cloud server request method may include a series of operations for transmitting or receiving information related to NAN communication through a cloud server to which the electronic device is connected. For example, the wireless LAN discovery method may include a series of operations for transmitting or receiving information related to NAN communication through wireless LAN communication of a specified method (e.g., Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, or NAN). For example, the information related to NAN communication may include at least one of information related to external electronic device 1 (210) or information related to an application program running on the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, information related to external electronic device 1 (210) may include at least one of identification information of external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., device name, contact number of external electronic device 1 (210), information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210), or user information. For example, information related to an application program may include at least one of identification information of the application program or information related to a function or service provided through the application program.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the processor (500) may check an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the processor (500) may set (or check) an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on at least one of a capability, a user input, or a service type of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the capability of the external electronic device 1 (210) may include information related to the number of NAN data paths (e.g., NDP (NAN data path)) set in the external electronic device 1 (210) or communication based on a second communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct). For example, the second communication protocol may be a different communication protocol from the first communication protocol for NAN communication and may support other wireless LAN communication other than NAN communication, such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, or a mobile hotspot. For example, an operational state related to NAN communication may include whether the external electronic device 1 (210) is capable of performing an operation based on NAN communication.

[0096] For example, if the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) is less than a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state. If the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) is greater than or equal to a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. For example, the first state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) can additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the second state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) cannot additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, an operation based on NAN communication may include at least one of NAN communication-based data communication or distance measurement (e.g., ranging) performed after service discovery between electronic devices. For example, the specified reference number may include the maximum number supported by the communication circuit (502).

[0097] For example, when external electronic device 1 (210) is performing wireless LAN communication based on a second communication protocol, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. When external electronic device 1 (210) is not performing wireless LAN communication based on the second communication protocol, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state.

[0098] For example, when an application program or function running on external electronic device 1 (210) performs an operation related to a low-power mode, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. When an application program or function running on external electronic device 1 (210) performs an operation not related to a low-power mode, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state. As an example, the low-power mode may indicate an operation mode that at least partially restricts the operation of at least one internal circuit (e.g., processor (500)) included in external electronic device 1 (210) in order to reduce power consumption in the external electronic device 1 (210).

[0099] For example, if an operation related to NAN communication is restricted (or stopped) based on a user input, the processor (500) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. If the processor (500) performs an operation related to NAN communication based on a user input, the processor (500) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state.

[0100] For example, when the processor (500) requires additional data communication with an electronic device (101) that supports a designated second frequency band (e.g., about 2.4 GHz band) during data communication through a NAN data path established through a designated first frequency band (e.g., at least one of about 5 GHz band or about 6 GHz band) of the external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (500) may set an operation state related to the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. For example, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to the second state in order to maintain communication quality of data communication of the designated first frequency band.

[0101] According to one embodiment, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit (or broadcast) operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to periodically transmit (or broadcast) operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on a specified period. For example, when the operation status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) changes, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit (or broadcast) operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted through at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame. For example, a wireless LAN frame may include a frame defined in Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, or NAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi aware). For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may include at least one of an operation status (e.g., a first state or a second state) related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) or a reason for changing the operation status. For example, the operation status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be included in the form of at least one of a string or a specified value. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in the form of a broadcast. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in the form of a unicast or multicast based on a specified address (e.g., an address or a group address).

[0102] According to one embodiment, when the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is terminated, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit (or broadcast) information related to the termination of the NAN communication. For example, when an event related to the termination of the NAN communication is detected, the processor (500) may determine that the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is terminated. For example, the event related to the termination of the NAN communication may be generated based on the termination of an application program or function related to the NAN communication. For example, the information related to the termination of the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted via at least one of the OOB method, the 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, the cloud server request method, or the wireless LAN frame.

[0103] According to one embodiment, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit a request message related to setting up a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) to the electronic device (101) while NAN communication is activated. For example, if the processor (500) receives an acceptance message related to setting up a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) from the electronic device (101), the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to set up a NAN data path with the electronic device (101). For example, if the processor (500) receives a rejection message related to setting up a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) from the electronic device (101), the processor (500) may determine that NAN communication with the electronic device (101) is restricted. The processor (500) may output (e.g., display) the restricted state of NAN communication with the electronic device (101) through an output device (not shown) (e.g., a display).

[0104] According to one embodiment, the memory (504) may store various data used by at least one component of the external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., the processor (500) and / or the communication circuit (502)). For example, the memory (504) may store various instructions that may be executed individually or collectively by the processor (500).

[0105] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include at least one of a processor (520) (e.g., a second processor), a communication circuit (522) (e.g., a second communication circuit), or a memory (524) (e.g., a second memory). For example, the processor (520) may be substantially the same as the processor (120) of FIG. 1 or may be included in the processor (120). The communication circuit (522) may be substantially the same as the wireless communication module (192) of FIG. 1 or may be included in the wireless communication module (192). The memory (524) may be substantially the same as the memory (130) of FIG. 1 or may be included in the memory (130). For example, the processor (520) may include at least one of an application processor or a communication processor. For example, the processor (520) may be operatively, functionally, and / or electrically connected to at least one of a communication circuit (522) or a memory (524). For example, the processor (520) may include at least one processor that includes a processing circuit.

[0106] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (522) may include various circuit structures used for at least one of modulation or demodulation of a signal within the electronic device (101). For example, the communication circuit (522) may modulate a baseband signal into a radio frequency (RF) band signal to be output through an antenna (not shown), or may demodulate (or decode) an RF band signal received through the antenna into a baseband signal and transmit the baseband signal to the processor (520). For example, the communication circuit (522) may perform at least one of transmission or reception of various data with an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic devices 210, 220, and / or 230 of FIG. 2) through a frequency band used for NAN communication (e.g., about 2.4 GHz band, about 5 GHz band, and / or about 6 GHz band).

[0107] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) can check the operating status related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG. 4). For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface, the processor (520) can check information related to an application program of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the discovery mode based on a low-power interface may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) method, a three-layer search protocol method related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN search method. For example, the information related to the application program may include at least one of identification information of an application program running on an external electronic device or information related to a function or service provided through the application program.

