Methods, devices, computer-readable media for wake-up trigger frame

Abstract

This application relates to methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for using wake-up trigger frames. A method for processing a wake-up trigger frame includes: receiving the wake-up trigger frame at the device's wake-up radio and from an access point, wherein the wake-up trigger frame includes a group receiver identifier; and, in response to determining that the device is associated with the group receiver identifier, sending a signal to the device's master radio to activate the master radio.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the original Chinese invention patent application entitled "Address in Wake-up Trigger Frame". The original application number is 201880037804.5, the PCT application number is PCT / CA2018 / 050476, the original application date is April 23, 2018, and the PCT international application entered the national phase on December 6, 2019.

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 583,528, filed May 1, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] This disclosure relates to addressing in wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0005] Wake-up radios can be used in devices such as IEEE 802.11 devices to save power. For example, a device may include a wake-up radio and a master radio. The wake-up radio can be a simple receiver without any transmission capabilities, and the master radio can have both transmit and receive capabilities. The wake-up radio can be active when the master radio is off. Typically, if the device has no data to transmit or receive, the master radio is off and the wake-up radio is active. When an access point has data packets buffered for the device, the access point can send a wake-up trigger frame to the device. The wake-up radio can receive the wake-up trigger frame, and the device can decide whether to wake up the master radio to receive data packets. Wake-up radios typically have low power consumption (e.g., less than 100 microwatts in active state). By using a wake-up radio, a device can reduce power consumption. Low power consumption can be important for battery-powered devices (e.g., wearable devices). Summary of the Invention

[0006] A method for processing a wake-up trigger frame includes: receiving a wake-up trigger frame at the device's wake-up radio and from an access point, wherein the wake-up trigger frame includes a group receiver identifier; and, in response to determining that the device is associated with the group receiver identifier, sending a signal to the device's master radio to activate the master radio. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 It is an example wireless communication system based on some implementations, including a wake-up trigger frame.

[0008] Figure 2 It is a state diagram illustrating the state transitions of some implemented devices.

[0009] Figure 3The illustration shows a first example wake-up trigger frame, including the source address, based on some implementation.

[0010] Figure 4 The illustration shows a second example wake-up trigger frame, which includes an optional source address, based on some implementation.

[0011] Figure 5 The illustration shows a third example wake-up trigger frame, which includes an optional source address, based on some implementations.

[0012] Figure 6 The illustration shows an example payload bitmap based on some implementations.

[0013] Figure 7 The illustration shows an example type length value (TLV) element based on some implementations.

[0014] Figure 8A The illustration shows a sample TLV element including the source address, based on some implementations.

[0015] Figure 8B The illustration shows a sample TLV element based on some implementations, including Ethernet protocol types.

[0016] Figure 9A The illustration shows a sample TLV element that includes Internet Protocol (IP) layer information according to some implementations.

[0017] Figure 9B The illustration shows a sample TLV element that includes Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) / IP header information according to some implementations.

[0018] Figure 9C The illustration shows a sample TLV element that includes User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / IP header information according to some implementations.

[0019] Figure 10 The illustration shows a sample TLV element that includes vendor-specific information based on some implementation.

[0020] Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame according to some implementations.

[0021] Figure 12 This is a first flowchart illustrating an example method for handling wake-up trigger frames based on some implementations.

[0022] Figure 13 This is a second flowchart illustrating an example method for handling wake-up trigger frames based on some implementations.

[0023] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating an example method for handling wake-up trigger frames based on some implementations.

[0024] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of an example device based on some implementations.

[0025] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of an example access point based on some implementations.

[0026] In the various figures, the same reference numerals and symbols indicate the same elements. Detailed Implementation

[0027] This disclosure pertains to the address type in the wake-up trigger frame. Various modifications to the disclosed implementation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles described can be applied to other implementations and applications without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0028] To conserve power, devices such as IEEE 802.11 equipment may include a primary radio (also known as the primary connection radio) and a secondary wake-up radio (WUR). The WUR can be a simple receiver without transmitting capabilities, while the primary radio can have both transmitting and receiving capabilities. The WUR can operate at low power and trigger the primary radio to wake it up. When an access point has packets or frames buffered for an associated device, the access point can send a wake-up trigger frame to the device. The WUR can receive the wake-up trigger frame, and the device can decide whether to wake up the primary radio to receive data frames. In this way, the primary radio can be connected for valuable data transmission. On the one hand, it is undesirable to unnecessarily wake up the primary radio for unimportant or irrelevant data frames. On the other hand, the WUR uses power to decode the wake-up trigger frame and determine whether to wake up the primary radio. Unnecessary power consumption may result from unnecessarily waking up the primary radio and expending excessive power to decide not to wake it up. Protocol design needs to balance these two factors.

[0029] In existing methods, wake-up trigger frames only include transmitter and receiver identifiers or addresses. For example, the transmitter identifier could be an IEEE 802.11 access point (AP) address, while the receiver identifier could be a device or station (STA) address. To provide devices with more information to reduce unnecessary wake-ups, the described method includes a source address in the wake-up trigger frame. The source address can be the address or identifier of a node on a local area network (LAN) or wireless LAN (WLAN) that sends data frames queued for transmission at the AP, causing the AP to send the wake-up trigger frame. For example, in a WLAN where the AP is connected to multiple devices, when one device sends a data frame to another device via the AP, the AP can include the sending device's address as the source address and the AP address as the transmitter identifier in the wake-up trigger frame. In some implementations, the device can determine whether to wake up the master radio based on the source address. In some implementations, the wake-up trigger frame can also include the contents of the Internet Protocol (IP) header of the data frame (such as source address / port, destination address / port, and protocol type), and the device can determine whether to wake up based on the contents of the IP header.

