KR102936097B1 - Electronic device performing communication in neighbor awareness networking and method for operating thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a communication module, a processor operatively connected to the communication module, and at least one memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the at least one memory is configured to cause the processor, when executed, to perform neighbor awareness networking (NAN) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices through the communication module, establish a first NDP (NAN data path) session with at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices, transmit first data to at least one first external electronic device through the first NDP session, store first NDP information for the first NDP session based on a first condition, pause the first NDP session, establish a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices, transmit second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the second NDP session, and, based on a second condition, perform a second NDP session for the second NDP session. Instructions may be stored to store NDP information, suspend the second NDP session, resume the first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and transmit third data to the at least one first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session.

Description

ELECTRONIC DEVICE PERFORMING COMMUNICATION IN NEIGHBOR AWARENESS NETWORKING AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THEREOF

Various embodiments relate to a method and device for an electronic device to communicate with a plurality of external electronic devices in neighbor awareness networking (NAN).

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication services, such as voice and data. Typically, wireless communication systems are multiple access systems that support communications with multiple users by sharing available system resources (bandwidth or transmission power). Examples of multiple access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and multi-carrier frequency division multiple access (MC-FDMA).

Furthermore, with the recent advancement of information and communication technology, various wireless communication technologies are being developed. Among these, wireless local area network (WLAN) is a technology that enables wireless Internet access in homes, businesses, or specific service areas using portable terminals such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, and portable multimedia players (PMPs) based on radio frequency technology. Among radio frequency technologies, a low-power discovery technology called neighbor awareness networking (NAN) is being developed within the Wi-Fi standard, and the development of proximity services utilizing NAN is actively underway.

An electronic device can operate NDP (Nearby Area Networking Data Path) sessions with multiple external electronic devices forming a neighbor awareness networking (NAN) cluster. However, when an electronic device communicates with an external electronic device using an NDP session, it must allocate arbitrary buffers for transmission and reception. Therefore, depending on the capabilities of the electronic device (e.g., chip memory or performance constraints), the number of NDP sessions that can transmit data simultaneously may be limited.

For example, if there are k devices capable of transmitting data simultaneously through an NDP session, there is an inconvenience in that the user cannot select more than k external electronic devices to transmit data.

For another example, if an electronic device receives an input from a user to transmit data to k + p external electronic devices, the electronic device may communicate with the k external electronic devices through an NDP session, and after terminating the NDP session, establish an NDP session with the remaining p external electronic devices to communicate. In this case, a problem of reduced concurrency among the k + p external electronic devices may occur. In addition, a problem of delayed waiting times of external electronic devices for which NDP has not been established may also occur.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a communication module, a processor operatively connected to the communication module, and at least one memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the at least one memory is configured to, when executed, cause the processor to perform neighbor awareness networking (NAN) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices through the communication module, establish a first NDP (NAN data path) session with at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices, transmit first data to the at least one first external electronic device through the first NDP session, store first NDP information for the first NDP session based on a first condition, pause the first NDP session, establish a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices, transmit second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the second NDP session, and, based on a second condition, perform a second NDP session for the second NDP session. Instructions may be stored to store NDP information, suspend the second NDP session, resume the first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and transmit third data to the at least one first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a communication module, a processor operatively connected to the communication module, and at least one memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the at least one memory is configured to, when executed, cause the processor to perform neighbor awareness networking (NAN) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices through the communication module, identify a plurality of external electronic devices selected from the plurality of external electronic devices, establish at least one first NDP (NAN data path) session with each of at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of selected external electronic devices, transmit first data to the at least one first external electronic device through the at least one first NDP session, store first NDP information for the at least one first NDP session based on a first condition, pause the at least one first NDP session, establish at least one second NDP session with each of at least one second external electronic device different from the at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of selected external electronic devices, and transmit at least one second NDP session to the at least one second external electronic device. The instructions may be stored to transmit second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the NDP session, store second NDP session information for the at least one second NDP session based on a second condition, suspend the at least one second NDP session, resume the at least one first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and transmit third data through the resumed at least one first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, a method for transmitting data by an electronic device includes: performing neighbor awareness networking (NAN) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices; establishing a first NDP (NAN data path) session with at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices; transmitting first data to the at least one first external electronic device through the first NDP session; storing first NDP information for the first NDP session based on a first condition, pausing the first NDP session, and establishing a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices; transmitting second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the second NDP session; storing second NDP information for the second NDP session based on a second condition, pausing the second NDP session, and terminating the first NDP session based on the first NDP information. The operation may include resuming the first NDP session, and transmitting third data to the at least one first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device can operate an NDP session at high speed without delay in NDP setup by suspending or resuming the NDP session with an external electronic device.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may increase the number of simultaneously formable NDP sessions by suspending or resuming NDP sessions with external electronic devices.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments.
FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a neighbor awareness networking (NAN) cluster including electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 2b is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which an electronic device performs synchronization with a NAN cluster according to various embodiments.
FIG. 2c is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which an electronic device forms an NDL (NAN device link) and an NDP (NAN data path) according to various embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 9b is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 9c is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with the electronic device (104) or a server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input device (150), an audio output device (155), a display device (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the display device (160) or the camera module (180)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. For example, a sensor module (176) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an ambient light sensor) may be implemented embedded in a display device (160) (e.g., a display).

The processor (120) may, for example, execute software (e.g., a program (140)) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) and perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculation, the processor (120) may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) into a volatile memory (132), process the command or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) and a secondary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that may operate independently or together therewith. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as part of it.

The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display device (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)).

The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., a processor (120) or a sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include a volatile memory (132) or a non-volatile memory (134).

The program (140) may be stored as software in the memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

The input device (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input device (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The audio output device (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output device (155) may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback, and the receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

A display device (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of an electronic device (101). The display device (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In one embodiment, the display device (160) may include touch circuitry configured to detect a touch, or a sensor circuit (e.g., a pressure sensor) configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through an input device (150), or output sound through an audio output device (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102)) (e.g., a speaker or headphone)) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Any of these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) may use subscriber information stored in the subscriber identification module (196) (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) to identify and authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199).

