ADVANCED PEER-TO-PEER COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES FOR EFFICIENT WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY MANAGEMENT

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to enhanced peer-to-peer (P2P) communications. A device may identify an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP). The device may determine if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold. The device may activate a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold. The device may deactivate the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for wireless communications and, more particularly, to a advanced Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication techniques for efficient wireless connectivity management.

BACKGROUND

Wireless devices are becoming widely prevalent and are increasingly requesting access to wireless channels. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has been developing one or more standards to enable Radio Local Area Networking (RLAN). Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) cellular technologies also started supporting RLAN with introduction of Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology with LTE and later extended to New Radio (NR-U) with 5G New Radio (NR).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for enhanced peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2-4 depict illustrative schematic diagrams for enhanced P2P communications, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a process for an illustrative enhanced P2P communications system, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station that may be suitable for use as a user device, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine upon which any of one or more techniques (e.g., methods) may be performed, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a radio architecture in accordance with some examples.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example front-end module circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example radio IC circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example baseband processing circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithm, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

The regulatory framework for Radio Local Area Network (RLAN) operation of peer-to-peer (P2P), also known as Client to Client (C2C) communications in license-exempt bands such as the 6 GHz band, may necessitate limiting P2P communication of client devices to within the coverage area of the RLAN network. For example, in the 6 GHz band, to safeguard incumbent services (existing users of the spectrum, like satellite links or fixed services), C2C communications would likely be confined to the area covered by Low Power Indoor (LPI) or Standard Power (SP) Access Points. LPI Access Points are designed for low-power, indoor use to minimize interference, whereas SP Access Points are more powerful but have stricter regulatory controls. This restriction aims to ensure C2C communication offers similar protection to incumbent services such as Access Point to Client (AP2C) connectivity, assuming other protective measures are also fulfilled.

One method of restricting C2C communications to be within the coverage area of RLAN network is through the ability of all clients in a P2P network to decode and measure an enabling signal (e.g., Beacon frame reception) from Access Points at a level above a certain threshold such as an RSSI level, and to regularly re-check that an acceptable level is maintained (if the level at a re-check falls below the threshold, C2C connectivity must be terminated). However, this approach can lead to erratic connectivity due to the natural fluctuations of RSSI levels, thereby degrading the user experience as connectivity has to be re-established after each drop below the RSSI threshold. There have been some regulatory concerns that, in the case of a single threshold enabling signal, client devices may initiate P2P network outside the designed coverage area. In addition, a single “one size fits all” threshold may not guarantee initial enablement of P2P communication well within the coverage area of the Access Points.

Therefore, it is important to have a mechanism with sufficient flexibility to ensure the P2P communication is 1) initiated well within the access point coverage area, and 2) maintains a robust communication link in the face of fluctuating RSSI levels, for the duration of the C2C communications, including if clients move within the coverage areas. The disclosed method improves upon the existing fixed single-level method by allowing a programmable and potentially more conservative (from an interference protection standpoint) initiation of C2C connectivity, as well as minimizing the ping-pong effect of broken then re-established connectivity on the P2P link.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, and devices for a robust method of peer-to-peer communication enabling/disabling for RLAN client devices.

In one or more embodiments, an enhanced P2P communications system may introduce a hysteresis-based triggering mechanism for enabling and disabling P2P communication for the two client devices.

In one or more embodiments, the control signal in the triggering mechanism is a metric that can be measured depending on the method used for enabling of P2P. For example, a measured enabling signal from Wi-Fi Access Point is the signal to trigger enabling or disabling P2P link depending on the strength of the signal. By setting the enabling threshold at a high value (low value depending on the method) for both devices, P2P communication is enabled and continued until the enabling signal strength falls below (or exceeds) a disabling threshold lower than (higher than) the enabling threshold at least for one of the two devices. Note that, in a more generalized case, the enabling and disabling may implemented on different signals/parameters instead of the same but at different thresholds.

This disclosure expands and complements Wi-Fi use cases and deployment models at 6 GHz band that further expand utilization of client devices allowing additional P2P use cases which are currently not supported. An enhanced P2P communications system may be used as a solution for enabling P2P communication by meeting regulatory requirements in Wi-Fi client device solutions.

The above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting. Numerous other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., may exist, some of which are described in greater detail below. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment of enhanced P2P communications, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Wireless network 100 can include one or more user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), which may communicate in accordance with wireless standards, such as Bluetooth and the IEEE 802.11 communication standards, over network(s) 130.

In some embodiments, the user devices 120 and the AP 102 may include one or more computer systems similar to that of the functional diagram of FIG. 6 and/or the example machine/system of FIG. 7.

One or more illustrative user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be operable by one or more user(s) 110. It should be noted that any addressable unit may be a station (STA). An STA may take on multiple distinct characteristics, each of which shape its function. For example, a single addressable unit might simultaneously be a portable STA, a quality-of-service (QoS) STA, a dependent STA, and a hidden STA. The one or more illustrative user device(s) 120 and the AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be STAs. The one or more illustrative user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may operate as a personal basic service set (PBSS) control point/access point (PCP/AP). The user device(s) 120 (e.g., 120-129) and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may include any suitable processor-driven device including, but not limited to, a mobile device or a non-mobile, e.g., a static device. For example, user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may include, a user equipment (UE), a station (STA), an access point (AP), a software enabled AP (SoftAP), a personal computer (PC), a wearable wireless device (e.g., bracelet, watch, glasses, ring, etc.), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, an Ultrabook™ computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld computer, a handheld device, an internet of things (IoT) device, a sensor device, a PDA device, a handheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board device, a hybrid device (e.g., combining cellular phone functionalities with PDA device functionalities), a consumer device, a vehicular device, a non-vehicular device, a mobile or portable device, a non-mobile or non-portable device, a mobile phone, a cellular telephone, a PCS device, a PDA device which incorporates a wireless communication device, a mobile or portable GPS device, a DVB device, a relatively small computing device, a non-desktop computer, a “carry small live large” (CSLL) device, an ultra mobile device (UMD), an ultra mobile PC (UMPC), a mobile internet device (MID), an “origami” device or computing device, a device that supports dynamically composable computing (DCC), a context-aware device, a video device, an audio device, an A/V device, a set-top-box (STB), a blu-ray disc (BD) player, a BD recorder, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a high definition (HD) DVD player, a DVD recorder, a HD DVD recorder, a personal video recorder (PVR), a broadcast HD receiver, a video source, an audio source, a video sink, an audio sink, a stereo tuner, a broadcast radio receiver, a flat panel display, a personal media player (PMP), a digital video camera (DVC), a digital audio player, a speaker, an audio receiver, an audio amplifier, a gaming device, a data source, a data sink, a digital still camera (DSC), a media player, a smartphone, a television, a music player, or the like. Other devices, including smart devices such as lamps, climate control, car components, household components, appliances, etc. may also be included in this list.