[0030] To reduce power consumption, the transmitter and receiver identifiers in the wake-up trigger frame preferably have short lengths, allowing the wake-up radio to decode fewer bits and use less power. In existing methods, the association identifier (AID) of the STA is used as the receiver identifier to identify individual devices. The described method describes a group receiver identifier that can be included in the wake-up trigger frame for multicast (e.g., multicast or broadcast) of a group of devices. In some implementations, the described group receiver identifier may have a length similar to, for example, an AID.

[0031] Figure 1This is an example wireless communication system 100 including a wake-up trigger frame, based on some implementations. The example communication system 100 includes an access point (AP) 102 and a device 104. AP 102 may be an IEEE 802.11 AP (such as an IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ah / ax AP) or an AP conforming to other standards. Device 104 may be an IEEE 802.11 device or a device conforming to other standards. Device 104 may include a primary radio 106 (also called a primary connection radio) and a secondary wake-up radio 108. The wake-up radio 108 may be a simple receiver without any transmission capabilities, and the primary radio 106 may have both transmitting and receiving capabilities. In some implementations, the primary radio 106 may be an IEEE 802.11 radio (e.g., an IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ah / ax radio). The wake-up radio 108 may operate at low power and trigger the primary radio 106 to wake it up. If no data transmission is expected, the primary radio 106 is turned off, and the wake-up radio 108 is turned on. When a data frame is buffered at AP102 of device 104, AP102 can send a wake-up trigger frame 110 to device 104. Wake-up radio 108 can decode the wake-up trigger frame 110, and device 104 can decide whether to wake up master radio 106 based on the wake-up trigger frame 110. If device 104 decides to wake up master radio 106, wake-up radio 108 can send a wake-up signal 112 to activate master radio 106, enabling master radio 106 to receive data frame 114. Data frame 114 can be transmitted from the wake-up trigger frame 110 in the same or a different frequency band / channel.

[0032] In some implementations, AP102 may have two separate radios (e.g., a primary radio transmits data frame 114 and a secondary wake-up transmitter transmits wake-up trigger frame 110) if data frame 114 is transmitted from wake-up trigger frame 110 in a different frequency band / channel. If data frame 114 is transmitted in the same frequency band / channel as wake-up trigger frame 110, wake-up trigger frame 110 can be transmitted by the primary radio without a separate wake-up transmitter.

[0033] In operation, wake-up radio 104 can receive wake-up trigger frame 110 from AP 102, wherein wake-up trigger frame 110 may include a group receiver identifier. In response to determining that device 104 is associated with a group receiver identifier, wake-up radio 104 can send a wake-up signal 112 to master radio 106 to activate master radio. Wake-up radio 104 may have receiving capabilities, and master radio 106 may have both transmitting and receiving capabilities. In some cases, device 104 may be an IEEE 802.11 device, and AP 102 may be an IEEE 802.11 access point. The group receiver identifier may be used for at least one of multicast or broadcast. The group receiver identifier may be a short identifier (e.g., shorter than the length of a Media Access Control (MAC) address). In some cases, the group receiver identifier may have the same or similar length as an AID. In some implementations, AP 102 may maintain a list of group receiver identifiers, and device 104 may be associated with one or more group receiver identifiers in the list, and device 104 may receive one or more group receiver identifiers from AP 102.

[0034] In some implementations, the wake-up trigger frame 110 may include a source address identifying the node sending data to device 104. The source address may be a MAC address. In some cases, the source address may be included in the payload field or header of the wake-up trigger frame 110. Based on the source address, device 104 may determine whether to send a wake-up signal 112 to activate the main radio 106. The wake-up trigger frame 110 may also include a transmitter identifier. Based on the transmitter identifier, device 104 may determine whether to send a wake-up signal 112 to activate the main radio 106.

[0035] The address in the wake-up trigger frame described in this article can enhance the energy efficiency of a device by reducing unnecessary wake-ups. Figures 2 to 16 The related descriptions provide additional details about these implementations.

[0036] In its overall description of the components, device 104 may refer to, but is not limited to, WLAN devices or STAs, Wi-Fi devices, IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ah / ax devices, user equipment, mobile electronic devices, user devices, mobile stations, subscriber stations, portable electronic devices, mobile communication devices, wireless modems, or wireless terminals. Examples of device 104 may include, but are not limited to, personal data assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, tablets, personal computers (PCs), portable computers, portable gaming devices, wearable electronic devices, testing equipment, gaming machines, automobiles / vehicles, billboards, home appliances, sensors, actuators, or other mobile or fixed communication devices having components for data communication with AP 102 via a wireless link on at least one of the unlicensed or licensed spectrum.

[0037] Although Figure 1 The elements are shown as various components, parts, or modules that implement various features and functions; however, these elements may alternatively include several submodules, third-party services, components, libraries, etc., depending on the circumstances. Furthermore, the features and functions of the various components may be combined into fewer components as needed. The described methods can be implemented using other methods or elements consistent with the scope of this disclosure. The described methods can be implemented using one or more chipsets. For example, the main radio 104 and the wake-up radio 112 may be on one or different chipsets. Additionally, in some implementations, Figures 2 to 14 The individual steps in the flowcharts and program diagrams can be executed in parallel, combined, cyclically, or in any order. Figures 3 to 11 The field / element lengths shown in bits or bytes are example sizes.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a state diagram 200 illustrating the state transitions of a device according to some implementations. State diagram 200 includes an unassociated state (1), an active state (3), and a sleep state (6). In the wake-up state (3), the STA or device operates using a master radio such as an IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, ac, ah, ax radio. In the sleep state (6), the STA shuts down the master radio and operates a backup low-power radio (which may be located in the same frequency band / channel as the master radio or outside the frequency band). Typically, the master radio is not powered when the device is in the sleep state (6). In some cases, conventional power-saving modes (such as power-saving polling (PS-Poll) or unplanned automatic power-saving delivery (U-APSD)) may be part of the active state (3). In other words, the active state (3) can include both IEEE 802.11 wake-up and sleep states. In some implementations, the AP associated with the STA maintains which state the STA is in.

