Instant Binding and Auto-Connect Devices Using Wake-Up Radio (WUR) Communication

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium are described in which a processing circuit of a station (STA) detects that a communication link (e.g., of a primary connection radio) of the STA is unavailable. Based on the unavailability of the communication link, a Wake-up Radio (WUR) packet is encoded for transmission to a second STA. The WUR packet includes a command to enable a wireless hotspot of the second STA. A beacon signal received from the second STA is decoded. The beacon signal includes a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot enabled by the second STA. Based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot, a data packet is encoded for transmission to the second STA.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Each embodiment generally may relate to the field of wireless communication. Some embodiments relate to wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks, including networks operating according to the IEEE 802.11 standard family. Some embodiments relate to IEEE 802.11ax. Some embodiments relate to methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for using a wake-up radio (WUR) for communication, tethering, or automatically connecting devices. Background Art

[0002] Efficient use of the resources of a wireless local area network (WLAN) and of each wireless device is important for providing bandwidth and an acceptable response time to the users of the WLAN. However, there are often many devices that attempt to share the same resources, and some devices may be limited by the communication protocols they use or their hardware bandwidth. In addition, wireless devices may be configured to use the communication resources of one or more other devices (e.g., for tethering or data synchronization), but these configurations may be time-consuming and require user participation. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like reference numerals with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. In the figures of the drawings, some embodiments are shown by way of example and not limitation, in which:

[0004] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some embodiments;

[0005] Figure 2 shows a front-end module circuit used in the Figure 1 radio architecture according to some embodiments;

[0006] Figure 3 shows a radio IC circuit used in the Figure 1 radio architecture according to some embodiments;

[0007] Figure 4 shows a baseband processing circuit used in the Figure 1 radio architecture according to some embodiments;

[0008] Figure 5 shows a WLAN according to some embodiments;

[0009] Figure 6 shows an example of a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) for a Wi-Fi device according to some embodiments;

[0010] Figure 7Illustrates an example communication sequence between two wireless devices for enabling and using binding according to some embodiments;

[0011] Figure 8 Illustrates an example communication sequence for connecting to a peripheral device according to some embodiments;

[0012] Figure 9 Illustrates an example communication sequence between two wireless devices using WUR communication according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 10 Illustrates according to some embodiments Figure 9 a timing diagram of an example communication sequence of;

[0014] Figure 11 Illustrates an example communication sequence for connecting to a peripheral device that supports WUR communication according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 12 Illustrates an example communication sequence for connecting to a peripheral device that does not support WUR communication according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 13 Illustrates according to some embodiments Figure 11 and Figure 12 a timing diagram of an example communication sequence of;

[0017] Figure 14 is a block diagram of an example WUR packet that can be used in conjunction with the disclosed technology according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 15 and Figure 16 is a flowchart of a method for instant binding between wireless devices according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 17 Illustrates a block diagram of an example machine on which any one or more of the operations / techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein can be performed; and

[0020] Figure 18 Illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless device on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods or operations) discussed herein can be performed. Detailed Description

[0021] The following detailed implementation manners refer to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details (such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc.) are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art benefited from the present disclosure should understand that the various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples without these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary details.

[0022] The following description and the accompanying drawings fully illustrate specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can practice them. Other embodiments may include structural changes, logical changes, electrical changes, processing changes, and other changes. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or replace parts and features of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims cover all available equivalents of these claims.

[0023] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing instant binding between wireless devices using WUR communication (e.g., using a device such as a smart phone (e.g., a modem)). More specifically, a WUR frame can be used to automatically trigger binding through a wireless hotspot provided by one of the enabled devices. Additional aspects of the present disclosure relate to using WUR communication to configure and manage automatic connections of peripheral devices (e.g., to perform synchronization or other types of data communication).

[0024] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 100 according to some embodiments. The radio architecture 100 can be implemented in a master device coupled to a LE HID type device or another type of slave device. The radio architecture 100 can include radio front-end module (FEM) circuitry 104, radio IC circuitry 106, and baseband processing circuitry 108. The illustrated radio architecture 100 includes both wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" are used interchangeably.

[0025] The FEM circuit 104 may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit 104A and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuit 104B. The WLAN FEM circuit 104A may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry configured to operate on a WLAN RF signal received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signal, and provide an amplified version of the received signal to the WLAN radio IC circuit 106A for further processing. The BT FEM circuit 104B may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on a BT RF signal received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signal, and provide an amplified version of the received signal to the BT radio IC circuit 106B for further processing. The FEM circuit 104A may further include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify a WLAN signal provided by the radio IC circuit 106A for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 101. Additionally, the FEM circuit 104B may further include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify a BT signal provided by the radio IC circuit 106B for wireless transmission by one or more antennas. In Figure 1 an embodiment, although the FEM 104A and the FEM 104B are shown as being distinct from each other, the embodiment is not limited thereto and includes within its scope the use of a FEM (not shown) that includes transmit paths and / or receive paths for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuits where at least some of the FEM circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0026] The illustrated radio IC circuit 106 may include a WLAN radio IC circuit 106A and a BT radio IC circuit 106B. The WLAN radio IC circuit 106A may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting a WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104A and providing a baseband signal to the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may further include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting a BT RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104B and providing a baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN radio IC circuit 106A may further include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting a WLAN baseband signal provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and providing a WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104A for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may further include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting a BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuit 108B and providing a BT RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104B for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. In Figure 1 an embodiment, although the radio IC circuits 106A and 106B are shown as being distinct from each other, the embodiment is not limited thereto and includes within its scope a radio IC circuit (not shown) that uses transmit signal paths and / or receive signal paths that include circuitry for both WLAN and BT signals, or one or more radio IC circuits where at least some of the radio IC circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0027] The baseband processing circuit 108 may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and a BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays included in a fast Fourier transform (FFT) or inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. Each of the WLAN baseband circuit 108A and the BT baseband circuit 108B may further include one or more processors and control logic for: processing signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 106, and also generating corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 106. Each of the baseband processing circuits 108A and 108B may further include a physical layer (PHY) and a media access control layer (MAC) circuit, and may further interface with the application processor 111 for generating and processing baseband signals and controlling the operation of the radio IC circuit 106.

[0028] Still referring to Figure 1 , according to the illustrated embodiments, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 113 may include logic that provides an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit 108A and the BT baseband circuit 108B for implementing use cases that require WLAN and BT coexistence. Additionally, a switch 103 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104B to allow switching between the WLAN radio and the BT radio according to application requirements. Additionally, although the antenna 101 is depicted as being connected to the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104B respectively, embodiments within their scope include sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN FEM and the BT FEM, or providing more than one antenna connected to each of the FEMs 104A or 104B.

[0029] In some embodiments, the front-end module circuit 104, the radio IC circuit 106, and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be provided on a single radio card (e.g., the wireless radio card 102). In some other embodiments, one or more antennas 101, the FEM circuit 104, and the radio IC circuit 106 may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuit 106 and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be provided on a single chip or integrated circuit (IC) (e.g., the IC 112).

[0030] In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 102 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communication, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel. The OFDM or OFDMA signals may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers. In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 102 may include a platform controller hub (PCH) system-on-chip (SOC) and a central processing unit (CPU) / host SOC. An example embodiment of a PCH SOC and a CPU SOC incorporating the discussed technology is shown in Figure 8 .

[0031] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA) (e.g., a wireless access point (AP), a base station, or a mobile device incorporating a Wi-Fi device). In some of these embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be configured to transmit and receive signals according to a particular communication standard and / or protocol (e.g., any Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard, including the IEEE 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11-2016, and / or IEEE 802.11ax standards and / or proposed specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs)), but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. Radio architecture 100 may also be adapted to transmit and / or receive communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0032] In some embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be configured for high-efficiency (HE) Wi-Fi communication according to the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be configured to communicate according to orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) technology, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0033] In some other embodiments, radio architecture 100 may be configured to transmit signals and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques (e.g., spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA)) and / or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA), time division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) modulation), but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0034] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 further shown, the BT baseband circuit 108B may comply with a Bluetooth (BT) connection standard (e.g., Bluetooth, Bluetooth 4.0, or Bluetooth 5.0, or any other version of the Bluetooth standard). In embodiments including, for example Figure 1 the BT functionality shown, radio architecture 100 may be configured to establish a BT synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) link and / or a low-power BT (BT LE) link. In some of the embodiments including the BT functionality, radio architecture 100 may be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) link for BT communication, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. In some of these embodiments including the BT functionality, the radio architecture may be configured to participate in BT asynchronous connectionless (ACL) communication, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, as Figure 1As shown, the functions of a BT radio card and a WLAN radio card can be combined on a single wireless radio card (e.g., a single wireless radio card 102), but the embodiments are not limited thereto, and discrete WLAN and BT radio cards are included within its scope.

