Low power protocol for wireless terminal peer-to-peer communications

摘要

A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system based upon peer-to-peer communications. A wireless terminal for peer-to-peer communications acts either as a WLAN master or as a WLAN slave. When the wireless terminal acts a master, the wireless terminal undertakes mastering duties that include transmitting a beacon interval in the frame cycle. When the wireless terminal is not tethered to a power source, mastering duties alternate according to a round-robin WLAN mastering cycle, wherein the wireless terminal acts the WLAN master during at least one frame cycle and acts the WLAN slave during other frame cycles to conserve an untethered power source of the wireless terminal.

主权项

1. A method in a wireless terminal for power management in peer-to-peer communications in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the method comprising:
listening for a beacon frame during a beacon interval while the wireless terminal is configured to act as a WLAN slave, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to conserve battery life by powering down a respective transmitter during the beacon interval; and alternating mastering duties among a plurality of wireless terminals of the WLAN according to a round-robin mastering cycle.