[0039] The STA can move from an unassociated state (1) to an active state (3) through an association process (2) that associates the STA with the AP. The active state (3) can move from a sleep state (6) to a sleep process (4) by transitioning, which may include turning off the main radio and turning on the wake-up radio. The sleep process (4) may be triggered by a timer expiration or other event. The sleep state (6) can move from a sleep state (6) to an active state (3) through a wake-up process (5) that may include turning on the main radio and turning off the wake-up radio. The wake-up process (5) can be triggered in one of the ways by the AP sending a wake-up trigger frame to the STA in the sleep state (6). In some implementations, the wake-up trigger frame is sent by the AP using a wake-up transmitter. In some cases, the STA may automatically transition from a sleep state to an active state without receiving a wake-up trigger frame or via an out-of-band wake-up trigger. In some cases, the wake-up radio may be turned on for both the sleep state (6) and the active state (3). The STA can move from the active state (3) or the sleep state (6) to an unassociated state (1) through a disassociation process (7) or (8) that can unassociate the STA from the AP. State transitions (2), (4), (5), (7), and (8) may involve one or more frames or messages exchanged between the STA and the AP, or may be implicit (e.g., based on a timer). In this disclosure, the term “wake-up” generally refers to waking up the master radio or STA / device.

[0040] Existing designs for wake-up trigger frames include a transmitter identifier (e.g., AP identifier or address) and a receiver identifier (e.g., STA identifier or address) in the wake-up trigger frame header. To reduce unnecessary wake-ups, additional fields can be included in the wake-up trigger frame to convey the source address. The source address can provide additional information to the device to better determine whether to wake up the master radio. The source address can correspond to a device on an Ethernet network or a STA on a WLAN (which sent a data frame for which a wake-up trigger frame was initiated). For example, on a simple LAN / WLAN, when an AP receives a data frame from the Internet or an external network targeted at a STA, the wake-up trigger frame may have a source address corresponding to a gateway router connected to the Internet or the external network. In another example, when an AP is connected to multiple STAs and the AP receives a data frame from a source STA for reception by a target STA, the source address in the wake-up trigger frame may correspond to the source STA. Figure 3 As discussed in Figure 8, the source address can be in the header or payload of the wake-up trigger frame. In some implementations, the source address can be a MAC address or other types of address.

[0041] Figure 3The illustration shows a first example wake-up trigger frame 300, including a source address, according to some implementations. The wake-up trigger frame 300 (also known as a WUR trigger frame) includes a source address in the frame header. For example, the wake-up trigger frame 300 may have a header including a receiver identifier 302, a transmitter identifier 304, a source address 308, and a payload 310. The source address 308 may be a MAC address or another type of address identifying the source of the data frame (e.g., as described above, a gateway router connected to the Internet or an external network, or a source STA sending the data frame). In some cases, the source MAC address may be 48 bits or any other length.

[0042] To conserve power, the wake-up trigger frame preferably has a small number of bits, resulting in less power being used when decoding the wake-up trigger frame. Receiver identifier 302 can be a short address of the receiving STA (e.g., using AID or other identifiers). As will be discussed below, receiver identifier 302 can also be a group receiver identifier used to identify a group of STAs for multicast. Transmitter identifier 304 can be, for example, a short address of the transmitting AP using a Basic Service Set (BSS) color code or other identifier.

[0043] In some implementations, the source address may be included in the payload of the wake-up trigger frame. In other cases, the source address may be an optional field in the payload. For example, the presence of a source address field can be indicated via a bitmap.

[0044] Figure 4 The illustration shows a second example wake-up trigger frame 400, including an optional source address, according to some implementations. The wake-up trigger frame 400 may have a header including a receiver identifier 302 and a transmitter identifier 304, as well as a payload 402. The payload 402 may have a variable length and may or may not include a source address.

[0045] Figure 5 The illustration shows a third example wake-up trigger frame 500, including an optional source address, according to some implementations. The wake-up trigger frame 500 may include an optional source address in the payload, and a payload bitmap may be used to indicate the presence of the source address. For example, the wake-up trigger frame 500 may have a header including a receiver identifier 302 and a transmitter identifier 304. The payload of the wake-up trigger frame 500 may include a payload bitmap 502 to indicate which fields are present in the payload (…). Figure 6 An example of payload bitmap 502 is shown), if payload bitmap 502 indicates the presence of a source address (e.g., Figure 6 In cases where bit 602 indicates the presence of a source address, this includes source address 504, as well as other payload fields 506 and 508. In some cases, payload bitmap 502 can have 16 bits or any other length.

[0046] In some implementations, information from the IP layer (e.g., fields from the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) / IP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / IP headers of data frames) can be conveyed in addition to or in place of the source address in the wake-up trigger frame. The header may include the source and destination IP addresses, Differential Service Code Point (DSCP), IPv6 flow information, UDP or TCP source and destination ports, and a protocol type field (located in the IPv4 protocol field or the IPv6 next header field). One or more of these fields may be included in the wake-up trigger frame. In some cases, a compressed hash of some or all of the TCP / IP or UDP / IP headers may be included in the wake-up trigger frame.

[0047] Figure 6 The illustration shows an example payload bitmap 600 according to some implementations. The payload bitmap 600 is a list of flags indicating the presence of specific fields in the payload of a wake-up trigger frame. This is an efficient (low-overhead) way to indicate multiple optional fields with fixed or short content lengths. For example, the payload bitmap 600 uses 16 bits, some of which are explicitly defined, while others are reserved for future scalability (e.g., bit 622). The payload bitmap 600 can use a bit 602 to indicate the presence of a source address in the payload, and can use bits 608, 610, 612, 614, 616, 618, and 620 to indicate whether the payload includes source and destination IP addresses, DSCP code points, IP flow information, source and destination ports, and IP protocol type, respectively. In some implementations, the payload bitmap 600 can also use bits 604 and 606 to indicate whether the payload includes Ethernet protocol type and vendor-specific information, respectively. Bit 604 allows the wake-up trigger frame to specify different Ethernet protocol types for accommodating non-IP traffic.