The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module may include one antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas. In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and the external electronic device via the at least one selected antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., an RFIC) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102, 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or based on a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service on its own, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technologies may be utilized, for example.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a neighbor awareness networking (NAN) cluster including an electronic device according to various embodiments. FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which an electronic device performs synchronization with a NAN cluster according to various embodiments. FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which an electronic device forms a NAN device link (NDL) and a NAN data path (NDP) according to various embodiments.

A NAN cluster (200) may include an electronic device (101) and a plurality of external electronic devices (201, 202, 203, and/or 204) that support NAN functions. At least some of the plurality of electronic devices (101) and the external electronic devices (201, 202, 203, and/or 204) included in one NAN cluster (200) may be synchronized with each other.

For example, the electronic device (101) included in the NAN cluster (200) and a plurality of external electronic devices (201, 202, 203, and/or 204) may have their time clocks synchronized as shown in FIG. 2B, and for convenience, the synchronization will be described through the time clocks of the electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (201). The electronic devices (101, 201) may use a set of synchronized NAN parameters (e.g., a period of a discovery window (DW) (211), a low-power state period (213) which is an interval between consecutive discovery windows, or a NAN channel). An electronic device (101) included in a NAN cluster (200) and a first external electronic device (201) may transmit and receive a beacon, a multicast/unicast NAN service discovery frame (SDF) and/or a NAN action frame (NAF) to and from each other within a discovery window period (211) that is activated at the same time. The electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (201) may maintain a sleep state in a low power state period (213), and an operation of at least one communication module (e.g., the communication module (190) of FIG. 1) may be restricted. According to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) may perform a ranging operation with another external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device (201)) within the NAN cluster (200) including the electronic device (101) in order to measure a distance to the other external electronic device.

As shown in FIG. 2c, the electronic device (101) and external electronic devices (201, 203) included in the NAN cluster (200) can form a NAN data path (NDP). The electronic device (101) and the external electronic devices (201, 203) can transmit and receive data through the NDP in the section between discovery windows. The electronic device (101) and the external electronic devices (201, 203) can have one NAN management interface address (NMI) and one or more NAN data interface addresses (NDI). The electronic device (101) and the external electronic devices (201, 203) can form one NAN device link (NDL) between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic devices (201, 203), and can form one or more NDPs through the NDL. For example, the electronic device (101) can form NDL 1 (221) with the first external electronic device (201), and form NDP 1 (223) and NDP 2 (225) through NDL 1 (221). Here, NDP 1 (223) and NDP 2 (225) can be used to transmit and receive data for different services. In addition, the electronic device (101) can form NDL 2 (227) with the second external electronic device (203), and form NDP 3 (229) through NDL 2 (227). In FIG. 2C, NDPs and NDIs are illustrated as having a one-to-one correspondence, but multiple NDPs may correspond to one NDI.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices, according to various embodiments. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices, according to various embodiments. FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices, according to various embodiments.

In operation 301, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may perform NAN synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices. Performing NAN synchronization may mean activating a discovery window at the same time as a plurality of external electronic devices (e.g., external electronic devices (201, 202, 203, or 204) of FIG. 2A) included in the same NAN cluster (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2A) as the electronic device (101).

In operation 303, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may establish a first NDP session with a first external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device (201) of FIG. 2) among a plurality of external electronic devices. The electronic device (101) may generate an NDP ID with the first external electronic device. Then, the electronic device (101) may transmit a data path request NAF (data path request NAN action frame) for requesting an NDP to the first external electronic device. Here, the data path request NAF (data path request NAF) may include an NDP/NDPE attribute, a device capability attribute, a high throughput capability (HT capability), and a very high throughput capability (VHT capability) of the electronic device (101). And, the electronic device (101) can receive a data path response NAF (data path response NAF) from the first external electronic device. Here, the data path response NAF (data path response NAF) can include NDP/NDPE attributes, device capability attributes, HT capability (high throughput capability), and VHT capability (very high throughput capability) of the first external electronic device. If security is required for the NDP session with the first external electronic device, the electronic device (101) can further perform an operation of transmitting and receiving security information with the first external electronic device. For example, if security is required for the NDP session, the electronic device (101) can transmit a data path request NAF (data path request NAN action frame) including security information (e.g., security present) and receive a data path response NAF (data path response NAF) including the security information. And, the electronic device (101) can transmit a data path confirm including security information and receive a data path security install including correction information. If the NDP/NDPE attribute received from the first external electronic device includes a subfield set to accepted, the electronic device (101) can establish an NDP session with the first external electronic device. For example, the electronic device (101) can receive a user input for selecting a first external electronic device (e.g., the first NAN device (201) of FIG. 2) and a second external electronic device (e.g., the second NAN device (202) of FIG. 2). For example, the electronic device (101) can first establish an NDP session with the first external electronic device according to the priorities of the first external electronic device and the second external electronic device. For example, the electronic device (101) may identify a first external electronic device and a second external electronic device to transmit content or services based on context.

In operation 305, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may transmit first data to the first external electronic device through the first NDP session. For example, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for selecting content to be transmitted to the first external electronic device and the second external electronic device. Then, the electronic device (101) may transmit first data corresponding to at least a portion of the content selected through the first NDP session to the first external electronic device. For example, as in FIG. 4A , the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for selecting content (401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406) to be transmitted to the first external electronic device (410) and the second external electronic device (420). And, data corresponding to a part (401, and 402) of the contents to be transmitted (401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406) may be transmitted to the first external electronic device. In FIG. 4A, data is described as being transmitted to the first external electronic device (410) before the second external electronic device (420), but the order of the external electronic devices to which data is to be transmitted may change depending on the distance between the electronic device (101) and the external electronic devices or the signal strength. At this time, the contents may be diverse, such as images, videos, contacts, or text, and in FIG. 4A, some of the selected multiple files are illustrated as being transmitted, but data for a part of a single file may be transmitted according to an embodiment. In addition, in FIGS. 4A to 4C, it is described that the electronic device (101) transmits data to one external electronic device, but the electronic device (101) may simultaneously transmit data to multiple external electronic devices depending on the number of devices capable of transmitting simultaneously. According to one embodiment, multiple external electronic devices capable of transmitting data simultaneously can be grouped according to specified conditions. For example, the external electronic devices may be grouped according to the order in which the user selects them, or the external electronic devices may be grouped by separately receiving an input from the user to classify them. In another example, groups of external electronic devices capable of transmitting data simultaneously may be grouped according to the type of the external electronic devices, the distance from the electronic devices, or the data transmission speed.