[0108] For example, if the processor (520) can support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) based on information related to the application program of the external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (520) can check the operating status information of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operating status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) can include the most recently received operating status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on the time point at which it is determined that NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) can be supported. For example, the operating status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) can include the operating status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) received after the time point at which it is determined that NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) can be supported. For example, the operational status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be received periodically or aperiodically through at least one of the OOB method, the 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, the cloud server request method, or the wireless LAN frame.

[0109] For example, the NAN communication of the electronic device (101) may be activated based on the reception of information related to the NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, the NAN communication of the electronic device (101) may be activated based on a determination that the electronic device can support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) based on information related to an application program of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the NAN communication of the electronic device (101) may be activated based on the determination that the electronic device can support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) based on information related to an application program of the external electronic device 1 (210) and that an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a first state.

[0110] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) may set an operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a first state, the processor (520) may set the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a first mode (or active mode). For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a second state, the processor (520) may set the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second mode (or low-power mode). For example, the operation mode related to NAN communication is an operation mode that the electronic device (101) uses to perform NAN communication, and may include an active mode (e.g., first mode) and a low-power mode (e.g., second mode). For example, the active mode (e.g., the first mode) is an operation mode in which the electronic device (101) performs NAN communication without any separate restrictions, and may be referred to as a normal mode. For example, the low-power mode (e.g., the second mode) is an operation mode in which at least a part of the NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is restricted, and may include an operation mode in which an active period for NAN communication is set or in which NAN communication is disabled. For example, the low-power mode (e.g., the second mode) may include an operation mode in which only operations in a discovery window are maintained and other operations are disabled. For example, the operations in the discovery window may include operations (e.g., synchronization) in which a beacon, SDF, or NAF is transmitted or received in a discovery window (DW). For example, the interval of the discovery window may be relatively widely expanded in the low-power mode. For example, the other operations may include at least one of data communication based on USD, NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0111] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform NAN communication when the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to the first mode (e.g., active mode). For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform NAN synchronization or USD. When an external electronic device for NAN communication (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) is detected, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform an operation (e.g., data communication or distance measurement) related to NAN communication with the external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)). For example, the processor (520) may set (or create) a NAN data path (NDP) with the external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)). The processor (520) can control the communication circuit (522) to perform data communication via a NAN data path with an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)).

[0112] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to operate in the low-power mode related to NAN communication when the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to the second mode (e.g., low-power mode). For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to deactivate NAN communication when the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to the second mode (e.g., low-power mode). For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to reduce an active interval (e.g., active time slot) set in the first mode (e.g., active mode) to a specified size (or specified ratio) when the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to the second mode (e.g., low-power mode). The processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to be activated in the reduced active interval to transmit and / or receive data. For example, if the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to a second mode (e.g., low power mode) while performing USD, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to terminate the USD. The processor (520) may maintain only the operation in the discovery window and deactivate other operations based on the termination of the USD. For example, the operation in the discovery window may include an operation (e.g., synchronization) of transmitting or receiving a beacon, SDF, or NAF in the discovery window (DW). For example, the interval of the discovery window may be relatively widely expanded in the low power mode. For example, the other operation may include at least one of data communication based on USD, NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0113] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) may reset an operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101). For example, when a change in an operation state related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG. 4) is identified, the processor (520) may reset an operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to terminate (or deactivate) NAN communication. For example, when information related to termination of NAN communication is obtained during NAN communication with an external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to terminate (or deactivate) the NAN communication. For example, termination of NAN communication may be performed after a specified time has elapsed from the time of obtaining information related to termination of NAN communication. For example, information related to termination of NAN communication may be received through at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0115] According to one embodiment, when the processor (520) receives a request message related to setting up a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) from an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) while NAN communication is activated, the processor (520) may check an operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101). For example, the processor (520) may set (or check) an operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on at least one of a capability of the electronic device (101), a user input, or a service type. For example, the capability of the electronic device (101) may include information related to the number of NAN data paths (e.g., NDP) set in the electronic device (101) or communication based on a second communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct). For example, the operational state related to NAN communication may include whether the electronic device (101) is in a state where it can perform an operation based on NAN communication.

[0116] For example, if the number of set NAN data paths of the electronic device (101) is less than a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (520) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a first state. If the number of set NAN data paths of the electronic device (101) is greater than or equal to a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (520) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second state. For example, the first state may indicate a state in which the electronic device (101) can additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the second state may indicate a state in which the electronic device (101) cannot additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication.

[0117] For example, when the electronic device (101) is performing wireless LAN communication based on the second communication protocol, the processor (520) may set the operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to the second state. When the electronic device (101) is not performing wireless LAN communication based on the second communication protocol, the processor (520) may set the operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to the first state.

[0118] For example, when an application program or function running on the electronic device (101) performs an operation related to a low-power mode, the processor (520) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second state. When an application program or function running on the electronic device (101) performs an operation not related to a low-power mode, the processor (520) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a first state. As an example, the low-power mode may indicate an operation mode that at least partially restricts the operation of at least one internal circuit (e.g., processor (520)) included in the electronic device (101) in order to reduce power consumption in the electronic device (101).

[0119] For example, if an operation related to NAN communication is restricted (or stopped) based on a user input, the processor (520) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second state. If an operation related to NAN communication is performed based on a user input, the processor (520) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a first state.

[0120] For example, when an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) requests additional data communication based on a designated second frequency band (e.g., about 2.4 GHz band) while the electronic device (101) is communicating data through a NAN data path established through a designated first frequency band (e.g., at least one of about 5 GHz band or about 6 GHz band), the processor (520) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second state. For example, the processor (520) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to the second state in order to maintain communication quality of data communication of the designated first frequency band.

[0121] According to one embodiment, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (522) to establish a NAN data path with an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) when the operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is the first state. For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to transmit an acceptance message related to the establishment of a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) when the operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is the first state.

[0122] According to one embodiment, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to transmit a rejection message related to the establishment of a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) when the operational state related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is the second state. For example, the rejection message related to the establishment of the NAN data path (e.g., NDP) may include at least one of a reason for rejecting the establishment of the NAN data path or operational state information related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101).

[0123] According to one embodiment, the memory (524) may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., at least one of the processor (520) or the communication circuit (522). For example, the memory (524) may store various instructions that may be individually or collectively executed by the processor (520).

