Notification of available time slots within wireless communication device system

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, processes, and computer-readable media for wireless communication are disclosed. For example, a wireless communication device may receive a periodic advertisement (PAwR) message with a response from a network device, the periodic advertisement (PAwR) message with a response indicating available response slots for the wireless communication device to unilaterally send data to the network device for a duration of time. The wireless communication device may unilaterally send a response message including the data to the network device at a response slot of the available response slots.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication. For example, aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and techniques for providing notification of available time slots within a wireless communication device system, such as a system including a peripheral device such as a Bluetooth® ® (BT) electronic shelf label (ESL). BACKGROUND

[0002] Short-range wireless communication enables wireless communication over a relatively short distance (e.g., within thirty meters). For example, Bluetooth® ® is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances using short-wavelength ultra high frequency (UHF) radio waves in the 2.4-gigahertz (GHz) band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz.

[0003] Bluetooth® ® Low Energy (BLE) is a form of Bluetooth® ® communication that allows for communication with devices that operate at low power. Such devices can include beacons, which are wireless communication devices that can be used for positioning, proximity marketing, or other purposes using low-power communication techniques. In some cases, such devices can be used as nodes (e.g., relay nodes) of a wireless mesh network that conveys and / or relays information to a management platform or hub associated with the wireless mesh network. SUMMARY

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be considered to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the following summary is merely presented in a simplified form to present some concepts relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0005] Systems and techniques for wireless communication are described. In accordance with at least one exemplary example, a wireless communication device for wireless communication is provided. The wireless communication device includes at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive, from a network device, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating available response time slots for the wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device for a duration of time; and unilaterally transmit, to the network device via at least one transceiver, a response message including the data at a response time slot of the available response time slots.

[0006] In another illustrative example, a method of wireless communication performed at a wireless communication device is provided. The method includes receiving, by the wireless communication device from a network device, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating available response slots for the wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device for a duration of time; and transmitting, by the wireless communication device, a response message including the data unilaterally to the network device at a response slot of the available response slots.

[0007] In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive, from a network device, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating available response slots for a wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device for a duration of time; and transmit, via at least one transceiver, a response message including the data unilaterally to the network device at a response slot of the available response slots.

[0008] In another illustrative example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes means for receiving, from a network device, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating available response slots for a wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device for a duration of time; and means for transmitting a response message including the data unilaterally to the network device at a response slot of the available response slots.

[0009] According to another illustrative example, a network device for wireless communication is provided. The network device includes at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: determine available response slots for a plurality of wireless communication devices to unilaterally transmit data to the network device for a duration of time; transmit, via at least one transceiver, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating the available response slots to the plurality of wireless communication devices; and receive, from one or more wireless communication devices of the plurality of wireless communication devices, one or more response messages including the data at one or more available response slots of the available response slots.

[0010] In another illustrative example, a method of wireless communication performed at a network device is provided. The method includes determining, by the network device, available response slots for a plurality of wireless communication devices to unilaterally send data to the network device for a duration of time; transmitting, by the network device to the plurality of wireless communication devices, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating the available response slots; and receiving, by the network device from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more of the available response slots, one or more response messages including the data.

[0011] In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to: determine available response slots for a plurality of wireless communication devices to unilaterally send data to the network device for a duration of time; transmit, via at least one transceiver, a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating the available response slots to the plurality of wireless communication devices; and receive, from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more of the available response slots, one or more response messages including the data.

[0012] In another illustrative example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes means for determining available response slots for a plurality of wireless communication devices to unilaterally send data to the network device for a duration of time; means for transmitting a periodic announcement with response (PAwR) message indicating the available response slots to the plurality of wireless communication devices; and means for receiving, from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more of the available response slots, one or more response messages including the data.

[0013] Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, user equipment, wireless communication device, and / or processing system as substantially described with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification.

[0014] Some aspects include an apparatus having a processor configured to perform one or more operations of any of the methods outlined above. Further aspects include a processing apparatus configured for use in an apparatus, the processing apparatus configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations of any of the methods outlined above. Further aspects include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to perform operations of any of the methods outlined above. Further aspects include an apparatus having means for performing the functions of any of the methods outlined above.

