A station wakeup method and station

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose a station wake-up method and a station, wherein the station wake-up method can comprise: sending, by the station, a first wireless frame to an access point, the first wireless frame containing first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy-saving mode; sending, by the station, a second wireless frame to the access point, the second wireless frame containing second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the station enters a wake-up radio (WUR) sleep mode; when the station is in both the traditional energy-saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, receiving, by the station, a wake-up frame, and then waking up a main transceiver, wherein the main transceiver does not wake up according to a preset time period. According to the embodiments of the present application, the traditional energy-saving mode and the WUR sleep mode can be integrated, and the power consumption of the station is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a station wakeup method and a station. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a wireless fidelity (WiFi) network, a considerable part of energy of a device is wasted in monitoring when there is no received signal. Current related solutions in a traditional 802.11 protocol (802.11b / a / g / n / ac, etc.) focus on optimizing the sleep strategy of the device. In addition to optimizing the sleep strategy, another way to reduce the energy waste of the device is to use a low-power wakeup radio (WUR). In addition to a traditional 802.11 main transceiver, the station adds a WUR. When the main transceiver enters deep sleep, the low-power WUR wakes up to work. If other stations need to communicate with the station, a wake up packet (WUP) is first sent to the WUR of the station. After the WUR correctly receives the WUP sent to itself, the main transceiver is woken up for communication. This technology uses a low-power WUR to replace the main transceiver to listen to the channel when the medium is idle, which can effectively reduce the energy waste of the station. However, there is no specification in the industry on how to integrate the energy-saving mode with the WUR enabled into the existing system. SUMMARY

[0003] Embodiments of the present application provide a station wakeup method and a station, which can integrate a traditional energy-saving mode and a WUR sleep mode, and reduce the power consumption of the station.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a station wakeup method, which is applied to a station. The station can include a wakeup receiver and a main transceiver. The station sends a first wireless frame to an access point. The first wireless frame includes first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy-saving mode. The traditional energy-saving mode is a mode in which the main transceiver wakes up and receives a beacon frame sent by the access point according to a preset time period.

[0005] The station sends a second wireless frame to the access point. The second wireless frame includes second indication information. The second indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a WUR sleep mode. The WUR sleep mode is a mode in which the wakeup receiver of the station wakes up the main transceiver in a sleep state when receiving a wake up frame.

[0006] When the station is in both the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode, and the wake-up receiver of the station receives the wake-up frame, the main transceiver in the sleep state is woken up, wherein the main transceiver of the station can not wake up according to the preset time period. Alternatively, the meaning that the main transceiver of the station can not wake up according to the preset time period can be that the main transceiver of the station can wake up, but the wake-up time is not according to the preset time period in the legacy power save mode, for example, the wake-up time of the main transceiver does not exist in a period, or the wake-up time period is a multiple of the preset time period in the legacy power save mode. The meaning that the main transceiver of the station can not wake up according to the preset time period can also be that the main transceiver of the station does not wake up, and the main transceiver is only woken up when the wake-up receiver of the station receives the wake-up frame.

[0007] In a possible design, before the station sends the first wireless frame to the access point, the station can also send a listening interval parameter to the access point, the value of the listening interval parameter is a preset value, the listening interval parameter is used to indicate the length of the preset time period when waking up according to the preset time period in the legacy power save mode, and the preset value is used to represent that the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period. Alternatively, the preset value can be that 16 bits of the listening interval parameter are all 1, that is, 65535.

[0008] In a possible design, since the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period, the downlink traffic indication information of the station can also not be included in the beacon frame sent by the AP.

[0009] In a possible design, the second wireless frame can also include third indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate whether the access point includes the downlink traffic indication information of the station in the beacon frame.

[0010] In a possible design, after the station sends the second wireless frame to the access point, the station can also receive the first response frame sent by the access point, the first response frame includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode.

[0011] If the fourth indication information in the first response frame indicates that the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode, the station enters the WUR sleep mode.

[0012] In a possible design, when the station needs to close the WUR sleep mode, the station can send a third wireless frame to the access point, the third wireless frame includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the station closes the WUR sleep mode.

[0013] When the access point receives the third wireless frame, a second response frame is sent to the station, and the station receives the second response frame, wherein the second response frame contains sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode.

[0014] If the sixth indication information in the second response frame indicates that the station is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode, the station closes the WUR sleep mode, and after the station closes the WUR sleep mode, the station is in a traditional energy saving mode. Further, the station wakes up according to a preset time period and receives a beacon frame sent by the access point.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a station, which comprises a wake-up receiver and a main transceiver. The main transceiver is configured to send a first wireless frame to an access point, wherein the first wireless frame contains first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy saving mode, and the traditional energy saving mode is a mode in which the main transceiver wakes up according to a preset time period and receives a beacon frame sent by the access point.

[0016] The main transceiver is further configured to send a second wireless frame to the access point, wherein the second wireless frame contains second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a wake-up radio (WUR) sleep mode, and the WUR sleep mode is a mode in which the main transceiver is in a dormant state and is woken up by the wake-up receiver when the wake-up receiver receives a wake-up frame.