[0048] In some implementations, instead of using a payload bitmap, a Type Length Value (TLV) frame structure can be used to encode optional elements such as source address and IP layer information. Figure 7 The illustration shows an example TLV element 700 according to some implementations. For example, TLV element 700 may include an element identifier 702, a length field 704, an element identifier extension 706, and a TLV payload 708. In some cases, the length field 704 may indicate the length of the TLV payload 708.

[0049] Figure 8AThe illustration shows an example TLV element 800a including a source address, according to some implementations. TLV element 800a may include an element identifier 802 indicating a source address TLV, a length field 804, an element identifier extension 806, and a TLV payload 808 including the source address. The source address TLV element 800a may be included... Figure 4 The trigger frame payload 402 is in the middle.

[0050] Figure 8B The illustration shows an example TLV element 800b including an Ethernet protocol type according to some implementations. TLV element 800b may include an element identifier 812 indicating the Ethernet protocol type TLV, a length field 814, an element identifier extension 816, and a TLV payload 818 including Ethernet protocol type information. In some cases, the Ethernet protocol type in the payload 818 may be abbreviated as EtherType. The Ethernet protocol type TLV element 800b may be included... Figure 4 The trigger frame payload 402 is in the middle.

[0051] Figure 9A The illustration shows an example TLV element 900a including IP layer information according to some implementations. TLV element 900a may include an element identifier 902 indicating an IP header TLV, a length field 904, an element identifier extension 906, and a TLV payload 908 including IP header information or a hashed / compressed IP header. IP header TLV element 900a may be included in... Figure 4 The trigger frame payload 402 is in the middle.

[0052] Figure 9B The illustration shows an example TLV element 900b including TCP / IP header information according to some implementations. TLV element 900b may include an element identifier 912 indicating a TCP / IP header TLV, a length field 914, an element identifier extension 916, and a TLV payload 918 including TCP / IP header information or a hashed / compressed TCP / IP header. The TCP / IP header TLV element 900b may include... Figure 4 The trigger frame payload is 402.

[0053] Figure 9C The illustration shows an example TLV element 900c including UDP / IP header information according to some implementations. TLV element 900c may include an element identifier 922 indicating a UDP / IP header TLV, a length field 924, an element identifier extension 926, and a TLV payload 928 including UDP / IP header information or a hashed / compressed UDP / IP header. The UDP / IP header TLV element 900c may be included in... Figure 4The trigger frame payload is 402.

[0054] Figure 10 The illustration shows an example TLV element 1000 including vendor-specific information according to some implementations. TLV element 1000 may include an element identifier 1002 indicating a vendor-specific TLV element, an Organization Unique Identifier (OUI) 1004, an information tag field 1006, an information length field 1008, and a TLV payload 1010 including vendor-specific information. OUI 1004 may be a 24-bit number registered with the IEEE Registration Authority (RAC). Vendor-specific TLV element 1000 may include... Figure 4 The trigger frame payload is 402.

[0055] In some implementations, the STA can request or negotiate with the AP to include the source address in the wake-up trigger frame. For example, the STA can negotiate with the AP during the association process between the STA and the AP, during the sleep process when the STA transitions from an active state to a sleep state, or at any other time.

[0056] In some cases, a wake-up trigger frame can be addressed to an STA group (where the receiver identifier in the trigger frame can be a group identifier). A group-addressed trigger frame can wake up an STA group to receive multicast information. Multicast can include both broadcast and multicast. Broadcast sends information to all nodes in a network or subnetwork. Multicast sends information to a subset of all nodes on the network, where the subset can have zero, one, several, or all nodes on the network.

[0057] In some implementations, the AP may include the source address in group-addressed trigger frames (i.e., wake-up trigger frames with group receiver identifiers) but not individually-addressed trigger frames (i.e., wake-up trigger frames with individual receiver identifiers). In some cases, multicast information may be irrelevant, and providing the source address in the trigger frame can help individual STAs better decide whether to wake up the master radio.

[0058] Figure 11 The illustration shows the receiver identifier 1100 in a wake-up trigger frame according to some implementations. (It can be found in...) Figures 3 to 5 Receiver identifier 1100 is used in receiver identifier 302. Receiver identifier 1100 may include a unicast / multicast field 1102 and a receiver identifier payload 1104. The unicast / multicast field 1102 indicates whether the receiver identifier payload 1104 includes a separate receiver identifier for unicast or a group of receiver identifiers for multicast. Figure 11As shown, the unicast / multicast field can be part of the receiver identifier. In some implementations, the unicast / multicast field can be in a separate field from the receiver identifier. In some cases, the unicast / multicast field can include multiple bits, for example, to further distinguish multicast and broadcast within a multicast category by using a second bit or flag.

[0059] Figure 12 This is a first flowchart illustrating an example method 1200 for handling wake-up trigger frames, based on some implementation. The operations in method 1200 occur when... Figure 2 The sleep state (6) of the STA with WUR enabled. Method 1200 illustrates the operation in the STA after receiving the wake-up trigger frame. Method 1200 includes Figure 2 The wake-up process (5) can have two results: the STA either becomes active or remains dormant.

[0060] Method 1200 begins at block 1202, in which the STA in a sleep state receives a wake-up trigger frame. The trigger frame can be received by the STA's wake-up radio. The wake-up trigger frame may include, for example... Figures 3 to 6 Figure 8 and Figure 11 The source address, transmitter identifier (or address), and receiver identifier (or address) are shown.