In operation 307, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may store first NDP information for the first NDP session, pause the first NDP session, and establish a second NDP session with a second external electronic device among a plurality of external electronic devices, based on the first condition being met.

The electronic device (101) can transmit an NDP pause indication frame (NDP pause indication frame) to the first external electronic device to notify the suspension of the first NDP session, and receive a response. The NDP pause indication frame (NDP pause indication frame) can be defined using a NAN action frame (NAF). Here, suspending the first NDP session can mean switching the first NDP session to an inactive state. For example, the electronic device (101) can switch the NDP schedule set with the first external electronic device to sleep, cancel the activated schedule, and switch to a low power mode. For example, the NDP schedule can indicate information about the time for using the NDP session or information about the channel used to transmit data.

The first NDP information may include, for example, setup information including the NDP ID, NMI, security information, and schedule information of the first NDP session of the first NDP session, and content information including the ID, sequence information, or information about a portion of the transmitted content among the entire content, of the content including the first data. The electronic device (101) may further store device information of the first external electronic device or the MAC address (Wi-Fi MAC address, Wi-Fi P2P address) of the heterogeneous network of the first external electronic device.

The first condition may correspond to at least one of, for example, reaching a set period, the amount of first data transmitted to the first external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, receiving a user input for terminating the first NDP session, or the distance from the first external electronic device exceeding a second threshold. For example, the electronic device (101) may transmit data to the first external electronic device for 2 seconds and terminate the first NDP session, or may transmit one content to the first external electronic device and terminate the first NDP session. For example, as in FIG. 4B, based on transmitting a portion (401, 402) of selected content to the first external electronic device (410), the electronic device (101) may terminate the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (410) and establish an NDP session with the second external electronic device (402).

The operation of the electronic device (101) establishing a second NDP session with the second external electronic device may be identical to operation 303.

In operation 309, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may transmit second data to a second external electronic device through a second NDP session. For example, the electronic device (101) may transmit second data corresponding to at least a portion of the selected contents to the second external electronic device through the second NDP session. While the electronic device (101) transmits the second data through the second NDP session, the first NDP session may be connected but in an inactive state. For example, as in FIG. 4B , the electronic device (101) may transmit data corresponding to a portion (401 and 402) of the selected contents (401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406) to the second external electronic device (420). Meanwhile, in FIG. 4b, the first data transmitted to the first external electronic device (410) and the second data transmitted to the second external electronic device (420) are shown as being the same, but they may not be the same.

In operation 311, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may store second NDP information for the second NDP session based on the second condition, suspend the second NDP session, and resume the first NDP session based on the first NDP information.

The second condition may be, for example, at least one of: reaching a set period, the amount of second data transmitted to the second external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, receiving a user input for suspending the second NDP session, or the distance from the first external electronic device exceeding the second threshold. For example, as in FIG. 4C, based on transmitting a portion (401 and 402) of selected content to the second external electronic device (420), the electronic device (101) may suspend the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (420) and resume the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (410). For another example, when a request to resume a first NDP session is received from a first external electronic device (410) on which a first NDP session has been suspended, the electronic device (101) may suspend the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (420) and resume the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (410).

The second NDP information may include, for example, setup information including the NDP ID, NMI, security information, schedule information of the second NDP session of the second NDP session, and content information including the ID, sequence information, or information about a portion of the transmitted content among the entire content of the content.

Resuming the first NDP session may mean switching the first NDP session from an inactive state to an active state by using the first NDP information stored when the first NDP session was suspended. For example, the electronic device (101) may transmit an NDP resume indication frame to the first external electronic device and receive a response. The NDP resume indication frame may be defined by using a NAN action frame. Here, the NDP resume indication frame may include at least a portion of the NDP ID, NMI, NDI, or the MAC address of the heterogeneous network of the first external electronic device stored when the first NDP session was suspended. Alternatively, the NDP resume indication frame may include security information of the first NDP session.

In operation 313, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may transmit third data to the first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session. The third data may be data corresponding to at least a portion of the remaining portion of the content corresponding to the first data transmitted first among the contents selected by the user. For example, as in FIG. 4C , the electronic device (101) may transmit data corresponding to at least a portion of the content (403 and 404) among the remaining contents (403, 404, 405, and 406) excluding the contents (401 and 402) transmitted before the first NDP session was stopped among the contents (401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406) selected by the user to the first external electronic device (410).

