Abstract: A method for proximity detection in a wireless communication network. A node attempts to determine the proximity of the closest neighboring node by transmitting a ranging request. Other nodes respond, and the first node to receive and respond to the request will have the shortest response time and thus will be the closest node. Exact ranges can be determined by applying Time-Of-Arrival (TOA) techniques to node response times. To further avoid collisions, one or more frames of the response messages can be same, making the multiple responses appear as multi-path. The group of responders can be narrowed and individual groups probed in a search pattern until the single nearest node is known or range of the nearest node is known. The ranging node may then use ordinary unicast mechanisms to probe this node, or begin scanning the groups again, or interleave the two mechanisms as desired.

Abstract: A method for proximity detection in a wireless communication network. A node attempts to determine the proximity of the closest neighboring node by transmitting a ranging request. Other nodes respond, and the first node to receive and respond to the request will have the shortest response time and thus will be the closest node. Exact ranges can be determined by applying Time-Of-Arrival (TOA) techniques to node response times. To further avoid collisions, one or more frames of the response messages can be same, making the multiple responses appear as multi-path. The group of responders can be narrowed and individual groups probed in a search pattern until the single nearest node is known or range of the nearest node is known. The ranging node may then use ordinary unicast mechanisms to probe this node, or begin scanning the groups again, or interleave the two mechanisms as desired.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for link adaptation is provided. A node stores a set of transmit parameters and corresponding selection probabilities for each of the transmit parameters. The node stochastically selects a particular transmit parameter based on the selection probabilities, and then transmits a packet according to the particular selected transmit parameter. From received transmission feedback information, the node derives performance statistics, and uses the performance statistics to specify an estimated performance function for the particular transmit parameter. The node updates a selection probability computation function (SPCF), and uses the SPCF to generate updated selection probabilities corresponding to each transmit parameter in the set of available transmit parameters.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for determining and representing a location or position of a node in a network. When the node receives position measurement information from a reference node, the node generates, based on the position measurement information, a position probability space (PPS) which defines a space that encompasses possible positions where the node is possibly positioned in the network. The PPS includes a centroid (i.e., a set of coordinates), and a set of vectors which originate from the centroid and define the space around the centroid. The magnitude of each vector reflects the accuracy of the position in the direction of the vector.