[0017] The wake-up receiver is configured to receive a wake-up frame and wake up the main transceiver when the station is in both the traditional energy saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, and the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period.

[0018] By implementing the embodiment of the present application, the station sends a first wireless frame to an access point, wherein the first wireless frame contains first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy saving mode. The station sends a second wireless frame to the access point, wherein the second wireless frame contains second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a WUR sleep mode. When the station is in both the traditional energy saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, the station does not wake up according to a preset time period, but only wakes up the main transceiver when a wake-up frame is received. In this way, the newly added WUR sleep mode can be organically integrated with the traditional energy saving mode, and the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period, so that the power consumption of the station can be saved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application or the background art will be described below.

[0020] Figure 1 is an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2a is a data monitoring schematic diagram in the prior art;

[0022] Figure 2b is a data monitoring schematic diagram in the prior art;

[0023] Figure 3 is a possible structure schematic diagram of a low-power wake-up receiver provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 4a is a frame structure schematic diagram of a WUP provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4b is another frame structure schematic diagram of a WUP provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5 is an AP and STA interaction diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 is a flow interaction diagram of a station wake-up method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 7 is a structure schematic diagram of a first wireless frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 8 is a structure schematic diagram of a WUR sleep mode request frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 9 is a structure schematic diagram of a WUR sleep mode unit provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 10 is a structure schematic diagram of a WUR sleep mode response frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 11 is another structure schematic diagram of a WUR sleep mode request frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 12 is a structure schematic diagram of a station provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The main transceiver of the embodiment of the present application can be an 802.11 main transceiver.

[0036] The wake-up receiver in this embodiment of the invention can be a wake-up radio (WUR) component added to the site.

[0037] This invention can be applied to Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Currently, the standard used for WLANs is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series. A WLAN can include multiple Basic Service Sets (BSSs), and each BSS can contain one Access Point (AP) and multiple Stations (STAs) associated with that AP.

[0038] An AP, also known as a wireless access point or hotspot, is an access point for mobile users to access a wired network. It is primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. It can also be deployed outdoors. An AP acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, an AP can be a terminal device or network device with a WiFi chip. Optionally, the AP can be a device supporting the 802.11ax standard; further optionally, it can be a device supporting multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0039] The STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. Examples include: mobile phones supporting WiFi communication, tablets supporting WiFi communication, set-top boxes supporting WiFi communication, smart TVs supporting WiFi communication, smart wearable devices supporting WiFi communication, in-vehicle communication devices supporting WiFi communication, and computers supporting WiFi communication. Optionally, the STA can support the 802.11ax standard; further optionally, the station supports multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0040] like Figure 1 The diagram shown illustrates an application scenario of a BSS provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The BSS includes an AP, STA1, STA2, and STA3, which are associated with the AP. The site in this embodiment of the present invention can be... Figure 1 Any STA in the network, the access point can be this Figure 1The number of STAs in the embodiment of the application is only an example.

[0041] In a WiFi network, a considerable part of energy of a station is wasted in monitoring when there is no received signal. The current related solutions in the traditional 802.11 protocol (802.11b / a / g / n / ac, etc.) focus on optimizing the sleep strategy of the station. For example, Figure 2a As shown in FIG. 1, when there is no message transmission and reception of the STA (such as a data transmission and reception stage), if the channel is continuously monitored, considerable energy will be consumed. Therefore Figure 2b A sleep mechanism is introduced in FIG. 2, so that the STA can enter deep sleep when there is no data transmission and reception, so as to reduce the energy consumption of continuous channel monitoring. However, when the STA is in deep sleep, the AP cannot communicate with the STA, and data transmission and reception between the two can only be performed after the STA wakes up, which may cause a certain time delay. In order to avoid high time delay caused by the sleep mechanism, the STA usually follows a certain sleep strategy to wake up to check whether there is data to be received according to a preset time period, which however reduces the sleep efficiency of the STA, because a lot of energy is consumed when waking up according to the preset time period but there is no useful data to be transmitted and received.

[0042] In addition to optimizing the sleep strategy, another technical approach to reduce the energy waste caused by station channel monitoring is to use a low-power wake-up receiver, which can also be referred to as a wake-up radio (WUR). With the evolution of the wireless local area network (WLAN) standard, the IEEE 802.11 working group is preparing to study and develop the 802.11 standard based on WUR to reduce power consumption. The 802.11 standard was established in the IEEE Study Group (SG) in June 2016.

