Apparatus, system and method of adjusting transmission intervals for discovery frames

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of adjusting transmission intervals for discovery frames. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication unit to communicate over a wireless communication medium according to a discovery scheme including a plurality of contention-based discovery windows, the wireless communication unit is to select a discovery window according to a transmission interval, to schedule transmission of a discovery frame for the discovery window, and to adjust the transmission interval based on whether or not the wireless communication medium is observed to be busy during a predefined time period of the discovery window.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a wireless communication unit to communicate over a wireless communication medium according to a discovery scheme including a plurality of contention-based discovery windows, said wireless communication unit is to select a discovery window according to a transmission interval, to schedule transmission of a discovery frame for said discovery window, and to adjust said transmission interval based on whether or not said wireless communication medium is observed to be busy during a predefined time period of said discovery window.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, based on said transmission interval, said wireless communication unit is to determine a number of discovery windows between successive attempts to transmit said discovery frame, and to select said discovery window according to said number of discovery windows. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to select said number of discovery windows between a minimal transmission interval and said transmission interval. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to select a number, denoted n, between said minimal transmission interval and said transmission interval, and to schedule transmission of said discovery frame during an n-th discovery window, wherein n=0 is a current discovery window. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to increase said transmission interval if said medium is observed to be busy during said predefined time period. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to increase said transmission interval from a first value, denoted TW, to a second value, TW+a, wherein a denotes a predefined value. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to decrease said transmission interval if said medium is observed not to be busy during said predefined time period. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to decrease said transmission interval from a first value, denoted TW, to a second value, said second value is a greatest of a minimal transmission interval, denoted TWmin, and a difference (TW−b), wherein b denotes a predefined value. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said predefined time period comprises a time period beginning at a start time of said discovery window and ending within said discovery window. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said predefined time period comprises an entirety of said discovery window. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said transmission interval comprises a Service Discovery frame transmission window (TW). 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said wireless communication medium comprises a wireless communication channel over a 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band or a 5 GHz frequency band. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to perform the functionality of a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) device to discover other NAN devices according to said discovery scheme. 
     
     
         14 . A system comprising:
 a wireless communication device including:
 at least one antenna to communicate over a wireless communication medium; and 
 a wireless communication unit to communicate over said wireless communication medium according to a discovery scheme including a plurality of contention-based discovery windows, said wireless communication unit is to select a discovery window within a transmission interval, to schedule transmission of a discovery frame within said discovery window, and to adjust said transmission interval based on whether or not said medium is observed to be busy during a predefined time period of said discovery window. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein, based on said transmission interval, said wireless communication unit is to determine a number of discovery windows between successive attempts to transmit said discovery frame, and to select said discovery window according to said number of discovery windows. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to select said number of discovery windows between a minimal transmission interval and said transmission interval. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to increase said transmission interval if said medium is observed to be busy during said predefined time period. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein said wireless communication unit is to decrease said transmission interval if said medium is observed not to be busy during said predefined time period. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein said predefined time period comprises a time period beginning at a start time of said discovery window and ending within said discovery window. 
     
     
         20 . A method comprising:
 selecting a discovery window from a plurality of contention-based discovery windows according to a transmission interval;   scheduling for said discovery window transmission of a discovery frame over a wireless communication medium;   attempting to transmit said discovery frame during said discovery window; and   adjusting said transmission interval based on whether or not said wireless communication medium is observed to be busy during a predefined time period of said discovery window.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  comprising, based on said transmission interval, determining a number of discovery windows between successive attempts to transmit said discovery frame, and selecting said discovery window according to said number of discovery windows. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said predefined time period comprises a time period beginning at a start time of said discovery window and ending within said discovery window. 
     
     
         23 . A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:
 selecting a discovery window from a plurality of contention-based discovery windows according to a transmission interval;   scheduling for said discovery window transmission of a discovery frame over a wireless communication medium;   attempting to transmit said discovery frame during said discovery window; and   adjusting said transmission interval based on whether or not said wireless communication medium is observed to be busy during a predefined time period of said discovery window.   
     
     
         24 . The product of  claim 23 , wherein said instructions result in determining, based on said transmission interval, a number of discovery windows between successive attempts to transmit said discovery frame, and selecting said discovery window according to said number of discovery windows. 
     
     
         25 . The product of  claim 24 , wherein said instructions result in selecting said number of discovery windows between a minimal transmission interval and said transmission interval. 
     
     
         26 . The product of  claim 25 , wherein said instructions result in selecting a number, denoted n, between said minimal transmission interval and said transmission interval, and scheduling transmission of said discovery frame during an n-th discovery window, wherein n=0 is a current discovery window. 
     
     
         27 . The product of  claim 23 , wherein said instructions result in increasing said transmission interval if said medium is observed to be busy during said predefined time period. 
     
     
         28 . The product of  claim 27 , wherein said instructions result in increasing said transmission interval from a first value, denoted TW, to a second value, TW+a, wherein a denotes a predefined value. 
     
     
         29 . The product of  claim 23 , wherein said instructions result in decreasing said transmission interval if said medium is observed not to be busy during said predefined time period. 
     
     
         30 . The product of  claim 29 , wherein said instructions result in decreasing said transmission interval from a first value, denoted TW, to a second value, said second value is a greatest of a minimal transmission interval, denoted TWmin, and a difference (TW−b), wherein b denotes a predefined value.