The electronic device (101) can check the first condition or the second condition and repeat operations 305 to 313 until all content selected by the user is transmitted.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. An electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may establish a first NDP session with a first external electronic device (510). For example, the electronic device (101) may perform a first NDP setup procedure with the first external electronic device (510) through a 4-way handshake. Meanwhile, performing the NDP setup procedure may mean establishing an NDP session. In order to establish the first NDP session, the electronic device (101) may transmit a first NDP request to the first external electronic device (510) to share a first NDP schedule, and may receive a first NDP response thereto. And, for the security of the first NDP session, the electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (510) can transmit and receive security information. In this way, the operation of transmitting an NDP request, receiving an NDP response, transmitting security information, and receiving security information is called a 4-way handshake. Since the 4-way handshake may be difficult to perform in one discovery window (501), it may be performed in two discovery windows (501, 503). When the first NDP session is established through the 4-way handshake, the electronic device (101) can transmit data to the first external electronic device (510) in the interval (509) between the discovery windows based on the shared first NDP schedule. When a pause condition (e.g., the first condition of operation 307) is satisfied, the electronic device (101) may transmit a first NDP pause indication frame to the first external electronic device (510) to pause the first NDP session in the discovery window section (513) and receive a response thereto. In addition, when the pause condition is satisfied, the electronic device (101) may store the first NDP schedule, information about the channel, and security information that were operating the first NDP session, and may switch the first NDP session to an inactive state (e.g., a sleep state (535)). In addition, when the pause condition is satisfied, the electronic device (101) may establish a second NDP session with the second external electronic device (520). In the discovery window period (513), the electronic device (101) may transmit a second NDP request including information on a second NDP schedule to the second external electronic device (520) in order to establish a second NDP session with the second external electronic device (520), and receive a second NDP response thereto. In addition, for the security of the second NDP session, the electronic device (101) and the second external electronic device (520) may transmit and receive security information. The operation of establishing the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (520) may be identical to the operation of establishing the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (510). When a second NDP session is established, the electronic device (101) can transmit data to the second external electronic device (520) during the discovery window interval (519) based on the shared second NDP schedule. When a pause condition (e.g., the second condition of operation 311) is satisfied, the electronic device (101) can transmit a second NDP pause indication frame to the second external electronic device during the discovery window interval (525) to pause the second NDP session and receive a response thereto. In addition, when the pause condition is satisfied, the electronic device (101) can store information about the second NDP schedule and channel that operated the second NDP session and switch to an inactive state (e.g., a sleep state (537)). In addition, when the suspension condition is satisfied, the electronic device (101) can transmit an NDP resume indication frame to the first external electronic device (520) to resume the first NDP session in the discovery window section (525) and receive a response thereto. Since the electronic device (101) has stored security information for the first NDP session while suspending the first NDP session, the electronic device (101) can resume the first NDP session through a two-way handshake. For example, since two transmissions and receptions are performed, transmitting the NDP resume indication frame and receiving a response thereto, the first NDP session can be resumed through a two-way handshake. Accordingly, the electronic device (101) can resume the first NDP session through a two-way handshake, not a four-way handshake. When the first NDP session is resumed, the electronic device (101) can transmit data to the first external electronic device (510) during the discovery window interval (531). Meanwhile, in FIG. 5, the electronic device (101) is described as transmitting data to one external electronic device, but the electronic device (101) may simultaneously transmit data to multiple external electronic devices, depending on the number of devices capable of transmitting simultaneously.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. It can be assumed that the electronic device (101), the first external electronic device (610), and the second external electronic device (620) are synchronized to the same NAN cluster.

In operation 601, an electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1) may establish a first NDP session with a first external electronic device (610) (e.g., electronic device (201) of FIG. 2). The electronic device (101) may transmit an NDP request and receive a response within the same discovery window period, and through this process, may share a first NDP schedule with the first external electronic device (610).

In operation 603, the electronic device (101) may perform NAN data communication with the first external electronic device (610). The electronic device (101) may transmit data to the first external electronic device (610) according to a predetermined channel and time based on a first NDP schedule shared with the first external electronic device (610). The data transmitted to the first external electronic device (610) may be data corresponding to at least a portion of content (or service) that the user wishes to transmit.

In operation 605, the electronic device (101) may determine that a first condition is satisfied. For example, the first condition (e.g., the first condition of operation 307) may include at least one of: a time elapsed since data transmission exceeds a set time; an amount of data transmitted by the electronic device (101) to the first external electronic device (610) exceeds a set amount; an input for terminating a first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) is received; a distance between the electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (610) exceeds a specified distance; a signal strength becomes less than a specified strength; or an input for establishing (or resuming) an NDP session with another external electronic device is received. For example, when a user input for transmitting five image files is received, the electronic device (101) may determine that the first condition is satisfied when one image file is transmitted. The amount of data transmitted as described above may include at least one of a file size or a number of files. As another example, when a user input for transmitting a video file is received, the electronic device (101) may determine that the first condition is satisfied when 100 MB of a portion of the video file is transmitted.

In operation 607, the electronic device (101) may stop the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) if the first condition is satisfied. In operation 609, the electronic device (101) may store first NDP information for the first NDP session. If it is determined that the first condition is satisfied, the electronic device (101) may transmit an indication to the first external electronic device (610) to stop the first NDP session and switch the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) to an inactive state (sleep state). In addition, the electronic device (101) may store the first NDP information including at least a portion of schedule information, NDP ID, or NMI of the first NDP session. If the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) is a session that requires security, the first NDP information may further include security information.

In operation 611, the electronic device (101) can establish a second NDP session with a second external electronic device (620) (e.g., the electronic device (203) of FIG. 2). The electronic device (101) can transmit an NDP request to the second external electronic device (620) within the same discovery window period and receive a response, and through this process, can share a second NDP schedule with the second external electronic device (620).

In operation 613, the electronic device (101) may perform NAN data communication with a second external electronic device (620). The electronic device (101) may transmit data to the second external electronic device (620) according to a predetermined channel and time based on a second NDP schedule shared with the second external electronic device (620). At this time, the data transmitted to the second external electronic device (620) may be at least partially identical to the data transmitted to the first external electronic device (610).

In operation 615, the electronic device (101) may determine that a second condition is satisfied. For example, the second condition (e.g., the second condition of operation 311) may include at least one of: a set amount of time has elapsed since data was transmitted; an amount of data transmitted by the electronic device (101) to the second external electronic device (620) exceeds a set amount; an input for suspending a second NDP session with the second external electronic device (620) is received; or an input for establishing (or resuming) an NDP session with another external electronic device is received. For example, the electronic device (101) may determine that the second condition is satisfied when a user input for transmitting five image files is received, and one image file is transmitted. Alternatively, the electronic device (101) may determine that the second condition is satisfied when a user input for transmitting a video file is received, or when 100 MB of a portion of a video file is transmitted.

In operation 617, the electronic device (101) may stop the second NDP session with the second external electronic device if the second condition is satisfied. In operation 619, the electronic device (101) may store second NDP information for the second NDP session. If it is determined that the second condition is satisfied, the electronic device (101) may transmit an indication to the second external electronic device (620) to stop the second NDP session and switch the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (620) to an inactive state (sleep state). In addition, the electronic device (101) may store the second NDP information including at least a portion of the schedule information, NDP ID, or NMI of the second NDP session. If the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (620) is a session that requires security, the NDP information may further include security information.

In operation 621, the electronic device (101) may resume the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610). For example, the electronic device (101) may resume the first NDP session using the first NDP information stored when the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) was suspended. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may not transmit or receive security information included in the first NDP information again with the first external electronic device (610), so that the time required for the operation of resuming the first NDP session may be shorter than the time required for the operation of establishing the first NDP session.