[0061] At box 1204, the STA can compare the transmitter identifier in the trigger frame with the address of the AP to which the STA is associated. The transmitter identifier in the trigger frame can be a short identifier of the AP (such as a BSS color code or a truncated or hashed identifier). If the transmitter identifier matches the AP identifier / address, the STA continues processing the trigger frame, and method 1200 proceeds to box 1206. If the transmitter identifier does not match the AP identifier / address, method 1200 proceeds to box 1212 (where the STA remains in sleep mode).

[0062] At box 1206, the STA can compare the receiver identifier in the trigger frame with its own address or the group receiver identifier associated with the STA. For example, as will be discussed below, the STA may have several multicast and broadcast groups that the STA intends to wake up, and the STA may store the corresponding group receiver identifiers. The STA may, for example, be based on... Figure 11The unicast / multicast field 1102 determines whether the receiver identifier is a unicast or multicast identifier. In some cases, the unicast receiver identifier can be a short address of the receiving STA (e.g., AID or a truncated or hashed identifier). If the receiver identifier is a unicast identifier that matches the STA's address, the STA continues processing the trigger frame, and method 1200 proceeds to box 1208. If the unicast receiver identifier does not match the STA's address, method 1200 proceeds to box 1212 (where the STA remains in a sleep state). Similarly, if the receiver identifier is a group receiver identifier that matches the group identifier associated with the STA, the STA continues processing the trigger frame, and method 1200 proceeds to box 1208. If the group receiver identifier does not match the group identifier associated with the STA, method 1200 proceeds to box 1212, where the STA remains in a sleep state.

[0063] At box 1208, the STA can read the source address from the trigger frame. For example... Figures 3 to 6 As shown in Figure 8, the source address can be the source MAC address in the header or payload of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the STA can maintain a whitelist and / or blacklist for the source address. The STA can compare the source address with the blacklist, and if a match is found, method 1200 proceeds to block 1212, where the STA remains in sleep mode. The STA can also compare the source address with the whitelist, and if a match is found, method 1200 proceeds to block 1210, where the STA transitions to active mode and powers the main radio. In some cases, if the source address does not match either the blacklist or the whitelist, the STA can remain in sleep mode or transition to active mode depending on the level of STA power saving required.

[0064] Examples of whitelists or blacklists could include treating data frames from a gateway router differently from those from another device within the network. Another example is that certain chatting neighbors might be blacklisted or temporarily blacklisted. For instance, blacklists could be dynamically changed based on local environment parameters. In yet another example, an STA is a single-purpose device that could whitelist a single source Ethernet address corresponding to a server on the network that the STA expects or is allowed to wake it up.

[0065] At box 1208, if the source address is not present in the trigger frame, the STA can remain in sleep mode or transition to active mode. The STA's behavior when the source address is absent can be hard-coded or determined based on a dynamic set of criteria to assess its energy-saving potential. For example, if the STA is plugged into a charger without any power limitations, it can enter active mode. However, if the STA's battery is low and it is programmed to actively conserve power, it can remain in sleep mode.

[0066] In some cases, such as in Figure 6 As discussed in Figure 9, the trigger frame may include IP header information for data frames. The STA may maintain whitelists and / or blacklists of IP addresses and / or ports. If the trigger frame includes IP header information, method 1200 may further include the STA comparing the IP header information with the whitelists and / or blacklists. For example, a whitelist may be generated in the STA based on currently disconnected sockets. In one approach, upon entering a sleep state, the master radio network stack may provide wake-up radio information about disconnected sockets, enabling the wake-up radio to construct IP header information (including IP address, DSCP value, stream count, port, and protocol) for these sockets. If the IP header information in the trigger frame does not match the disconnected socket (i.e., the trigger frame is used to disconnect a new IP connection, or contains connectionless broadcast information), the STA may remain in a sleep state, conserving power for (multiple) active connections. In other words, the STA may receive data frames transmitted from disconnected sockets (e.g., receive downlink "push" messages), but may not allow remote hosts to disconnect new sockets. This is applicable to certain device applications and helps devices save power by preventing unnecessary network traffic from waking them up.

[0067] In some implementations, when the STA is active (e.g., using frame switching), the STA can negotiate wake-up trigger parameters with the AP. The AP can send a wake-up frame without any header information, or it can send a wake-up frame with information that triggers the pending wake-up frame. For example, the STA and AP can operate as follows:

[0068] 1. When the STA is active, the STA can send a group of conditional information to the AP, including the header type and the value to be used as a filter.

[0069] 2. The AP can process messages from the STA and store filter information.

[0070] 3. STA enters hibernation mode.

[0071] 4. For each incoming frame from a STA (or group of STAs), the AP can compare the frame with a filter list. If a match is found, the AP sends a wake-up frame to the STA (optionally including information about the match with the filter). For these cases, box 1208 can be summarized as determining whether the wake-up condition matches any negotiated filter.

[0072] The receiver identifier in the trigger frame can be a group receiver identifier used for multicast to identify the STA group. To reduce the number of bits in the wake-up trigger frame, allowing the STA to consume less power to decode the trigger frame, short group receiver identifiers are desirable (e.g., a MAC address shorter than 48 bits or with the same or similar length as the AID used for unicast). In some implementations, multicast IPv4 / IPv6 addresses and multicast IEEE MAC addresses can be converted to short addresses and used in the trigger frame.

[0073] In some implementations, STAs transitioning to a dormant state or planned to enter a dormant state in the future can provide the AP with a list of group addresses (e.g., group MAC addresses) that the STA is interested in triggering a wake-up. The AP maintains a table of these group MAC addresses (from one or more WUR-enabled STAs) and generates a short address for each group MAC address. The AP can notify the STA of the short addresses in the list of group MAC addresses that the STA is interested in. If multiple STAs subscribe to the same group MAC address, they can be assigned the same short address. The AP then uses this short address as the receiver identifier in the trigger frame for any downlink data frames received by the AP that address to the associated group MAC address. In some cases, STAs can periodically update their multicast subscriptions to the AP. The AP can periodically manage the group MAC address table as short addresses in response to timeouts, STA associations, and STA disassociations, and can notify the STAs of any changes to the mapping of group MAC addresses to short addresses.