[0035] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may include other radio cards (e.g., a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 3GPP (e.g., LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G communication)).

[0036] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to communicate over various channel bandwidths, including bandwidths centered at approximately 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and bandwidths of approximately 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 16 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz (continuous bandwidth), or 80 + 80 MHz (160 MHz) (discontinuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a 320 MHz channel bandwidth may be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

[0037] Figure 2 Shows a FEM circuit 200 according to some embodiments. The FEM circuit 200 is an example of a circuit that can be suitable for use as a WLAN and / or BT FEM circuit 104A / 104B ( Figure 1 ), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0038] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 200 may include a TX / RX switch 202 for switching between transmit (TX) mode and receive (RX) mode operations. The FEM circuit 200 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) 206 for amplifying the received RF signal 203 and providing an amplified received RF signal 207 as an output (e.g., providing it to the radio IC circuit 106 ( Figure 1 )). The transmit signal path of the circuit 200 may include: a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal 209 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuit 106); and one or more filters 212 (e.g., a bandpass filter (BPF), a low-pass filter (LPF), or other types of filters) for generating an RF signal 215 for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the antennas 101 ( Figure 1 )).

[0039] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communication, the FEM circuit 200 can be configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum or the 5 GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 can include a receive signal path duplexer 204 for separating signals from each spectrum and providing a separate LNA 206 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 200 can further include: power amplifiers 210 and filters 212 (e.g., BPF, LPF, or another type of filter) for each spectrum; and a transmit signal path duplexer 214 for providing signals of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by one or more of the antennas 101( Figure 1 ). In some embodiments, BT communication can utilize the 2.4 GHz signal path and can utilize the same FEM circuit 200 as that used for WLAN communication.

[0040] Figure 3 FIG. shows a radio IC circuit 300 according to some embodiments. The radio IC circuit 300 is an example of a circuit that can be suitable for use as a WLAN and / or BT radio IC circuit 106A / 106B( Figure 1 ), but other circuit configurations can also be suitable.

[0041] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuit 300 can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 300 can at least include a mixer circuit 302 (e.g., a down-conversion mixer circuit), an amplifier circuit 306, and a filter circuit 308. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 300 can at least include a filter circuit 312 and a mixer circuit 314 (e.g., an up-conversion mixer circuit). The radio IC circuit 300 can further include a synthesizer circuit 304 for synthesizing a frequency 305 for use by the mixer circuit 302 and the mixer circuit 314. According to some embodiments, the mixer circuits 302 and / or 314 can both be configured to provide a direct conversion function. This latter type of circuit presents a much simpler architecture compared to a standard superheterodyne mixer circuit, and any flicker noise introduced thereby can be mitigated, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Figure 3Only a simplified version of the radio IC circuit is shown, and although not shown, embodiments may include that each depicted circuit may include more than one component. For example, depending on application requirements, mixer circuit 320 and / or 314 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuit 308 and / or 312 may each include one or more filters (e.g., one or more BPFs and / or LPFs). For example, when the mixer circuit is of the direct conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0042] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 may be configured to down-convert the RF signal 207 received from the FEM circuit 104 ( Figure 1 ) based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuit 304. The amplifier circuit 306 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 308 may include an LPF, which is configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal 307. The output baseband signal 307 may be provided to the baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1 ) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 307 may be a zero-frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0043] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 314 may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal 311 based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuit 304 to generate an RF output signal 209 for the FEM circuit 104. The baseband signal 311 may be provided by the baseband processing circuit 108 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 312. The filter circuit 312 may include an LPF or a BPF, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0044] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and / or up-conversion respectively with the help of the synthesizer 304. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may each include two or more mixers that are each configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may be arranged for direct down-conversion and / or direct up-conversion respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, but this is not required.

[0045] According to one embodiment, mixer circuit 302 may include a quadrature passive mixer (e.g., for in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) paths). In this embodiment, fromFigure 2 The RF input signal 207 can be downconverted to provide in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) baseband output signals to be sent to a baseband processor.

[0046] The quadrature passive mixer can be driven by zero and ninety-degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuit that can be configured to receive an LO frequency (fLO) from a local oscillator or synthesizer (e.g., the LO frequency 305 of synthesizer 304( Figure 3 ). In some embodiments, the LO frequency can be a carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero and ninety-degree time-varying switching signals can be generated by a synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0047] In some embodiments, the LO signals can differ in terms of duty cycle (the percentage of a cycle during which the LO signal is high) and / or offset (the difference between the starting points of the cycles). In some embodiments, the LO signals can have a 25% duty cycle and a 50% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) paths) can operate with a 25% duty cycle, which can result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0048] The RF input signal 207( Figure 2 ) can include a balanced signal, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. The I and Q baseband output signals can be provided to a low-noise amplifier (e.g., amplifier circuit 306( Figure 3 )) or a filter circuit 308( Figure 3 ).

[0049] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 307 and the input baseband signal 311 can be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal 307 and the input baseband signal 311 can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the radio IC circuit can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits.

[0050] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits can be provided for processing signals for each spectrum or for other spectrums not mentioned herein, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0051] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto, as other types of frequency synthesizers can be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 304 can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 can include a digital synthesizer circuit. The advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint can be much reduced compared to that of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuit 304 can be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. Depending on the desired output frequency 305, baseband processing circuit 108( Figure 1 ) or application processor 111( Figure 1 ) can also provide a frequency divider control input. In some embodiments, the frequency divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a look-up table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or indicated by application processor 111.

[0052] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as output frequency 305, while in other embodiments, output frequency 305 can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, output frequency 305 can be the LO frequency (fLO).

[0053] Figure 4 FIG. shows a functional block diagram of baseband processing circuit 400 according to some embodiments. Baseband processing circuit 400 is an example of a circuit that can be suitable for use as baseband processing circuit 108( Figure 1 ), but other circuit configurations can also be suitable. Baseband processing circuit 400 can include: a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 402 for processing receive baseband signal 309 provided by radio IC circuit 106( Figure 1 ); and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 404 for generating transmit baseband signal 311 for radio IC circuit 106. Baseband processing circuit 400 can also include control logic 406 for coordinating the operation of baseband processing circuit 400.

[0054] In some embodiments (e.g., when exchanging analog baseband signals between the baseband processing circuit 400 and the radio IC circuit 106), the baseband processing circuit 400 may include an ADC 410 for converting an analog baseband signal received from the radio IC circuit 106 into a digital baseband signal for processing by the RX BBP 402. In these embodiments, the baseband processing circuit 400 may further include a DAC 412 for converting a digital baseband signal from the TX BBP 404 into an analog baseband signal.

[0055] In some embodiments where, for example, OFDM signals or OFDMA signals are passed through the baseband processor 108A, the transmit baseband processor 404 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to process a received OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing autocorrelation to detect a preamble (e.g., a short preamble) and cross-correlation to detect a long preamble. The preamble may be part of a predefined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0056] Returning to Figure 1 , in some embodiments, the antennas 101 ( Figure 1 ) may each include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to utilize spatial diversity and the resulting different channel characteristics. The antennas 101 may each include a phased array antenna, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0057] Although the radio architecture 100 is shown as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements (e.g., processing elements including a digital signal processor (DSP)) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0058] Figure 5Illustrates a WLAN 500 according to some embodiments. The WLAN 500 may include a basic service set (BSS), which may include a HE access point (AP) 502 that may be an AP, a plurality of high-efficiency wireless (e.g., IEEE 802.11ax) (HE) stations 504, and a plurality of legacy (e.g., IEEE 802.11n / ac) devices 506.

[0059] The HE AP 502 may be an AP that uses IEEE 802.11 for transmission and reception. The HE AP 502 may be a base station. The HE AP 502 may use other communication protocols as well as the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may be IEEE802.11ax. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include the use of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and / or code division multiple access (CDMA). The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include multiple access techniques. For example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol may include space division multiple access (SDMA) and / or multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). There may be more than one HE AP 502 that is part of an extended service set (ESS). A controller (not shown) may store information that is common to more than one HE AP 502.

[0060] In some aspects, the AP 502 may include a master device, and the station 504 may include a slave device. For example, the AP 502 may include a computing device (e.g., a wired or wireless device) configured to perform one or more of the techniques discussed herein. The station 504 may be configured as a slave device of the AP 502 and may include a LE HID type device or another type of wired or wireless device coupled to the AP 502 in a slave configuration.