In operation 623, the electronic device (101) may perform NAN data communication with the first external electronic device (610). The electronic device (101) may transmit at least a portion of the data of the content (or service) that the user wishes to transmit, excluding the data transmitted before the first NDP session was stopped. To this end, information about the data transmitted when the first NDP session was stopped may be stored.

In operation 625, the electronic device (101) may terminate the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (610). In operation 627, the electronic device (101) may terminate the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (620). The electronic device (101) may repeatedly perform operations of stopping and resuming the first NDP session and the second NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) and the second external electronic device (620) by performing operations 601 to 623 one or more times. When all the content (or service) to be transmitted is transmitted, the electronic device (101) may not maintain the first NDP session and the second NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) and the second external electronic device (620), and thus may terminate the first NDP session and the second NDP session with the first external electronic device (610) and the second external electronic device (620) without stopping them.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. FIG. 9a is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. FIG. 9b is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. FIG. 9c is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments.

In operation 701, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may perform NAN synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices. Performing NAN synchronization may mean activating a discovery window at the same time as a plurality of external electronic devices included in the same NAN cluster as the electronic device (101) (e.g., the NAN cluster (200) of FIG. 2).

In operation 703, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may identify a plurality of selected external electronic devices among a plurality of external electronic devices. The plurality of selected external electronic devices may be devices selected to transmit content. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the electronic device (101) may display a UI (800) for receiving an input of a device to transmit content among a plurality of external electronic devices (801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, or 810) synchronized to the NAN cluster. Meanwhile, the electronic device (101) may display the plurality of external electronic devices in the form of a list, or may display the plurality of external electronic devices so as to indicate the degree of proximity to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) can identify a plurality of external electronic devices (801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, or 810) selected from among a plurality of external electronic devices synchronized to the NAN cluster. Meanwhile, the number of the plurality of selected external electronic devices may exceed the maximum number of devices to which the electronic device (101) can simultaneously transmit data via NDP communication. For example, as in FIG. 9, even when the maximum number of devices to which the electronic device (101) can simultaneously transmit data via NDP communication is 2, the electronic device (101) can receive an input for selecting a plurality of external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, or 940) exceeding 2.

In operation 705, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may establish a first NDP session with at least one first external electronic device among a plurality of selected external electronic devices. The electronic device (101) may transmit a data path request NAF to each of the at least one first external electronic device within the same discovery window period. Then, the electronic device (101) may receive a data path response NAF from each of the at least one first external electronic device, thereby establishing a first NDP session with each of the at least one first external electronic device. When the maximum number of devices to which the electronic device (101) can simultaneously transmit data via NDP communication is 2, the number of at least one first external electronic device may be 2. For example, as in FIG. 9, a first NDP session can be established with each of at least one first external electronic device (910, 920) among a plurality of selected external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, or 940). At this time, the criterion for selecting at least one first external electronic device (910, 920) among a plurality of selected external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, and 940) can be determined according to the order in which the external electronic devices are selected or can be determined in the order in which the distances to the electronic device (101) are close. For example, at least one first external electronic device (910, 920) may be selected based on a communication history between the electronic device (101) and a plurality of external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, or 940) or a user account of the plurality of external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, or 940).

In operation 707, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may transmit first data to at least one first external electronic device through first NDP sessions. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the electronic device (101) may simultaneously transmit the first data to at least one first external electronic device (910, 920). The first data may be at least a portion of the content to be transmitted. For example, the content to be transmitted may be various, such as an image, a video, a contact, or text. When the content to be transmitted is a plurality of images, the first data may be data for one image among the plurality of images. When the content to be transmitted is a video, the first data may be data for a portion of the video.

In operation 709, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may store first NDP information for at least one first NDP session, pause at least one first NDP session, and establish at least one second NDP session with at least one first external electronic device and at least one second external electronic device among the selected plurality of external electronic devices, based on the first condition being satisfied. Meanwhile, some of the at least one first external electronic device may not pause the NDP session. Here, pausing the first NDP session may mean switching the first NDP session to an inactive state. The first condition may correspond to at least one of, for example, reaching a set period, or the amount of first data transmitted to at least one first external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, or a user input for stopping the first NDP session is received, or the distance of some of at least one first external electronic device exceeding a second threshold. For example, as in FIG. 9B, based on the first condition, the electronic device (101) may store first NDP information for the first NDP session with each of at least one first external electronic device (910, 920) and stop the first NDP session. The electronic device (101) may establish a second NDP session with each of at least one second external electronic device (930, 940) among the plurality of external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, or 940). The operation of the electronic device (101) establishing a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device may be identical to operation 705.

In operation 711, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may transmit second data to at least one second external electronic device through a second NDP session. While the electronic device (101) transmits the second data through the second NDP session, the first NDP session may be connected but in an inactive state. The content corresponding to the second data may be at least partially identical to the content corresponding to the first data. For example, when the content to be transmitted is a plurality of images, if the electronic device (101) stops the first NDP session after transmitting the first image to at least one first external electronic device, the electronic device (101) may transmit data for the first image to at least one second external electronic device.

In operation 713, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may store second NDP session information for at least one second NDP session, suspend at least one second NDP session, and resume at least one first NDP session based on the first NDP information, based on a second condition. The second condition may correspond to at least one of, for example, reaching a set period, an amount of second data transmitted to the second external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, a user input for suspending the second NDP session being received, or a distance of some of at least one of the second external electronic devices exceeding the second threshold. Meanwhile, resuming the first NDP session may mean switching the first NDP session from an inactive state to an active state by using the first NDP information stored when suspending the first NDP session. Accordingly, when performing an operation to resume the first NDP session, the operation of transmitting and receiving security information can be omitted. For example, as in FIG. 9C, based on the second condition, the electronic device (101) can store second NDP information for the second NDP session with each of at least one second external electronic device (930, 940) and stop the second NDP session. The first NDP session with each of at least one first external electronic device (910, 920) among the selected plurality of external electronic devices (910, 920, 930, or 940) can be resumed.

