Periodic Channel Scanning Across Service Periods for AP Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies face challenges with power consumption, limited range, data capacity throughput, and susceptibility to interference, necessitating improvements for more efficient wireless communication in personal area networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method and apparatus for scanning a first channel during a non-extended personal area network (non-XPAN) service period, with multiple consecutive scans to ensure complete coverage of beacon intervals, enhancing the chances of detecting access points and optimizing communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a wireless communication device scans for access points during non-XPAN service periods in a Bluetooth Low Energy network, then the device can establish connections with access points to extend communication range and improve data throughput, but the scanning process consumes additional power and increases latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic channel scanning during non-XPAN service periods in a TWT-based Bluetooth Low Energy network. The device alternates between XPAN service periods (for low-power sleep mode) and non-XPAN service periods (for channel scanning and access point detection). This periodic action allows the device to extend its communication range by discovering access points while consuming power only during designated scanning intervals, thus resolving the contradiction between range extension and power consumption.
2Reliability
If the wireless communication device performs channel scanning during non-XPAN service periods, then the device can detect access points and optimize communication paths, but the scanning process increases signaling resource usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs channel scanning and access point detection during non-XPAN service periods as a preliminary action before establishing connections. By proactively identifying available access points and evaluating channel conditions in advance, the device can make informed connection decisions that improve reliability. This preliminary scanning reduces the need for repeated signaling attempts and optimizes communication paths before data transmission begins, thereby improving connection reliability while managing signaling resource consumption.
3Loss of information
If the wireless communication device scans multiple channels to ensure complete coverage of beacon intervals, then the device can detect all available access points, but the scanning process increases latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the channel scanning process into multiple non-XPAN service periods, each dedicated to scanning a specific channel or subset of channels. Instead of scanning all channels continuously in a single extended period (which would cause high latency), the device divides the scanning task across multiple discrete time slots. This segmentation allows the device to systematically cover all beacon intervals and detect all available access points while maintaining lower latency within each individual scanning segment, thus resolving the contradiction between detection completeness and scanning latency.
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a wireless communication device may scan a first channel for access points during a first non-extended-personal-area-network (non-XPAN) service period. The wireless communication device may scan the first channel in one or more additional non-XPAN service periods. Numerous other aspects are described.