[0043] The technology based on WUR is that the receiving end device (such as the STA) includes a low-power wake-up receiver in addition to the traditional 802.11 main transceiver, as shown in FIG. 3. Figure 3 When the 802.11 main transceiver enters deep sleep, the low-power wake-up receiver wakes up and starts to work. If other devices (such as the AP) need to communicate with the device (such as the STA) with the wake-up receiver and the 802.11 main transceiver, Figure 3 Figure 3 ​In the WUR sleep mode, the STA (or the WUR receiver) is in sleep state, and the WUR receiver is in wake-up state. When the STA (or the WUR receiver) needs to communicate with the AP, the AP first sends a wake-up frame (WUP), and the WUR receiver wakes up the 802.11 main transceiver of the STA after correctly receiving the WUP sent to the WUR receiver, and then the WUR receiver enters the sleep state, and the AP communicates with the 802.11 main transceiver. When the 802.11 main transceiver of the STA completes the communication with the AP, the 802.11 main transceiver enters the sleep state, and the WUR receiver starts to listen to whether there is a WUP sent to the WUR receiver to wake up the 802.11 main transceiver.

[0044] The technology uses a low-power wake-up receiver to replace the 802.11 main transceiver to listen to the channel when the medium is idle (here, the energy consumption of the WUR listening state / receiving state is about 0.1-1% of the 802.11 main transceiver, that is, less than 100 uW), which can effectively reduce the energy waste of the device. Therefore, the embodiment of the application refers to the energy-saving mode of the STA based on the wake-up receiver as the WUR sleep mode, that is, when the wake-up receiver of the station receives the wake-up frame, the main transceiver in the sleep state is woken up, so as to avoid the energy waste of the main transceiver listening to the channel.

[0045] In order to realize low power consumption, the circuit structure, frame structure design (such as WUP) and the like of the wake-up receiver need to be designed to be relatively simple and low complexity. For example, the circuit structure of the wake-up receiver can only include an energy detection (energy detect) and a radio frequency (RF) part, and therefore cannot demodulate some complex modulation modes. Therefore, the WUP can use an On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation mode, a Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) or a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) which are simple to implement.

[0046] Optionally, a possible WUP frame structure is as follows Figure 4aAs shown, the first part is the 802.11 Legacy 802.11 preamble, which can be understood by other nearby 802.11 devices (802.11 devices that hear this Legacy 802.11 preamble will not preempt the channel for a period of time). This Legacy 802.11 preamble is used to protect the subsequent parts of the wake-up frame from interference by other Legacy 802.11 devices. Following the Legacy 802.11 preamble is the WUP payload, which uses OOK modulation and can only be understood by the wake-up receiver. The WUP payload may include the Wake-Up Preamble, Media Access Control (MAC) header, frame body, and Frame Check Sequence (FCS). The Wake-Up Preamble is used to identify the WUP signal, the MAC header includes the WUR ID, which is used to distinguish different WURs. The frame body carries other information to ensure that the received data is the same as the transmitted data. Here, the WUR ID information can be a partial or complete site association identifier, an identifier for the WUR assigned to the site by the AP, the site's receive MAC address or part of the receive MAC address, or other WUR information that can distinguish different sites. Additionally, the WUP payload can be narrowband transmission, meaning the WUP payload differs from the traditional 802.11 preamble based on a 20M bandwidth as the basic transmission unit. For example, this narrowband can be 1M, 2M, 4M, 8M, 16M, etc. The WUP payload can also be transmitted based on a 20M bandwidth as the basic unit.

[0047] Figure 4b Another possible WUP frame structure is shown, which includes the 802.11 traditional preamble, wake-up preamble, signaling fields (used to carry some physical layer signaling, such as AP identifier, WUR ID, modulation and coding indication, etc.), MAC header, frame body, and frame check sequence.

[0048] In the specific process of waking up radio communication, such as Figure 5 As shown, the AP sends a wake-up frame to a single STA. After receiving the wake-up frame, the STA sends a PS-Poll frame or an acknowledgment frame to the AP to indicate that it has woken up. Then, the AP replies with an ACK frame or directly transmits a data frame to the STA. Alternatively, the AP can directly send a data frame to the STA after it has been woken up, without waiting for the STA to send a PS-Poll frame.

[0049] As can be known from the above, when the station is equipped with the wake-up receiver and works based on the wake-up receiver, the energy consumption is far less than that when the station always works based on the 802.11 main transceiver, the energy-saving mode in which the station works based on the wake-up receiver is referred to as a WUR sleep mode, when the station works in the WUR sleep mode, the main transceiver is in a sleep state, when the wake-up receiver receives the wake-up frame, the main transceiver in the sleep state is woken up, and after the main transceiver wakes up, the main transceiver of the station can communicate with the access point.

[0050] However, the station currently has a traditional energy-saving mode, that is, the main transceiver of the station wakes up according to a preset time period, and after the main transceiver of the station wakes up, the station can receive the beacon frame sent by the AP, and the beacon frame contains downlink service indication information of the station.

[0051] The station equipped with the wake-up receiver can work based on both the traditional energy-saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, and how to integrate the two energy-saving modes is a technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present application.