[0074] In some cases, both the AP and STA can maintain a mapping table of group MAC addresses to short addresses. The mapping table at the STA can be a subset of the mapping table at the AP. Messages can be exchanged between the AP and STA to synchronize the mapping tables at both locations. For example, in... Figure 2 In this context, management frames transmitted by the wake-up radio can be used during association (2), in active state (3), during sleep transition (4), in sleep state (6), or other time-exchange messages. For example, the AP can notify the STA, which is transitioning to sleep state, of the overall current mapping table of short addresses for multicast groups. The STA can also send a request to the AP for a subset of short group addresses that the STA is interested in waking up. When a wake-up trigger frame is received, the STA can compare the group receiver identifier in the trigger frame with the stored short group addresses and decide whether to wake up the master radio.

[0075] In some implementations, AID-based short addresses can be used for unicast, and short addresses for multicast can have a similar or identical length to the AID-based short addresses. For example, an AP can use a 16-bit address as the receiver identifier in a wake-up trigger frame. The 16-bit address can include a 12-bit AID for unicast (e.g., for 802.11ax STA) or a 13-bit AID (e.g., for 802.11ah STA), and provides address space for multicast groups and broadcast addresses. The AP can maintain a MAC address (48-bit) table as 16-bit short addresses. For unicast addresses, this can be the same as the AID-to-MAC table for clients that the AP already maintains. For example, the AP can maintain a mapping table similar to Table 1.

[0076] Table 1: Mapping from 48-bit MAC address to short 16-bit address

[0077] MAC address unicast 000+AID13(802.11ah) MAC address unicast 0000+AID12(802.11ax) MAC address multicast 100+13 bit allocation for multicast MAC address broadcast 110+13 bit allocation for broadcast

[0078] As shown in Table 1, a short flag prefix is ​​inserted before the 12-bit or 13-bit address or identifier. For example, a zero is inserted before the AID used for unicast, while the short address used for multicast may include a prefix of 100 and a 13-bit group address, and the short address used for broadcast has a prefix of 110. Multicast and broadcast can have different prefixes and maintain two different address spaces, or they can have a single prefix and can be allocated from the same address space. When an AP receives a data frame addressed to a 48-bit MAC address, the AP can look up a mapping table (such as Table 1), find the corresponding short address, and use the short address as the receiver identifier in the trigger frame.

[0079] A small number of IPv4 and IPv6 group addresses (used for uPNP, Bonjour zero-configuration networking, IPv6 neighbor discovery, etc.) are well-known and are commonly used in LANs and WLANs for local network management protocols. The translation of IPv4 and IPv6 group addresses into IEEE MAC addresses via IETF RFC 1112 results in the use of the same small number of MAC addresses. The Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) and other higher-level protocols determine / negotiate multicast at the IP layer; however, conventionally, the AP is transparent to higher-level protocols and forwards incoming frames to the designated MAC address.

[0080] A small number of commonly used group addresses (for uPNP, zero-configuration networking protocols, IPv6 ND, etc.) can be pre-populated in (multiple) mapping tables at the AP and / or STA. For example, a specific set can be pre-populated at the AP (e.g., converting 10 or 20 MAC addresses to short addresses), and any group addresses exceeding the set can be added by the AP based on the STA's subscription. The pre-populated set can be specified in the standard and consistently implemented at the AP and / or STA. In some cases, the pre-populated set can be a list pre-populated to the AP and sent to the STA at associated time, before transitioning to a dormant state, during an active state, or at other times. For example, commonly used group addresses can be pre-loaded or reserved as shown in Table 2. The behavior of network management protocols associated with these commonly used group addresses is well-known, and the STA can make informed decisions about whether to wake up for such protocols.

[0081] Table 2: Common group MAC address to short 16-bit address mapping

[0082]

[0083] In some implementations, interaction with the IGMP protocol on combined APs / routers / switches or network controllers can be used to optimize and manage multicast short addresses (e.g., flushing out addresses that are no longer in use). APs can dynamically add and remove addresses from the mapping table.

[0084] A STA can maintain its own short address for unicast (which can be based on the AID already assigned to the STA) and any short group address the STA intends to wake up. In some cases, a STA may be able to use a certain multicast protocol while active but does not want to be woken up for the same protocol while in sleep mode. For example, if a STA does not want to be woken up for a zero-configuration networking protocol message while in sleep mode, it can detect a wake-up trigger frame with a zero-configuration networking protocol group address and not wake up.

[0085] Figure 13 This is a second flowchart illustrating an example method 1300 for handling wake-up trigger frames, based on some implementation. The operations in method 1300 occur when... Figure 2 The sleep state (6) of the STA with WUR enabled. Method 1300 illustrates the operation in the STA after receiving the wake-up trigger frame. Method 1300 includes Figure 2The wake-up process (5) is implemented and may have two outcomes (the STA transitions to an active state or remains in a sleep state). Note that for multicast data frames, the STA may temporarily enter an active state to receive one or more data frames and then return to a sleep state after successful reception or timeout. In some cases, the transition to an active state involves sending DATA, POLL, or ACK frames, but in others, it may involve a receive-only operation (in which case the STA can acknowledge that the AP has entered an active state). For example, a STA using WUR power saving may need to occasionally wake up and respond to network layer messages (e.g., IPv6 Neighbor Discovery Protocol, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Zero Configuration Networking Protocol) to maintain full connectivity with other devices on the network.

[0086] Method 1300 begins at block 1302, where a dormant STA receives a wake-up trigger frame. The trigger frame can be received by the STA's wake-up radio.