[0061] The legacy device 506 may operate according to one or more of IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ad / af / ah / aj / ay or another legacy wireless communication standard. The legacy device 506 may be a STA or an IEEE STA. The HE STA 504 may be a wireless transmission and reception device (e.g., a cellular phone, a portable electronic wireless communication device, a smart phone, a handheld wireless device, wireless glasses, a wireless watch, a wireless personal device, a tablet, or another device that can transmit and receive using the IEEE 802.11 protocol (e.g., IEEE802.11ax) or another wireless protocol). In some embodiments, the HE STA 504 may be referred to as a high-efficiency (HE) station.

[0062] The HE AP 502 can communicate with legacy device 506 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology. In an example embodiment, the HE AP 502 can also be configured to communicate with the HE STA 504 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology.

[0063] In some embodiments, the HE frame can be configurable to have the same bandwidth as the channel. The HE frame can be a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, there can be different types of PPDUs, which can have different fields and different physical layers and / or different Medium Access Control (MAC) layers.

[0064] The bandwidth of the channel can be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz continuous bandwidth, or 80 + 80 MHz (160 MHz) discontinuous bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel can be 1 MHz, 1.25 MHz, 2.03 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4.06 MHz, 5 MHz, and 10 MHz, or a combination thereof, or another bandwidth less than or equal to the available bandwidth can also be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel can be based on the number of active data subcarriers. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel is based on 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2x996 active data subcarriers or tones, which are spaced 20 MHz apart. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel is 256 tones spaced 20 MHz apart. In some embodiments, the channel is a multiple of 26 tones or a multiple of 20 MHz. In some embodiments, a 20 MHz channel can include 242 active data subcarriers or tones, which can determine the size of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). According to some embodiments, the allocation of the bandwidth or a plurality of tones or subcarriers can be referred to as Resource Unit (RU) allocation.

[0065] In some embodiments, 26-subcarrier RUs and 52-subcarrier RUs are used in 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 106-subcarrier RUs are used in 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 242-subcarrier RUs are used in 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 484-subcarrier RUs are used in 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 996-subcarrier RUs are used in 160MHz and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats.

[0066] The HE frame can be configured to transmit multiple spatial streams, and this operation can be based on MU-MIMO and can be based on OFDMA. In other embodiments, the HE AP 502, HE STA 504, and / or legacy device 506 can also implement different technologies (e.g., Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, CDMA 2000 1X, CDMA 2000 Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), or other technologies).

[0067] Some embodiments relate to HE communication. According to some IEEE 802.11 embodiments (e.g., IEEE 802.11ax embodiments), the HE AP 502 may operate as a primary station, and the primary station may be arranged to: compete for the wireless medium (e.g., during a contention period) to receive exclusive control of the medium for a HE control period. In some embodiments, the HE control period may be referred to as a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP). At the start of the HE control period, the HE AP 502 may send a HE master-sync transmission (which may be a trigger frame) or a HE control and scheduling transmission. The HE AP 502 may send the duration of the TXOP and subchannel information. During the HE control period, the HE STA 504 may communicate with the HE AP 502 according to non-contention-based multiple access techniques (e.g., OFDMA or MU-MIMO). This is different from traditional WLAN communication where devices communicate according to contention-based communication techniques rather than multiple access techniques. During the HE control period, the HE AP 502 may communicate with the HE station 504 using one or more HE frames. During the HE control period, the HE STA 504 may operate on subchannels that are smaller than the operating range of the HE AP 502. During the HE control period, legacy stations are inhibited from communicating. Legacy stations may need to receive communication from the HE AP 502 to defer communication.

[0068] According to some embodiments, during the TXOP, the HE STA 504 may compete for the wireless medium with a legacy device 506 that was excluded from competing for the wireless medium during the master-sync transmission. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may indicate an uplink (UL) UL-MU-MIMO and / or UL OFDMA TXOP. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may include DL UL-MU-MIMO and / or DL OFDMA, indicating a schedule in the preamble portion of the trigger frame.

[0069] In some embodiments, the multiple access technique used during the HE TXOP may be a scheduled OFDMA technique, but this is not required. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technique or a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) technique. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) technique. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0070] The HE AP 502 may also communicate with the legacy station 506 and / or the HE station 504 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In some embodiments, the HE AP 502 may also be configurable to communicate with the HE station 504 outside of the HE TXOP according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques, but this is not required.

[0071] In some embodiments, the HE station 504 can be a "Group Owner (GO)" for the peer-to-peer operation mode. The wireless device can be the HE station 502 or the HE AP 502.

[0072] In some embodiments, the HE station 504 and / or the HE AP 502 can be configured to operate according to IEEE 802.11mc. In an example embodiment, Figure 1 the radio architecture is configured to implement the HE station 504 and / or the HE AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 2 the front-end module circuit is configured to implement the HE station 504 and / or the HE AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 3 the radio IC circuit is configured to implement the HE station 504 and / or the HE AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 4 the baseband processing circuit is configured to implement the HE station 504 and / or the HE AP 502.

[0073] In an example embodiment, the HE station 504, the HE AP 502, the apparatus of the HE station 504, and / or the apparatus of the HE AP 502 can include one or more of the following: Figure 1 the radio architecture, Figure 2 the front-end module circuit, Figure 3 the radio IC circuit, and / or Figure 4 the baseband processing circuit.

[0074] In an example embodiment, Figure 1 the radio architecture, Figure 2 the front-end module circuit, Figure 3 the radio IC circuit, and / or Figure 4 the baseband processing circuit can be configured to perform the methods and operations / functions described herein in connection with Figures 1 - 13 .

[0075] In an example embodiment, the HE station 504 and / or the HE AP 502 are configured to perform the methods and operations / functions described herein in connection with Figures 1 - 18 . In an example embodiment, the apparatus of the HE station 504 and / or the apparatus of the HE AP 502 are configured to perform the methods and functions described herein in connection with Figures 1 - 18 . The term Wi-Fi can refer to one or more IEEE 802.11 communication standards. The AP and STA can refer to the HE access point 502 and / or the HE station 504, as well as the legacy device 506.

[0076] In some embodiments, the HE AP 502 or HE STA 504 that performs at least some of the functions of the HE AP 502 may be referred to as a HE AP STA. In some embodiments, the HE STA 504 may be referred to as a HE non-AP STA. In some embodiments, the HESTA 504 may be referred to as a HE AP STA and / or a HE non-AP.

[0077] In some embodiments, a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) enables an ultra-low power operation mode for Wi-Fi devices. In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described below enable a device to have a minimal radio configuration that can receive wake-up packets from a peer and perform functions associated with wireless communication (e.g., configuration binding, automatic connection, data synchronization, etc.) based on the information within the WUR packet. Once a wake-up packet is received, the device can wake up the transceiver (e.g., the primary connection radio), which can be used to send and receive data. Thus, the device can stay in the low-power mode until a wake-up packet is received. Figure 6 An example system including a Wi-Fi (i.e., (802.11)) device is shown, which shows an example of a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) 620 for a Wi-Fi (e.g., (IEEE 802.11)) device 604 according to some embodiments. The device 604 includes the LP-WUR 620 and a primary connection radio 622. The device 604 can operate in a low-power mode with the primary connection radio 622 powered off. In some embodiments, from the perspective of the transmitter 602, the state of the primary connection radio 622 is off in the low-power mode. While the device 604 is in the low-power mode, the primary connection radio 622 can send and receive data.

[0078] In the example, when the transmitter 602 wants to wake up the device 604, the transmitter sends a wake-up packet 610 to the LP-WUR 620. Upon reception, the LP-WUR sends a wake-up signal to the controller or directly to the primary connection radio 622. Then, the primary connection radio 622 can power on to be able to receive data (e.g., data packet 612). In the example, the wake-up packet 610 can be sent based on a duty cycle or based on when the transmitter 602 needs to send data to the device 604.

[0079] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein may provide additional signaling to indicate Wake-up Receiver (WURx) state transitions, which may be independent of existing transitions regarding power states and power management modes. The WURx may operate in various power management modes that can be used to determine the state of the WURx. In an example, the WURx state may be either always-on or in a duty-cycle mode. In the duty-cycle mode, the WURx cycles between being active for a certain period of time and being inactive for a certain period of time. Additional signaling from the STA to the AP may be introduced to indicate transitions in the power management mode and / or the WURx state.

[0080] The different power management modes for the WURx may have different corresponding rules for WURx state transitions. In an example, the rules may follow the definition of the power management mode for an 802.11 radio. In an example, the WURx state transition is from the perspective of the AP and may not be the actual WURx state of the STA, as the STA may experience localized operation of the WURx state.

[0081] In various examples, the STA may be in one of two power states: awake or sleepy. In the awake state, the STA is fully powered on. For example, the primary connection radio may be fully powered on to send / receive data. However, the WURx may be powered off in the awake state. In the sleepy state, the primary connection radio may be powered off. From the perspective of the AP, the AP assumes that the STA cannot send or receive data except to receive wake-up packets.