[0015] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows can be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily utilized as bases for modifying or designing other for carrying the same purposes thereof. Such equivalent constructions are not to depart from the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure, both as to organization and method of operation, together with an object and

[0016] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood from the description and illustrative embodiments described herein, and from the entire scope of the following claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the various aspects. For a thorough understanding of the above-described features, reference should be made to the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which certain aspects are exemplified. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings merely illustrate certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description can admit to other equally effective aspects. Like reference numerals in different drawings can identify the same or similar elements.

[0018] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example environment in which systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2is a diagram illustrating example components of a device, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example communication transmission between a network device and two groups of wireless communication devices, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example communication transmission between a network device and two groups of wireless communication devices, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device system for providing notification of available time slots within the wireless communication device system, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a periodic announcement (PA) packet including a bitmap indicating available response time slots, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for wireless communication, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating another example of a process for wireless communication, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing system that can be used by the disclosed systems and techniques to provide notification of available time slots within a wireless communication device system, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] For illustrative purposes, certain aspects of the present disclosure are provided below. Alternate aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure, related to those items not specifically described herein, can be omitted or replaced by equivalents known to those skilled in the art for the purposes of providing an enabling disclosure. Some aspects described herein can be applied independently of one another, and some of them can be combined in different ways. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the aspects described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. The description and drawings are illustrative only and do not restrict the scope of the disclosure.

[0028] The following description provides example aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the following description of the example aspects will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description of how the example aspects can be implemented. It is to be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

[0029] The system can include one or more wireless communication devices controlled by a network entity. For example, a system including a plurality of peripheral devices (e.g., an electronic shelf label (ESL) system) can include one or more wireless communication devices (e.g., peripheral devices such as ESLs) controlled by a network entity (such as a management entity (ME)) via at least one additional network entity (such as an access point (AP)). As used herein, the terms "network entity" and "network device" can be interchangeable. For example, an AP can be referred to as an example of a "network entity" and / or can be referred to as an example of a "network device." A "network entity" can include an AP, a ME, and / or a combination of the two. A "network device" can include an AP, a ME, and / or a combination of the two. In some examples, a single device can implement the functionality of a ME and an AP (e.g., a ME and an AP can be combined in a single device).

[0030] In one or more examples, to facilitate control by the ME, each peripheral device (e.g., ESL) can have a wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth ® Low Energy (BLE) connection or other connection) to an AP that is communicatively connected to the ME (e.g., via the Internet (such as wirelessly), via an Ethernet connection, etc.). In some cases, commands from the ME can be sent wirelessly by the AP to the peripheral devices (e.g., ESLs). Responses or information from the peripheral devices can also be received by the AP and provided by the AP to the ME.

[0031] Each AP can have an associated channel map. A channel map is a list of frequency channels to be used by the AP or, conversely, not to be used by the AP (e.g., in the context of modifying a frequency hopping sequence) for communicating, such as with ESLs or other peripheral devices. While examples are described herein using ESLs as illustrative examples of wireless communication devices, using a management entity as an example of a network entity, and using an access point as an example of a network entity, the systems and techniques described herein are applicable to any type of system or network.

[0032] In an ESL system, periodic announcements (PAs) can be used to provide regular and predictable payload transmissions from a central device (e.g., which can be in the form of a network device, such as an AP) to one or more peripheral devices (e.g., which can each be in the form of a wireless communication device, such as an ESL or other peripheral device). For example, PAs can be used to issue information from a central device to a plurality of peripheral devices, which can be within one or more groups of peripheral devices. PAs are typically unidirectional (e.g., unidirectional transmissions) such that PAs are transmitted unidirectionally from the central device to the one or more peripheral devices.

[0033] Periodic announcements with response (PAwR) can be used in an ESL system to provide bidirectionality (e.g., bidirectional transmissions between a central device and one or more peripheral devices). Whenever the central device decides to transmit (e.g., send) a request to a peripheral device, a peripheral device that is synchronized within a group of peripheral devices can be addressed by the central device on a synchronization channel (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) channel between the central device and the peripheral device). In some cases, as used herein, a synchronization channel refers to a channel on which transmissions are synchronized (in time). For example, a channel can utilize or be based on a frequency on which one or more communications are transmitted. A hopping frequency sequence (HFS) can be associated with the channel. In some cases, the HFS can be fixed and / or pre-determined intervals. In some cases, the channel mapping can change, such as if interference on one or more channels changes, in which case the HFS can be updated (there can not be a fixed interval). In such cases, a minimum time between updates of the HFS can be applied, which can avoid updating the HFS too frequently. The central device and the one or more peripheral devices can track the sequence concurrently in a predefined hopping pattern or sequence (e.g., so the central device knows when to transmit a request, and the peripheral device knows when to listen and / or receive a request).