As used herein, the term “Internet of Things (IoT) device” is used to refer to any object (e.g., an appliance, a sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., an Internet protocol (IP) address, a Bluetooth identifier (ID), a near-field communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and can transmit information to one or more other devices over a wired or wireless connection. An IoT device may have a passive communication interface, such as a quick response (QR) code, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, an NFC tag, or the like, or an active communication interface, such as a modem, a transceiver, a transmitter-receiver, or the like. An IoT device can have a particular set of attributes (e.g., a device state or status, such as whether the IoT device is on or off, open or closed, idle or active, available for task execution or busy, and so on, a cooling or heating function, an environmental monitoring or recording function, a light-emitting function, a sound-emitting function, etc.) that can be embedded in and/or controlled/monitored by a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, ASIC, or the like, and configured for connection to an IoT network such as a local ad-hoc network or the Internet. For example, IoT devices may include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwaves, freezers, dishwashers, dishes, hand tools, clothes washers, clothes dryers, furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, light fixtures, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers, electricity meters, gas meters, etc., so long as the devices are equipped with an addressable communications interface for communicating with the IoT network. IoT devices may also include cell phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Accordingly, the IoT network may be comprised of a combination of “legacy” Internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptop or desktop computers, cell phones, etc.) in addition to devices that do not typically have Internet-connectivity (e.g., dishwashers, etc.).

The user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may also include mesh stations in, for example, a mesh network, in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards and/or 3GPP standards.

FIG. 1 illustrates that user devices 122 and 124 are associated with AP 102a, as shown by area 140 that represents the coverage area of AP 102a. In contrast, user devices 121, 123, and 125 may be associated with to AP 102b, as indicated by area 142, which depicts the coverage area of AP 102b. Additionally, area 144 illustrates devices (user devices 126-129, including 127′, 128′ and 128″) that may not be associated with either AP 102a or AP 102b. Devices within coverage area 144 can operate using an enhanced P2P communication system 150, enabling more efficient data exchange and connectivity. The two coverage areas 140 and 142 represent access point to client communications 152.

Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) (102a and 102b) may be configured to communicate with each other via one or more communications networks 130 wirelessly or wired. The user device(s) 120 may also communicate peer-to-peer or directly with each other with or without the AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) or with another group of user device(s) (e.g., 126-129) not associated with AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) (102a and 102b). The communications network 130 include, but not limited to, any one of a combination of different types of suitable communications networks such as, for example, broadcasting networks, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks, wireless networks, cellular networks, or any other suitable private and/or public networks. Further, the communications network 130 may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, the communications network 130 may include any type of medium over which network traffic may be carried including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire, optical fiber, a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave terrestrial transceivers, radio frequency communication mediums, white space communication mediums, ultra-high frequency communication mediums, satellite communication mediums, or any combination thereof.

Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129) and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may include one or more communications antennas. The one or more communications antennas may be any suitable type of antennas corresponding to the communications protocols used by the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b). Some non-limiting examples of suitable communications antennas include Wi-Fi antennas, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards compatible antennas, directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas, quasi-omnidirectional antennas, or the like. The one or more communications antennas may be communicatively coupled to a radio component to transmit and/or receive signals, such as communications signals to and/or from the user devices 120 and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b).

Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be configured to perform directional transmission and/or directional reception in conjunction with wirelessly communicating in a wireless network. Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be configured to perform such directional transmission and/or reception using a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., DMG antenna arrays or the like). Each of the multiple antenna arrays may be used for transmission and/or reception in a particular respective direction or range of directions. Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be configured to perform any given directional transmission towards one or more defined transmit sectors. Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be configured to perform any given directional reception from one or more defined receive sectors.

MIMO beamforming in a wireless network may be accomplished using RF beamforming and/or digital beamforming. In some embodiments, in performing a given MIMO transmission, user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129) and/or AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may be configured to use all or a subset of its one or more communications antennas to perform MIMO beamforming.

Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 120-129), and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) may include any suitable radio and/or transceiver for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to the communications protocols utilized by any of the user device(s) 120 and AP(s) 102 (102a and 102b) to communicate with each other. The radio components may include hardware and/or software to modulate and/or demodulate communications signals according to pre-established transmission protocols. The radio components may further have hardware and/or software instructions to communicate via one or more Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi direct protocols, as standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. In certain example embodiments, the radio component, in cooperation with the communications antennas, may be configured to communicate via 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Bluetooth®, 2.4 GHz channels (e.g. 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ax), 5 GHz channels (e.g. 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, etc.), 6 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, etc.), or 60 GHz channels (e.g. 802.11ad, 802.11ay). 800 MHz channels (e.g. 802.11ah). The communications antennas may operate at 28 GHz and 40 GHz. It should be understood that this list of communication channels in accordance with certain 802.11 standards is only a partial list and that other 802.11 standards may be used (e.g., Next Generation Wi-Fi, or other standards). In some embodiments, non-Wi-Fi protocols may be used for communications between devices, such as Bluetooth, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) (e.g. IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.22), white band frequency (e.g., white spaces), or other packetized radio communications. The radio component may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocols. The radio component may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, and digital baseband.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram for enhanced P2P communications, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

In one or more embodiments, an enhanced P2P communications system may facilitate enabling and disabling of P2P communication through a hysteresis mechanism based on two thresholds on the enabling parameter.