[0082] A non-AP STA may be in one of two power management modes: active mode or power-saving mode. In the active mode, the STA can receive and send frames at any time. In the active mode, the STA remains in the awake state. In the power-saving mode, the STA wakes up to receive or send data / frames. Otherwise, the STA returns and remains in the sleepy state.

[0083] In various embodiments, the AP has the ability to send a wake-up packet to the WURx of the STA to wake up the primary connection radio of the STA. However, this concept can be extended to a general device-to-device model where STA1 has the ability to send a wake-up packet to the WURx of STA2 to wake up the primary connection radio of STA2. In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein may provide two power management modes and introduce signaling to indicate to STA1 transitions in the power management mode and / or the state of the WURx. In some embodiments, the WURx of the STA may be in one of two power states. In the awake state of the WURx, the STA can receive wake-up receiver transmissions (e.g., wake-up packets and / or beacons). In the sleepy state of the WURx, the STA does not receive wake-up receiver transmissions. For example, the WURx may be powered off to conserve power.

[0084] In some embodiments, the WURx of a STA may operate under one of two power management modes. In the WURx active mode, the STA remains in the WURx awake state to receive wake-up receiver transmissions. In the WURx power-saving mode, the STA enters the WURx awake state to receive wake-up receiver transmissions and otherwise remains in the WURx doze state.

[0085] Even though the techniques discussed herein refer to separate primary connection radios and wake-up radios (e.g., Figure 6 radios 620 and 622 shown), the present disclosure is not limited thereto. More specifically, a wireless device may use a single radio configured to perform the functions associated with both the primary connection radio and the wake-up radio discussed herein (e.g., the functions discussed in connection with immediate binding and automatic connection). For example, device 622 may include only one radio that performs the functions and techniques associated with the primary connection radio and the wake-up radio discussed herein.

[0086] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein provide rules for defining WURx state transitions. In some embodiments, the WURx state transitions are defined from the perspective of the other side (e.g., the AP). In some embodiments, even when the AP believes the WURx is in the doze state, the STA may perform local operations. For example, if the WURx is off from the perspective of the AP, the STA may keep the WURx powered on to simplify operations. In an example, the STA may not need to notify the AP. Specifically, when the STA is in the doze state from the perspective of the AP, the STA may be in the awake state to handle other operations. As another example, when the STA is in the awake state from the perspective of the AP, the STA may be in the doze state due to a mechanism such as PPDU power saving within the BSS.

[0087] In some embodiments associated with device-to-device communication, STA1 may send a wake-up packet to STA2, regardless of whether the wake-up packet will include at least one command for STA2. For example, the wake-up packet may include an enable hotspot command such that STA2 can enable a wireless hotspot using its primary connection radio (e.g., 622). The wake-up packet may include a disable hotspot command such that STA2 can disable the wireless hotspot upon request by STA1 (e.g., when wireless connectivity to an access point is available for both STA1 and STA2, each device can use its own primary connection radio to connect to the access point). In some aspects, the wake-up packet may also include connection and synchronization commands whereby STA1 can automatically connect to and synchronize data with STA2. In Figures 7 - 16 Additional details regarding the use of wake-up packets to facilitate immediate binding and automatic connection are disclosed.

[0088] Figure 7 Illustrates an example communication sequence 700 between two wireless devices for enabling and using tethering, according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 7 , the example communication sequence 700 occurs between a first device (STA1) 704 and a second device (STA2) 702. In some aspects, STA1 can be a laptop device and STA2 can be a smart phone.

[0089] When a user of the laptop device 704 is outside Wi-Fi coverage and wants to use the smart phone 702 to connect to the Internet (or use a pre-configured Wi-Fi of another device) via the LTE connectivity of the smart phone 702 by enabling the hotspot feature (tethering), the user needs to go through multiple steps to enable the wireless hotspot of STA2. For example, and as Figure 7 shown, the user must perform the following actions: open the settings menu, open the hotspot menu, and enable the hotspot function. After enabling the wireless hotspot, STA2 starts transmitting beacons with the service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot. The laptop device 704 can scan for wireless hotspots and any beacons. The user may need to select the hotspot from the laptop device 704, and the laptop device can connect to the wireless hotspot and connect to the Internet using the LTE connection of the smart phone 702. When there is a known access point, the user can disable the hotspot at the smart phone 702 by repeating the initial steps and disabling the hotspot from the smart phone menu and settings.

[0090] Another example is: when the user returns from a trip and wants to transfer videos to a PC / laptop device, wirelessly connect the PC or laptop device to a peripheral device (e.g., a GoPro camera). In a traditional use case, the user must go through multiple steps to transfer video files to the PC / laptop device, as shown in conjunction with Figure 8 .

[0091] Figure 8 Illustrates an example communication sequence 800 for connecting to a peripheral device, according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 8 , a camera 802 (STA1) can be used for outdoor activities, and after the user returns to a home location (including a home access point 804 or STA2 and a laptop device 806 or STA3), the user can enable the Wi-Fi access point on the camera 802. Then, the user can select the camera access point from the laptop device 806 while the laptop device 806 is disconnected from the home access point 804. Then, the user can transfer data (e.g., photos and videos) from the camera 802 to the laptop device 806. Then, the user disconnects from the camera 802 and reconnects the laptop device 806 to the home AP 804.

[0092] As Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, traditional pairing techniques and peripheral device connection and synchronization techniques are time-consuming and require multiple user-initiated steps, with little or no automation. Other traditional techniques include Chrome OS, and certain versions of Android devices support a feature called "instant pairing" that uses the Bluetooth radio to display the availability of a hotspot from the user's Android smartphone. However, this feature requires both devices to be logged into the user's Google account, and the Bluetooth radios of both devices must be on. At this point, these traditional techniques still require user intervention and incur additional power consumption due to the Bluetooth radio being on. There is no known solution for connecting a GoPro-type peripheral device to a PC / laptop device without user intervention.

[0093] In some aspects, the disclosed techniques can be used to enable instant pairing between two devices (e.g., a laptop device and a smartphone) with low power consumption without user intervention when the devices are outside of Wi-Fi coverage using the Wake-up Radio (WUR) function. For example, when the user is outside of Wi-Fi coverage, the laptop device can send a WUR frame with the command "enable hotspot" to the smartphone. When the smartphone receives the WUR frame with the command "enable hotspot", it enables the wireless hotspot feature. When the user returns to Wi-Fi coverage, the laptop device can send another WUR frame with the command "disable hotspot". When the smartphone receives the WUR frame with the command "disable hotspot", it disables the hotspot feature. At this point, the pairing function (e.g., enabling or disabling the wireless hotspot) can be automatically performed without user intervention.

[0094] While the above use case is depicted as being between the wireless hotspot on the smartphone and the laptop device, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the techniques discussed can extend the use case to any two devices, where one device is capable (but typically not enabled) of supporting an AP interface with a connection to a network, and the other device needs access to the network but cannot achieve this without an intermediary device.

[0095] In some aspects, the disclosed techniques can also be used to configure instant connection to a peripheral device, as in the following examples and in conjunction with Figure 11 、 Figure 12 and Figure 13As depicted. The home AP (or laptop device) can send WUR beacons or WUR discovery frames. When the user brings a peripheral device (e.g., a GoPro camera) within the range of the home AP or laptop device, the peripheral device receives the WUR beacon / discovery frame and sends a WUR frame with the command "sync" (or "sync") to another device (e.g., the user's home desktop / laptop device / home network-attached storage (Home-NAS), etc.). At this point, the peripheral device synchronizes with the home PC / laptop device using the WUR frame without user intervention.

[0096] Figure 9 Illustrates an example communication sequence 900 between two wireless devices using WUR communication according to some embodiments. Referring Figure 9 to, the example communication sequence 900 can occur between a first device (STA1) 902 and a second device (STA2) 904. In some aspects, STA1 can be a laptop device and STA2 can be a smart phone. In some aspects, STA2 can be referred to as an access point (AP) as it will provide a wireless hotspot.

[0097] Figure 10 Illustrates according to some embodiments Figure 9 a timing diagram of an example communication sequence. Referring Figure 9 and Figure 10 to, at operation 1006, the STA 902 can detect a loss of connection with a previous access point. For example, the STA 902 may lose its connection with the home access point to which both STA1 and STA2 are connected.

[0098] When the STA 902 is outside the Wi-Fi coverage of the previous access point and there is no other AP to connect to, the STA 902 can send a WUR packet 906 (or 1008) to the STA 904. The WUR packet 1008 can include an "enable hotspot" command, which can be configured in one of the different ways discussed in conjunction with Figure 14 to. In some aspects, the WUR packet 1008 can be a WUR vendor-specific frame with the command "enable hotspot". If the STA 902 does not receive a beacon with the known SSID of the hotspot of the STA 904, the STA 902 can periodically retransmit the WUR packet 1008.