[0034] A request sent by a central device to a peripheral device in a particular group can be a PA that includes a synchronization message sent by the central device on a synchronization channel to the peripheral device in the particular group. For example, a wireless communication device within the particular group can wake up (e.g., from a low power (LP) mode) at the same PA send regarding a particular PAwR queue for the group. A PA consists of a periodic set of sends, where the set of sends is collectively referred to as a PA queue or PAwR queue when applied to PAwR. Each send of the PA queue (or PAwR queue) occurs at a precise point in time with a fixed interval between the sends. A communication channel (e.g., one of thirty-seven available communication channels) is selected for each of the sends, where the communication channel follows a frequency hopping sequence. Synchronization between the central device and the peripheral devices in the group is based on the periodicity of the PA. The periodically sent messages (e.g., synchronization messages) include zero, one, or more commands (e.g., a respective operation code (OpCode) and parameters associated with each command). If the central device expects a response from a peripheral device (e.g., a synchronization message request from the central device expects a response from a particular peripheral device), the particular peripheral device will respond in a particular response slot based on the location of the peripheral device within the sequence contained within the synchronization message sent by the central device.

[0035] For ESL systems, in the PAwR specification, a synchronized peripheral device (e.g., ESL) can send a response (e.g., a response message including an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet) when instructed (e.g., requested) by its host (e.g., management entity). The response slot (e.g., time slot) in which the synchronized peripheral device (e.g., the ESL) is to transmit (e.g., send) the response is determined by the host (e.g., the management entity). Whether the synchronized peripheral device transmits a response and at which response slot the synchronized peripheral device transmits the response are both determined by the host. In ESL systems, it is generally up to the host (e.g., the management entity) to decide how and when the synchronized peripheral devices (e.g., the ESLs) transmit their responses.

[0036] There may be situations where a synchronizing peripheral device (e.g., ESL) wants to transmit its associated data (e.g., sensor data, such as its battery level) to its associated central device (e.g., a network device, such as an access point that the synchronizing peripheral device has synchronized with). However, currently, in ESL systems, there is no communication mechanism that allows a synchronizing peripheral device (e.g., ESL) to unilaterally transmit data (e.g., sensor data, such as battery level) within a response (e.g., to perform an unscheduled or unrequested transmission of that data). Both the terms "unilateral transmission" and "unilateral sending" refer to the synchronizing peripheral device transmitting (or sending) an unscheduled or unrequested response that is transmitted without the synchronizing peripheral device having previously received a request for a response from the central device (e.g., the access point). Therefore, a synchronizing peripheral device (e.g., ESL) cannot transmit a response (e.g., including data) without the central device (e.g., the access point) having previously requested a response.

[0037] Currently, if a synchronizing peripheral device (e.g., ESL) wants to send an unrequested response (e.g., including data) to a central device (e.g., an access point) on a PAwR serial array (where synchronization is provided as described above), the synchronizing peripheral device will not know when the central device is available to receive the response, nor will it know when and how to send the response to the central device. Therefore, it may be beneficial to allow a synchronizing peripheral device (e.g., ESL) to send (e.g., transmit) a response (e.g., including data) to a central device (e.g., an access point) on a PAwR serial array without having previously received a request for the response from the central device.

[0038] In one or more aspects of this disclosure, systems, apparatus, methods (also referred to as processes), and computer-readable media (collectively referred to herein as "systems and technologies") are described to provide solutions for providing notification of available time slots (e.g., response time slots) within a wireless communication device system (e.g., an ESL system). These systems and technologies allow a wireless communication device (e.g., a synchronized peripheral device, such as an ESL) to transmit a response (e.g., including data) to a network device (e.g., a central device, such as an access point) at a response time slot specified by that network device. A controller within the network device can determine a specific response time slot based on the controller's task scheduling such that the response received from the synchronized peripheral device does not conflict with any other scheduled task (e.g., signal reception of another scheduled task).

[0039] In one or more aspects, the controller of a network device (e.g., an access point) may determine, based on the controller's task scheduling, multiple response slots over a duration for multiple wireless communication devices (e.g., ESLs within a set of ESLs) to unilaterally transmit data to the network device. The network device may transmit (e.g., send) PAWR messages to the multiple synchronous wireless communication devices, including Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packets (e.g., AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND PDU packets). The PDU packets (e.g., AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND PDU packets) may include a bitmap indicating available response slots.

