WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS SUPPORTING SYNCHRONIZATION

摘要

Peer to peer communication timing, e.g., for an ad hoc network, is referenced with respect to an external broadcast signal from a terrestrial or satellite based transmitter. Wireless terminals, seeking to communicate via peer to peer communications, receive the reference broadcast signal, and set their internal timing structure with respect to the reference signal. This facilitates peer to peer timing coordination. A wireless terminal transmits a signal, e.g., a user beacon signal identifying its presence, during a time interval during which another wireless terminal is expected to be monitoring. Reference signal based coordinated timing and use of user beacon signals allows the wireless terminals to maintain situational awareness and coordinate peer to peer communications, while keeping power consumption low, since wireless terminal modules can be powered down during predetermined intervals in the coordinated timing structure where the wireless terminal does not need to transmit and/or receive.