Short-range communication method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12581439-B2
Application number	US-202318364206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2023
Priority date	Feb 2, 2021
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

A short-range communication method includes that a first node receives at least one piece of node information from at least one node; and the first node controls the first node to establish time-frequency synchronization with a second node that is in the at least one node and that belongs to a second synchronization area, where node information from the second node includes synchronization information of the second synchronization area, and the synchronization information indicates at least one of a node identifier, a synchronization status, or a synchronization direction between nodes in the second synchronization area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A communication method, comprising:
receiving node information from at least one node; and controlling, using the node information, a first node to establish time-frequency synchronization with a second node that is in the at least one node, wherein the second node belongs to a second synchronization area, wherein the node information comprises synchronization information of the second synchronization area, and wherein the synchronization information indicates at least one of a node identifier, a quantity of nodes, a synchronization status, or a synchronization direction between nodes of the at least one node in the second synchronization area.

2 . The communication method of claim 1 , further comprising sending first updated synchronization information of the second synchronization area, wherein the first updated synchronization information is based on updating the synchronization information after establishment of the time-frequency synchronization.

3 . The communication method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, from the at least one node based on at least one of the node information or a signal strength of a signal from the at least one node, the second node that belongs to the second synchronization area.

4 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the second synchronization area comprises a first quantity of nodes that is greater than or equal to a second quantity of nodes in any other synchronization area in at least one synchronization area to which the at least one node belongs.

5 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the first node belongs to a first synchronization area before control of the first node, and wherein a second quantity of nodes in the second synchronization area is greater than or equal to a first quantity of nodes in the first synchronization area.

6 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the first node belongs to a first synchronization area before control of the first node, wherein a second quantity of nodes in the second synchronization area is equal to a first quantity of nodes in the first synchronization area, and wherein at least one of a second priority or a second signal strength of the second node is higher than at least one of a respective first priority or a respective first signal strength of a node with which the first node establishes the time-frequency synchronization.

7 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the first node does not belong to any synchronization area before control of the first node.

8 . The communication method of claim 7 , wherein at least two synchronization areas exist in the at least one synchronization area to which the at least one node belongs, wherein each of the at least two synchronization areas has a first quantity of nodes, wherein the first quantity of nodes is greater than a second quantity of nodes in any synchronization area other than the at least two synchronization areas, wherein the second node belongs to the at least two synchronization areas, and wherein at least one of a second priority or a second signal strength of the second node is higher than at least one of a respective first priority or a respective first signal strength of any node other than the second node in nodes corresponding to the at least two synchronization areas.

9 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one node comprises a third node, wherein the third node belongs to the second synchronization area, and wherein the second node is based on a combination of the second node and the third node according to a preset rule.

10 . The communication method of claim 9 , wherein the preset rule comprises at least one of a priority of a node from the at least one node or a signal strength of the node from the at least one node.

11 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein a first priority of the first node is higher than a second priority of the second node before control of the first node, and wherein the communication method further comprises at least one of decreasing a first priority of the first node to be lower than or equal to a second priority of the second node or increasing the second priority of the second node, to be higher than or equal to the first priority of the first node.

12 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, within a preset time period, that broadcast information of the second node is not received; and sending the node information, wherein the node information comprises second updated synchronization information of the second synchronization area, and wherein the second updated synchronization information is based on the first updated synchronization information and after determining that the broadcast information of the second node is not received.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the node identifier is a media access control (MAC) address, an identifier that is based on the MAC address and that identifies a node identity, another identifier for identifying a node identity, or an identifier of a communication domain in which a node in the at least one node is located.

14 . A communication method, comprising:
sending second node information of a second node, wherein the second node information comprises first synchronization information of a second synchronization area to which the second node belongs; and receiving first node information from a first node based on the node information, wherein the first node information comprises second synchronization information of the second synchronization area, wherein the second synchronization information is updated synchronization information based on establishment of time-frequency synchronization, and wherein the first synchronization information indicates at least one of a node identifier, a quantity of nodes, a synchronization status, or a synchronization direction between nodes in the second synchronization area.

15 . The communication method of claim 14 , further comprising: sending at least one of the second synchronization information or second priority information of the second node.

16 . The communication method of claim 15 , wherein the first node information comprises at least one of first priority information of the first node, or the second node information comprises the second priority information.

17 . The communication method of claim 14 , wherein the node identifier is a media access control (MAC) address, an identifier that is based on the MAC address and that identifies a node identity, another identifier for identifying a node identity, or an identifier of a communication domain in which a node is located.

18 . A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a first node to:
receive node information from at least one node; and control, using the node information, the first node to establish time-frequency synchronization with a second node that is in the at least one node, wherein the second node belongs to a second synchronization area, wherein the node information comprises synchronization information of the second synchronization area, and wherein the synchronization information indicates at least one of a node identifier, a quantity of nodes, a synchronization status, or a synchronization direction between a second quantity of nodes of the at least one node in the second synchronization area.

19 . The

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cheng Xingqing
• Gao Lei
• Wan Lei
• Yang Changqing
• Wang Jian

Classifications

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W56/0015 Primary

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title