[0124] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) may include a communication circuit that supports wireless LAN communication (e.g., the wireless communication module (192) of FIG. 1 or the communication circuit (522) of FIG. 5), at least one processor operatively connected to the communication circuit (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 or the processor (520) of FIG. 5), and a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor (e.g., the memory (130) of FIG. 1 or the memory (524) of FIG. 5). According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to receive operational status information related to neighbor awareness networking (NAN) communication of an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, 3, 4, or 5) in a state where NAN communication is activated. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to determine whether a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied based on an operational state of NAN communication of the external electronic device identified from operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform a low power mode of NAN communication based on a determination that a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied.

[0125] According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to activate NAN communication based on reception of information related to NAN communication via at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) method, a three-layer discovery protocol method related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, may include instructions that cause the electronic device to receive operational status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device via at least one of an OOB method, a three-layer discovery protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0127] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, may include instructions that cause the electronic device to activate unsynchronized service discovery (USD) based on activation of NAN communication. According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, may include instructions that cause the electronic device to terminate USD while NAN communication is activated based on a determination that a condition associated with transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied.

[0128] According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to extend the period of a discovery window of a NAN communication to a specified size based on the termination of a USD.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to check the operating status of NAN communication of an external electronic device while in a low-power mode. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to determine whether a condition associated with transitioning to an active mode is satisfied based on the operating status of NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to switch NAN communication to an active mode based on a determination that a condition associated with transitioning to an active mode is satisfied.

[0130] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, may include instructions that cause the electronic device to activate unsynchronized service discovery (USD) based on a determination that a condition associated with transitioning to an active mode is satisfied.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to establish a NAN data link with an external electronic device when the NAN communication is switched to an active mode. According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one of transmitting or receiving at least one of a signal or data to and from the external electronic device via the NAN data link.

[0132] According to one embodiment, the instructions may include instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to determine that a condition associated with transitioning to a low power mode is not satisfied when the electronic device (101) determines that NAN communication with the external electronic device is possible based on an operational state of NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the instructions may include instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to determine that a condition associated with transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied when the electronic device (101) determines that NAN communication with the external electronic device is limited based on an operational state of NAN communication of the external electronic device.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause the electronic device to terminate NAN communication when it receives information related to termination of NAN communication.

[0134] FIG. 6 is a flowchart (600) for sharing operational status information of NAN communication in an external electronic device according to one embodiment. In the following embodiments, the respective operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the respective operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the external electronic device of FIG. 6 may be the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5.

[0135] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 6, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 or processor (500) of FIG. 5) may activate NAN communication in operation 601. For example, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to activate NAN communication when a NAN activation event is detected. For example, the NAN activation event may be generated based on at least one of execution of an application program or function related to NAN communication, reception of a user input (e.g., touch input or voice input), reception of a control signal, or detection of a gesture input. For example, the NAN activation event may also be generated based on execution of a user interface related to NAN exploration. For example, the NAN activation event may include an event related to NAN exploration based on USD. For example, when a NAN activation event is detected, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit (or broadcast) information related to NAN communication. The processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to activate NAN communication based on the transmission of the information related to NAN communication. For example, the information related to NAN communication may be transmitted through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, the discovery mode based on the low-power interface may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) method, a three-layer search protocol method related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN search method.

[0136] For example, the processor (500) may search for an electronic device for NAN communication (e.g., electronic device (101) or external electronic device (220, 230, or 240)) based on the activation of NAN communication. For example, the search for an electronic device for NAN communication may be performed based on a response message (e.g., BLE advertisement) of a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, the search for an electronic device for NAN communication may be performed based on a NAN synchronization procedure and a configuration of a cluster. For example, the search for an electronic device for NAN communication may also be performed based on USD.

[0137] For example, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the operation related to NAN communication may include at least one of USD, data communication based on NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0138] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 500)) may, in operation 603, check an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device. For example, the processor (500) may set (or check) an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on at least one of a capability, a user input, or a service type of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the capability of the external electronic device 1 (210) may include information related to the number of NAN data paths (e.g., NDP) set in the external electronic device 1 (210) or communication based on a second communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct). For example, the second communication protocol may be a different communication protocol from the first communication protocol for NAN communication, and may support other wireless LAN communications other than NAN communication, such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, or mobile hotspot. For example, the operational state related to NAN communication may include whether the external electronic device 1 (210) is capable of performing an operation based on NAN communication.

[0139] For example, when the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) is less than a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state. When the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) is greater than or equal to a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. For example, the first state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) can additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the second state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) cannot additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, an operation based on NAN communication may include at least one of NAN communication-based data communication or distance measurement (e.g., ranging) performed after service discovery between electronic devices. For example, the specified reference number may include the maximum number supported by the communication circuit (502).

[0140] For example, when external electronic device 1 (210) is performing wireless LAN communication based on a second communication protocol, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. When external electronic device 1 (210) is not performing wireless LAN communication based on the second communication protocol, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state.

[0141] For example, when an application program or function running on external electronic device 1 (210) performs an operation related to a low-power mode, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. When an application program or function running on external electronic device 1 (210) performs an operation not related to a low-power mode, the processor (500) may set an operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state. As an example, the low-power mode may indicate an operation mode that at least partially restricts the operation of at least one internal circuit (e.g., processor (500)) included in external electronic device 1 (210) in order to reduce power consumption in the external electronic device 1 (210).

[0142] For example, if an operation related to NAN communication is restricted (or stopped) based on a user input, the processor (500) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. If the processor (500) performs an operation related to NAN communication based on a user input, the processor (500) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state.

[0143] For example, when the processor (500) requires additional data communication with an electronic device (101) that supports a second frequency band (e.g., about 2.4 GHz band) during data communication through a NAN data path established through a first frequency band (e.g., at least one of about 5 GHz band or about 6 GHz band) specified by the external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (500) may set an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state.

[0144] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) may transmit (or broadcast) operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device in operation 605. For example, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to periodically transmit (or broadcast) operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on a specified period. For example, when the operational status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) changes, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit (or broadcast) operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted through at least one of the OOB method, the 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, the cloud server request method, or the wireless LAN frame. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may include at least one of the operation status (e.g., the first state or the second state) related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) or the reason for change of the operation status. For example, the operation status related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be included in the form of at least one of a string or a specified value. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in the form of a broadcast. For example, the operational status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in unicast or multicast form based on a specified address (e.g., address or group address).