[0052] To solve the above technical problem, the embodiments of the present application provide a solution that when the station is in both the traditional energy-saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, the main transceiver of the station no longer wakes up according to the preset time period, but detects whether the wake-up frame is received, if the wake-up frame is received, the main transceiver in the sleep state is woken up, and the main transceiver no longer wakes up according to the preset time period, here, not waking up according to the preset time period means not waking up, or can mean waking up, but the time of waking up can not be according to the preset time period. In this way, the station equipped with the wake-up receiver can not only be compatible with the original traditional energy-saving mode, but also save the energy consumption of the station.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 6 A flow interaction diagram of a station wake-up method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in the figure, and the station wake-up method of the embodiments of the present application can include the following steps:

[0054] S10, the station sends a first wireless frame to the access point, the first wireless frame contains first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy-saving mode, and the traditional energy-saving mode is a mode in which the main transceiver wakes up according to a preset time period and receives a beacon frame sent by the access point;

[0055] S11, the access point sends an acknowledgement frame to the station;

[0056] Optionally, the station receives the acknowledgement frame sent by the access point, and enters the traditional energy-saving mode.

[0057] In one embodiment, the station has three working modes and two working states. The three working modes are active mode, legacy power save mode and WUR sleep mode, and the two working states are awake state and sleep state. When the STA works in the active mode, the main transceiver of the STA is always in the awake state; when the STA works in the legacy power save mode, the main transceiver of the STA can be in the awake state or the sleep state; when the STA works in the WUR sleep mode, the main transceiver of the STA is in the sleep state, and when the wake-up receiver of the STA receives a wake-up frame, the main transceiver in the sleep state can be woken up, and after the main transceiver is woken up, the STA can communicate with the access point.

[0058] The STA can switch between the active mode and the legacy power save mode. The STA sends a first wireless frame to the AP, and the first wireless frame can be an 802.11 frame. The first wireless frame contains first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the STA enters the legacy power save mode.

[0059] Optionally, as shown in Figure 7 that is, a possible frame structure diagram of the first wireless frame provided by the embodiment of the application, as shown in the figure, if the value of the power management field in the frame control field of the first wireless frame is set to 1, it indicates that the STA hopes to switch from the active mode to the legacy power save mode; otherwise, if the value of the power management field in the frame control field of the first wireless frame is set to 0, it indicates that the STA hopes to switch from the legacy power save mode to the active mode.

[0060] When the STA is in the traditional power saving mode, the STA can also switch between the awake state and the sleep state. The switching method can be that the STA wakes up to receive a beacon frame according to a preset time period, and when the AP has downlink data to be sent to the STA, the AP includes downlink data indication information related to the STA in a traffic indication map (TIM) information element in the beacon to tell the STA that there is downlink data to be received. After the STA wakes up according to the preset time period, the STA can send a PS-Poll frame to the AP to indicate that the STA is in the awake state, so as to facilitate the AP to send downlink data to the STA. During the process in which the AP sends a downlink data frame to the STA, the AP can set the value of the more data field in the frame control field of the last downlink frame to 0 to indicate that no data is to be sent subsequently. After the STA receives the downlink data frame, the STA can reply to an acknowledgement frame, and the AP can consider that the STA has returned to the sleep state. Subsequently, the STA wakes up according to the preset time period and receives the beacon frame sent by the AP, and obtains, from the beacon frame, whether there is downlink data indication information.

[0061] It should be noted that the execution basis of steps S10-S11 can be that the STA is in the active mode, and when the first wireless frame is received, the active mode is switched to the traditional power saving mode. Alternatively, the execution basis of steps S10-S11 can also be that the STA is in the WUR sleep mode, that is, steps S12-S14 are executed to switch the active mode to the WUR sleep mode, and then steps S10-S11 are executed to enter the traditional power saving mode.

[0062] S12, the station sends a second wireless frame to the access point, the second wireless frame including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the station enters a wake-up radio (WUR) sleep mode, the WUR sleep mode being a mode in which a main transceiver in a sleep state is woken up by the wake-up receiver when the wake-up frame is received;

[0063] S13, the access point sends a first response frame to the station, the first response frame including fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate whether the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode;

[0064] S14, the station receives the first response frame sent by the access point, and if the fourth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode, the station enters the WUR sleep mode;

[0065] It should be noted that the station can first perform steps S10-S11 to switch from the active mode to the legacy power save mode, and then perform steps S12-S14 to enter the WUR sleep mode, i.e., the station is in the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode at the same time. The station can also first perform steps S12-S14 to switch from the active mode to the WUR sleep mode, and then perform steps S10-S11 to enter the legacy power save mode, i.e., the station is in the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode at the same time. The execution sequence of the station is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] Further, the station can also directly perform steps S12-S14 to enter the WUR sleep mode, and then perform steps S16-S18, i.e., the station does not indicate to the access point that it enters the legacy power save mode.

[0067] In one embodiment, when the STA needs to enter the WUR sleep mode, the STA needs to send a second wireless frame to the access point, and the second wireless frame can be an 802.11 frame. The second wireless frame includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the STA enters the WUR sleep mode. In the embodiments of the present application, the WUR sleep mode can be that the main transceiver of the STA is in a sleep state, and when the wake-up receiver of the STA receives a wake-up frame, the main transceiver in the sleep state is woken up, and after the main transceiver wakes up, the STA can communicate with the AP.