FIG. 2 showcases the mechanism 200 for enabling Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication in a general use scenario, where specific signal strength thresholds play a critical role in managing the initiation and maintenance of P2P links. In this framework, each client device must meet a specific signal strength requirement, defined by an Enabling Parameter, which must surpass a designated upper threshold, labeled Th2, for P2P communication to be feasible. For instance, consider a situation where Th2 is set at −82 dBm. In this case, two client devices, say A and B, can only initiate a P2P link if both are receiving an Enabling Parameter, such as the RSSI from an AP, at a strength greater than −82 dBm.

Once this initial P2P link is established between the two devices, it remains active as long as the Enabling Parameter for both devices does not fall below a second, lower threshold, termed Th1. To provide a concrete example, if Th1 is set at −86 dBm, the P2P link between devices A and B will continue to function unless the RSSI for either device drops below −86 dBm. This ensures that the P2P communication is sustained under favorable signal conditions.

However, if the signal strength for one of the clients, say device A, decreases to a level below −86 dBm, the P2P link would be automatically disabled. This disabling is a safeguard to ensure that P2P communication only occurs under optimal signal conditions. To re-establish the P2P link, both client devices A and B must again receive the Enabling Parameter at a strength higher than the Th2 threshold of −82 dBm.

This mechanism ensures that the initiation and continuation of P2P communications are contingent upon maintaining adequate signal strength, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability of the connection. This approach is particularly beneficial in dynamic environments where signal strength can vary due to factors like physical obstructions, distance from the AP, or environmental conditions. By setting these two distinct thresholds, Th2 for initiation and Th1 for continuation, the system effectively manages P2P links, providing a robust solution for consistent and dependable peer-to-peer communications.

In one or more embodiments, an enhanced P2P communications system may facilitate that the value of either Th1 or Th2 is set in a versatile manner, offering both predetermined and configurable options. These thresholds could be predefined, aligned with specific regulations or technical specifications. For example, Th1 and Th2 might be set at certain values, ensuring optimal signal strength. Alternatively, these values can be made adjustable, with an AP transmitting updated thresholds in its control signals, like Beacon frames. The values can be country specific and specified in control signals prior to P2P communication is initiated. In a scenario where network conditions fluctuate, an AP could alter Th2 or Th1 to adapt to the current environment, broadcasting this change for client devices to adjust their transmission behavior accordingly. This methodology of combining fixed and adaptable thresholds equips the system to efficiently manage network traffic, adhering to established standards while dynamically responding to varying network states.

It should be noted that although FIG. 2 illustrates enabling and disabling on the same parameter, in a more generalized case, the enabling and disabling may be implemented on different signals/parameters.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for the purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram for enhanced P2P communications, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, the diagram 300 illustrates the process of enabling and disabling Client to Client (C2C) communication, which is contingent upon the signal strength of the enabling signal from Access Points (APs). FIG. 3 specifically highlights a scenario where the enabling parameter is an enabling signal emanating from APs. Taking Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band as an example, this enabling signal could be represented by the Access Point Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measured in dBm. In this context, two Wi-Fi client devices may initiate C2C communication when their RSSI is above a certain threshold (Th) value. The communication between these devices remains active as long as the RSSI of either client device does not drop by a Δ dB value below the Th value. To exemplify, consider a situation where the Th value is set at −82 dBm and the A is established at 4 dB. Two client devices, A and B, are in proximity of an AP and begin C2C communication when both detect an RSSI greater than −82 dBm. If, however, the RSSI of device A drops to −86 dBm due to factors such as physical obstructions or distance from the AP, this would trigger a disabling of their C2C communication, as the RSSI has fallen 6 dB (exceeding the A threshold of 4 dB) below the Th value. This mechanism ensures that C2C communication is maintained only under adequate signal conditions, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability of the connection. This dynamic approach to managing C2C communications is particularly beneficial in environments with variable signal conditions, where it can adaptively maintain or terminate connections based on real-time signal strength assessments. This approach can be used for increased protection of incumbent services by ensuring that the P2P communication is only initiated when client devices are very well within the coverage area of the enabling APs.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for the purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram 400 for enhanced P2P communications, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 provides a detailed depiction of the C2C enabling and disabling mechanism within the coverage area of an AP. In this scenario, two client devices, labeled C1 and C2, commence C2C communication at a specific time denoted as t0. This initiation occurs when both clients are able to decode the Enabling Signal from the AP, with their Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) being greater than a predetermined threshold (Th) in dB. The communication between C1 and C2 continues even if the RSSI of C1 decreases but remains above a certain margin, specifically Th minus A dB. This condition is exemplified at a subsequent time point, t1, where despite a drop in C1's RSSI, it remains above Th minus A dB, thereby maintaining the C2C link

However, at time t2, a critical change occurs: C1's RSSI falls below Th minus A dB. This decline in signal strength triggers the disabling of the C2C link between C1 and C2. Subsequent re-establishment of C2C communication between these two clients is contingent upon C1's RSSI rising back above the Th level.

The figure also depicts another pair of clients, C3 and C4, demonstrating a scenario where C3's RSSI is below the Th level, thus precluding the initiation of C2C communication between them. Additionally, the figure includes an illustration of AP to Client (AP2C) communication, represented by client C5. In FIG. 4, various segments of the enabling graph are labeled to exemplify the state of C1 as a model for understanding the mechanism.

It is important to note, as highlighted in FIG. 4, that the depicted enabling and disabling process for C2C clients is not limited to interactions with a single AP. Without loss of generality, the figure shows clients enabled by the same AP, but in practice, the enabling and disabling of client devices can be facilitated by different enabling APs. This aspect underscores the versatility of the mechanism, allowing for a broader range of scenarios where clients may interact with multiple APs, each potentially contributing to the dynamics of C2C communication establishment and maintenance. This flexibility enhances the applicability of the system in diverse network environments, ensuring stable and efficient C2C communications across various conditions and configurations.