[0145] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) may determine, in operation 607, whether NAN communication is terminated. For example, the processor (500) may determine that NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) is terminated when an event related to termination of NAN communication is detected. For example, the event related to termination of NAN communication may be generated based on termination of an application program or function related to NAN communication.

[0146] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 500)) may terminate an embodiment for sharing operational status information of NAN communication if the NAN communication is not terminated (e.g., 'No' in operation 607). For example, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to perform NAN communication if an event related to termination of NAN communication is not detected. When performing NAN communication, the processor (500) may control the communication circuit (502) to transmit operational status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) periodically or aperiodically. For example, the transmission of operational state information related to NAN communication of an aperiodic external electronic device 1 (210) may include a series of operations for transmitting operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on a change in the operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210).

[0147] According to one embodiment, when NAN communication is terminated (e.g., 'yes' in operation 607), an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 500)) may transmit information related to termination of NAN communication in operation 609. For example, NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be terminated based on transmission of information related to termination of NAN communication. For example, information related to termination of NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted via at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer discovery protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0148] FIG. 7 is a flowchart (700) for setting an operating state of NAN communication based on an NDP setting in an external electronic device according to one embodiment. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of FIG. 7 may include detailed operations of operation 603 of FIG. 6. In the following embodiments, the respective operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the respective operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the external electronic device of FIG. 7 may be the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5.

[0149] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 7, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 or processor (500) of FIG. 5) may, when NAN communication is activated (e.g., operation 601 of FIG. 6), check the number of NDP settings of the external electronic device in operation 701. For example, the number of NDP settings may indicate the number of NDPs set in the external electronic device.

[0150] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) may determine whether an NDP can be additionally set in the external electronic device based on the number of NDP settings of the external electronic device in operation 703. For example, if the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) is less than a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (500) may determine that an NDP can be additionally set in the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, if the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) is greater than or equal to a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the processor (500) may determine that an NDP cannot be additionally set in the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the specified reference number may include the maximum number supported by the communication circuit (502).

[0151] According to one embodiment, if an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) determines that an additional NDP can be set in the external electronic device based on the number of NDP settings in the external electronic device (e.g., 'Yes' in operation 703), then in operation 705, the operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device can be set to a first state (e.g., activate).

[0152] According to one embodiment, if the external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or the processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) determines that it cannot additionally set an NDP in the external electronic device based on the number of NDP settings in the external electronic device (e.g., 'No' in operation 703), then in operation 707, the operational state related to NAN communication in the external electronic device may be set to a second state (e.g., holding).

[0153] FIG. 8 is a flowchart (800) for setting an operating state of NAN communication based on a second communication protocol in an external electronic device according to one embodiment. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of FIG. 8 may include detailed operations of operation 603 of FIG. 6. In the following embodiments, the respective operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the respective operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the external electronic device of FIG. 8 may be the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5.

[0154] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 8, an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 or processor (500) of FIG. 5) may, when NAN communication is activated (e.g., operation 601 of FIG. 6), determine in operation 801 whether the external electronic device performs communication based on a second communication protocol. For example, the second communication protocol is a different communication protocol from the first communication protocol for NAN communication, and may support other wireless LAN communication other than NAN communication, such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, or mobile hotspot.

[0155] According to one embodiment, when an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) determines that communication based on a second communication protocol is to be performed (e.g., 'yes' in operation 801), in operation 803, the external electronic device may set an operational state related to NAN communication to a first state (e.g., activate). For example, the state determined to be performing communication based on the second communication protocol may include at least one of a state in which communication based on the second communication protocol is determined to be performed or a state in which communication based on the second communication protocol is determined to be being performed.

[0156] According to one embodiment, if an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 500)) determines that it is not performing communication based on the second communication protocol (e.g., 'No' in operation 801), then in operation 805, the operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device may be set to a second state (e.g., holding).

[0157] FIG. 9 is a flowchart (900) for performing NAN communication in an electronic device according to one embodiment. In the following embodiments, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the electronic device of FIG. 9 may be the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5.

[0158] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 9, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 or processor (520) of FIG. 5) may activate NAN communication in operation 901. For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to activate NAN communication. For example, the discovery mode based on the low-power interface may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) method, a three-layer search protocol method related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN search method. For example, the information related to NAN communication may include at least one of information related to an external electronic device 1 (210) or information related to an application program running on the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, information related to external electronic device 1 (210) may include at least one of identification information of external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., device name, contact number of external electronic device 1 (210), information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210), or user information. For example, information related to an application program may include at least one of identification information of the application program or information related to a function or service provided through the application program.

[0159] For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface, the processor (520) can check information related to an application program of the external electronic device 1 (210). When the processor (520) determines that NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) can be supported based on the information related to the application program of the external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (520) can control the communication circuit (522) to activate NAN communication.

[0160] For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface, the processor (520) can check information related to an application program of the external electronic device 1 (210) and operation status information related to NAN communication. The processor (520) can support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) based on the information related to the application program of the external electronic device 1 (210), and when the operation status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a first state, the processor can control the communication circuit (522) to activate NAN communication. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) can be included in the information related to NAN communication or can be received through a separate message from the information related to NAN communication.

[0161] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may, in operation 903, check an operational status related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) while NAN communication is activated. For example, the operational status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device may be checked from operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) received from the external electronic device. For example, the operational status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be received periodically or aperiodically through at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer discovery protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame. For example, aperiodic reception of operational status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may include a series of operations for receiving operational status information related to NAN communication from external electronic device 1 (210) based on a change in the operational status related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210).

[0162] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may set an operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device based on an operation state related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) at operation 905. For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a first state, the processor (520) may set the operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a first mode (or active mode). For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a second state, the processor (520) may set the operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second mode (or low-power mode). For example, the operating mode for NAN communication is an operating mode that the electronic device (101) uses to perform NAN communication, and may include an active mode (e.g., a first mode) and a low-power mode (e.g., a second mode).