[0099] In some aspects, the STA 904 is equipped with a TGba-compliant wake-up receiver and can become active when the STA 904 loses its connection with the associated AP and there is no other / known AP to connect to.

[0100] When the STA 904 receives the WUR packet 1008 via its wake-up receiver, at operation 1010, the STA 904 can enable its wireless hotspot without user intervention. Then, the STA 904 can initiate the transmission of a beacon signal 1012 with the SSID 1014 of the wireless hotspot.

[0101] At operation 1016, the STA 902 can scan the communication channel, receive the beacon signal 1012 (or some other known token in the case of pre-registration), and connect to the wireless hotspot of the STA 904 using the SSID 1014 provided in the beacon signal 1012. After establishing a connection to the hotspot, hotspot communication 1018 can occur between the STA 902 and the STA 904.

[0102] When a known access point is detected at operation 1019 (e.g., the STA 902 moves into the coverage area of a known AP), the STA 902 sends a WUR packet 1020 with a disable hotspot command 1022 to the STA 904. Alternatively, the STA 902 can connect to the known AP and can send a Wi-Fi action frame 1026 with a disable hotspot command via the AP to the STA 904. After receiving the command, at operation 1024, the STA 904 can disable the hotspot and beacon transmission. If the STA 902 receives the SSID 1014 of the hotspot after the transmission of the WUR packet 1020, the STA 902 can retransmit an action frame with the command "disable hotspot".

[0103] In some aspects, the automatic hotspot feature on the STA 904 may be limited to pre-registered devices. In this case, part of the hotspot feature settings in the STA 904 can have an option to enable the WUR automatic connection feature. In some aspects, the set of registered devices can be, for example, any device that has previously connected to the wireless hotspot of the STA 904 or by selection. In some aspects, the WUR automatic connection feature may also be enabled / disabled on the STA 902 (e.g., the connected device) side.

[0104] In some aspects, during the pre-registration phase, the STAs 902 and 904 can negotiate parameters that can be used for automatic authentication and for the enabling or disabling of the wireless hotspot. For example, the STA 902 can provide the WUR receiver (WURx) address to the STA 904, and the STA 902 can include the WURx address in the WUR packet 1008 to assist the STA 904 in authenticating the STA 902 as a hotspot requesting STA and in determining whether to enable the hotspot for the STA 902 based on the pre-registration configuration. Other authentication and auto-binding related information can also be exchanged during the pre-registration phase.

[0105] Figure 11 Illustrates an example communication sequence 1100 for connecting to a peripheral device that supports WUR communication. Refer to Figure 11 , the camera 1102 (STA1) can be used for outdoor activities. After the user returns to the home location (including the home access point 1104 or AP and the laptop device 1106 or STA2), STA1 receives a WUR beacon or discovery frame from AP 1104 and detects that it is located within the home environment associated with AP 1104. STA1 sends a WUR frame with a synchronization command to STA2, and STA2 initiates the automatic reception (sinking) of data between STA1 and STA2.

[0106] Figure 12 Illustrates an example communication sequence 1200 for connecting to a peripheral device that does not support WUR communication. Refer to Figure 12 , the camera 1202 (STA1) can be used for outdoor activities. After the user returns to the home location (including the home access point 1204 or AP and the laptop device 1206 or STA2), AP 1204 periodically sends a WUR beacon / discovery frame. STA1 receives the WUR beacon / discovery frame and detects that it is located within the home environment associated with AP 1204. Since STA1 does not have the ability to transmit a WUR frame, STA1 sends an action frame (e.g., via its primary Wi-Fi radio) to AP 1204. AP 1204 uses the WUR frame or the transmitted action frame to send a connection command (or a connection and synchronization command) to STA2. As a result, STA1 performs synchronization with STA2 via AP and using its primary Wi-Fi radio.

[0107] Hereinafter and in conjunction with Figure 13 discuss the automated peripheral synchronization use case. Figure 13 Illustrates according to some embodiments Figure 11 and Figure 12 a timing diagram 1300 of an example communication sequence. Refer to Figure 13 , the illustrated communication sequence occurs between STA1 1302 (e.g., a peripheral device (e.g., a camera)), AP 1304 (e.g., a home access point), and STA2 (e.g., a laptop device for another device with WUR communication capabilities).

[0108] Initially, AP 1304 sends a WUR beacon frame 1308 with a transmission ID 1310 or a WUR discovery frame 1312 with a compressed SSID associated with AP 1304. STA1 1302 can be equipped with a TGba-compliant wake-up receiver and is active.

[0109] When STA1 1302 receives a WUR beacon 1308 or a WUR discovery frame 1312 from AP 1304, STA1 sends a WUR frame (or packet) 1316 with the command "Connect" or "Connect Sync" to AP 1304 and STA2. STA1 may turn off the wake-up receiver. When STA1 does not receive the WUR beacon 1308, STA1 turns on its wake-up receiver.

[0110] Alternatively, when STA1 receives a WUR beacon 1308 or a WUR discovery frame 1312 from AP 1304, STA1 turns on the main Wi-Fi radio and sends an action frame 1318 with the command "Connect" or "Connect Sync" to the AP. Then, if STA2 can receive the WUR frame, the AP sends a WUR frame 1320 with the command "Connect" or "Connect Sync" to STA2 (e.g., a home network device / laptop). If STA2 cannot receive the WUR frame but can receive Wi-Fi frames (i.e., 802.11n / ac / ax frames), the AP uses the main Wi-Fi radio to send an action frame 1322 with the command "Connect" or "Connect Sync" to STA2. If STA2 is connected via Ethernet or USB, the AP may send an Ethernet or USB command to STA2.

[0111] STA1 may wait for a response frame from STA2 via the main Wi-Fi radio (i.e., 802.11n / ac / ax). If the home network device is connected to the AP via Ethernet or USB, the AP may send a response frame on behalf of STA2 (e.g., response frame transmissions 1324 and 1326). If STA1 does not receive a response frame within the timeout period, the device may retransmit the WUR frame.

[0112] If STA1 directly receives a response frame (e.g., 1328) from STA2 (e.g., via the main Wi-Fi radio), STA1 connects to STA2 in operation 1330 and automatically performs data synchronization 1332 without user intervention.

[0113] Once the synchronization between STA1 and STA2 is complete, STA1 disconnects from STA2 in operation 1334.

[0114] In some aspects, STA2 1302 may be equipped with a TGba compliant wake-up receiver and may be active. Alternatively, if STA2 (e.g., a home NAS) does not have Wi-Fi or WUR capabilities but is connected to the AP via Ethernet or USB, the AP may proxy the communication between STA1 and STA2.

[0115] When STA2 receives a WUR frame with the commands "Connect" or "Connect Synchronize", STA2 uses the primary Wi-Fi radio (e.g., 802.11n / ac / ax) to send a response frame, connect to STA1, and perform a synchronization operation without any user intervention. If STA2 is connected to AP 1304 via Ethernet / USB, the AP sends the response frame on behalf of STA2 using the primary Wi-Fi radio.

[0116] Figure 14 is a block diagram 1400 of an example WUR packet that can be used in conjunction with the disclosed technology. Referring to Figure 14 , the WUR packet 1400 can include a BPSK Mark1 field 1404, a BPSK Mark2 field 1406, a WUR synchronization field 1408, and a WUR data frame (or MAC frame) 1410.

[0117] The legacy preamble field 1402 can include an L-STF training field 1430, an L-LTF training field 1432, and an L-SIG signal field 1434.

[0118] The WUR data frame 1410 includes a frame control field 1412 and an ID field 1414, a type-dependent control field 1416, a frame body field, and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 1420. The frame control field 1412 can include a type subfield 1422, a protected subfield 1424, a frame body present subfield 1426, and a length / miscellaneous subfield 1428.

[0119] In some aspects, the WUR frame 1410 can be used to define an organizationally unique identifier (OUI) for an instant binding operation or an automatic synchronization. More specifically, the WUR frame 1410 can use the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) in the ID field 1414 and the 12 most significant bits (MSBs) in the type-dependent control field 1416.

[0120] In some aspects, the protected subfield 1424 and the miscellaneous subfield together (4 bits) are used to encode WUR commands. For example, an encoded 0 can correspond to an "enable hotspot" command, an encoded 1 can correspond to a "disable hotspot" command, and an encoded 3 can correspond to "connect synchronize". In some aspects, other values can be reserved, and other commands can also be used. In some aspects, other values can be used to control a wireless device (e.g., a smart phone with hotspot capabilities) or initiate other actions in different usage scenarios (e.g., taking a photo, generating a notification or an alert, etc.).