In operation 715, according to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 ) may transmit third data through the resumed at least one first NDP session. The third data may be data corresponding to at least a portion of the remaining portion of the content corresponding to the first data that was transmitted first among the contents selected by the user. For example, when the content to be transmitted is a plurality of images, the third data may be data for at least a portion of the images that were not transmitted among the plurality of images. When the content to be transmitted is a video, the third data may be data for at least a portion of the remaining portion excluding the first data that was transmitted before the first NDP session was stopped.

The electronic device (101) can repeat operations 705 to 715 until all transmission target contents selected by the user are transmitted.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. An electronic device (101), a first external electronic device (1010), and a second external electronic device (1020) may be synchronized to the same NAN cluster (1000). In addition, the electronic device (101) may be connected to a third external electronic device (1030) through communication (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). The electronic device (101) may receive an input for playing content. For example, the input for playing content may be an input for selecting an external electronic device for receiving data about the content. When a user input for selecting an external electronic device is received, the electronic device (101) may establish or resume an NDP session with the selected external electronic device, and may suspend or terminate an NDP session with an external electronic device other than the selected external electronic device.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (1010) and the second external electronic device (1020) may be synchronized to the same NAN cluster (1000), and the electronic device (101) and the third external electronic device (1030) (e.g., a Bluetooth speaker) may be connected via Bluetooth. In addition, the number of external electronic devices with which the electronic device (101) can simultaneously perform NDP communication may be set to 1. While the electronic device (101) establishes a first NDP session with the first external electronic device (1010) and transmits data, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for receiving and playing music from the second external electronic device (1020). When the third external electronic device (1030) is set as the default device for playing music, the electronic device (101) can stop the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (1010) and establish or resume the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (1020). Then, the electronic device (101) can receive data about music from the second external electronic device (1020) through the second NDP session and output the music through the third external electronic device (1030). Meanwhile, when all the music is played, the electronic device (101) can end or stop the second NDP session with the second external electronic device (1020) and resume the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (1010). Using the information stored when the electronic device (101) stops the first NDP session with the first external electronic device (1010), the electronic device (101) can continue transmitting data that was being transmitted before stopping the first NDP session.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. The embodiment of FIG. 11 may assume that the maximum number of terminals to which an electronic device (101) can simultaneously transmit data through NDP communication is 2, and that an electronic device (DevA) (101) transmits data to a first external electronic device (DevB) (1110), a second external electronic device (DevC) (1120), a third external electronic device (DevD) (1130), a fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140), and a fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150). As illustrated in FIG. 11, the electronic device (101), the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110), the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120), the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130), the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140), and the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150) can be synchronized to the same NAN cluster.

The electronic device (101) can establish an NDP session with each of the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120) in the discovery window (DW) 0 (1101). The electronic device (101) can transmit data to the first external electronic device (1110) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120) through each NDP session in the section between DW0 (1101) and DW1 (1103). For example, channel 149 can be formed with an NDL schedule between the electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) and an NDL schedule between the electronic device (101) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120), and data can be transmitted through each established NDP. The electronic device (101) can stop the NDP session with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120) in the DW1 (1103) section. As an operation of stopping the NDP session, the electronic device (101) can store NDP session information with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) and store NDP session information with the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120).

And, the electronic device (101) can establish an NDP session with each of the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140) in the DW1 (1103) section. The electronic device (101) can transmit data to the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140) through each NDP session in the section between DW1 (1103) and DW2 (1105). For example, channel 149 can be formed with an NDL schedule between the electronic device (101) and the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130) and an NDL schedule between the electronic device (101) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140), and data can be transmitted through each established NDP. While the electronic device (101) transmits data to the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140), the NDP session with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120) may not be terminated and may remain in an inactive state. The electronic device (101) may stop the NDP session with the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140) in the DW2 (1105) section. As an operation of stopping the NDP session, the electronic device (101) may store NDP session information with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) and store NDP session information with the second external electronic device (DevC) (1120).

And, the electronic device (101) can establish an NDP session with the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150) in the DW2 (1105) section. Meanwhile, since the maximum number of electronic devices with which the electronic device (101) can communicate simultaneously through the NDP session is 2, the electronic device (101) can activate an NDP session with the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150) and another external electronic device. Accordingly, the NDP session with any of the external electronic devices (1110, 1120, 1130, or 1140) whose NDP session has been suspended can be resumed. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the electronic device (101) can resume an NDP session with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110). The electronic device (101) can transmit data to the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150) and the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110) through their respective NDP sessions in the section between DW2 (1105) and DW3 (not shown). For example, channel 149 can be formed by the NDL schedule between the electronic device (101) and the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150) and the NDL schedule between the electronic device (101) and the first external electronic device (1110), and data can be transmitted through the respective established NDPs. While the electronic device (101) transmits data to the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1150) and the first external electronic device (DevB) (1110), the NDP sessions with the second external electronic device (1110), the third external electronic device (DevD) (1130), and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1140) may not be terminated and may remain in an inactive state.

The electronic device (101) can repeat the above operation (i.e., stopping and resuming the NDP session) until all the content to be transmitted is transmitted. Meanwhile, in the description of the embodiment of FIG. 11, it was described that the NDP is maintained in a stopped or resumed state in the section between DWs, but the NDP session can also be switched in a stopped or resumed state in the section between DWs depending on whether a condition is satisfied. For example, the NDP session can be switched in a stopped or resumed state based on a preset time in the section between DWs.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method for an electronic device to perform NAN-based communication with a plurality of external electronic devices according to various embodiments. The embodiment of FIG. 12 may assume that the maximum number of terminals to which an electronic device (DevA) (101) can simultaneously transmit data via NDP communication is 2, and that data is transmitted to a first external electronic device (DevB) (1210), a second external electronic device (DevC) (1220), a third external electronic device (DevD) (1230), a fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240), and a fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250). As illustrated in FIG. 12, the electronic device (101), the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210), the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220), the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230), the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240), and the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250) can be synchronized to the same NAN cluster. In addition, it can be assumed that before DW0 (1201), the electronic device (101) has stopped the NDP session with each of the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210), the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220), the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230), the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240), and the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250).