[0040] In some cases, the synchronized wireless communication device can receive and decode its expected PAwR payload. The synchronized wireless communication device can count various requests and thus infer the time slots available for unilateral (e.g., unscheduled or unrequested) data transmissions (e.g., if the set of available time slots is fixed and does not change dynamically). However, the existence of available (e.g., free) time slots between requested time slots can be an opportunity for the network device (e.g., the access point) to schedule other tasks instead of decoding possible transmissions from unrequested devices in the free time slots. Further, the inference of available time slots can be made under the assumption that the request from the network device to the synchronized wireless communication device is in plaintext (unencrypted) or encrypted using a pre-shared encryption key (e.g., a private key). In some cases, the payload is encrypted, and some of the synchronized wireless communication devices may follow PAwR without knowing the encryption key (e.g., CAMPING status / device), in which case the inference of available time slots may be impossible. Therefore, the use of bitmaps can provide various advantages, including indications of scanning opportunities by network devices and indications to synchronized wireless communication devices that do not know the encryption key.

[0041] The multiple wireless communication devices (e.g., ESLs within a set of ESLs) can receive PAwR messages indicating available response slots. Each of the multiple wireless communication devices can individually decode the bitmap within the PAwR message to determine the available response slot. When one of the multiple wireless communication devices wants to transmit its data (e.g., sensor data such as battery level) to the network device, it can unilaterally transmit (e.g., send) a response including that data (e.g., a response message including an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet) to the network device at one of the available response slots.

[0042] Additional aspects of this disclosure are described in more detail below.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example environment 100 in which the systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented. For example... Figure 1 As shown, environment 100 may include at least one access point (AP) 110, at least one wireless communication device 120, management entity (ME) 130, and network 140. The devices in environment 100 may be interconnected via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections.

[0044] Access point 110 may include one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, providing, and / or routing information associated with synchronization and / or handover of the access point, as described elsewhere herein. Access point 110 may include communication devices and / or computing devices. Access point 110 may be configured to transmit beacons (e.g., BLE beacons) and scan for and locate other devices (e.g., other devices communicating using the BLE protocol).

[0045] Wireless communication device 120 may include one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, and / or providing information associated with synchronization and / or handover with an access point, as described elsewhere herein. Wireless communication device 120 may include communication devices and / or computing devices. In some aspects, wireless communication device 120 may be an electronic shelf label (ESL), may include an electronic shelf label (ESL), or may be included in an electronic shelf label (ESL).

[0046] Management entity 130 includes one or more devices, as described elsewhere herein, capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, providing, and / or routing information associated with synchronization and / or handover to the access point. Management entity 130 may include communication devices and / or computing devices. For example, management entity 130 may include servers such as application servers, client servers, web servers, database servers, host servers, proxy servers, virtual servers (e.g., executing on computing hardware), or servers in a cloud computing system. In some aspects, management entity 130 includes computing hardware used in a cloud computing environment. Management entity 130 can provide control over a system (e.g., an ESL system) including access point 110, wireless communication device 120, and / or other devices. Access point 110 may be communicatively connected to management entity 130 via a network such as the Internet (not shown).

[0047] Network 140 may include one or more wireless networks. For example, network 140 may include a personal area network (e.g., a Bluetooth network). Network 140 enables communication between devices in environment 100.

[0048] Figure 1The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown are provided as examples. In implementation, variations may exist. Figure 1 The devices and / or networks shown are compared to additional devices and / or networks, fewer devices and / or networks, different devices and / or networks, or devices and / or networks arranged differently. Furthermore, Figure 1 The two or more devices shown can be implemented within a single device, or Figure 1 The single device shown can be implemented as multiple distributed devices. Additionally or alternatively, a collection of devices in environment 100 (e.g., one or more devices) can perform one or more functions described as being performed by another collection of devices in environment 100.

[0049] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating example components of device 200 according to the present disclosure. Device 200 may correspond to access point 110, wireless communication device 120, and / or management entity 130. In some aspects, access point 110, wireless communication device 120, and / or management entity 130 may include one or more devices 200 and / or one or more components of device 200. Figure 2 As shown, device 200 may include bus 205, processor 210, memory 215, storage component 220, input component 225, output component 230 and / or communication component 235.