[0163] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may perform NAN communication based on an operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device at operation 907. For example, when the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to a first mode (e.g., active mode), the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform NAN synchronization or USD. When an external electronic device 1 (210) for NAN communication is detected through NAN synchronization or USD, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform an operation related to NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210). As an example, the operation related to NAN communication may include at least one of data communication or distance measurement (e.g., ranging). For example, when the operation mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) is set to the second mode (e.g., low-power mode), the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to operate in the low-power mode related to NAN communication. For example, the low-power mode related to NAN communication may include a series of operations for disabling (or terminating) NAN communication of the electronic device (101). For example, the low-power mode related to NAN communication may include a series of operations for maintaining only operations (e.g., synchronization) in a discovery window of the NAN communication and disabling other operations. For example, the operations in the discovery window may include operations for transmitting or receiving a beacon, SDF, or NAF in a discovery window (DW). For example, the interval of the discovery window may be relatively widely expanded in the low-power mode. For example, the other operations may include at least one of USD, data communication based on NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0164] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can periodically, aperiodically, or continuously check the operational status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) when NAN communication is activated. The electronic device (101) can reset the operational mode related to NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on the operational status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210).

[0165] FIG. 10 is a flowchart (1000) for activating NAN communication in an electronic device according to one embodiment. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of FIG. 10 may include detailed operations of operation 901 of FIG. 9. In the following embodiments, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the electronic device of FIG. 10 may be the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5.

[0166] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 10, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 or processor (520) of FIG. 5) may, in operation 1001, determine whether information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) is received. For example, the processor (520) may receive information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, the discovery mode based on the low-power interface may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) method, a three-layer discovery protocol method related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN search method. For example, the information related to NAN communication may include at least one of information related to external electronic device 1 (210) or information related to an application program running on external electronic device 1 (210). For example, information related to external electronic device 1 (210) may include at least one of identification information of external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., device name, contact number of external electronic device 1 (210), information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210), or user information. For example, information related to an application program may include at least one of identification information of the application program or information related to a function or service provided through the application program.

[0167] According to one embodiment, when an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) receives information related to NAN communication (e.g., 'Yes' in operation 1001), in operation 1003, the processor (520) may determine whether a specified NAN communication activation condition is satisfied based on the information related to NAN communication. For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface, the processor (520) may determine information related to an application program of an external electronic device 1 (210). When the processor (520) determines that the electronic device (101) can support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) based on the information related to the application program of the external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (520) may determine that the specified NAN communication activation condition is satisfied.

[0168] For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to NAN communication through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface, the processor (520) can check information related to the application program of the external electronic device 1 (210) and operation status information related to NAN communication. The processor (520) can determine that the electronic device (101) can support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) based on the information related to the application program of the external electronic device 1 (210) and that the operation status related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a first state, and that the activation condition of the specified NAN communication is satisfied. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) can be included in the information related to NAN communication or can be received through a separate message from the information related to NAN communication.

[0169] For example, the processor (520) may determine that the electronic device (101) cannot support NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210) or that the operating state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is the second state, and thus does not satisfy the activation condition of the specified NAN communication.

[0170] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may terminate an embodiment for activating NAN communication if information related to NAN communication is not received (e.g., 'No' in operation 1001) or if a specified NAN communication activation condition is not satisfied (e.g., 'No' in operation 1003).

[0171] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may activate NAN communication of the electronic device (101) in operation 1005 if an activation condition of a specified NAN communication is satisfied (e.g., 'yes' in operation 1003).

[0172] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can control the communication circuit (510) to search for an external electronic device for NAN communication through NAN synchronization or unsynchronized service discovery (USD) based on activation of NAN communication.

[0173] FIG. 11 is a flowchart (1100) for switching the operation mode of NAN communication in an electronic device according to one embodiment. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of FIG. 11 may include detailed operations of operations 905 and 907 of FIG. 9. In the following embodiments, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the electronic device of FIG. 11 may be the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5.

[0174] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 11, when an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 or processor (520) of FIG. 5) checks an operation state related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)) (e.g., operation 903 of FIG. 9), in operation 1101, the electronic device may determine whether a transition condition to a specified low-power mode is satisfied based on the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)). For example, when the operation state of the external electronic device 1 (210) is set to a second state, the processor (520) may determine that the transition condition to a specified low-power mode is satisfied. For example, when the operation state of the external electronic device 1 (210) is set to a first state, the processor (520) may determine that the transition condition to a specified low-power mode is not satisfied.

[0175] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may operate in a low-power mode associated with NAN communication in operation 1103 when a condition for transitioning to a specified low-power mode is satisfied (e.g., 'Yes' in operation 1101). For example, the processor (520) may control a communication circuit (522) to disable (or terminate) NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on the low-power mode associated with NAN communication when the condition for transitioning to a specified low-power mode is satisfied.

[0176] For example, if a transition condition to a designated low-power mode is satisfied, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to maintain only operations (e.g., synchronization) in the discovery window of the NAN communication and disable other operations based on the low-power mode related to the NAN communication. For example, the operations in the discovery window may include operations of transmitting or receiving a beacon, SDF, or NAF in the discovery window (DW). For example, the interval of the discovery window may be relatively widely expanded in the low-power mode. For example, the other operations may include at least one of USD, data communication based on NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0177] According to one embodiment, if an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) does not satisfy a transition condition to a specified low power mode (e.g., 'No' in operation 1101), in operation 1105, the processor (520) may operate in an active mode related to NAN communication. For example, if the operating state of the external electronic device 1 (210) is set to the first state, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform an operation related to NAN communication based on the active mode related to NAN communication. For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform NAN synchronization or USD based on the active mode related to NAN communication. When an external electronic device 1 (210) for NAN communication is detected through NAN synchronization or USD, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to perform an operation related to NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation related to NAN communication may include at least one of data communication or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0178] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may determine, in operation 1107, whether information related to termination of NAN communication is received while NAN communication is activated. For example, the information related to termination of NAN communication may be received via at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0179] According to one embodiment, if information related to termination of NAN communication is not received (e.g., 'No' in operation 1107), the electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or the processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may, in operation 1101, determine whether a transition condition to a specified low-power mode is satisfied based on an operational state related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210)).

[0180] According to one embodiment, when an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) receives information related to termination of NAN communication (e.g., 'Yes' in operation 1107), in operation 1109, the electronic device (101) other than external electronic device 1 (210) may determine whether there is another external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device (220 and / or 230) of FIG. 2) with which NAN communication is being performed. For example, when the processor (520) receives information related to termination of NAN communication from external electronic device 1 (210), the processor (520) may determine that NAN communication with external electronic device 1 (210) has been terminated. The processor (520) can determine whether the electronic device (101) is in NAN communication with another external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device (220 and / or 230) of FIG. 2) based on the termination of NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210).