The electronic device (101) can resume an NDP session with each of the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220) in the DW0 (1201) section. For example, the electronic device (101) can transmit an NAF and an SDF for resuming an NDP session to each of the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220) in the DW0 (1201) section. The electronic device (101) can resume the NDP session without performing a series of operations for establishing an NDP session by using the information (e.g., NDL schedule, NDI, NMI, channel, NDP ID, security information, and/or content sequence information) stored when suspending the NDP session with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220). In addition, the electronic device (101) can transmit data to the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220) through each NDP session in the section between DW0 (1201) and DW1 (1203). And, the electronic device (101) can stop the NDP session with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) and the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220) in the DW1 (1203) section. As an operation of stopping the NDP session, the electronic device (101) can store NDP session information with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) and store NDP session information with the second external electronic device (DevC) (1220).

And, the electronic device (101) can resume the NDP session with each of the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240) in the DW1 (1203) section. For example, the electronic device (101) can transmit the NAF and SDF for resuming the NDP session to each of the third external electronic device (1310) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240) in the DW1 (1203) section. The electronic device (101) can resume the NDP session without performing a series of operations for establishing an NDP session by using the information (e.g., NDL schedule, NDI, NMI, channel, NDP ID, security information, and/or content sequence information) stored when suspending the NDP session with the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240) before DW1 (1203). In addition, the electronic device (101) can transmit data to the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240) through each NDP session in the section between DW1 (1203) and DW2 (1205). And, the electronic device (101) can stop the NDP session with the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230) and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240) in the DW2 (1205) section. As an operation of stopping the NDP session, the electronic device (101) can store NDP session information with the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230) and store NDP session information with the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240).

And, the electronic device (101) can resume the NDP session with the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250) in the DW2 (1205) section. Meanwhile, since the maximum number of electronic devices with which the electronic device (101) can communicate simultaneously through the NDP session is 2, the electronic device (101) can resume the NDP session with the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250) and one more external electronic device. Accordingly, the NDP session with any of the external electronic devices (1210, 1220, 1230, or 1240) whose NDP session was suspended can be resumed. In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the electronic device (101) can resume the NDP session with the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210). The electronic device (101) can transmit data to the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250) and the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) through their respective NDP sessions in the section between DW2 (1205) and DW3 (not shown). While the electronic device (101) transmits data to the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250) and the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210), the NDP sessions with the second external electronic device (DevB) (1210), the third external electronic device (DevD) (1230), and the fourth external electronic device (DevE) (1240) may not be terminated and may remain in an inactive state. According to one embodiment, in the section between DW2 (1205) and DW3 (not shown), at least a portion of the data transmitted to the fifth external electronic device (DevF) (1250) and the first external electronic device (DevB) (1210) through each NDP session may be different.

The electronic device (101) can repeat the above operation (i.e., stopping and resuming the NDP session) until all the content to be transmitted is transmitted. Meanwhile, in the description of the embodiment of FIG. 12, it was described that the NDP is maintained in a stopped or resumed state in the section between DWs, but the NDP session can be switched to a stopped or resumed state in the section between DWs as well, depending on whether a condition is satisfied. For example, the NDP session can be switched to a stopped or resumed state based on a preset time in the section between DWs.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) includes a communication module (190), a processor (120) operatively connected to the communication module (190), and at least one memory (130) operatively connected to the processor (120), wherein the at least one memory (130) is configured to, when executed, cause the processor (120) to perform neighbor awareness networking (NAN) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices through the communication module (190), establish a first NDP (NAN data path) session with at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices, transmit first data to the at least one first external electronic device through the first NDP session, and, based on a first condition, store first NDP information for the first NDP session, pause the first NDP session, and initiate a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices. The instructions may be stored to establish a session, transmit second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the second NDP session, store second NDP information for the second NDP session based on a second condition, suspend the second NDP session, resume the first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and transmit third data to the at least one first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the instructions cause the processor (120) to identify at least one transmission target content to be transmitted to the first external electronic device, the first data may be at least a portion of the at least one transmission target content, and the third data may be at least a portion of the remaining portion of the at least one transmission target content excluding the first data.

According to various embodiments, the first condition may correspond to at least one of: reaching a set period, the amount of the first data transmitted to the first external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, receiving a user input for stopping the first NDP session, or a distance between the electronic device and the first external electronic device exceeding a set distance.

According to various embodiments, the second condition may correspond to at least one of: reaching a set period, the amount of the second data transmitted to the second external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, receiving a user input for resuming the first NDP session, or a distance between the electronic device and the second external electronic device exceeding a set distance.

According to various embodiments, the first NDP information may include setup information for the first NDP session and content information for the first data.

According to various embodiments, the setup information may include at least some of an NDP ID, a NAN management interface address (NMI), security information, and NDP session schedule information.

According to various embodiments, the content information may include at least a portion of an ID of the content, sequence information, and information about a portion of the content transmitted among the entire content, of which at least a portion of the data was transmitted through the first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the content corresponding to the first data and the content corresponding to the second data may be at least partially identical.

According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause the processor (120) to receive a user's input for playing content, identify a third external electronic device corresponding to the content among the plurality of external electronic devices, suspend an NDP session being used among the first NDP session or the second NDP session, establish a third NDP session with the third external electronic device or resume the third NDP session, and transmit data corresponding to the content to the third external electronic device through the third NDP session.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (101) includes a communication module (190), a processor (120) operatively connected to the communication module (190), and at least one memory (130) operatively connected to the processor (120), wherein the at least one memory (130) is configured to, when executed, cause the processor (120) to perform NAN (neighbor awareness networking) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices through the communication module (190), identify a plurality of external electronic devices selected from the plurality of external electronic devices, establish at least one first NDP (NAN data path) session with each of at least one first external electronic device among the selected plurality of external electronic devices, transmit first data to the at least one first external electronic device through the at least one first NDP session, and, based on a first condition being satisfied, store first NDP information for the at least one first NDP session, pause the at least one first NDP session, and terminate the selected plurality of The instructions may be stored to establish at least one second NDP session with each of at least one first external electronic device and at least one second external electronic device among external electronic devices, transmit second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the at least one second NDP session, store second NDP session information for the at least one second NDP session based on a second condition being satisfied, suspend the at least one second NDP session, resume the at least one first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and transmit third data through the resumed at least one first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause the processor (120) to identify the plurality of external electronic devices selected from among the plurality of external electronic devices based on a user input.