[0068] Optionally, the second wireless frame is a WUR sleep mode request frame, and the STA sends the WUR sleep mode request frame to the AP, wherein the WUR sleep mode request frame carries the indication information I1 of the STA entering the WUR sleep mode.

[0069] The AP receives the indication information I1 of the STA entering the WUR sleep mode carried in the WUR sleep mode request frame, and sends a first response frame to the STA, wherein the first response frame includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the STA is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode. Optionally, the first response frame can be a WUR sleep mode response frame, and the WUR sleep mode response frame carries the indication information I2 of whether the STA is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode.

[0070] The STA receives the WUR sleep mode response frame sent by the AP, and if the value of the indication information I2 indicates that the STA is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode, the STA enters the WUR sleep mode.

[0071] Optionally, as Figure 8The diagram shown illustrates a possible frame structure of a WUR sleep mode request frame according to an embodiment of the present invention. The WUR sleep mode request frame is of type management (Type value = 00) and subtype action (subtype value = 1101). The frame body includes a category field, a WUR action field, a dialog token field, and may also include a WUR sleep mode element field.

[0072] The Category field takes the value "WUR", indicating that this type of action frame is related to WUR; the WUR Action field takes the value "WUR sleep mode request", indicating that the type of this WUR action frame is a WUR sleep mode request frame; the Dialog Token field is a non-zero value selected by a STA to represent a dialogue between a request frame / response frame; the WUR sleep mode element can include the action type field. For example... Figure 9 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a WUR sleep mode unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the WUR sleep mode unit includes an action type field. The value of the action type field can represent the type of action, such as entering WUR sleep mode or exiting WUR sleep mode.

[0073] like Figure 9 As shown, when a STA requests to enter WUR sleep mode, the value of the action type field in its WUR sleep mode request frame should be "Enter WUR sleep mode"; conversely, when a STA requests to exit WUR sleep mode, the value of the action type field in its WUR sleep mode request frame should be "Exit WUR sleep mode". In this step, the action type field in the WUR sleep mode request frame should be "Enter WUR sleep mode". The following table shows the definition of the action type field:

[0074] Name Action Type value …… Enter WUR sleep mode 2 Exit WUR sleep mode 3 ……

[0075] Optionally, the WUR sleep mode unit may also include some parameters related to the WUR sleep mode, such as whether WUR is always on, the cycle of WUR activation, the duration of each activation, etc.

[0076] Optionally, the frame structure of the WUR sleep mode response frame is similar to Figure 8 Similarly, the difference is that the value of the WUR Action field is "WUR sleep mode response", which indicates that the type of the WUR action frame is the WUR sleep mode response frame. In addition, the WUR sleep mode unit in the WUR sleep mode response frame can also include a WUR sleep mode response status field, which is used to indicate whether the AP agrees with the WUR sleep mode request initiated by the STA.

[0077] As shown in Figure 10 , it is a structure diagram of the WUR sleep mode unit in the WUR sleep mode response frame provided by the embodiment of the application. As shown in the figure, in addition to the fields in the WUR sleep mode unit in the WUR sleep mode response frame, the WUR sleep mode response status field is also included. As shown in the following table, it is the value definition of the WUR sleep mode response status field: Figure 9

[0078]

[0079]

[0080] It can be understood that in the Figure 8 , the value of the WUR Action field is "WUR sleep mode request", and the frame structure is the WUR sleep mode request frame, which includes the above-mentioned indication information I1; in the Figure 8 , the value of the WUR Action field is "WUR sleep mode response", and the frame structure is the WUR sleep mode response frame, which includes the above-mentioned indication information I2.

[0081] S15, when the station is in the traditional energy saving mode and the WUR sleep mode at the same time, the station receives a wake-up frame, and the main transceiver is woken up, wherein the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period;

[0082] ​In one embodiment, when the STA is in both the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode, the main transceiver of the STA does not wake up periodically to receive the beacon frame, but waits for the AP to send a wake-up frame to it. When the wake-up receiver of the STA receives the wake-up frame, the main transceiver in the sleep state is woken up. It should be noted that the main transceiver not waking up periodically can include that the main transceiver does not wake up, or the main transceiver can wake up, but the time at which the main transceiver wakes up is no longer according to the preset time period in the legacy power save mode, for example, the time at which the main transceiver wakes up does not exist periodically, or the period of the time at which the main transceiver wakes up is greater than or less than the preset time period in the legacy power save mode.

[0083] Optionally, the STA being in both the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode can mean that the STA starts the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode at the same time, that is, the STA indicates to the AP that the STA enters the legacy power save mode, and during the period in which the STA does not indicate to the AP that the STA turns off the legacy power save mode, the STA indicates to the AP that the STA enters the WUR sleep mode again.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, after the STA enters the WUR sleep mode, the STA does not need to wake up periodically to receive the beacon frame even if the STA is in the legacy power save mode. The embodiment of the present application removes the limitation that the STA must wake up periodically to receive the beacon frame in the legacy power save mode.