[0181] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may terminate NAN communication in operation 1111 if there is no other external electronic device (e.g., external electronic devices 220 and / or 230 of FIG. 2) with which the electronic device (101) is in NAN communication (e.g., 'NO' in operation 1109). For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to terminate NAN communication if there is no other external electronic device (e.g., external electronic devices 220 and / or 230 of FIG. 2) with which the electronic device (101) is in NAN communication, excluding external electronic device 1 (210). For example, termination of NAN communication may be performed after a specified time has elapsed from the time of determining termination of NAN communication or from the time of receiving information related to termination of NAN communication.

[0182] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) or a processor (e.g., processor (120 or 520)) may, if there is another external electronic device (e.g., external electronic devices 220 and / or 230 of FIG. 2) with which the electronic device (101) is in NAN communication (e.g., 'yes' in operation 1109), maintain NAN communication with the other external electronic device (e.g., external electronic devices 220 and / or 230 of FIG. 2) in operation 1113. For example, the processor (520) may control the communication circuit (522) to maintain NAN communication when there is another external electronic device (e.g., external electronic devices 220 and / or 230 of FIG. 2) with which the electronic device (101) is in NAN communication, excluding external electronic device 1 (210).

[0183] FIG. 12 is an example for setting a NAN communication mode based on NDP settings in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0184] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 12, when a NAN activation event is detected, external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit (or broadcast) information related to NAN communication (e.g., operation 1211). For example, external electronic device 1 (210) may activate NAN communication based on detection of a NAN activation event or transmission of information related to NAN communication. For example, the NAN activation event may be generated based on at least one of execution of an application program or function related to NAN communication, reception of a user input (e.g., touch input or voice input), reception of a control signal, or detection of a gesture input. For example, the NAN activation event may also be generated based on execution of a user interface related to NAN discovery. For example, information related to NAN communication may be transmitted through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, a low-power interface-based discovery mode may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) mode, a layer 3 discovery protocol mode related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request mode, or a wireless LAN discovery mode.

[0185] According to one embodiment, at least one of external electronic device 2 (220), external electronic device 3 (230), or electronic device (101) may activate NAN communication based on receiving information related to NAN communication (e.g., operations 1213, 1215, and 1217). For example, at least one of external electronic device 2 (220), external electronic device 3 (230), or electronic device (101) may perform NAN synchronization or USD (unsynchronized service discovery) to search for an external electronic device for NAN communication based on activation of NAN communication.

[0186] According to one embodiment, external electronic device 1 (210) can establish a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) with external electronic device 2 (220) and external electronic device 3 (230) (e.g., operations 1219 and 1221). For example, external electronic device 1 (210) can search for other electronic devices capable of performing NAN communication (e.g., electronic device (101), external electronic device 2 (220), or external electronic device 3 (230)). External electronic device 1 (210) can establish a NAN data path (e.g., NDP) with external electronic device 2 (220) and external electronic device 3 (230) selected based on a user input among other electronic devices capable of performing NAN communication. For example, other electronic devices capable of performing NAN communication can be identified based on a response to information related to NAN communication received through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, other electronic devices capable of performing NAN communication can be identified through NAN synchronization and cluster configuration. For example, other electronic devices capable of performing NAN communication can be identified through USD. For example, USD may include a series of operations that continuously search for external electronic devices for a specified period of time through NAN communication without performing synchronization with the external electronic devices.

[0187] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) can check the operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on the activation of NAN communication. For example, the processor (500) can set (or check) the operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on at least one of a capability, a user input, or a service type of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the capability of the external electronic device 1 (210) can include information related to the number of NAN data paths (e.g., NDP) set in the external electronic device 1 (210) or communication based on a second communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct). For example, the second communication protocol is a different communication protocol from the first communication protocol for NAN communication, and can support other wireless LAN communication other than NAN communication, such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, or a mobile hotspot. For example, an operational state related to NAN communication may include whether the external electronic device 1 (210) is capable of performing an operation based on NAN communication.

[0188] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit operation state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., operation 1223). For example, if the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., 2) is greater than or equal to a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value), the external electronic device 1 (210) may set the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a second state. The external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit the operation state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) set to the second state. For example, the second state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) cannot additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication.

[0189] For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted (or broadcast) periodically or aperiodically. For example, the aperiodical transmission of the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may include a series of operations for transmitting the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) based on a change in the operation status related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted via at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame. For example, the operation status (e.g., a second state) related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be included in the form of at least one of a string or a specified value. For example, the operational status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in a broadcast format. For example, the operational status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in a unicast or multicast format based on a specified address (e.g., address or group address).

[0190] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can check the operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) while NAN communication is activated. The electronic device (101) can set the operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on the operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210). For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) is the second state, the electronic device (101) can set the operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to the second mode (or low power mode). The electronic device (101) can operate in the low power mode related to NAN communication based on the setting of the operation mode for NAN communication to the second mode (or low power mode) (e.g., operation 1225). For example, the electronic device (101) may disable (or terminate) NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on setting the operation mode for NAN communication to the second mode (or low power mode). For example, the electronic device (101) may maintain only operations (e.g., synchronization) in the discovery window of NAN communication and disable other operations based on setting the operation mode for NAN communication to the second mode (or low power mode). For example, the operations in the discovery window may include operations of transmitting or receiving a beacon, SDF, or NAF in the discovery window (DW). For example, the interval of the discovery window may be relatively widely expanded in the low power mode. For example, the other operations may include at least one of USD, data communication based on NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0191] According to one embodiment, external electronic device 1 (210) may release the establishment of a NAN data path with external electronic device 2 (220) based on termination of data communication with external electronic device 2 (220) (e.g., operation 1227).

[0192] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) may set (or change) an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state based on the disabling of a NAN data path with the external electronic device 2 (220). For example, the external electronic device 1 (210) may set (or change) an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to the first state when the number of set NAN data paths of the external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., 1) is less than a specified reference number (e.g., a maximum value) based on the disabling of a NAN data path with the external electronic device 2 (220).

[0193] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit operation state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) set to a first state (e.g., operation 1229). For example, the first state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) may additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the operation state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted (or broadcast) periodically or aperiodically. For example, the operation state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in a broadcast form. For example, the operation state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in a unicast or multicast form based on a designated address (e.g., an address or a group address).

