Abstract: A network based positioning (NBP) system is disclosed that allows any of its access points (APs) to initiate ranging operations with a station device (STA), regardless of whether the STA is in power save mode and regardless of whether a particular AP is currently associated with the STA. For example, to initiate ranging operations with the STA from a non-associated AP, the non-associated AP obtains the TSF timer of the associated AP, and then uses the obtained TSF timer to derive the associated AP's beacon transmission schedule and thereby determine when the STA's corresponding wake-up periods occur. Thereafter, the non-associated AP can initiate ranging operations with the STA during the STA wake-up periods, thereby ensuring that probes sent from the non-associated AP will arrive at the STA while the STA is awake from power save mode.

Abstract: A coaxial physical layer device operates in at least two different modes: a discovery mode and a normal mode. In the discovery mode, a first orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) coaxial signal is received that has a preamble including a plurality of first training fields and at least one second training field. Each first training field is shorter than each second training field. In the normal mode, a second OFDM coaxial signal is received that has a preamble including a single training field. The single training field is shorter than an OFDM symbol.

Abstract: A hybrid STP can be implemented in a hybrid communication network to prevent communication loops without disabling network interfaces of hybrid devices and redundant paths of the hybrid communication network, while preserving the advantages of the hybrid communication network. Each network interface of a hybrid device can be designated as a relay interface or a non-relay interface. Each of the relay interfaces is independent of the other network interfaces of the hybrid device. The non-relay interfaces operate as a single virtual interface and do not forward packets between each other. Each network interface of the hybrid device may also be associated with a forwarding bit that indicates whether broadcast packets should be forwarded via the network interface. The hybrid device can determine whether/how to forward a packet depending on whether an ingress interface is a relay or non-relay interface and a forwarding bit value of the ingress interface.

Abstract: A hybrid SAR ADC can be implemented to reduce the number of operations that are executed to convert an analog input signal into its digital representation. Pipeline processing operations can be executed on the analog input signal to generate pipeline bits (MSBs of the digital representation) and an analog residue signal. The analog residue signal can be compared against a plurality of thresholds to generate comparator bits that are indicative of a range associated with a subset of the predetermined thresholds that correspond to the analog residue signal. Successive approximation analog-to-digital conversion operations can be executed on the analog residue signal to generate successive approximation bits. The digital representation can be determined based, at least in part, on the pipeline bits, the comparator bits, and the successive approximation bits.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for performing ranging operations (700) between two or more wireless devices (STA1 and STA2). For some embodiments, the ranging operation allows each of a pair of ranging devices to estimate timing errors associated with measuring the time of arrival (TOA) of received signals, and to remove such timing errors from the measured TOA values. TOA and time of departure (TOD) information may also be exchanged between the devices using measurement action frames defined by IEEE 802.11v standards. In addition, an iterative process (800) is disclosed that allows a sequence of measurement action frames exchanged between the ranging devices to refine the timing errors and thus also refine the round trip time (RTT) value of signals exchanged between the devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to coordinate a power save delay between a station (STA) and an access point (AP.) The STA may be configured to transmit information regarding a power save delay duration to the AP. The STA may then inform the AP that it will be entering power save mode and delay entering the power save mode for a specified period of time corresponding to the power save delay duration, thus providing a buffer period to allow the AP to complete the delivery of any frames that may already be in the hardware queue.

Abstract: A fast diversity technique using either an EESM or a capacity computation can determine antenna selection in a wireless communication device. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) for the EESM/capacity computation can be performed with consecutive samples of a single symbol period of a short training field (STF) of a packet received by each antenna. The effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each antenna can be calculated using the results of the EESM or capacity computation. The antenna with the highest effective SNR is selected.

Abstract: A wireless local area network (WLAN) positioning system is disclosed that allows the WLAN system to determine the location attributes of a client device operating in a power save mode, operating on a different channel than the WLAN's access points, and/or operating in an ad-hoc mode. The client device periodically performs scanning operations during which beacon frames broadcast by a selected AP(s) can be received. The client device parses information embedded in the beacon frames, and in response thereto selectively initiates ranging operations to determine its location attributes. After determining its location attributes, the client devices sends the location attributes back to the selected AP(s).

Abstract: In a wireless communication system an access point and a station in association with the access point, the station is configured to transmit keep alive information to the access point regarding a period of time during which the station will be in a low power mode. The access point is configured to maintain the association with the station for the period of time even when no communications are received from the station during the period of time. The keep alive information is configured to allow designation of a period of time greater than 18 hours.

Abstract: Transmitting beamforming can steer a transmitting signal to reduce the interference between spaces of a MIMO system and achieves constructive combination at the receiver. One method of steering matrix calculation includes using singular value decomposition (SVD). Notably, the singular values of SVD, which represent the stream strengths in a MIMO system, are in descending order. In equal modulation, signal strength degradation makes the receive EVM of the latest stream poor and increases the probability of packet error. MMSE can be used to weight the steering vectors of the steering matrix calculated in SVD. This weighting of the singular values can balance the SNR of the streams, thereby improving packet error rate.

