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

A wireless terminal for peer-to-peer communications in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the wireless terminal comprising:

• a processor;
• a radio frequency unit coupled to processing circuitry that supports wireless data transmission, the radio frequency unit including a transmitter and a receiver;
• memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores operational instructions that cause the processor to:
• during a frame cycle of a plurality of frame cycles, configure the wireless terminal to act either as a WLAN master or as a WLAN slave, wherein as the WLAN master the wireless terminal undertakes mastering duties;
• and
• when the wireless terminal is not tethered to a power source, alternate the mastering duties according to a round-robin WLAN mastering cycle, wherein the wireless terminal acts as the WLAN master during at least one frame cycle and acts as the WLAN slave during other frame cycles to conserve an untethered power source of the wireless terminal by selectively powering down either of the transmitter and the receiver during select periods of time in the frame cycle, the select periods of time including:
• powering down the transmitter during a beacon interval;
• and
• powering down the receiver during a polled data period following a broadcast data period.

A method in a wireless terminal for peer-to-peer communications in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the method comprising:

• during a frame cycle of a plurality of frame cycles, acting either as a WLAN master or as a WLAN slave, wherein as the WLAN master the wireless terminal undertakes mastering duties that include transmitting a beacon interval in the frame cycle;
• and
• when the wireless terminal is not tethered to a power source, alternating the mastering duties according to a round-robin WLAN mastering cycle, wherein the wireless terminal acts as the WLAN master during at least one frame cycle and acts as the WLAN slave during other frame cycles to conserve an untethered power source of the wireless terminal, wherein while the wireless terminal is acting the WLAN slave, selectively powering down either of a transmitter and a receiver of the wireless terminal during select periods of time in the frame cycle, the select periods of time including:
• powering down the respective transmitter during the beacon interval;
• and
• powering down the respective receiver during a polled data period following a broadcast data period.