[0121] In some aspects, the frame body's sub - field 1426 can include a receiver (e.g., WURx) address (e.g., 12 - bit). As previously mentioned above, the WURx address can be pre - negotiated between two devices (e.g., a laptop and a smartphone or a GoPro and a PC).

[0122] In some aspects, the FCS 1420 calculation can include an embedded BSSID such that the receiver (e.g., WURx) can identify the transmitter.

[0123] Figure 15 and Figure 16 is a flowchart of a method for instant binding between wireless devices according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 15 , example method 1500 includes operations 1502, 1504, 1506, and 1508, which can be performed by STA1 902. In operation 1502, the communication link of the station (e.g., STA1) is detected as unavailable. For example, in operation 1006, STA1 detects a loss of connection to the supplicant AP. In operation 1504, based on the unavailability of the communication link, a Wake - up Radio (WUR) packet is encoded for transmission to a second STA (e.g., STA2 904). For example, the packet can be sent to the WUR receiver (WURx) of STA2. For example, STA1 encodes WUR packet 1008 for transmission to STA2. WUR packet 1008 includes a command (e.g., 1009) for enabling the wireless hotspot of STA2. In operation 1506, a beacon signal (e.g., 1012) received from STA2 is decoded. The beacon signal includes a Service Set Identifier (e.g., SSID 1014) of the wireless hotspot enabled by STA2. In operation 1508, a data packet is encoded for transmission to STA2 based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot. For example, a communication exchange 1018 occurs after STA1 connects to the wireless hotspot of STA2.

[0124] Referring to Figure 16 , example method 1600 includes operations 1602, 1604, 1606, and 1608, which can be performed by STA2 904. In operation 1602, a data packet is received from a second STA (e.g., STA1 902) via the radio of the STA (e.g., STA2). The data packet includes an address identifier assigned to the STA. In some aspects, the data packet includes a Wake - up Radio (WUR) receiver (WURx) address identifier assigned to the WURx of the STA. For example, STA1 902 can transfer the WURx address identifier assigned to the WURx of STA2 904 during a pre - registration phase.

[0125] At operation 1604, a WUR packet (e.g., 1008) received from a second STA (e.g., STA1 902) is decoded. The WUR packet includes a wireless hotspot enable command (e.g., 1009) and a receiver address identifier.

[0126] At operation 1606, when the receiver address identifier received via the WUR packet matches the address identifier received via a data packet (e.g., at operation 1010), the wireless hotspot of the STA is enabled. At operation 1608, after enabling the wireless hotspot, a beacon signal (e.g., 1012) is encoded for radio transmission, the beacon signal including a service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot (e.g., 1014).

[0127] Figure 17 A block diagram of an example machine 1700 is shown on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein may be performed. In an alternative embodiment, machine 1700 may operate as a stand-alone device, or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a network deployment, machine 1700 may operate in the role of a server machine, a client machine, or both, in a server-client network environment. In an example, machine 1700 may act as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Machine 1700 may be a HE AP 502, a HE station 504, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable communication device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a web appliance, a network router, a switch, or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequentially or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, although only a single machine is shown, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines (e.g., cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations) that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

[0128] The machine (e.g., computer system) 1700 may include a hardware processor 1702 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 1704, and a static memory 1706, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnection link (e.g., a bus) 1708.

[0129] Specific examples of the main memory 1704 include random access memory (RAM) and semiconductor memory devices, which in some embodiments may include storage locations in a semiconductor (e.g., registers). Specific examples of the static memory 1706 include: non-volatile memory (e.g., semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices)); magnetic disks (e.g., internal hard disks and removable disks); magneto-optical disks; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0130] The machine 1700 may also include a display device 1710, an input device 1712 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface UI navigation device 1714 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display device 1710, the input device 1712, and the UI navigation device 1714 may be a touchscreen display. The machine 1700 may additionally include mass storage (e.g., a drive unit) 1716, a signal generation device 1718 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 1720, and one or more sensors 1721 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors). The machine 1700 may include an output controller 1728 (e.g., a serial connection (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB)), a parallel connection, or other wired or wireless connection (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.)) to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.). In some embodiments, the processor 1702 and / or the instructions 1724 may include processing circuitry and / or transceiver circuitry.

[0131] The storage device 1716 may include a machine-readable medium 1722 on which is stored a set or sets of data structures or instructions 1724 (e.g., software) that embody any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein or are utilized thereby. The instructions 1724 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1704, within the static memory 1706, or within the hardware processor 1702 during execution by the machine 1700. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 1702, the main memory 1704, the static memory 1706, or the storage device 1716 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0132] Specific examples of machine-readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices), magnetic disks (e.g., internal hard disks and removable disks), magneto-optical disks, RAM, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0133] Although the machine-readable medium 1722 is shown as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" can include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 1724.

[0134] The apparatus of machine 1700 can be one or more of the following: a hardware processor 1702 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 1704, a static memory 1706, a sensor 1721, a network interface device 1720, an antenna 1760, a display device 1710, an input device 1712, a UI navigation device 1714, a mass storage 1716, instructions 1724, a signal generation device 1718, and an output controller 1728. The apparatus can be configured to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. The apparatus can be intended as a component of machine 1700 that performs one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein, and / or as part of performing one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus can include pins or other components for receiving power. In some embodiments, the apparatus can include power conditioning hardware.

[0135] The term "machine-readable medium" can include any medium that can store, encode, or carry instructions that are executed by machine 1700 and cause machine 1700 to perform one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or any medium that can store, encode, or carry data structures used by or associated with these instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media can include solid-state memories as well as optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media can include: non-volatile memories (e.g., semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices)); disks (e.g., internal hard disks and removable disks); magneto-optical disks; random access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, the machine-readable medium can include a non-transitory machine-readable medium. In some examples, the machine-readable medium can include a machine-readable medium that is not an instantaneous propagated signal.

[0136] Any one of a variety of transport protocols (e.g., Frame Relay, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.) can be used to further send or receive the instruction 1724 via the network interface device 1720 using a transmission medium over a communication network 1726. Example communication networks can include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), packet data networks (e.g., the Internet), mobile phone networks (e.g., cellular networks), plain old telephone service (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard family known as the IEEE 802.16 standard family known as ), the IEEE 802.15.4 standard family, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard family, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard family, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, etc.

[0137] In an example, the network interface device 1720 can include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet jacks, coaxial jacks, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communication network 1726. In an example, the network interface device 1720 can include one or more antennas 1760 to perform wireless communication using at least one of single input multiple output (SIMO), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), or multiple input single output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device 1720 can perform wireless communication using multi-user MIMO techniques. The term "transmission medium" should be considered to include any non-transitory medium that can store, encode, or carry instructions executed by the machine 1700, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other non-transitory media that facilitate the communication of such software.

[0138] Examples described herein can include logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms, or can operate thereon. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) capable of performing the specified operations and can be configured or arranged in a particular manner. In an example, a circuit can be arranged as a module in a specified manner (e.g., internally or relative to external entities such as other circuits). In an example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a stand-alone, client, or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors can be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) to operate as a module that performs the specified operations. In an example, the software can reside on a machine-readable medium. In an example, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, the software causes the hardware to perform the specified operations.

[0139] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transiently) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate or perform some or all of any of the operations described herein in a specified manner. Consider an example where a module is temporarily configured. It is not necessary to instantiate every module at any given moment. For example, in a case where a module includes a general-purpose hardware processor configured with software, the general-purpose hardware processor can be configured as various different modules at different times. The software can accordingly configure the hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one time instance and different modules at different time instances.

[0140] Some embodiments may be implemented entirely or partially in software and / or firmware. The software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. These instructions can then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable the performance of the operations described herein. The instructions can be in any suitable form, such as but not limited to source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. The computer-readable medium may include any tangible non-transitory medium for storing information in one or more computer-readable forms, such as but not limited to: read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory, etc.

[0141] Figure 18 A block diagram showing an example wireless device 1800 on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods or operations) discussed herein may be performed. The wireless device 1800 may be a HE device. The wireless device 1800 may be a HE STA 504 and / or a HE AP 502 (e.g., Figure 5 ). The HE STA 504 and / or the HE AP 502 may include Figures 1 - 5 and Figure 18 some or all of the components shown. The wireless device 1800 may be the example machine 1700 disclosed in conjunction with Figure 17 and may include a master device (e.g., a laptop device or another computing device) or a slave device (e.g., a computing device coupled to the master device (e.g., a LE HID type device or another type of wired or wireless computing device)) configured to perform the functions discussed (e.g., in conjunction with Figures 6 - 16 ).