[0085] Optionally, although the STA does not wake up periodically to receive the beacon frame, the AP can still carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element of the beacon frame. After the STA wakes up, the STA can also receive the downlink service indication information in the beacon frame. It should be noted that if the STA does not wake up, the STA does not receive the downlink service indication information in the beacon frame.

[0086] Optionally, the STA does not wake up periodically to receive the beacon frame, and in order to save overhead, the AP can also not carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element of the beacon frame. In this case, even if the STA wakes up to receive the beacon frame, the STA cannot obtain the downlink service indication information for the STA. In this embodiment, since the AP does not need to carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element of the beacon frame, overhead can be saved.

[0087] Optionally, when the STA is in both the legacy power save mode and the WUR sleep mode, the STA can wake up according to a preset time period or can not wake up according to the preset time period. Further optionally, the STA can indicate to the AP whether the STA wakes up according to the preset time period, so that the AP determines whether to carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame. Alternatively, the STA can directly indicate to the AP whether the AP needs to carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame. For example, the second wireless frame used to indicate that the STA enters the WUR sleep mode includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the AP needs to carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame. Optionally, in combination with steps S12-S14, the specific steps in which the STA indicates to the AP whether to carry the downlink service indication information can include the following two steps:

[0088] Step 1: STA: sends a WUR sleep mode request frame to the AP, wherein the WUR sleep mode request frame carries indication information I1 indicating that the STA enters the WUR sleep mode, and further carries indication information I3 indicating whether the STA requires the AP to carry the downlink service indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame. Optionally, as shown in Figure 11 , the indication information I3 can be located in the TIM required field in the TIM information element in the WUR sleep mode element, Figure 11 , and the frame structure in Figure 11 is the WUR sleep mode request frame.

[0089] Step 2: After receiving the WUR sleep mode request frame, the AP obtains the indication information I1 indicating that the STA enters the WUR sleep mode and the indication information I3. The AP sends a WUR sleep mode response frame to the STA, wherein the sleep mode response frame carries indication information I2 indicating whether the STA is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode.

[0090] If the value of the indication information I2 indicates that the STA can enter the WUR sleep mode, the STA does not need to wake up periodically to receive the beacon frame, but waits for the AP to send a wake-up frame to it. In addition, if the value of the indication information I3 indicates that the STA requires the AP to carry the downlink traffic indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame, the AP must carry the downlink traffic indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame, and if the value of the indication information I3 indicates that the STA does not require the AP to carry the downlink traffic indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame, the AP does not need to carry the downlink traffic indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame.

[0091] Optionally, before the STA works in the traditional power saving mode (i.e., before step S10 is performed), the STA needs to send a listen interval parameter to the AP, where the listen interval parameter is used to indicate the length of a preset time period in which the STA wakes up to receive the Beacon frame. In order to make the STA not need to wake up periodically to receive the Beacon frame when it is in the traditional power saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, the value of the listen interval parameter can be set to a preset value, which is a special value (e.g., 16-bit bits of the listen interval parameter are all 1, i.e., 65535), and the preset value is used to indicate that the STA does not wake up to receive the Beacon frame, or that the period in which the STA wakes up to receive the Beacon frame is infinite. When the AP detects that the value of the listen interval parameter is the preset value, it can not carry the downlink traffic indication information of the STA in the TIM information element in the Beacon frame.

[0092] S16, the station sends a third wireless frame to the access point, where the third wireless frame includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to instruct the station to turn off the WUR sleep mode.

[0093] S17, the access point sends a second response frame to the station, where the second response frame includes sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to turn off the WUR sleep mode.

[0094] S18, the station receives the second response frame sent by the access point, and if the sixth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to turn off the WUR sleep mode, the station turns off the WUR sleep mode.

[0095] In one embodiment, when the STA needs to close the WUR sleep mode, the STA can send a third wireless frame to the access point, wherein the third wireless frame includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the STA closes the WUR sleep mode. Optionally, the third wireless frame can be a WUR sleep mode request frame of the same type as the WUR sleep mode request frame in step S11. The frame structure of the third wireless frame can be as shown in Figure 8 The structure of the WUR sleep mode unit can be as shown in Figure 9 The WUR sleep mode unit (WUR sleep mode element) can include an action type field, and the value of the action type field can represent the type of action, such as entering the WUR sleep mode (Enter WUR sleep mode) or exiting the WUR sleep mode (Exit WUR sleep mode). In the third wireless frame, when the STA requests to close the WUR sleep mode, the value of the action type field in the WUR sleep mode request frame sent by the STA should be Exit WUR sleep mode. The value of the action type field is defined as shown in the following table:

[0096]

[0097]

[0098] After the AP receives the third wireless frame sent by the STA, the AP sends a second response frame to the STA, wherein the second response frame includes sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate whether the STA is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode. Optionally, the frame structure of the second response frame of the embodiment of the present application can be similar to the frame structure of the first response frame in step S13, that is, the second response frame can also be a WUR sleep mode response frame, as shown in Figure 10 That is, the structure of the WUR sleep mode unit in the WUR sleep mode response frame provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure, and the difference between the second response frame and the first response frame is that the value of the WUR sleep mode response state field is used to indicate whether the STA is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode. As shown in the following table, the value of the WUR sleep mode response state field is defined as follows:

[0099]

[0100] The STA receives the second response frame sent by the AP, and the sixth indication information in the second response frame indicates that the STA is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode, so the STA can close the WUR sleep mode.