According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause the processor (120) to, at least as part of an operation of establishing at least one first NDP session with each of the at least one first external electronic device among the selected plurality of external electronic devices, determine a maximum number of devices with which the electronic device can simultaneously perform NDP communication, and determine the at least one first external electronic device based on the maximum number of devices.

According to various embodiments, the first condition may correspond to at least one of: reaching a set period, an amount of the first data transmitted to the at least one first external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, or receiving a user input terminating the at least one first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the second condition may correspond to at least one of: reaching a set period, the amount of the second data transmitted to the at least one second external electronic device exceeding a first threshold, or receiving a user input resuming the at least one first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the first NDP information may include setup information for each of the at least one first NDP sessions and content information for the first data.

According to various embodiments, the setup information may include at least some of an NDP ID, a NAN management interface address (NMI), security information, and NDP session schedule information.

According to various embodiments, the content information may include at least a portion of an ID of the content, sequence information, and information about a portion of the content transmitted among the entire content, of which at least a portion of data was transmitted through the at least one first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, at least a portion of the content corresponding to the first data and the content corresponding to the second data may be identical.

According to various embodiments, a method for transmitting data by an electronic device includes: performing neighbor awareness networking (NAN) synchronization with a plurality of external electronic devices; establishing a first NDP (NAN data path) session with at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices; transmitting first data to the at least one first external electronic device through the first NDP session; storing first NDP information for the first NDP session based on a first condition, pausing the first NDP session, and establishing a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices; transmitting second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the second NDP session; storing second NDP information for the second NDP session based on a second condition, pausing the second NDP session, and terminating the first NDP session based on the first NDP information. The operation may include resuming the first NDP session, and transmitting third data to the at least one first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session.

According to various embodiments, the instructions cause the processor (120) to identify at least one transmission target content to be transmitted to the first external electronic device, the first data may be at least a portion of the at least one transmission target content, and the third data may be at least a portion of the remaining portion of the at least one transmission target content excluding the first data.

The master device or task performing device according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be a variety of devices. The master device or task performing device may include, for example, a computer device, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. The master device or task performing device according to the embodiments of this document is not limited to the aforementioned devices.

The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term "module" as used in this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory or an external memory) readable by a machine (e.g., a master device or a task performing device). For example, a processor of the machine (e.g., a master device or a task performing device) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, ‘non-transitory’ simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store ^™ ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims (20)

In electronic devices,
Communication module;
a processor operatively connected to the communication module; and
At least one memory operatively connected to the processor, the at least one memory being configured to cause the processor, when executed, to:
Through the above communication module, NAN (neighbor awareness networking) synchronization is performed with multiple external electronic devices,
Establishing a first NDP (NAN data path) session with at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices,
Transmitting first data to at least one first external electronic device through the first NDP session;
Based on the first condition, storing the first NDP information for the first NDP session, pausing the first NDP session, and establishing a second NDP session with at least one second external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices,
Transmitting second data to the at least one second external electronic device through the second NDP session;
Based on the second condition, storing the second NDP information for the second NDP session, stopping the second NDP session, and resuming the first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and
Store instructions for transmitting third data to the at least one first external electronic device through the resumed first NDP session,
The first NDP information includes setup information for the first NDP session or content information for the first data, and
An electronic device, wherein the content information includes at least a part of an ID of the content, sequence information, or information about a portion of the content transmitted among the entire content, of which at least a part of the data is transmitted through the first NDP session.
In the first paragraph,
The above instructions cause the processor to,
To identify at least one transmission target content to be transmitted to the first external electronic device,
An electronic device, wherein the first data is at least a portion of the at least one transmission target content, and the third data is at least a portion of the remaining portion of the at least one transmission target content excluding the first data.
In the first paragraph,
The first condition above is,
An electronic device, wherein at least one of the following occurs: when a set period is reached, when the amount of the first data transmitted to the first external electronic device exceeds a first threshold, when a user input for stopping the first NDP session is received, or when the distance between the electronic device and the first external electronic device exceeds a set distance.
In the first paragraph,
The second condition above is,
An electronic device, wherein at least one of the following occurs: when a set period is reached, when the amount of the second data transmitted to the second external electronic device exceeds a first threshold, when a user input for resuming the first NDP session is received, or when the distance between the electronic device and the second external electronic device exceeds a set distance.
delete In the first paragraph,
An electronic device, wherein the above setup information includes at least a portion of NDP ID, NMI (NAN management interface address), security information, or NDP session schedule information.
delete In the first paragraph,
An electronic device in which content corresponding to the first data and content corresponding to the second data are at least partially identical.
In the first paragraph,
The above instructions cause the processor to,
Receive user input to play the above content,
Identifying a third external electronic device for receiving the content among the plurality of external electronic devices;
Stop the NDP session being used among the first NDP session or the second NDP session, establish a third NDP session with the third external electronic device, or resume the third NDP session,
An electronic device that receives data corresponding to the content from the third external electronic device through the third NDP session.
In electronic devices,
Communication module;
a processor operatively connected to the communication module; and
At least one memory operatively connected to the processor, the at least one memory being configured to cause the processor, when executed, to:
Through the above communication module, NAN (neighbor awareness networking) synchronization is performed with multiple external electronic devices,
Checking a plurality of external electronic devices selected from the plurality of external electronic devices,
Establishing at least one first NDP (NAN data path) session with each of at least one first external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices selected above,
Transmitting first data to at least one first external electronic device via at least one first NDP session;
Based on the first condition, storing first NDP information for the at least one first NDP session, pausing the at least one first NDP session, and establishing at least one second NDP session with each of the at least one first external electronic device and at least one second external electronic device among the selected plurality of external electronic devices,
Transmitting second data to the at least one second external electronic device via the at least one second NDP session;
Based on the second condition, storing second NDP session information for the at least one second NDP session, suspending the at least one second NDP session, and resuming the at least one first NDP session based on the first NDP information, and
Store instructions for transmitting third data through at least one of the resumed first NDP sessions,
The first NDP information includes setup information for the first NDP session or content information for the first data, and
An electronic device, wherein the content information includes at least a part of an ID of the content, sequence information, or information about a portion of the content transmitted among the entire content, of which at least a part of the data is transmitted through the first NDP session.
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