Patent ID: 7269198

Claim:
In a wireless network including a plurality of nodes, a method of performing neighbor discovery, the method comprising: generating a signal at a first node for alerting other nodes in the network of the presence of the first node, the signal comprising a spread signal; broadcasting the signal from the first node, the broadcasted signal having a low probability of detection by an unintended receiver, receiving the signal at a second node; filtering the received signal at the second node using a filter matched to a spreading sequence or code used to spread the signal; calculating an energy associated with the filtered signal; establishing a threshold; determining whether the energy is greater than the threshold; identifying, by the second node, the first node as a neighbor node when the energy is greater than the threshold; transmitting a message from the second node to the first node, the message comprising information identifying the second node; repeating the broadcasting of the signal from the first node; adjusting a power level associated with broadcasting the signal based on whether the message from the second node has been received by the first node; and changing, by the first node, the spreading sequence or code used to spread the signal after a number of broadcasts.