Abstract: A coax network unit (CNU) is coupled to a coax line terminal (CLT) by a cable plant. In a discovery mode of operation, the CNU receives from the CLT one or more message packets that include one or more orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols with cyclic prefixes of a first length. In a normal mode of operation subsequent to the discovery mode, the CNU receives data packets comprising OFDM symbols from the CLT. The OFDM symbols of the received data packets have cyclic prefixes of a second length that is less than the first length.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maintaining data accuracy in an access point (AP) location database including a plurality of stored location data are disclosed that can automatically update the AP location database meanwhile maintaining the data accuracy in the database. In some embodiments, the AP location database server receives a first set of location measurements for a first AP from a first mobile device, determines a trustworthiness of the first set of location measurements based on a first comparison between the first set of location measurements and the location data for the first AP stored in the AP location database, and selectively updates the stored location data for the first AP in the AP location database with the received first set of location measurements in response to the determined trustworthiness.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reporting almanac versions and almanac identification by a mobile station to a server is provided. The server compares the almanac version and almanac identification held by the mobile station with almanac versions and almanac identifications held by the server. The server then sends instructions to the mobile station to match the server versions of the almanac versions and almanac identifications for the almanac versions and almanac identifications that the mobile station should hold.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for merging a disjoint pair of maps comprising a digital building map that includes a floor plan and an access point (AP) map that includes identifiers for a plurality of access points is presented. In some embodiments, a first trajectory plot, of a mobile device, relative to the AP map, is received and a plurality of hypotheses is set, where each hypothesis defines a unique translation between the AP map and the building map. A plurality of costs may be computed for the first trajectory, where each cost of the first trajectory corresponds to a distinct hypothesis in the plurality of hypotheses. The hypothesis where the first trajectory has the lowest cost relative to the other hypotheses may be selected.

Abstract: A mobile device transmits to a server a request for information regarding access points in a wireless network. In response to the request, the mobile device receives encoded access point identifiers for a plurality of access points. The encoded access point identifiers include a reference identifier that has a number of groups of bits. The encoded access point identifiers also include encoding masks for respective access point identifiers, wherein a respective encoding mask identifies groups of bits for the respective access point identifier that are identical to corresponding groups of bits for the reference identifier. The encoded access point identifiers further include, for the respective access point identifiers, groups of bits that are not identical to the corresponding groups of bits for the reference identifier. The mobile device decodes at least some of the encoded access point identifiers.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to a wireless device with a suppressor that couples to the aggressor signal of a frequency source to generate a cancelling signal for suppressing spurs resulting from operation of the frequency source. The amplitude and phase delay of the cancelling signal are adjusted to optimize the cancellation of the spur. Preferably, a calibration routine is performed to establish appropriate delay and amplitude values to cancel the spurs occurring at each device gain setting.

Abstract: Security keys are typically needed to communicate with various network communication protocols of a mixed communication network. Herein, a protocol-specific key for a particular network communication protocol is generated based upon a result of a hash operation that includes a network key associated with the mixed communication network and information corresponding to the particular network communication protocol. Interoperability of multiple devices in the mixed communication network is made possible when the multiple devices generate (i.e. derive) protocol-specific keys using the same network key and common information corresponding to particular network communication protocols.

Abstract: A programmable voltage to current converter is described that is highly linear and may be implemented with a compact MOSFET switching network. With this design, the power consumption is also minimized. The programmable voltage to current converter comprises a switch network comprising one or two sets of N switches and one or two sets of N resistors, an op amp, and a current buffer MOSFET. The output current is independent of the characteristics of the one or two sets of N switches. To implement a single-ended converter, the switch network comprises one set of N resistors and one set of N switches. To implement a differential-ended converter, the switch network comprises two sets of N resistors and two sets of N switches.

Abstract: A media converter is to be coupled to an optical line terminal via an optical link and to a plurality of coax network units via coax links in a cable plant. The media converter includes an optical physical-layer device to receive and transmit optical signals via the optical link and a coax physical-layer device to receive and transmit electrical signals via the coax links. The media converter also includes an implementation of an optical-coax convergence layer to schedule transmissions of electrical signals from the plurality of coax network units by allocating coax resources among the plurality of coax network units in accordance with resource allocation for the optical link.

Abstract: A group owner of a peer-to-peer communication network is configured to determine whether all client devices associated with the peer-to-peer communication network support direct data communication. The group owner is configured to implement an awake mode for a portion of each beacon interval when all the associated client devices support direct data communication. The group owner is configured to implement a sleep mode for a remaining portion of each beacon interval to save power at the group owner without interrupting communications between the associated client devices.