[0142] Wireless device 1800 may include processing circuitry 1808. The processing circuitry 1808 may include a transceiver 1802, a physical layer circuit (PHY circuit) 1804, and a MAC layer circuit (MAC circuit) 1806, one or more of which may be implemented to transmit signals to and receive signals from other wireless devices 1800 (e.g., HE AP 502, HE STA 504, and / or legacy device 506) using one or more antennas 1812. As an example, the PHY circuit 1804 may perform various encoding and decoding functions, which may include: forming a baseband signal for transmission and decoding a received signal. As another example, the transceiver 1802 may perform various transmission and reception functions (e.g., frequency conversion of signals between the baseband range and the radio frequency (RF) range).

[0143] Accordingly, the PHY circuit 1804 and the transceiver 1802 may be separate components, or may be part of a combined component (e.g., the processing circuitry 1808). Additionally, some of the described functions related to the transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include the PHY circuit 1804, the transceiver 1802, the MAC circuit 1806, the memory 1810, and one, any, or all of other components or layers. The MAC circuit 1806 may control access to the wireless medium. The wireless device 1800 may also include a memory 1810, which is arranged to perform the operations described herein. For example, some of the operations described herein may be performed by instructions stored in the memory 1810.

[0144] The antenna 1812 (some embodiments may include only one antenna) may include one or more directional antennas or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 1812 may be effectively separated to utilize spatial diversity and the resulting different channel characteristics.

[0145] One or more of the memory 1810, the transceiver 1802, the PHY circuit 1804, the MAC circuit 1806, the antenna 1812, and / or the processing circuitry 1808 may be coupled to each other. Additionally, although the memory 1810, the transceiver 1802, the PHY circuit 1804, the MAC circuit 1806, the antenna 1812 are shown as separate components, one or more of the memory 1810, the transceiver 1802, the PHY circuit 1804, the MAC circuit 1806, the antenna 1812 may be integrated in an electronic package or chip.

[0146] In some embodiments, the wireless device 1800 may be combined with Figure 18The mobile device described. In some embodiments, the wireless device 1800 may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figures 1 - 5 and Figure 17 described, IEEE 802.11). In some embodiments, the wireless device 1800 may include one or more of the components described in conjunction with Figure 17 (e.g., display device 1710, input device 1712, etc.). Although the wireless device 1800 is shown as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements (e.g., processing elements including a digital signal processor (DSP)) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include a combination of one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and various hardware and logic circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0147] In some embodiments, the apparatus of or used by the wireless device 1800 may include Figure 18 the various components of the wireless device 1800 shown and / or components from Figures 1 - 5 and Figure 17 . Thus, in some embodiments, the techniques and operations described herein with reference to the wireless device 1800 may be applicable to the apparatus of the wireless device 1800 (e.g., HE AP 502 and / or HE STA504). In some embodiments, the wireless device 1800 is configured to decode and / or encode the signals, packets, and / or frames (e.g., PPDU) described herein.

[0148] In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 1806 may be arranged to compete for the wireless medium during a contention period to receive control of the medium for a HE TXOP and to encode or decode a HE PPDU. In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 1806 may be arranged to compete for the wireless medium based on a channel contention setting, a transmit power level, and an idle channel assessment level (e.g., an energy detection level).

[0149] The PHY circuit 1804 may be arranged to transmit signals according to one or more communication standards described herein. For example, the PHY circuit 1804 may be configured to transmit a HE PPDU. The PHY circuit 1804 may include circuitry for modulation / demodulation, upconversion / downconversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1808 may include one or more processors. The processing circuit 1808 may be configured to perform functions based on instructions stored in RAM or ROM or based on dedicated circuitry. The processing circuit 1808 may include a processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor). The processing circuit 1808 may implement one or more functions associated with the antenna 1812, the transceiver 1802, the PHY circuit 1804, the MAC circuit 1806, and / or the memory 1810. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1808 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions / operations and / or methods described herein.

[0150] In mmWave technology, communication between a station (e.g., Figure 5 the HE station 504 or the wireless device 1800) and an AP (e.g., Figure 5 the HE AP 502 or the wireless device 1800) may use a highly directional-dependent associated effective wireless channel. To accommodate directionality, beamforming techniques may be utilized to radiate energy in a specific direction with a specific beamwidth for communication between two devices. Directed propagation focuses the transmitted energy towards the target device to compensate for the significant energy loss of the channel between the two communicating devices. Using directed transmission can extend the range of millimeter-wave communication compared to using the same transmitted energy in omnidirectional propagation.

[0151] The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments that may be practiced by way of illustration. These embodiments are also referred to herein as "examples." These examples may also include elements other than those shown or described. However, examples including the elements shown or described are also contemplated. Additionally, examples using any combination or permutation of those elements (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof) or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein are also contemplated.

[0152] Publications, patents, and patent documents cited in this document are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if individually incorporated by reference. If there is an inconsistency in the usage between this document and those documents incorporated by reference, then the usage in the incorporated citations is supplementary to the usage in this document; for incompatible inconsistencies, the usage in this document prevails.

[0153] In this document, as is common in patent documents, the term "a" or "an" is used to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or uses of "at least one" or "one or more". In this document, the term "or" is used to refer to a non-exclusive or, such that "A or B" includes "A but not B", "B but not A", and "A and B", unless otherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "in which" are used as the ordinary English equivalents of the corresponding terms "including" and "wherein". Further, in the appended claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, a system, apparatus, article, or process that includes elements other than those listed after these terms in the claim is still considered to fall within the scope of the claim. Additionally, in the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used merely as labels and are not intended to imply a numerical order to their objects.

[0154] The above-described embodiments may be implemented in various hardware configurations that may include a processor for running instructions that execute the described techniques. These instructions may be contained in a machine-readable medium (e.g., a suitable storage medium or memory or other processor-executable medium).

[0155] The embodiments described herein may be implemented in a number of environments (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN), a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or part of an LTE communication system), but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0156] The antennas mentioned herein may include one or more directional antennas or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some embodiments, instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may be regarded as a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may occur between each antenna and the antennas of the transmitting station. In some MIMO embodiments, the antennas may be separated by up to 1 / 10 of a wavelength or more.

[0157] Additional Remarks and Examples :

[0158] Example 1 is an apparatus of a station (STA), the apparatus comprising: a memory; and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, the processing circuit being configured to: detect that a communication link of the STA is unavailable; encode a wake-up radio (WUR) packet for transmission to a second STA based on the unavailability of the communication link, the WUR packet including a command for enabling a wireless hotspot of the second STA; decode a beacon signal received from the second STA, the beacon signal including a service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot enabled by the second STA; and encode a data packet for transmission to the second STA based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot.

[0159] In example 2, the subject matter as described in example 1 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: encode a first portion of the WUR packet to include an address identifier of the second STA; and encode a second portion of the WUR packet to include a command for enabling the wireless hotspot.

[0160] In example 3, the subject matter as described in example 2 includes, wherein the first portion is a frame body field of the WUR packet, and the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a frame control field of the WUR packet.

[0161] In example 4, the subject matter as described in example 3 includes, wherein the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a protected subfield and a miscellaneous subfield of the frame control field.

[0162] In example 5, the subject matter as described in examples 2-4 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: generate an address identifier of the second STA during a registration communication exchange with the second STA using a primary connection radio, the registration communication exchange occurring before detecting that the communication link is unavailable; and encode the generated address identifier for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio.

[0163] In example 6, the subject matter as described in examples 1-5 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: encode a command for enabling the wireless hotspot within a plurality of fields of a media access control (MAC) frame of the WUR packet.

[0164] In example 7, the subject matter as described in example 6 includes, wherein the plurality of fields includes the least significant bits of an ID field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet and the most significant bits of a type-dependent control field.

[0165] In Example 8, the subject matter as described in Examples 1-7 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: detect that the communication link of the STA is available; and encode a second WUR packet for transmission to the second STA, the second WUR packet including a command for disabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA.

[0166] In Example 9, the subject matter as described in Examples 1-8 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: detect that the communication link of the STA is available; and encode an action frame for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio, the action frame including a command for disabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA.

[0167] In Example 10, the subject matter as described in Examples 1-9 includes: a transceiver circuit coupled to the processing circuit; and one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuit.

[0168] Example 11 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a station (STA), cause the STA to: detect that the communication link of the STA is unavailable; based on the unavailability of the communication link, encode a wake-up radio (WUR) packet for transmission to a second STA, the WUR packet including a command for enabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA; decode a beacon signal received from the second STA, the beacon signal including a service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot enabled by the second STA; and based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot, encode a data packet for transmission to the second STA.

[0169] In Example 12, the subject matter as described in Example 11 includes, wherein the instructions further cause the STA to: encode a first portion of the WUR packet to include an address identifier of the second STA; and encode a second portion of the WUR packet to include a command for enabling the wireless hotspot.

