Power efficient tunneled direct link setup apparatus, systems and methods

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods disclosed herein operate to provide wireless communication between personal mobile communication (PMC) devices. An emulated wireless access point (AP) at a first PMC device (PMC1) establishes a first tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) session between a first station module (STA1) incorporated into the PMC1 and a second station module (STA2) incorporated into a second PMC device (PMC2). Following establishment of the TDLS session, the wireless AP is allowed to sleep; and most infrastructure management duties are handled by the STA1 during the session. PMC device battery charge may be conserved as a result. The emulated wireless AP may also establish a second TDLS link to a third station module (STA3) incorporated into a third PMC device (PMC3). The STA1 may then bridge data traffic flow between the STA2 and the STA3. Such bridging operation may enable communication between two PMC devices otherwise unable to decode data received from the other.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A personal mobile communication (PMC) device, comprising:
 a first station module (STA1) to enter into a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) session with at least one second station module (STA2) incorporated into at least one corresponding second PMC device (PMC2);   an emulated wireless access point (AP) module to establish the TDLS session; and   an interprocess communication link between the STA1 and the emulated wireless AP module to establish the TDLS session without having to communicate over-the-air between the STA1 and the emulated wireless AP module.   
     
     
         2 . The PMC device of  claim 1 , the STA1 further comprising:
 a TDLS management module to perform TDLS handshaking operations with the emulated wireless AP module during the establishment of the TDLS session.   
     
     
         3 . The PMC device of  claim 2 , the STA1 further comprising:
 a data packet buffer communicatively coupled to the TDLS management module to store data packets to be sent to the STA2 and data packets received from the STA2 after the establishment of the TDLS session; and   a TDLS bridging module communicatively coupled to the data packet buffer to pass data packets between the STA2 and a third station module incorporated into a third PMC device while the PMC device is operating in a bridged mode.   
     
     
         4 . The PMC device of  claim 3 , the STA1 further comprising:
 a protocol stack communicatively coupled to the TDLS management module and to the data packet buffer to direct data flow between the STA1 and the STA2 and to direct the flow of basic service set control frames between the STA1 and the STA2 following the establishment of the TDLS session.   
     
     
         5 . The PMC device of  claim 1 , the emulated wireless AP module further comprising:
 a TDLS management module to initiate the TDLS session and to perform TDLS handshaking operations with the STA1 during the establishment of the TDLS session.   
     
     
         6 . The PMC device of  claim 5 , the emulated wireless AP module further comprising:
 a transmit buffer communicatively coupled to the TDLS management module to store TDLS establishment messages received from the STA1 for transmission to the STA2.   
     
     
         7 . The PMC device of  claim 6 , the emulated wireless AP module further comprising:
 a receive buffer communicatively coupled to the TDLS management module to store TDLS establishment messages received from the STA2 for transmission to the STA1.   
     
     
         8 . The PMC device of  claim 7 , the emulated wireless AP module further comprising:
 a protocol stack communicatively coupled to the transmit buffer to cause TDLS request messages from the TDLS management module to be inserted into TDLS control packets for transmission to the STA2, the protocol stack also communicatively coupled to the receive buffer to direct TDLS response messages received from the STA2 to the receive buffer.   
     
     
         9 . The PMC device of  claim 7 , the emulated wireless AP module further comprising:
 a basic service set (BSS) control module communicatively coupled to the protocol stack to generate BSS control frames for transmission to the STA2 and to receive BSS control frame responses from the STA2.   
     
     
         10 . The PMC device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first transceiver communicatively coupled to the STA1 and to the emulated wireless AP module to transmit outbound frames to a second transceiver incorporated into the PMC2 and to receive inbound frames from the second transceiver.