Range extender (RE) placement using fine timing measurement (FTM) procedure in a wireless local area network (WLAN)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12356226-B2
Application number	US-202318451019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2023
Priority date	Sep 4, 2020
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods, apparatuses and systems for placing a range extender (RE) based on a distance between the RE and an access point (AP). An RE may determine a distance between the RE and AP based on round trip timing (RTT) information. In some aspects, the RE may exchange fine timing measurement (FTM) frames with the AP. The RE may determine a distance between itself and the AP based on the RTT information. Based on the distance between the RE and AP, the RE may provide a coarse placement indicator for improving the RE's location. The RE also may determine a signal strength or channel state information (CSI) with respect to the AP. Based on the signal strength or the CSI, the RE may provide a fine placement indicator indicating the RE may be placed nearer or further from the AP, or remain at its current location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of a first wireless local area network (WLAN) device for wireless communication, comprising:
a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code, the processing system configured to cause the first WLAN device to:
perform a first fine timing measurement (FTM) frames exchange with a second WLAN device;
determine a first distance from the first WLAN device to the second WLAN device based, at least in part, on the first FTM frames exchange;
determine whether a first location of the first WLAN device is within a distance range of the second WLAN device based, at least in part, on a comparison of the first distance to both a first distance threshold associated with the distance range and a second distance threshold associated with the distance range, wherein the distance range is calculated according to a coverage area of the second WLAN device and a range of signal strengths associated with the coverage area;
in response to a determination that the first WLAN device is not located within the distance range,
output a coarse placement indicator for relocating the first WLAN device to a second location within the distance range,
perform a second FTM frames exchange with the second WLAN device, and
determine that the second location of the first WLAN device is within the distance range based at least in part on the second FTM frames exchange; and

in response to a determination that the first WLAN device is located within the distance range,
determine a signal strength associated with the second WLAN device,
compare the signal strength to one or more signal strength thresholds, and
output a fine placement indicator based on the comparison for fine placement of the first WLAN device within the distance range.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, to compare the signal strength to the one or more signal strength thresholds, the processing system is configured to:
determine that the signal strength is less than a first signal strength threshold of the one or more signal strength thresholds, the first signal strength threshold indicating a minimum signal strength for the distance range.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein, to provide the fine placement indicator, the processing system is configured to:
provide the fine placement indicator indicating to move the first WLAN device nearer to the second WLAN device, in response to a determination that the signal strength is less than the first signal strength threshold.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, to compare the signal strength to the one or more signal strength thresholds, the processing system is configured to:
determine that the signal strength is greater than a second signal strength threshold of the one or more signal strength thresholds, the second signal strength threshold indicating a maximum signal strength for the distance range.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein, to provide the fine placement indicator, the processing system is configured to:
provide the fine placement indicator indicating to move the first WLAN device farther from the second WLAN device, in response to a determination that the signal strength is greater than the second signal strength threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more signal strength thresholds comprise a plurality of signal strength thresholds, and wherein, to compare the signal strength to the plurality of signal strength thresholds, the processing system is configured to:
determine that the signal strength is greater than or equal to a first signal strength threshold of the plurality of signal strength thresholds, the first signal strength threshold indicating a minimum signal strength for the distance range, and
determine that the signal strength is less than or equal to a second signal strength threshold of the plurality of signal strength thresholds, the second signal strength threshold indicating a maximum signal strength for the distance range.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, to provide the fine placement indicator, the processing system is configured to:
provide the fine placement indicator indicating the first WLAN device to remain at a current location, in response to a determination that the signal strength is greater than or equal to the first signal strength threshold and the signal strength is less than or equal to the second signal strength threshold.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the processing system is further configured to:
determine one or more additional signal strengths associated with the second WLAN device in response to providing the fine placement indicator indicating the first WLAN device to remain at the current location; and
update distance information based on the one or more additional signal strengths.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first distance threshold is a minimum acceptable distance associated with the distance range of the second WLAN device; and
the second distance threshold is a maximum acceptable distance associated with the distance range of the second WLAN device.

10. A method for wireless communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) performed by an apparatus of a first WLAN device, comprising:
performing a first fine timing measurement (FTM) frames exchange with a second WLAN device;
determining a first distance from the first WLAN device to the second WLAN device based, at least in part, on the first FTM frames exchange;
determining whether a first location of the first WLAN device is within a distance range of the second WLAN device based, at least in part, on a comparison of the first distance to both a first distance threshold associated with the distance range and a second distance threshold associated with the distance range, wherein the distance range is calculated according to a coverage area of the second WLAN device and a range of signal strengths associated with the coverage area;
in response to determining the first WLAN device is not located within the distance range,
providing a coarse placement indicator for relocating the first WLAN device to a second location within the distance range,
performing a second FTM frames exchange with the second WLAN device, and
determining that the second location of the first WLAN device is within the distance range based at least in part on the second FTM frames exchange; and

in response to determining the first WLAN device is located within the distance range,
determining a signal strength associated with the second WLAN device,
comparing the signal strength to one or more signal strength thresholds, and
providing a fine placement indicator based on the comparison for fine placement of the first WLAN device within the distance range.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein comparing the signal strength to the one or more signal strength thresholds comprises:
determining that the signal strength is less than a first signal strength threshold of the one or more signal strength thresholds, the first signal strength threshold indicating a minimum signal strength for the distance range.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein providing the fine placement indicator comprises:
providing the fine placement indicator indicating to move the first WLAN device nearer to the second WLAN device, in response to determining that the signal strength is less than the first signal strength threshold.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein comparing the signal strength to the one or more signal strength thresholds comprises:
determining that the signal strength is greater than a second signal strength threshold o

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Chennichetty Prakash
• Sekar Manoj
• Nagendran Thanigaivel
• Anantharaman Subramanian
• Natarajan Sreekanth

Classifications

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W16/26 Primary

  Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title