[0087] At box 1304, the STA compares the transmitter identifier in the trigger frame with the address of the AP to which the STA is associated. If the transmitter identifier matches the AP address, the STA continues processing the trigger frame, and method 1300 proceeds to box 1306. If the transmitter identifier does not match the AP address, method 1300 proceeds to box 1316 (where the STA remains in sleep mode).

[0088] At box 1306, the STA determines whether the receiver identifier in the trigger frame is for unicast or multicast. The STA can determine unicast or multicast based on the first few bits of the receiver identifier. For example, Figure 11 The unicast / multicast field 1102 can be used to determine whether it is unicast or multicast. Similarly, as shown in Tables 1 and 2, if the first three bits are all zero, the receiver identifier is a unicast receiver identifier, while if the first three bits are 100, 010, or 011, it is a group receiver identifier. In some cases, the group receiver identifier can further indicate the type of multicast (e.g., multicast or broadcast). As shown in Tables 1 and 2, if the first three bits are 010 or 011, the group receiver identifier is used for broadcast, while if the first three bits are 100, it is used for multicast. If the receiver identifier is a unicast receiver identifier, method 1300 continues to box 1312. If the receiver identifier is a group receiver identifier, method 1300 proceeds to box 1308.

[0089] At box 1308, the STA compares the receiver identifier, which serves as the group receiver identifier, with a whitelist or blacklist. For example, the STA can maintain a whitelist and / or blacklist for multicast addresses, where the whitelist may include a list of multicast addresses the STA intends to wake up, and the blacklist may include a list of multicast addresses the STA does not want to wake up. If the group receiver identifier matches the whitelist, the method proceeds to box 1310, where the STA wakes up the master radio to receive group broadcast data frames. If the group receiver identifier matches the blacklist, the method proceeds to box 1316, where the STA remains in sleep mode. In some cases, if the group receiver identifier does not match the blacklist, the STA continues to wake up the master radio. If the group receiver identifier does not match the whitelist, the STA remains in sleep mode. In some cases, the whitelist or blacklist may be an address range rather than a list of addresses. The STA can also make a wake-up decision based on the type of group address being multicast or broadcast (e.g., wake up for multicast, not broadcast).

[0090] At box 1312, the STA compares the receiver identifier, which serves as the unicast receiver identifier, with the STA's own address (e.g., the STA's AID). If the unicast receiver identifier matches the STA's AID, method 1300 proceeds to box 1314, where the STA wakes up the master radio to send an acknowledgment to the AP, such as a PS poll, empty data, etc. If the unicast receiver identifier does not match the STA's AID, method 1300 proceeds to box 1316, where the STA remains in sleep mode.

[0091] In some implementations, if the trigger frame includes, for example Figures 3 to 6 Given the source address shown in Figure 8, the STA can further compare the source address with a whitelist or blacklist for that source address and determine whether to wake it up. For example, the STA can maintain whitelists and / or blacklists for unicast and / or multicast source addresses.

[0092] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating an example method 1400 for processing a wake-up trigger frame according to some implementation. Method 1400 begins at block 1402, where the STA's wake-up radio receives a wake-up trigger frame from the AP. It can be used as follows... Figure 2 The association process described in [the document] associates the STA with the AP. The wake-up trigger frame may include the receiver identifier, transmitter identifier, source address, and other information such as... Figures 3 to 11Other information described herein. The transmitter identifier may include the AP's short address (e.g., BSSID). The source address may be the MAC address of the node on the WLAN / LAN that sends a data frame to the STA that has initiated a wake-up trigger frame. The receiver identifier may be a unicast receiver identifier or a group receiver identifier. The unicast receiver identifier may include the STA's short address (e.g., the STA's AID assigned by the associated AP). The group receiver identifier may include the short group address of a multicast or broadcast group. The AP may maintain a mapping table of group MAC addresses to short group addresses for each multicast or broadcast group. The STA may identify the set of multicast or broadcast groups that the STA is interested in waking up, and the AP may notify the STA of the short group addresses of these groups.

[0093] At box 1404, for example, as Figures 12 to 13 As described, based on the receiver identifier, transmitter identifier, and source address in the trigger frame, the STA can decide whether to wake up. If the STA decides to wake up, the wake-up radio can send a signal to the STA's master radio to turn on the master radio.

[0094] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example device 1500 according to some implementations. Example device 1500 includes a processing unit 1502, a computer-readable storage medium 1504 (e.g., ROM or flash memory), a wireless communication subsystem 1506, an interface 1508, and an I / O interface 1510. Processing unit 1502 may include one or more processing components (optionally referred to as a "processor" or "central processing unit" (CPU)) configured to execute instructions relating to one or more of the processes, steps, or actions disclosed herein, in conjunction with one or more implementations. Processing unit 1502 may also include other auxiliary components (e.g., random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM)). Computer-readable storage medium 1504 may be embodied by an operating system (OS) configured as storage device 1500 and various other computer-executable software programs for performing one or more of the processes, steps, or actions described above.

[0095] Wireless communication subsystem 1506 can be configured to provide wireless communication for data or control information provided by processing unit 1502. Wireless communication subsystem 1506 may include, for example, one or more antennas, receivers, transmitters, local oscillators, mixers, and digital signal processing (DSP) units. In some implementations, subsystem 1506 may support multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. In some implementations, the receiver in wireless communication subsystem 1506 may be a pre-receiver or a baseline receiver. Two receivers may be implemented using the same, similar, or different receiver processing algorithms. Wireless communication subsystem 1506 may include a master radio and a wake-up radio.

[0096] User interface 1508 may include one or more of a screen or touchscreen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, an OLED display, or a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) display), a keyboard or keypad, a trackball, speakers, and a microphone. I / O interface 1510 may include, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) interface. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that various other components may also be included in example device 1500.