In certain embodiments of the system, establishing a Δ threshold, which is the difference between enabling and disabling thresholds, proves advantageous for stabilizing P2P (C2C) links, especially in scenarios where signal propagation is affected by environmental factors, such as lognormal (shadow) fading. This A threshold acts as a buffer against fluctuations in signal strength caused by physical distance changes or signal fading due to environmental obstructions. To illustrate, consider a Δ set at 4 dB. In this setup, if the environment exhibits a lognormal distribution of signal fading, with an example 95% confidence interval indicating a potential fading of up to 4 dB caused by obstacles like walls or human bodies, this A threshold helps in maintaining a stable P2P (C2C) link. For example, even when two client devices are stationary and located within a close range of the Access Point, the presence of a person walking between them might cause a temporary signal reduction. With a Δ of 4 dB, this temporary fading will not result in the disconnection of the P2P (C2C) link, as the system has been designed to tolerate such a level of signal degradation. This tolerance ensures that minor and common environmental interferences do not disrupt the connectivity, thereby enhancing the overall reliability and user experience of the network. Additionally, this concept can be extended to more complex scenarios where the environment is highly dynamic, with multiple moving objects causing fluctuating signal strengths. In such cases, a carefully calculated Δ threshold would enable the system to adaptively maintain stable connections, thus ensuring consistent communication quality in a variety of settings.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for the purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of illustrative process 500 for an enhanced P2P communications system, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

At block 502, a device (e.g., the user device(s) 120 and/or the AP 102 of FIG. 1 and/or the enhanced P2P communications device 719 of FIG. 7) may identify an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP).

At block 504, the device may determine if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold.

At block 506, the device may activate a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold.

At block 508, the device deactivate the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

In one or more embodiments, the device may include a feature where the Enabling Parameter signal is associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). It may also have first and second thresholds established based on network specifications, with the second threshold set lower than the first to provide a buffer against signal strength variations. The processing circuitry of the device may be configured to dynamically adjust these thresholds in response to the lognormal distribution of signal fading. Additionally, the device may deactivate Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication if the Enabling Parameter signal remains below the second threshold for a predefined period. Furthermore, the device's processing circuitry could be designed to allow the adjustment of the first and second thresholds through a user interface, accessible by an end user or network administrator. In terms of network interactions, the processing circuitry may collect Enabling Parameter signals from multiple Access Points (APs) and select an AP for P2P communication establishment based on specific criteria related to the Enabling Parameter signal. Finally, the device may be capable of reactivating the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the second threshold (Th2) after a previous deactivation.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 6 shows a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station 600, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, FIG. 6 illustrates a functional block diagram of a communication station that may be suitable for use as an AP 102 (FIG. 1) or a user device 120 (FIG. 1) in accordance with some embodiments. The communication station 600 may also be suitable for use as a handheld device, a mobile device, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a tablet, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a wearable computer device, a femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) subscriber station, an access point, an access terminal, or other personal communication system (PCS) device.

The communication station 600 may include communications circuitry 602 and a transceiver 610 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from other communication stations using one or more antennas 601. The communications circuitry 602 may include circuitry that can operate the physical layer (PHY) communications and/or medium access control (MAC) communications for controlling access to the wireless medium, and/or any other communications layers for transmitting and receiving signals. The communication station 600 may also include processing circuitry 606 and memory 608 arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the communications circuitry 602 and the processing circuitry 606 may be configured to perform operations detailed in the above figures, diagrams, and flows.

In accordance with some embodiments, the communications circuitry 602 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium and configure frames or packets for communicating over the wireless medium. The communications circuitry 602 may be arranged to transmit and receive signals. The communications circuitry 602 may also include circuitry for modulation/demodulation, upconversion/downconversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 606 of the communication station 600 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 601 may be coupled to the communications circuitry 602 arranged for sending and receiving signals. The memory 608 may store information for configuring the processing circuitry 606 to perform operations for configuring and transmitting message frames and performing the various operations described herein. The memory 608 may include any type of memory, including non-transitory memory, for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, the memory 608 may include a computer-readable storage device, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices and other storage devices and media.

In some embodiments, the communication station 600 may be part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), a wearable computer device, or another device that may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly.

In some embodiments, the communication station 600 may include one or more antennas 601. The antennas 601 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments, instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated for spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result between each of the antennas and the antennas of a transmitting station.

In some embodiments, the communication station 600 may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

Although the communication station 600 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, two or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of the communication station 600 may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

Certain embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. Other embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory memory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storage device may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. In some embodiments, the communication station 600 may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a machine 700 or system upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may be performed. In other embodiments, the machine 700 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 700 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 700 may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environments. The machine 700 may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a wearable computer device, a web appliance, a network router, a switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine, such as a base station. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

Examples, as described herein, may include or may operate on logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations when operating. A module includes hardware. In an example, the hardware may be specifically configured to carry out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In another example, the hardware may include configurable execution units (e.g., transistors, circuits, etc.) and a computer readable medium containing instructions where the instructions configure the execution units to carry out a specific operation when in operation. The configuring may occur under the direction of the executions units or a loading mechanism. Accordingly, the execution units are communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium when the device is operating. In this example, the execution units may be a member of more than one module. For example, under operation, the execution units may be configured by a first set of instructions to implement a first module at one point in time and reconfigured by a second set of instructions to implement a second module at a second point in time.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 700 may include a hardware processor 702 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 708. The machine 700 may further include a power management device 732, a graphics display device 710, an alphanumeric input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 714 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the graphics display device 710, alphanumeric input device 712, and UI navigation device 714 may be a touch screen display. The machine 700 may additionally include a storage device (i.e., drive unit) 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., a speaker), an enhanced P2P communications device 719, a network interface device/transceiver 720 coupled to antenna(s) 730, and one or more sensors 728, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 700 may include an output controller 734, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.)). The operations in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure may be carried out by a baseband processor. The baseband processor may be configured to generate corresponding baseband signals. The baseband processor may further include physical layer (PHY) and medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry, and may further interface with the hardware processor 702 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the main memory 704, the storage device 716, and/or the enhanced P2P communications device 719. The baseband processor may be provided on a single radio card, a single chip, or an integrated circuit (IC).

