Claims:WE CLAIM

1. A method for selecting Visible light communication Personal Area Network Coordinators (VPANCs), the method comprising:
creating, by a controller, channel scan parameters and VPANC controlling parameters for each of a plurality of VPANCs based on VPANC information received from each of the plurality of VPANCs, wherein VPANC controlling parameters created for a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs are associated with VPANCs and dead zones neighboring the VPANC; and
sharing, by the controller, channel scan parameters and VPANC controlling parameters associated with at least one VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs with each of the plurality of VPANCs, wherein sharing enables an End User Device (EUD) communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of VPANCs to select a new VPANC from the plurality of VPANCs.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, by a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs, the channel scan parameters and the VPANC controlling parameters associated with the at least one VPANC; and
creating, by the VPANC, a set of customized channel scan parameters and VPANC selection policy for each EUD communicatively coupled to the VPANC based on the channel scan parameters and the VPANC controlling parameters associated with the at least one VPANC, a set of customized channel scan parameters and a VPANC selection policy created for the EUD being used by the EUD to select the new VPANC.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising collecting VPANC information from each of the plurality of VPANCs.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein VPANC information collected from a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs comprises neighboring VPANC information, geo-location of the VPANC, current load on the VPANC, backhaul throughput configured for the VPANC, and currently used backhaul throughput by the VPANC.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein neighboring VPANC information comprises channel quality measurement report and VPANC-ID for each neighboring VPANC of the VPANC.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing VPANC controlling parameters associated with each of the plurality of VPANCs in a memory of the controller.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein VPANC controlling parameters associated with a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs comprises number of neighboring VPANCs of the VPANC, list of the neighboring VPANCs, geo-location of dead zones near the VPANC, and VPANC measurement reports associated with each neighboring VPANC.
8. The method of claim 7, where a VPANC measurement report associated with a neighboring VPANC of the VPANC comprises VPANC-Identifier (ID) of the neighboring VPANC, channel quality of the neighboring VPANC as measured by the VPANC, geo-location of the neighboring VPANC, current load of the neighboring VPANC, backhaul throughput configured for the neighboring VPANC, and currently used backhaul throughput for the neighboring VPANC.
9. The method of claim 7 further comprising removing a neighboring VPANC from the list of the neighboring VPANCs, when channel quality of the neighboring VPANC falls below a channel quality threshold.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the list of neighboring VPANCs is used by the VPANC to perform channel scan and gather channel quality measurement for each neighboring VPANC in the list of neighboring VPANCs.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel scan parameters and the VPANC controlling parameters associated with the at least one VPANC are shared in response to one of: expiry of a predefined time interval or request initiated by an EUD communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of VPANCs.
12. A controller in a Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) network, the controller comprising:
a network interface communicatively coupled to a plurality of Visible light communication Personal Area Network Coordinators (VPANCs);
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
creating channel scan parameters and VPANC controlling parameters for each of a plurality of VPANCs based on VPANC information received from each of the plurality of VPANCs, wherein VPANC controlling parameters created for a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs are associated with VPANCs and dead zones neighboring the VPANC; and
sharing channel scan parameters and VPANC controlling parameters associated with at least one VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs with each of the plurality of VPANCs, wherein sharing enables an End User Device (EUD) communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of VPANCs to select a new VPANC from the plurality of VPANCs.
13. The controller of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise collecting VPANC information from each of the plurality of VPANCs.
14. The controller of claim 12, wherein VPANC information collected from a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs comprises neighboring VPANC information, geo-location of the VPANC, current load on the VPANC, backhaul throughput configured for the VPANC, and currently used backhaul throughput by the VPANC.
15. The controller of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise storing VPANC controlling parameters associated with each of the plurality of VPANCs in a memory of the controller.
16. The controller of claim 12, wherein VPANC controlling parameters associated with a VPANC of the plurality of VPANCs comprises number of neighboring VPANCs of the VPANC, list of the neighboring VPANCs, geo-location of dead zones near the VPANC, and VPANC measurement reports associated with each neighboring VPANC.
17. The controller of claim 16, where a VPANC measurement report associated with a neighboring VPANC of the VPANC comprises VPANC-Identifier (ID) of the neighboring VPANC, channel quality of the neighboring VPANC as measured by the VPANC, geo-location of the neighboring VPANC, current load of the neighboring VPANC, backhaul throughput configured for the neighboring VPANC, and currently used backhaul throughput for the neighboring VPANC.
18. The controller of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise removing a neighboring VPANC from the list of the neighboring VPANCs, when channel quality of the neighboring VPANC falls below a channel quality threshold.
19. The controller of claim 12, wherein the channel scan parameters and the VPANC controlling parameters associated with the at least one VPANC are shared in response to one of: expiry of a predefined time interval or request initiated by an EUD communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of VPANCs.

Dated this October 28, 2016
Swetha SN
Of K&S Partners
Agent for the Applicant
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure relates generally to Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) networks and more particularly to controller and associated method for selecting visible light communication personal area network coordinator (VPANC).