[0101] It should be noted that if the STA is simultaneously in WUR sleep mode and traditional energy-saving mode, turning off WUR sleep mode will put the STA in traditional energy-saving mode, and the STA will operate in the manner of traditional energy-saving mode, that is, wake up according to the preset time period and receive beacon frames sent by AP.

[0102] In addition, if the STA is only in WUR sleep mode, turning off WUR sleep mode will switch the STA to active mode, meaning the master transceiver is always awake, and the AP can communicate with the STA.

[0103] By implementing this embodiment of the invention, the station sends a first radio frame to the access point. The first radio frame includes first indication information, which instructs the station to enter a conventional power-saving mode. The station also sends a second radio frame to the access point, which includes second indication information, instructing the station to enter a WUR sleep mode. When the station is simultaneously in both conventional power-saving mode and WUR sleep mode, it does not wake up according to a preset time period, but only wakes up the main transceiver upon receiving a wake-up frame. This approach allows the newly added WUR sleep mode to be organically integrated with the conventional power-saving mode, and the fact that the main transceiver does not wake up according to a preset time period saves the station's power consumption.

[0104] In another embodiment, when the station is in WUR sleep mode, the station cannot operate in conventional power-saving mode; that is, the power management field in the radio frames sent by the station becomes a reserved field, and the station cannot request to enter conventional power-saving mode by setting the value of the power management field in the radio frames to 1. Optionally, the AP also does not need to carry the station's downlink service indication information in the beacon frame.

[0105] like Figure 12 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a station structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the station in this embodiment includes a main transceiver 10, a wake-up receiver 11, a processor 12, and a memory 13. The processor 12 is used to control the operation of the station, including sending a first radio frame to an access point through the main transceiver. Further, the station may also include a memory 13, which may include read-only memory and random access memory, used to provide instructions and data to the processor 12. The memory 13 may be integrated into the processor 12 or may be independent of the processor 12. A portion of the memory 13 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0106] The processor 12 can be a general processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, and can implement or execute the disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application. The general processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware processor execution or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register or other mature storage medium in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 13, and the processor 12 reads the information in the memory 13 and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the process indicated in the embodiments of the present application.

[0107] Optionally, the main transceiver 10 is configured to send a first wireless frame to the access point, the first wireless frame containing first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the station to enter a traditional energy saving mode, the traditional energy saving mode being a mode in which the main transceiver wakes up according to a preset time period and receives a beacon frame sent by the access point;

[0108] The main transceiver 10 is further configured to send a second wireless frame to the access point, the second wireless frame containing second indication information, the second indication information being used to instruct the station to enter a wake-up radio (WUR) sleep mode, the WUR sleep mode being a mode in which the main transceiver in a dormant state is woken up by the wake-up receiver when a wake-up frame is received;

[0109] The wake-up receiver 11 is configured to receive a wake-up frame and wake up the main transceiver when the station is in both the traditional energy saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, wherein the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period.

[0110] Optionally, the main transceiver 10 is further configured to send a listening interval parameter to the access point, the listening interval parameter having a preset value, the listening interval parameter being used to indicate the length of the preset time period, and the preset value being used to represent that the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period.

[0111] Optionally, the beacon frame does not contain downlink traffic indication information of the station.

[0112] Optionally, the second wireless frame further contains third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the access point contains the downlink traffic indication information of the station in the beacon frame.

[0113] Optionally, the station further contains a processor 12,

[0114] The main transceiver 10 is further configured to receive a first response frame sent by the access point, wherein the first response frame comprises fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode.

[0115] If the fourth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode, the processor 12 controls the station to enter the WUR sleep mode.

[0116] Optionally, the main transceiver 10 is further configured to send a third wireless frame to the access point, wherein the third wireless frame comprises fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the station turns off the WUR sleep mode.

[0117] The main transceiver 10 is configured to receive a second response frame sent by the access point, wherein the second response frame comprises sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to turn off the WUR sleep mode.

[0118] If the sixth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to turn off the WUR sleep mode, the processor 12 controls the station to turn off the WUR sleep mode.