The storage device 716 may include a machine readable medium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 724 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 704, within the static memory 706, or within the hardware processor 702 during execution thereof by the machine 700. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 702, the main memory 704, the static memory 706, or the storage device 716 may constitute machine-readable media.

The enhanced P2P communications device 719 may carry out or perform any of the operations and processes (e.g., process 500) described and shown above.

It is understood that the above are only a subset of what the enhanced P2P communications device 719 may be configured to perform and that other functions included throughout this disclosure may also be performed by the enhanced P2P communications device 719.

While the machine-readable medium 722 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 724.

Various embodiments may be implemented fully or partially in software and/or firmware. This software and/or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Those instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable performance of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as but not limited to source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the like. Such a computer-readable medium may include any tangible non-transitory medium for storing information in a form readable by one or more computers, such as but not limited to read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; a flash memory, etc.

The term “machine-readable medium” may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 700 and that cause the machine 700 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine-readable medium examples may include solid-state memories and optical and magnetic media. In an example, a massed machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium with a plurality of particles having resting mass. Specific examples of massed machine-readable media may include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

The instructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 726 using a transmission medium via the network interface device/transceiver 720 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communications networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), plain old telephone (POTS) networks, wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device/transceiver 720 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 726. In an example, the network interface device/transceiver 720 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 700 and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software.

The operations and processes described and shown above may be carried out or performed in any suitable order as desired in various implementations. Additionally, in certain implementations, at least a portion of the operations may be carried out in parallel. Furthermore, in certain implementations, less than or more than the operations described may be performed.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 105A, 105B in accordance with some embodiments that may be implemented in any one of the example APs 102 and/or the example user devices 120 of FIG. 1. Radio architecture 105A, 105B may include radio front-end module (FEM) circuitry 804a-b, radio IC circuitry 806a-b and baseband processing circuitry 808a-b. Radio architecture 105A, 105B as shown includes both Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality although embodiments are not so limited. In this disclosure, “WLAN” and “Wi-Fi” are used interchangeably.

FEM circuitry 804a-b may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuitry 804a and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuitry 804b. The WLAN FEM circuitry 804a may include a receive signal path comprising circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 801, to amplify the received signals and to provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 806a for further processing. The BT FEM circuitry 804b may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 801, to amplify the received signals and to provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuitry 806b for further processing. FEM circuitry 804a may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 806a for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 801. In addition, FEM circuitry 804b may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 806b for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, although FEM 804a and FEM 804b are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope the use of an FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and/or a receive path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuitries where at least some of the FEM circuitries share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

Radio IC circuitry 806a-b as shown may include WLAN radio IC circuitry 806a and BT radio IC circuitry 806b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 806a may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert WLAN RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 804a and provide baseband signals to WLAN baseband processing circuitry 808a. BT radio IC circuitry 806b may in turn include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert BT RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 804b and provide baseband signals to BT baseband processing circuitry 808b. WLAN radio IC circuitry 806a may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 808a and provide WLAN RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 804a for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 801. BT radio IC circuitry 806b may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert BT baseband signals provided by the BT baseband processing circuitry 808b and provide BT RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 804b for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 801. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, although radio IC circuitries 806a and 806b are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope the use of a radio IC circuitry (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and/or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuitries where at least some of the radio IC circuitries share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

Baseband processing circuitry 808a-b may include a WLAN baseband processing circuitry 808a and a BT baseband processing circuitry 808b. The WLAN baseband processing circuitry 808a may include a memory, such as, for example, a set of RAM arrays in a Fast Fourier Transform or Inverse Fast Fourier Transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 808a. Each of the WLAN baseband circuitry 808a and the BT baseband circuitry 808b may further include one or more processors and control logic to process the signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 806a-b, and to also generate corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 806a-b. Each of the baseband processing circuitries 808a and 808b may further include physical layer (PHY) and medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry, and may further interface with a device for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the radio IC circuitry 806a-b.

Referring still to FIG. 8, according to the shown embodiment, WLAN-BT coexistence circuitry 813 may include logic providing an interface between the WLAN baseband circuitry 808a and the BT baseband circuitry 808b to enable use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 803 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuitry 804a and the BT FEM circuitry 804b to allow switching between the WLAN and BT radios according to application needs. In addition, although the antennas 801 are depicted as being respectively connected to the WLAN FEM circuitry 804a and the BT FEM circuitry 804b, embodiments include within their scope the sharing of one or more antennas as between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or the provision of more than one antenna connected to each of FEM 804a or 804b.

In some embodiments, the front-end module circuitry 804a-b, the radio IC circuitry 806a-b, and baseband processing circuitry 808a-b may be provided on a single radio card, such as wireless radio card 802. In some other embodiments, the one or more antennas 801, the FEM circuitry 804a-b and the radio IC circuitry 806a-b may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 806a-b and the baseband processing circuitry 808a-b may be provided on a single chip or integrated circuit (IC), such as IC 812.

In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 802 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. The OFDM or OFDMA signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some of these multicarrier embodiments, radio architecture 105A, 105B may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA) such as a wireless access point (AP), a base station or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with specific communication standards and/or protocols, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards including, 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay and/or 802.11ax standards and/or proposed specifications for WLANs, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. Radio architecture 105A, 105B may also be suitable to transmit and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards.

In some embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured for high-efficiency Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to communicate in accordance with an OFDMA technique, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some other embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and/or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time-division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and/or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, as further shown in FIG. 6, the BT baseband circuitry 808b may be compliant with a Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standard such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 8.0 or Bluetooth 6.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth Standard.

