Neighbor Aware Network Device Availability Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In neighbor aware networks (NANs), existing communication methods consume excessive bandwidth due to messaging traffic for determining device availability, especially during association phases and data exchanges, which can be inefficient and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
Devices provide availability information during association or discovery windows, allowing for reduced messaging traffic by eliminating the need for polling messages and acknowledgments, and enabling data transmission without waiting for availability confirmation, based on pre-exchanged capability information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If devices exchange availability information through polling messages and acknowledgments, then device availability can be determined, but network bandwidth is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having devices exchange availability information during the association phase before actual data transmission begins. Devices indicate their availability status in advance, eliminating the need for continuous polling messages during data transmission. This advance indication allows the receiving device to know when the transmitting device is available without requiring ongoing communication overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the availability indication from the ongoing data transmission process and separates it into a distinct phase (association phase). By taking out the availability determination from the data transmission flow, the patent eliminates the need for interleaved polling and acknowledgment messages, thereby reducing network bandwidth consumption during actual data exchange.
2Reliability
If polling messages and acknowledgments are used to determine availability, then communication reliability is maintained, but messaging traffic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs availability indication in advance during the association phase, before data transmission begins. The transmitting device includes an availability indication in its association request or association response message, allowing the receiving device to know in advance when transmission can occur without requiring polling messages or acknowledgments during the actual data exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the availability indication with the association messaging itself. Rather than using separate polling and acknowledgment messages, the availability status is combined into the existing association request and association response messages, thereby maintaining communication reliability while reducing overall messaging traffic.
3Quantity of substance
If availability information is exchanged during association phase, then bandwidth is conserved, but device capability information exchange is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the existing association messaging framework. The availability indication is merged with device capability information exchange, security credential verification, and association establishment all within the same message exchange sequence. This approach conserves bandwidth by avoiding separate availability polling while the capability information exchange provides the necessary context for determining availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The association messaging structure serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it establishes the association, exchanges device capability information, verifies security credentials, and conveys availability indication. This multi-functionality reduces overall messaging traffic while maintaining comprehensive device information exchange necessary for reliable communication.
Data Source
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AI summary
In some examples, a method includes receiving, at a first device, availability information from a second device during a connection set-up phase of communication of a neighbor aware network (NAN) or during a NAN discovery window. The connection set-up phase includes an exchange of device capability information. The method also includes, based on the availability information indicating that the second device is available during a transmission window of a data link group of the NAN to receive data from the first device, sending data from the first device to the second device during the transmission window without performing a message exchange to determine an availability of the second device.