[0194] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can check the operational state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) while NAN communication is activated. When the operational state related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) is the first state, the electronic device (101) can set the operational mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to the first mode (or active mode). The electronic device (101) can operate in the active mode related to NAN communication based on the setting of the operational mode for NAN communication to the first mode (or active mode) (e.g., operation 1231). For example, the electronic device (101) can perform NAN synchronization or USD based on the setting of the operational mode for NAN communication to the first mode (or active mode). When an external electronic device 1 (210) for NAN communication is detected via NAN synchronization or USD, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation related to NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation related to NAN communication may include at least one of data communication or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0195] FIG. 13 is an example for setting a NAN communication mode based on a second communication protocol in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0196] According to one embodiment referring to FIG. 13, when a NAN activation event is detected, external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit (or broadcast) information related to NAN communication (e.g., operation 1311). For example, external electronic device 1 (210) may activate NAN communication based on detection of a NAN activation event or transmission of information related to NAN communication. For example, the NAN activation event may be generated based on at least one of execution of an application program or function related to NAN communication, reception of a user input (e.g., touch input or voice input), reception of a control signal, or detection of a gesture input. For example, the NAN activation event may also be generated based on execution of a user interface related to NAN discovery. For example, information related to NAN communication may be transmitted through a discovery mode based on a low-power interface. For example, a low-power interface-based discovery mode may include at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) mode, a layer 3 discovery protocol mode related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request mode, or a wireless LAN discovery mode.

[0197] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may activate NAN communication based on receiving information related to NAN communication (e.g., operation 1313). For example, the electronic device (101) may perform NAN synchronization or unsynchronized service discovery (USD) to search for an external electronic device for NAN communication based on the activation of NAN communication.

[0198] According to one embodiment, external electronic device 1 (210) can perform wireless LAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi direct or mobile hotspot) based on a second communication protocol with external electronic device 2 (220) (e.g., operation 1315).

[0199] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) can check the operational state related to the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on the activation of the NAN communication. For example, the processor (500) can set the operational state related to the NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to the second state based on wireless LAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi direct or mobile hot spot) with the external electronic device 2 (220) based on the second communication protocol.

[0200] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) (e.g., operation 1317). For example, the external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) that is set to a second state. For example, the second state may indicate a state in which the external electronic device 1 (210) cannot additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted (or broadcast) periodically or aperiodically. For example, aperiodically transmitting operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) may include a series of operations for transmitting operational state information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) based on a change in an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted through at least one of the OOB method, the 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, the cloud server request method, or the wireless LAN frame. For example, the operation status (e.g., the second state) related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be included in the form of at least one of a string or a specified value. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in the form of a broadcast. For example, the operation status information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted in the form of a unicast or multicast based on a specified address (e.g., an address or a group address).

[0201] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may set an operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on an operation state related to NAN communication of an external electronic device 1 (210) while NAN communication is activated. For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a second state, the electronic device (101) may set the operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a second mode (or low power mode). The electronic device (101) may operate in a low power mode related to NAN communication based on the setting of the operation mode for NAN communication to the second mode (or low power mode) (e.g., operation 1319). For example, the electronic device (101) may disable (or terminate) NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on the setting of the operation mode for NAN communication to the second mode (or low power mode). For example, the electronic device (101) may maintain only operations (e.g., synchronization) in the discovery window of NAN communication and disable other operations based on setting the operation mode for NAN communication to the second mode (or low power mode). For example, the operations in the discovery window may include operations of transmitting or receiving a beacon, SDF, or NAF in the discovery window (DW). For example, the interval of the discovery window may be relatively widely expanded in the low power mode. For example, the other operations may include at least one of USD, data communication based on NAN communication, or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0202] According to one embodiment, external electronic device 1 (210) may terminate wireless LAN communication based on a second communication protocol with external electronic device 2 (220) (e.g., operation 1321).

[0203] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 1 (210) may set (or change) an operational state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) to a first state based on termination of wireless LAN communication based on a second communication protocol with the external electronic device 2 (220).

[0204] According to one embodiment, external electronic device 1 (210) may transmit operation state information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) set to a first state (e.g., operation 1323). For example, the first state may indicate a state in which external electronic device 1 (210) may additionally perform an operation based on NAN communication. For example, the operation state information related to NAN communication of external electronic device 1 (210) may be transmitted (or broadcast) periodically or aperiodically.

[0205] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may set an operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) based on an operation state related to NAN communication of an external electronic device 1 (210) when NAN communication is activated. For example, when the operation state related to NAN communication of the external electronic device 1 (210) is a first state, the electronic device (101) may set the operation mode for NAN communication of the electronic device (101) to a first mode (or active mode). The electronic device (101) may operate in an active mode related to NAN communication based on the setting of the operation mode for NAN communication to the first mode (or active mode) (e.g., operation 1325). For example, the electronic device (101) may perform NAN synchronization or USD based on the setting of the operation mode for NAN communication to the first mode (or active mode). When an external electronic device 1 (210) for NAN communication is detected via NAN synchronization or USD, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation related to NAN communication with the external electronic device 1 (210). For example, the operation related to NAN communication may include at least one of data communication or distance measurement (e.g., ranging).

[0206] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) may include an operation of receiving operation status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device (e.g., external electronic device 1 (210) of FIG. 2, 3, 4, or 5) in a state where NAN communication is activated. According to one embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include an operation of determining whether a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied based on an operation status of NAN communication of the external electronic device identified in the operation status information related to NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include an operation of performing a low power mode of NAN communication based on a determination that a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied.

[0207] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include activating NAN communication based on receiving information related to NAN communication through at least one of an out-of-band (OOB) method, a three-layer discovery protocol method related to universal plug and play (uPnP) or multicast domain name system (mDNS), a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0208] According to one embodiment, the method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of checking the operating status of NAN communication, including an operation of receiving operating status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device through at least one of an OOB method, a 3-layer search protocol method related to uPnP or mDNS, a cloud server request method, or a wireless LAN frame.

[0209] According to one embodiment, the operation of performing a low-power mode of NAN communication may include an operation of terminating USD while NAN communication is enabled based on a determination that a condition related to transitioning to a low-power mode is satisfied when USD is enabled based on activation of NAN communication.

[0210] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include extending a period of a discovery window of NAN communication to a specified size based on an end of a USD.