In some embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may include other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 5GPP such as LTE, LTE-Advanced or 7G communications).

In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured for communication over various channel bandwidths including bandwidths having center frequencies of about 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and bandwidths of about 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 5.5 MHz, 6 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz (with contiguous bandwidths) or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with non-contiguous bandwidths) and 160 MHz, 240 Mhz, 320 MHz in the 6 GHz band. In some embodiments, a 920 MHz channel bandwidth may be used. The scope of the embodiments is not limited with respect to the above center frequencies however.

FIG. 9 illustrates WLAN FEM circuitry 804a in accordance with some embodiments. Although the example of FIG. 9 is described in conjunction with the WLAN FEM circuitry 804a, the example of FIG. 9 may be described in conjunction with the example BT FEM circuitry 804b (FIG. 8), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 804a may include a TX/RX switch 902 to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 804a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 804a may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 906 to amplify received RF signals 903 and provide the amplified received RF signals 907 as an output (e.g., to the radio IC circuitry 806a-b (FIG. 8)). The transmit signal path of the circuitry 804a may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals 909 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuitry 806a-b), and one or more filters 912, such as band-pass filters (BPFs), low-pass filters (LPFs) or other types of filters, to generate RF signals 915 for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the antennas 801 (FIG. 8)) via an example duplexer 914.

In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communication, the FEM circuitry 804a may be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum or the 5 GHz frequency spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 804a may include a receive signal path duplexer 904 to separate the signals from each spectrum as well as provide a separate LNA 906 for each spectrum as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 804a may also include a power amplifier 910 and a filter 912, such as a BPF, an LPF or another type of filter for each frequency spectrum and a transmit signal path duplexer 904 to provide the signals of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by the one or more of the antennas 801 (FIG. 8). In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize the 2.4 GHz signal paths and may utilize the same FEM circuitry 804a as the one used for WLAN communications.

FIG. 10 illustrates radio IC circuitry 806a in accordance with some embodiments. The radio IC circuitry 806a is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the WLAN or BT radio IC circuitry 806a/806b (FIG. 8), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the example of FIG. 10 may be described in conjunction with the example BT radio IC circuitry 806b.

In some embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 806a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 806a may include at least mixer circuitry 1002, such as, for example, down-conversion mixer circuitry, amplifier circuitry 1006 and filter circuitry 1008. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 806a may include at least filter circuitry 1012 and mixer circuitry 1014, such as, for example, up-conversion mixer circuitry. Radio IC circuitry 806a may also include synthesizer circuitry 1004 for synthesizing a frequency 1005 for use by the mixer circuitry 1002 and the mixer circuitry 1014. The mixer circuitry 1002 and/or 1014 may each, according to some embodiments, be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. The latter type of circuitry presents a much simpler architecture as compared with standard super-heterodyne mixer circuitries, and any flicker noise brought about by the same may be alleviated for example through the use of OFDM modulation. FIG. 10 illustrates only a simplified version of a radio IC circuitry, and may include, although not shown, embodiments where each of the depicted circuitries may include more than one component. For instance, mixer circuitry 1014 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuitries 1008 and/or 1012 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and/or LPFs according to application needs. For example, when mixer circuitries are of the direct-conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1002 may be configured to down-convert RF signals 907 received from the FEM circuitry 804a-b (FIG. 8) based on the synthesized frequency 1005 provided by synthesizer circuitry 1004. The amplifier circuitry 1006 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 1008 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals 1007. Output baseband signals 1007 may be provided to the baseband processing circuitry 808a-b (FIG. 8) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals 1007 may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1002 may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1014 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals 1011 based on the synthesized frequency 1005 provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1004 to generate RF output signals 909 for the FEM circuitry 804a-b. The baseband signals 1011 may be provided by the baseband processing circuitry 808a-b and may be filtered by filter circuitry 1012. The filter circuitry 1012 may include an LPF or a BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1002 and the mixer circuitry 1014 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion respectively with the help of synthesizer 1004. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1002 and the mixer circuitry 1014 may each include two or more mixers each configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1002 and the mixer circuitry 1014 may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1002 and the mixer circuitry 1014 may be configured for super-heterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

Mixer circuitry 1002 may comprise, according to one embodiment: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for the in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, RF input signal 907 from FIG. 10 may be down-converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

Quadrature passive mixers may be driven by zero and ninety-degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuitry which may be configured to receive a LO frequency (fLO) from a local oscillator or a synthesizer, such as LO frequency 1005 of synthesizer 1004 (FIG. 10). In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero and ninety-degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by the synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the LO signals may differ in duty cycle (the percentage of one period in which the LO signal is high) and/or offset (the difference between start points of the period). In some embodiments, the LO signals may have an 85% duty cycle and an 80% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuitry (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) path) may operate at an 80% duty cycle, which may result in a significant reduction is power consumption.

The RF input signal 907 (FIG. 9) may comprise a balanced signal, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I and Q baseband output signals may be provided to low-noise amplifier, such as amplifier circuitry 1006 (FIG. 10) or to filter circuitry 1008 (FIG. 10).

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals 1007 and the input baseband signals 1011 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals 1007 and the input baseband signals 1011 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the radio IC circuitry may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry.

In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, or for other spectrums not mentioned here, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1004 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 1004 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1004 may include digital synthesizer circuitry. An advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuitry is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be scaled down much more than the footprint of an analog synthesizer circuitry. In some embodiments, frequency input into synthesizer circuitry 1004 may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. A divider control input may further be provided by either the baseband processing circuitry 808a-b (FIG. 8) depending on the desired output frequency 1005. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on a channel number and a channel center frequency as determined or indicated by the example application processor 810. The application processor 810 may include, or otherwise be connected to, one of the example secure signal converter 101 or the example received signal converter 103 (e.g., depending on which device the example radio architecture is implemented in).

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1004 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency 1005, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 1005 may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 1005 may be a LO frequency (fLO).

