Scanning for network connections with variable scan rate
AssigneeAltair Semiconductor Ltd.
InventorsYigal Bitran, Eitan Solomon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wireless communication terminal includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and a baseband processing circuit, which is arranged to detect an indication of a rate of movement of the terminal. The baseband processing circuit is coupled to cause the RF transceiver to scan periodically for access points that are available to communicate with the mobile terminal at a scan rate that is selected responsively to the indication, and upon detecting an available access point, to establish a wireless connection between the terminal and the available access point.
Claims24
A wireless communication terminal, comprising:
- a radio frequency (RF) transceiver;
- and
- a baseband processing circuit, which is arranged to detect an indication of a rate of movement of the terminal, and is coupled to cause the RF transceiver to scan periodically for access points that are available to communicate with the mobile terminal at a scan rate that is selected responsively to the indication, and upon detecting an available access point, to establish a wireless connection between the terminal and the available access point.
Apparatus for communication, comprising:
- a radio frequency (RF) transceiver;
- and
- a baseband processing circuit, which is coupled to cause the RF transceiver to transmit a RF probe signal requesting a response from an access point in a wireless network, and to intermittently switch the RF transceiver on and off during a predetermined time period following the probe signal, and to sample radio signals received while the RF receiver is on, and to determine a probability, responsively to the sampled radio signals, that the radio signals comprise a response to the probe signal transmitted by the access point, and if the probability is equal at least to a threshold value, to operate the RF transceiver continuously so as to receive and demodulate a downlink signal transmitted by the access point.
A method for communication, comprising:
- detecting an indication of a rate of movement of a mobile terminal;
- scanning periodically for access points that are available to communicate with the mobile terminal, at a scan rate that is selected responsively to the indication;
- and
- upon detecting an available access point, establishing a wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the available access point.
A method for communication, comprising:
- transmitting a radio frequency (RF) probe signal from a wireless terminal requesting a response from an access point in a wireless network;
- during a predetermined time period following the probe signal, intermittently switching a RF receiver of the wireless terminal on and off, and sampling radio signals received while the RF receiver is on;
- determining a probability, responsively to the sampled radio signals, that the radio signals comprise a response to the probe signal transmitted by the access point;
- and
- if the probability is equal at least to a threshold value, operating the RF receiver continuously so as to receive and demodulate a downlink signal transmitted by the access point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.