[0050] Bus 205 may include components that enable communication between components of device 200. Processor 210 may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Processor 210 may be a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), accelerated processing unit (APU), microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component. In some aspects, processor 210 may include one or more processors that can be programmed to perform functions. Memory 215 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and / or another type of dynamic or static storage device (e.g., flash memory, magnetic storage, and / or optical storage) storing information and / or instructions for use by processor 210.

[0051] Storage component 220 may store information and / or software related to the operation and use of device 200. For example, storage component 220 may include hard disk (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, and / or solid-state disk), compact disc (CD), digital multi-purpose disc (DVD), floppy disk, cassette, magnetic tape, and / or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium, together with corresponding drives.

[0052] Input component 225 may include components that allow device 200 to receive information (such as via user input) (e.g., touchscreen display, keyboard, keypad, mouse, buttons, switches, and / or microphone). Additionally or alternatively, input component 225 may include components for determining the location or position of device 200 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) component, or a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) component), and / or sensors for sensing information (e.g., an accelerometer, gyroscope, actuator, or another type of positioning or environmental sensor). Output component 230 may include components that provide output information from device 200 (e.g., a display, speaker, haptic feedback component, and / or audio or visual indicators).

[0053] Communication component 235 may include one or more transceiver components (e.g., transceivers and / or separate receivers and transmitters) that enable device 200 to communicate with other devices (such as via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections). Communication component 235 may permit device 200 to receive information from and / or provide information to another device. For example, communication component 235 may include an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, an infrared interface, a radio frequency interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a wireless local area interface (e.g., a Wi-Fi interface or a BLE interface), and / or a cellular network interface.

[0054] Communication component 235 may include one or more antennas for receiving wireless radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted from one or more other devices, cloud networks, etc. The antennas may be a single antenna or an antenna array (e.g., an antenna phased array), facilitating simultaneous transmit and receive functionality. The antennas may be omnidirectional antennas, enabling signal reception from and transmission in all directions. The wireless signals may be transmitted via a wireless network. The wireless network may be any wireless network, such as cellular or telecommunications networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), wireless local area networks (e.g., WiFi networks), Bluetooth, etc. ™ Networks and / or other networks.

[0055] One or more transceiver components (e.g., wireless transceivers) of communication component 235 may include an RF front end, which includes one or more components such as amplifiers, mixers (also known as signal multipliers) for down-converting signals, frequency synthesizers (also known as oscillators) that provide signals to the mixer, baseband filters, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), one or more power amplifiers, and other components. The RF front end generally handles the selection of wireless signals and the conversion of wireless signals to baseband frequencies or intermediate frequencies, and can convert RF signals to the digital domain.

[0056] In some cases, a CODEC may be implemented (e.g., by processor 210) to encode and / or decode data transmitted and / or received using one or more wireless transceivers. In some cases, encryption-decryption may be implemented (e.g., by processor 210) to encrypt and / or decrypt data transmitted and / or received by one or more wireless transceivers (e.g., according to Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and / or Data Encryption Standard (DES) standards).

[0057] In some aspects, device 200 may represent an ESL. In addition to the aforementioned components, the ESL may also include a battery. In some aspects, the output component 230 of the ESL may be an e-paper display or a liquid crystal display (LCD).

[0058] Device 200 can perform one or more processes described herein. Device 200 can perform these processes based on software instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as memory 215 and / or storage component 220) executed by processor 210. Computer-readable medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memory device. Memory devices include storage space within a single physical storage device or storage space distributed across multiple physical storage devices.

[0059] Software instructions can be read from another computer-readable medium or another device into memory 215 and / or storage component 220 via communication component 235. The software instructions stored in memory 215 and / or storage component 220, when executed, cause processor 210 to perform one or more processes described herein. Additionally or alternatively, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to perform one or more processes described herein. Therefore, the aspects described herein are not limited to any particular combination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0060] Figure 2 The number and arrangement of components shown are provided as an example. In implementation, device 200 may include... Figure 2 The components shown are compared to additional components, fewer components, different components, or components arranged differently. Additionally or alternatively, a set of components of device 200 (e.g., one or more components) may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components of device 200.