[0097] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example access point 1600 according to some implementations. The access point 1600 shown includes a processing module 1602, a wired communication subsystem 1604, and a wireless communication subsystem 1606. The wireless communication subsystem 1606 can receive data traffic from a device and control traffic. In some implementations, the wireless communication subsystem 1606 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The wireless communication subsystem 1606 may include a master radio and a wake-up radio. The processing module 1602 may include one or more processing components (or "processors" or "central processing units" (CPUs)) capable of executing instructions related to one or more of the processes, steps, or actions described herein, in conjunction with one or more implementations. The processing module 1602 may also include other auxiliary components (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), auxiliary storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives, flash memory, or other non-transitory storage media)). The processing module 1602 can use the wired communication subsystem 1604 or the wireless communication subsystem 1606 to execute certain instructions and commands to provide wireless or wired communication. Access point 1600 may also include various other components.

[0098] Although the operations are depicted in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all the shown operations to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be employed. Furthermore, the separation of the various system components in the above implementation should not be interpreted as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated into a single software product or encapsulated into multiple software products.

[0099] Furthermore, technologies, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in a discrete or separate manner in various implementations can be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, technologies, or methods. Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled or communicating with each other can be indirectly coupled or communicated by means of some interface, device, or intermediate component, electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples can be identified by those skilled in the art and can be changed, replaced, and modified.

[0100] While the detailed description above has shown, described, and pointed out the essential novel features of this disclosure applied to various implementations, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and variations in form and detail of the illustrated system can be made by those skilled in the art. Additionally, the order of the method steps is not implied by the order in which they appear in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: At the device’s wake-up radio and from the access point, a wake-up trigger frame is received, wherein the wake-up trigger frame includes a receiver identifier; Based on the identifier in the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame, determine whether the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is a unicast receiver identifier or a group receiver identifier; In response to determining that the identifier in the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame corresponds to multicast, the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is determined to be the group receiver identifier; In response to determining that the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is the group receiver identifier, the group receiver identifier is compared with a whitelist or a blacklist, wherein the whitelist includes multiple multicast addresses that the device intends to wake up, and the blacklist includes multiple multicast addresses that the device does not intend to wake up; as well as In response to determining that the group receiver identifier matches one of the plurality of multicast addresses in the whitelist, a signal is sent to the device’s main radio to enable the main radio.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up radio includes a receiving function, and the main radio includes both a transmitting function and a receiving function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is an IEEE 802.11 device and the access point is an IEEE 802.11 access point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group receiver identifier is used for at least one of multicast or broadcast.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group receiver identifier has a length shorter than the length of the Media Access Control (MAC) address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the group receiver identifier has the same length as the associated identifier AID.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point maintains a group receiver identifier list, wherein the device is associated with one or more group receiver identifiers in the group receiver identifier list, and the device receives the one or more group receiver identifiers from the access point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up trigger frame further includes a source address identifying the node sending data to the device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the source address is a MAC address.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the source address is included in at least one of: the payload field of the wake-up trigger frame or the header of the wake-up trigger frame.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: Based on the source address, determine whether to send the signal to connect the main radio.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up trigger frame further includes a transmitter identifier, and the method further includes: Based on the transmitter identifier, determine whether to send the signal to connect the main radio.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: In response to determining that the group receiver identifier matches the blacklist, avoid sending a signal to the device's main radio to enable the main radio.

14. A device for communication, comprising: Memory, and At least one hardware processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, and configured to: The device receives a wake-up trigger frame from the access point at the wake-up radio of the device, wherein the wake-up trigger frame includes a receiver identifier; Based on the identifier in the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame, determine whether the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is a unicast receiver identifier or a group receiver identifier; In response to determining that the identifier in the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame corresponds to multicast, the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is determined to be the group receiver identifier; In response to determining that the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is the group receiver identifier, the group receiver identifier is compared with a whitelist or a blacklist, wherein the whitelist includes multiple multicast addresses that the device intends to wake up, and the blacklist includes multiple multicast addresses that the device does not intend to wake up; as well as In response to determining that the group receiver identifier matches one of the plurality of multicast addresses in the whitelist, a signal is sent to the device’s main radio to enable the main radio.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the access point is an IEEE 802.11 access point, the device is an IEEE 802.11 device, the wake-up radio includes a receiving function, and the main radio includes both a transmitting function and a receiving function.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the group receiver identifier is used for at least one of multicast or broadcast, and the group receiver identifier has the same length as the associated identifier AID.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the wake-up trigger frame further includes a source address identifying a node sending data to the device, and the at least one hardware processor is further configured to determine, based on the source address, whether to send the signal to activate the main radio.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a device to perform operations, the operations including: The device receives a wake-up trigger frame from the access point at the wake-up radio of the device, wherein the wake-up trigger frame includes a receiver identifier; Based on the identifier in the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame, determine whether the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is a unicast receiver identifier or a group receiver identifier; In response to determining that the identifier in the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame corresponds to multicast, the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is determined to be the group receiver identifier; In response to determining that the receiver identifier in the wake-up trigger frame is the group receiver identifier, the group receiver identifier is compared with a whitelist or a blacklist, wherein the whitelist includes multiple multicast addresses that the device intends to wake up, and the blacklist includes multiple multicast addresses that the device does not intend to wake up; as well as In response to determining that the group receiver identifier matches one of the plurality of multicast addresses in the whitelist, a signal is sent to the device’s main radio to enable the main radio.

19. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the access point is an IEEE 802.11 access point, the device is an IEEE 802.11 device, the wake-up radio has a receiving function, and the main radio has both a transmitting and receiving function.

20. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the group receiver identifier is used for at least one of multicast or broadcast, and the group receiver identifier has the same length as the associated identifier AID.

21. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the wake-up trigger frame further includes a source address identifying a node sending data to the device, and the operation further includes determining, based on the source address, whether to send the signal to activate the main radio.

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