[0211] According to one embodiment, the operating method of the electronic device may include an operation of checking the operating status of NAN communication of an external electronic device in a state where the electronic device is switched to a low power mode. According to one embodiment, the operating method of the electronic device may include an operation of checking whether a condition related to switching to an active mode is satisfied based on the operating status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device. According to one embodiment, the operating method of the electronic device may include an operation of switching the NAN communication to an active mode based on a determination that the condition related to switching to an active mode is satisfied.

[0212] According to one embodiment, the operation of switching NAN communication to an active mode may include the operation of activating unsynchronized service discovery (USD) based on a determination that a condition associated with switching to an active mode is satisfied.

[0213] According to one embodiment, the method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of establishing a NAN data link with an external electronic device when NAN communication is switched to an active mode. According to one embodiment, the method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of performing at least one of transmitting or receiving at least one of a signal or data to or from an external electronic device via the NAN data link.

[0214] According to one embodiment, the operation of determining whether a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied may include an operation of determining that the condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is not satisfied when it is determined that the electronic device (101) is capable of NAN communication with the external electronic device based on the operating state of NAN communication of the external electronic device.

[0215] According to one embodiment, the operation of determining whether a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied may include an operation of determining whether a condition related to transitioning to a low power mode is satisfied when the electronic device (101) determines that NAN communication with the external electronic device is limited based on the operating state of NAN communication of the external electronic device.

[0216] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of terminating NAN communication when information related to termination of NAN communication is received.

[0217] The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification and drawings are merely specific examples presented to easily explain the technical contents according to the embodiments of the present invention and to help understand the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the embodiments of the present invention should be interpreted to include all changes or modified forms derived based on the technical idea of ​​the embodiments of the present invention, in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. In an electronic device (101), Communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication (192 or 522), At least one processor (120 or 520) operatively connected to said communication circuit, and comprising a memory (130 or 524) operatively connected to at least one processor (120 or 520); The above memory (130 or 524) is executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor (120 or 520), when the electronic device (101) Receiving operation status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device while NAN (neighbor awareness networking) communication is activated, Based on the operational status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device identified from the operational status information related to the NAN communication of the external electronic device, it is confirmed whether the conditions related to the transition to a low power mode are satisfied. An electronic device storing instructions for performing a low-power mode of the NAN communication based on a determination that a condition related to switching to the low-power mode is satisfied.

2. In paragraph 1, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520), cause the electronic device (101) to activate USD (unsynchronized service discovery) based on activation of the NAN communication, An electronic device comprising instructions for terminating the USD while the NAN communication is enabled based on a determination that a condition associated with transitioning to the low power mode is satisfied.

3. In paragraph 2, An electronic device in which the memory (130 or 524) stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520), cause the electronic device (101) to extend the period of the discovery window of the NAN communication to a specified size based on the termination of the USD.

4. In paragraph 1, The above memory (130 or 524) checks the operating status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device when the electronic device (101) is switched to the low power mode when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520). Verify that the conditions related to switching to active mode are satisfied based on the operational status of the NAN communication of the above external electronic device, An electronic device storing instructions for switching the NAN communication to an active mode based on a determination that a condition related to switching to the active mode is satisfied.

5. In paragraph 4, An electronic device comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520), cause the electronic device (101) to activate USD (unsynchronized service discovery) based on a determination that a condition related to transitioning to the active mode is satisfied.

6. In any one of paragraphs 4 and 5, The above memory (130 or 524), when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520), establishes a NAN data link with the external electronic device when the electronic device (101) switches the NAN communication to an active mode, An electronic device storing instructions causing the external electronic device to perform at least one of transmitting or receiving at least one of a signal or data through the NAN data link.

7. In paragraph 1, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520), determine that the electronic device (101) does not satisfy the conditions related to the transition to the low power mode when the electronic device (101) determines that the NAN communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the operating state of the NAN communication of the external electronic device, An electronic device including instructions for determining that a condition related to switching to the low power mode is satisfied when the electronic device (101) determines that NAN communication with the external electronic device is limited based on the operational state of the NAN communication of the external electronic device.

8. In paragraph 1, An electronic device in which the memory (130 or 524) stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (120 or 520), cause the electronic device (101) to terminate the NAN communication when it receives information related to termination of the NAN communication.

9. In the operating method of the electronic device (101), An operation for receiving operation status information related to NAN communication of an external electronic device while NAN (neighbor awareness networking) communication is activated. An operation for checking whether a condition related to switching to a low power mode is satisfied based on the operation status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device confirmed from the operation status information related to the NAN communication of the external electronic device, and A method comprising an operation of performing a low-power mode of the NAN communication based on a determination that a condition related to switching to the low-power mode is satisfied.

10. In paragraph 9, The operation of performing the low power mode of the above NAN communication is as follows: A method including an operation of terminating the USD (unsynchronized service discovery) while the NAN communication is activated based on a determination that a condition related to transition to the low power mode is satisfied when the USD (unsynchronized service discovery) is activated based on the activation of the NAN communication.

11. In paragraph 10, A method further comprising an action of extending a period of a discovery window of said NAN communication to a specified size based on the termination of said USD.

12. In paragraph 9, An operation for checking the operating status of NAN communication of the external electronic device in the state where the low power mode is switched; An operation for checking whether a condition related to transition to an active mode is satisfied based on the operational status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device, and A method further comprising an action of switching the NAN communication to the active mode based on a determination that a condition associated with switching to the active mode is satisfied.

13. In paragraph 12, A method wherein the operation of switching the above NAN communication to an active mode includes an operation of activating unsynchronized service discovery (USD) based on a determination that a condition related to switching to the active mode is satisfied.

14. In any one of paragraphs 12 and 13, When the above NAN communication is switched to the active mode, an operation of establishing a NAN data link with the external electronic device, and A method further comprising performing at least one of transmitting or receiving at least one of a signal or data to or from said external electronic device via said NAN data link.

15. In paragraph 9, The operation to check whether the conditions related to switching to the above low power mode are satisfied is as follows: An operation for determining that the electronic device (101) is capable of NAN communication with the external electronic device based on the operational status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device, and determining that the condition related to the transition to the low power mode is not satisfied; and A method including an operation of determining that a condition related to switching to the low power mode is satisfied when the electronic device (101) determines that NAN communication with the external electronic device is limited based on the operational status of the NAN communication of the external electronic device.

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