FIG. 11 illustrates a functional block diagram of baseband processing circuitry 808a in accordance with some embodiments. The baseband processing circuitry 808a is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuitry 808a (FIG. 8), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the example of FIG. 10 may be used to implement the example BT baseband processing circuitry 808b of FIG. 8.

The baseband processing circuitry 808a may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 1102 for processing receive baseband signals 1009 provided by the radio IC circuitry 806a-b (FIG. 8) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 1104 for generating transmit baseband signals 1011 for the radio IC circuitry 806a-b. The baseband processing circuitry 808a may also include control logic 1106 for coordinating the operations of the baseband processing circuitry 808a.

In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between the baseband processing circuitry 808a-b and the radio IC circuitry 806a-b), the baseband processing circuitry 808a may include ADC 1110 to convert analog baseband signals 1109 received from the radio IC circuitry 806a-b to digital baseband signals for processing by the RX BBP 1102. In these embodiments, the baseband processing circuitry 808a may also include DAC 1112 to convert digital baseband signals from the TX BBP 1104 to analog baseband signals 1111.

In some embodiments that communicate OFDM signals or OFDMA signals, such as through baseband processor 808a, the transmit baseband processor 1104 may be configured to generate OFDM or OFDMA signals as appropriate for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 1102 may be configured to process received OFDM signals or OFDMA signals by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 1102 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an autocorrelation, to detect a preamble, such as a short preamble, and by performing a cross-correlation, to detect a long preamble. The preambles may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

Referring back to FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the antennas 801 (FIG. 8) may each comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. Antennas 801 may each include a set of phased-array antennas, although embodiments are not so limited.

Although the radio architecture 105A, 105B is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The terms “computing device,” “user device,” “communication station,” “station,” “handheld device,” “mobile device,” “wireless device” and “user equipment” (UE) as used herein refers to a wireless communication device such as a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a tablet, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) subscriber station, an access point, a printer, a point of sale device, an access terminal, or other personal communication system (PCS) device. The device may be either mobile or stationary.

As used within this document, the term “communicate” is intended to include transmitting, or receiving, or both transmitting and receiving. This may be particularly useful in claims when describing the organization of data that is being transmitted by one device and received by another, but only the functionality of one of those devices is required to infringe the claim. Similarly, the bidirectional exchange of data between two devices (both devices transmit and receive during the exchange) may be described as “communicating,” when only the functionality of one of those devices is being claimed. The term “communicating” as used herein with respect to a wireless communication signal includes transmitting the wireless communication signal and/or receiving the wireless communication signal. For example, a wireless communication unit, which is capable of communicating a wireless communication signal, may include a wireless transmitter to transmit the wireless communication signal to at least one other wireless communication unit, and/or a wireless communication receiver to receive the wireless communication signal from at least one other wireless communication unit.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinal adjectives “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe a common object, merely indicates that different instances of like objects are being referred to and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

The term “access point” (AP) as used herein may be a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, a base station, an evolved node B (eNodeB), or some other similar terminology known in the art. An access terminal may also be called a mobile station, user equipment (UE), a wireless communication device, or some other similar terminology known in the art. Embodiments disclosed herein generally pertain to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to wireless networks that operate in accordance with one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with various devices and systems, for example, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld computer, a handheld device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board device, a hybrid device, a vehicular device, a non-vehicular device, a mobile or portable device, a consumer device, a non-mobile or non-portable device, a wireless communication station, a wireless communication device, a wireless access point (AP), a wired or wireless router, a wired or wireless modem, a video device, an audio device, an audio-video (A/V) device, a wired or wireless network, a wireless area network, a wireless video area network (WVAN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a personal area network (PAN), a wireless PAN (WPAN), and the like.

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with device that fall under a diverse range of categories, encompassing the advanced realms of AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and XR (Extended Reality), as well as more conventional technology like PCs, laptops, and smartphones. This versatility positions the device as a pivotal player in the intersection of various digital experiences. It may offer immersive interactions akin to AR, VR, and XR, blending the physical and digital worlds in innovative ways that could revolutionize education, training, entertainment, and beyond. Alternatively, the device may align with the functionalities of smartphones and traditional computing devices like PCs and laptops, maintaining a key role in everyday digital communication and applications. Such a device, capable of spanning this wide spectrum of technologies, holds the potential to seamlessly integrate into and significantly enrich our digital lives, offering a multifaceted platform for engagement and interaction across various realms of technology

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one way and/or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radio-telephone communication systems, a mobile phone, a cellular telephone, a wireless telephone, a personal communication system (PCS) device, a PDA device which incorporates a wireless communication device, a mobile or portable global positioning system (GPS) device, a device which incorporates a GPS receiver or transceiver or chip, a device which incorporates an RFID element or chip, a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transceiver or device, a single input multiple output (SIMO) transceiver or device, a multiple input single output (MISO) transceiver or device, a device having one or more internal antennas and/or external antennas, digital video broadcast (DVB) devices or systems, multi-standard radio devices or systems, a wired or wireless handheld device, e.g., a smartphone, a wireless application protocol (WAP) device, or the like.

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one or more types of wireless communication signals and/or systems following one or more wireless communication protocols, for example, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time-division multiplexing (TDM), time-division multiple access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA), general packet radio service (CPRS), extended CPRS, code-division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 2000, single-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), discrete multi-tone (DMT), Bluetooth®, global positioning system (GPS), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, ZigBee, ultra-wideband (UWB), global system for mobile communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, fifth generation New Radio (5G NR) mobile networks and 5G New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U), 3GPP, long term evolution (LTE), LTE advanced, enhanced data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), or the like. Other embodiments may be used in various other devices, systems, and/or networks.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

Example 1 may include a device comprising processing circuitry coupled to storage, the processing circuitry configured to: identify an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP); determine if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold; activate a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; and deactivate the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

Example 2 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal may be associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

Example 3 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, where the first threshold and the second threshold are established based on network specifications.

Example 4 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, where the second threshold may be set lower than first threshold to provide a buffer against signal strength variations.