[0119] By implementing the embodiments of the present application, the station sends a first wireless frame to the access point, wherein the first wireless frame comprises first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the station enters the traditional energy saving mode; the station sends a second wireless frame to the access point, wherein the second wireless frame comprises second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the station enters the WUR sleep mode; when the station is in both the traditional energy saving mode and the WUR sleep mode, the station does not wake up according to a preset time period, but only wakes up the main transceiver when a wake-up frame is received. In this way, the newly added WUR sleep mode can be organically integrated with the traditional energy saving mode, and the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period, so that the power consumption of the station can be saved.

[0120] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the flow of the above-mentioned embodiment method can be implemented by a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware to complete, the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and the program can include the flow of each method embodiment when executed. The aforementioned storage medium includes ROM or random storage memory RAM, magnetic disc or optical disc, and various storage program codes.

Claims

1. A station wake-up method, applied to a station, characterized in that, The station comprises a wake-up receiver and a main transceiver, and the method comprises: When the station STA is in both a traditional energy saving mode and a wake-up radio (WUR) sleep mode, the STA does not wake up to receive a beacon frame; The traditional energy saving mode is a mode in which the main transceiver wakes up according to a preset time period and receives a beacon frame sent by an access point; The WUR sleep mode is a mode in which the main transceiver in a dormant state wakes up when the wake-up receiver receives a wake-up frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The STA does not wake up to receive a beacon frame, which comprises: The STA does not wake up to receive a beacon frame according to the preset time period, or the STA does not wake up to receive a beacon frame before being woken up.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The method further comprises: The station sends a first wireless frame to an access point, and the first wireless frame comprises first indication information, which is used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy saving mode.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein The method further comprises: The station sends a second wireless frame to the access point, and the second wireless frame comprises second indication information, which is used to indicate that the station enters a WUR sleep mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, Before the station sends the first wireless frame to the access point, the method further comprises: The station sends a listening interval parameter to the access point, and a value of the listening interval parameter is a preset value, the listening interval parameter is used to indicate a length of the preset time period, and the preset value is used to represent that the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period.

6. The method of claim 2 or 5, wherein, When the STA does not wake up to receive a beacon frame according to the preset time period, the beacon frame does not comprise downlink service indication information of the STA.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein, The second wireless frame further comprises third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the access point comprises the downlink service indication information of the station in the beacon frame.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein, After the station sends the second wireless frame to the access point, the method further comprises: The station receives a first response frame sent by the access point, and the first response frame comprises fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode; If the fourth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode, the station enters the WUR sleep mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: The station sends a third wireless frame to the access point, and the third wireless frame comprises fifth indication information, which is used to indicate that the station closes the WUR sleep mode; The station receives a second response frame sent by the access point, and the second response frame comprises sixth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the station is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode; If the sixth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to close the WUR sleep mode, the station closes the WUR sleep mode.

10. A station, comprising: The station comprises a wake-up receiver and a main transceiver; The main transceiver is configured to, when the station is in both a traditional energy saving mode and a WUR sleep mode, not wake up to receive a beacon frame. The traditional energy saving mode is that the main transceiver wakes up according to a preset time period to receive a beacon frame sent by an access point. The WUR sleep mode is that the main transceiver in a sleep state is woken up by the wake-up receiver when the wake-up receiver receives a wake-up frame.

11. The station of claim 10, wherein, The main transceiver does not wake up to receive a beacon frame, including that the main transceiver does not wake up to receive a beacon frame according to the preset time period, or the main transceiver does not wake up to receive a beacon frame before being woken up.

12. The station of claim 10 or 11, characterized by The main transceiver is further configured to send a first wireless frame to the access point, the first wireless frame containing first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the station enters a traditional energy saving mode.

13. The station of claim 10 or 11, wherein, The main transceiver is further configured to send a second wireless frame to the access point, the second wireless frame containing second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the station enters a wake-up radio (WUR) sleep mode.

14. The station of claim 12, wherein The main transceiver is further configured to send a listening interval parameter to the access point, the listening interval parameter having a preset value, the listening interval parameter being used to indicate a length of the preset time period, and the preset value being used to indicate that the main transceiver does not wake up according to the preset time period.

15. The station of claim 11 or 14, wherein, When the station does not wake up to receive a beacon frame according to the preset time period, the beacon frame does not contain downlink traffic indication information of the station.

16. The station of claim 13, wherein, The second wireless frame further contains third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the access point contains downlink traffic indication information of the station in the beacon frame.

17. The station of claim 13, wherein, The station further contains a processor, The main transceiver is further configured to receive a first response frame sent by the access point, the first response frame containing fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate whether the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode. If the fourth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to enter the WUR sleep mode, the processor controls the station to enter the WUR sleep mode.

18. The station of claim 17, wherein The main transceiver is further configured to send a third wireless frame to the access point, the third wireless frame containing fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that the station turns off the WUR sleep mode. The main transceiver is configured to receive a second response frame sent by the access point, the second response frame containing sixth indication information, the sixth indication information being used to indicate whether the station is allowed to turn off the WUR sleep mode. If the sixth indication information indicates that the station is allowed to turn off the WUR sleep mode, the processor controls the station to turn off the WUR sleep mode.

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