[0170] In Example 13, the subject matter as described in Example 12 includes, wherein the first portion is a frame body field of the WUR packet, and the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a frame control field of the WUR packet.

[0171] In Example 14, the subject matter as described in Example 13 includes, wherein the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a protected subfield and a miscellaneous subfield of the frame control field.

[0172] In Example 15, the subject matter as described in Examples 12 - 14 includes, wherein the instructions further cause the STA to: generate an address identifier of the second STA during a registration communication exchange with the second STA using the primary connection radio, the registration communication exchange occurring before detecting that the communication link is unavailable; and encode the generated address identifier for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio.

[0173] In Example 16, the subject matter as described in Examples 11 - 15 includes, wherein the instructions further cause the STA to: encode a command for enabling the wireless hotspot within multiple fields of a media access control (MAC) frame of the WUR packet.

[0174] In Example 17, the subject matter as described in Example 16 includes, wherein the multiple fields include the least significant bits of the ID field and the most significant bits of the type - dependent control field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet.

[0175] Example 18 is a method for communication using a wake - up radio, the method including: detecting that a communication link of a station (STA) is unavailable; encoding a wake - up radio (WUR) packet for transmission to a second STA based on the unavailability of the communication link, the WUR packet including a command for enabling a wireless hotspot of the second STA; decoding a beacon signal received from the second STA, the beacon signal including a service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot enabled by the second STA; and encoding a data packet for transmission to the second STA based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot.

[0176] In Example 19, the subject matter as described in Example 18 includes: encoding a command for enabling the wireless hotspot within the ID field and the type - dependent control field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet.

[0177] In Example 20, the subject matter as described in Examples 18 - 19 includes: detecting that the communication link of the STA is available; and encoding a second WUR packet for transmission to the second STA, the second WUR packet including a command for disabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA.

[0178] In Example 21, the subject matter as described in Examples 18 - 20 includes: detecting that the communication link of the STA is available; and encoding an action frame for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio, the action frame including a command for disabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA.

[0179] Example 22 is an apparatus of a station (STA), the apparatus including: a memory; and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, the processing circuit for: decoding a data packet received from a second STA via a primary connection radio of the STA, the data packet including an address identifier assigned to the STA; decoding a WUR packet received at the second STA, the WUR packet including a wireless hotspot enable command and a receiver address identifier; enabling a wireless hotspot of the STA when the receiver address identifier received via the WUR packet matches the address identifier received via the data packet; and after enabling the wireless hotspot, encoding a beacon signal for transmission via the primary connection radio, the beacon signal including a service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot.

[0180] In example 23, the subject matter as described in example 22 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: decode a second WUR packet received at the second STA, the second WUR packet including a wireless hotspot disable command; and disable the wireless hotspot of the STA based on the wireless hotspot disable command.

[0181] In example 24, the subject matter as described in examples 22-23 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: decode a first portion of the WUR packet to obtain the receiver address identifier; and decode a second portion of the WUR packet to obtain the wireless hotspot enable command; wherein the first portion is a frame body field of the WUR packet, and the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a frame control field of the WUR packet.

[0182] In example 25, the subject matter as described in examples 22-24 includes, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: decode the wireless hotspot enable command using a plurality of fields of a media access control (MAC) frame of the WUR packet, wherein the plurality of fields includes the least significant bit of an ID field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet and the most significant bit of a type-dependent control field.

[0183] Example 26 is at least one machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform operations to implement any one of examples 1-25.

[0184] Example 27 is an apparatus including modules for implementing any one of examples 1-25.

[0185] Example 28 is a system for implementing any one of examples 1-25.

[0186] Example 29 is a method for implementing any one of examples 1-25.

[0187] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with other examples. Other embodiments may be used, for example, by those skilled in the art after reviewing the above description. The abstract is used to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the essence of the technical disclosure. It is understood that, upon submission, it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Further, in the above Detailed Description, the various features may be combined to streamline the disclosure. However, the claims may not recite every feature disclosed herein, as an embodiment may be characterized by a subset of such features. Additionally, an embodiment may include fewer features than those disclosed in a particular example. Thus, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, where each claim itself represents a separate embodiment. The scope of the embodiments disclosed herein should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a first Station (STA), the apparatus comprising: Memory; and Processing circuitry, coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry being configured to: Detect that a communication link of a primary connection radio of the first STA is unavailable; Based on the unavailability of the communication link, encode a Wake-up Radio (WUR) packet for transmission to a WUR receiver (WURx) of a second STA, the WUR packet including a command for enabling a wireless hotspot of the second STA and a receiver address identifier; Decode a beacon signal received from the second STA, the beacon signal including a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot enabled by the second STA; and Based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot, encode a data packet for transmission to the second STA.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Encode a first portion of the WUR packet to include a receiver address identifier; and Encode a second portion of the WUR packet to include a command for enabling the wireless hotspot.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The first portion is a frame body field of the WUR packet, and the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a frame control field of the WUR packet.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The second portion includes a plurality of bits within a protected subfield and a miscellaneous subfield of the frame control field.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Generate an address identifier of the WURx of the second STA during a registration communication exchange with the second STA using the primary connection radio, the registration communication exchange occurring before detecting that the communication link is unavailable; and Encode the generated address identifier for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Encode the command for enabling the wireless hotspot within a plurality of fields of a Media Access Control (MAC) frame of the WUR packet.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of fields includes the least significant bits of an ID field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet and the most significant bits of a type-dependent control field.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Detect that a communication link of the primary connection radio of the first STA is available; and Encode a second WUR packet for transmission to the WURx of the second STA, the second WUR packet including a command for disabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Detect that a communication link of the primary connection radio of the first STA is available; and Encode an action frame for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio, the action frame including a command for disabling the wireless hotspot of the second STA.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Transceiver circuitry, coupled to the processing circuitry; and One or more antennas, coupled to the transceiver circuitry.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a first Station (STA), cause the first STA to: It is detected that the communication link of the primary connection radio of the first STA is unavailable; Based on the unavailability of the communication link, a Wake-up Radio (WUR) packet is encoded for transmission to a WUR receiver (WURx) of a second STA, the WUR packet including a command for enabling a wireless hotspot of the second STA and a receiver address identifier; Decode a beacon signal received from the second STA, the beacon signal including a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot enabled by the second STA; and Based on the SSID of the wireless hotspot, encode a data packet for transmission to the second STA.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein, The instructions further cause the first STA to: Encode a first portion of the WUR packet to include a receiver address identifier; and Encode a second portion of the WUR packet to include a command for enabling the wireless hotspot.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein, The first portion is a frame body field of the WUR packet, and the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a frame control field of the WUR packet.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein, The second portion includes a plurality of bits within a protected subfield and a miscellaneous subfield of the frame control field.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein, The instruction also causes the first STA to: Generate an address identifier of the second STA's WURx during a registration communication exchange with the second STA using the primary connection radio, the registration communication exchange occurring before detecting that the communication link is unavailable; And Encode the generated address identifier for transmission to the second STA using the primary connection radio.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein, The instruction also causes the first STA to: Encode the command for enabling the wireless hotspot within a plurality of fields of a media access control (MAC) frame of the WUR packet.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein, The plurality of fields includes the least significant bits of the ID field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet and the most significant bits of a type-dependent control field.

18. An apparatus for a second Station (STA), the apparatus comprising: Memory; And Processing circuitry, coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry for: Decode a data packet received from a first STA via the primary connection radio of the second STA, the data packet including a WURx address identifier assigned to a wake-up radio (WUR) receiver (WURx) of the second STA; Decode a WUR packet received at the WURx from the first STA, the WUR packet including a wireless hotspot enable command and a receiver address identifier, the WUR packet being encoded by the first STA for transmission to a WUR receiver (WURx) of the second STA based on detecting that the communication link of its primary connection radio is unavailable; Enable the wireless hotspot of the second STA when the receiver address identifier received via the WUR packet matches the WURx address identifier received via the data packet; And After enabling the wireless hotspot, encode a beacon signal for transmission via the primary connection radio, the beacon signal including a service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless hotspot.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Decode a second WUR packet received at the WURx from the first STA, the second WUR packet including a wireless hotspot disable command; and Disable the wireless hotspot of the second STA based on the wireless hotspot disable command.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Decode the first portion of the WUR packet to obtain the receiver address identifier; And Decode the second portion of the WUR packet to obtain the wireless hotspot enable command; Wherein, the first portion is a frame body field of the WUR packet, and the second portion includes a plurality of bits within a frame control field of the WUR packet.

21. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The processing circuitry is further configured to: Decode the wireless hotspot enabling command using a plurality of fields of a media access control (MAC) frame of the WUR packet, wherein the plurality of fields includes the least significant bit of an ID field of the MAC frame of the WUR packet and the most significant bit of a type-dependent control field.

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