Example 5 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to dynamically adjust the first threshold and the second threshold in response to lognormal distribution of signal fading.

Example 6 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal stays below the second threshold for a predefined period.

Example 7 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to adjust the first threshold and the second threshold via a user interface by an end user or network administrator.

Example 8 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to: collect Enabling Parameter signals from multiple APs; and select an AP based on a criteria for the Enabling Parameter signal for P2P communication establishment.

Example 9 may include the device of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to reactivate the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the first threshold after a previous deactivation.

Example 10 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising: identifying an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP); determining if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold; activating a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; and deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

Example 11 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal may be associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

Example 12 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, where the first threshold and the second threshold are established based on network specifications.

Example 13 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, where the second threshold may be set lower than first threshold to provide a buffer against signal strength variations.

Example 14 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise dynamically adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold in response to lognormal distribution of signal fading.

Example 15 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal stays below the second threshold for a predefined period.

Example 16 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold via a user interface by an end user or network administrator.

Example 17 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise: collecting Enabling Parameter signals from multiple APs; and selecting an AP based on a criteria for the Enabling Parameter signal for P2P communication establishment.

Example 18 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise reactivate the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the first threshold after a previous deactivation.

Example 19 may include a method comprising: identifying, by one or more processors, an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP); determining if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold; activating a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; and deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

Example 20 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal may be associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

Example 21 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, where the first threshold and the second threshold are established based on network specifications.

Example 22 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, where the second threshold may be set lower than first threshold to provide a buffer against signal strength variations.

Example 23 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, further comprising dynamically adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold in response to lognormal distribution of signal fading.

Example 24 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, wherein deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal stays below the second threshold for a predefined period.

Example 25 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, further comprising adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold via a user interface by an end user or network administrator.

Example 26 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, further comprising: collecting Enabling Parameter signals from multiple APs; and selecting an AP based on a criteria for the Enabling Parameter signal for P2P communication establishment.

Example 27 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, further comprising reactivate the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the first threshold after a previous deactivation.

Example 28 may include an apparatus comprising means for: identifying an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP); determining if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold; activating a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; and deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

Example 29 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal may be associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

Example 30 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, where the first threshold and the second threshold are established based on network specifications.

Example 31 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, where the second threshold may be set lower than first threshold to provide a buffer against signal strength variations.

Example 32 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, further comprising dynamically adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold in response to lognormal distribution of signal fading.

Example 33 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, wherein deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal stays below the second threshold for a predefined period.

Example 34 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, further comprising adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold via a user interface by an end user or network administrator.

Example 35 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, further comprising: collecting Enabling Parameter signals from multiple APs; and selecting an AP based on a criteria for the Enabling Parameter signal for P2P communication establishment.

Example 36 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, further comprising reactivate the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the first threshold after a previous deactivation.

Example 37 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-36, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 38 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and/or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-36, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 39 may include a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-36, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 40 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-36, or portions thereof.

Example 41 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

Example 42 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

Example 43 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

Embodiments according to the disclosure are in particular disclosed in the attached claims directed to a method, a storage medium, a device and a computer program product, wherein any feature mentioned in one claim category, e.g., method, can be claimed in another claim category, e.g., system, as well. The dependencies or references back in the attached claims are chosen for formal reasons only. However, any subject matter resulting from a deliberate reference back to any previous claims (in particular multiple dependencies) can be claimed as well, so that any combination of claims and the features thereof are disclosed and can be claimed regardless of the dependencies chosen in the attached claims. The subject-matter which can be claimed comprises not only the combinations of features as set out in the attached claims but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature mentioned in the claims can be combined with any other feature or combination of other features in the claims. Furthermore, any of the embodiments and features described or depicted herein can be claimed in a separate claim and/or in any combination with any embodiment or feature described or depicted herein or with any of the features of the attached claims.

The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to various implementations. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be implemented by computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some implementations.

These computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto a special-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing one or more functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage media or memory that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage media produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement one or more functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. As an example, certain implementations may provide for a computer program product, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program code or program instructions implemented therein, said computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement one or more functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide elements or steps for implementing the functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain implementations could include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or operations. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to be performed in any particular implementation.

Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will be apparent having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. A device, the device comprising processing circuitry coupled to storage, the processing circuitry configured to: identify an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP);determine if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold;activate a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; anddeactivate the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal is associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

3. The device of claim 1, where the first threshold and the second threshold are established based on network specifications.

4. The device of claim 1, where the second threshold is set lower than first threshold to provide a buffer against signal strength variations.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to dynamically adjust the first threshold and the second threshold in response to lognormal distribution of signal fading.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal stays below the second threshold for a predefined period.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to adjust the first threshold and the second threshold via a user interface by an end user or network administrator.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: collect Enabling Parameter signals from multiple APs; andselect an AP based on a criteria for the Enabling Parameter signal for P2P communication establishment.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to reactivate the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the first threshold after a previous deactivation.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising: identifying an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP);determining if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold;activating a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; anddeactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal is associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the first threshold and the second threshold are established based on network specifications.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the second threshold is set lower than first threshold to provide a buffer against signal strength variations.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise dynamically adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold in response to lognormal distribution of signal fading.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein deactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal stays below the second threshold for a predefined period.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the first threshold and the second threshold via a user interface by an end user or network administrator.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: collecting Enabling Parameter signals from multiple APs; andselecting an AP based on a criteria for the Enabling Parameter signal for P2P communication establishment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise reactivate the P2P communication when the Enabling Parameter signal exceeds the first threshold after a previous deactivation.

19. A method comprising: identifying, by one or more processors, an Enabling Parameter signal received from an Access Point (AP);determining if the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses a first threshold;activating a P2P communication with a second device when the Enabling Parameter signal surpasses the first threshold; anddeactivating the P2P communication if the Enabling Parameter signal descends below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a threshold lower than the first threshold or the second threshold is equal to the first threshold minus a delta value.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the Enabling Parameter signal is associated with a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).