[0061] As previously mentioned, in an ESL system, PA (PAwR message) is typically used to deliver regular and predictable payloads from a central device (e.g., which may take the form of a network device, such as an access point) to one or more peripheral devices (e.g., each peripheral device may take the form of a wireless communication device, such as an ESL). For example, PAwR messages can be used to publish information from the central device to multiple peripheral devices, which may belong to one or more groups of peripheral devices. PAwR messages are unidirectional (e.g., one-way transmission), such that PAwR messages are only sent unidirectionally from the central device to zero or more peripheral devices (e.g., in some cases, at least one device can receive PAwR messages, while in other cases, no device receives PAwR messages).

[0062] Periodic announcements with responses (PAwR) are introduced into ESL systems to provide bidirectionality (e.g., bidirectional transmission between a central device and one or more peripheral devices). Whenever the central device determines to transmit (e.g., send) a request to a peripheral device on a synchronization channel (e.g., a synchronization frequency channel between the central device and the peripheral device), the peripheral device can be addressed by the central device to synchronize within a set of peripheral devices. If the central device expects a response from a peripheral device (e.g., a synchronization message from the central device requests a response from a specific peripheral device), the specific peripheral device will respond in a specific response time slot, provided that the response time slot can be identified by the request contained in the synchronization message sent by the central device.

[0063] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A signaling diagram illustrating an example of PAWR in an ESL system is shown. Specifically, Figure 3 The signaling diagram illustrates an example PAWR for a group of wireless network devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e), and Figure 4 The signaling diagram illustrates an example PAWR for two groups of wireless network devices 420a and 420b (e.g., a first group including ESL1 to ESL 11 and a second group including ESL 12 to ESL 22). Specifically, Figure 3 This is a timing diagram illustrating a portion of the communication between an access point (e.g., access point 110) and a wireless communication device 120 (e.g., ESL). Reference Figure 1 , Figure 3 The signal sequence illustrated can be represented by Figure 1 This is achieved through one or more of the following: a communication connection, an access point 110, and / or a wireless communication device 120.

[0064] Figure 3The devices (e.g., Device 1 305a, Device 2 305b, Device 3 305c, Device 4 305d, and Device 5 305e) are selectable from Figure 1 The wireless communication device 120, and each of them can receive a periodic announcement (PAwR) with a response during a scan period 310. The scan period 310 can occur at regularly scheduled intervals and can be repeated periodically, such that devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e) can be woken up during the repeated scan period 310 to scan for messages. Access points (e.g., Figure 1 Access point 110 may provide periodic announcements (PAs) to devices (e.g., devices 1 305a, 2 305b, 3 305c, 4 305d, and 5 305e) via broadcast or multicast during scanning period 310. For access points (e.g., Figure 1 Access point 110), scan period 310 can be its main transmission period. In some cases, scan period 310 may not be a fixed time because the access point (e.g., Figure 1 Access point 110 may transmit data of different lengths from the beginning of scan period 310.

[0065] The transmission may include multiple announcements in a queue. One or more portions of the announcement may be directed to one or more devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e). Devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e) may decode or filter messages intended for each specific device and transmitted during a period when all devices are receiving data. In this way, devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e) may be reprogrammed, updated, and / or have messages transmitted to them from an access point (e.g., Figure 1 The request from access point 110, or through access point (e.g., Figure 1 Access point 110) from another device (e.g., Figure 1 The management entity 130) relay. From the access point (e.g., Figure 3 The periodic announcement (PA) of access point 110 can set response periods for one or more of the devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e).

[0066] As illustrated, devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e) are each assigned response periods 320, 322, 324, 326, and 328 respectively, within the time following scan period 310. In some cases, the assignment of response periods to a particular device may not be permanent. In some aspects, this assignment may be inferred from the payload of the synchronization message. The first response period 320 may begin after an idle time 315 following scan period 310, wherein the idle time is long enough to provide the transmitter device with an opportunity to perform other Bluetooth-related activities. The assigned period may also be limited to or specified to a specific frequency of the channel on which a response is made. For example, in Figure 1 In this context, device 1 305a is assigned a response time period of 320, device 2 305b is assigned a response time period of 322, device 3 305c is assigned a response time period of 324, device 4 305d is assigned a response time period of 326, and device 5 305e is assigned a response time period of 328. Access points (e.g., Figure 1 Access point 110 may store attributes of devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e), including whether the device is capable of sending or responding. As described herein, PA signaling followed by a response may be referred to as a periodic announcement with response (PAwR).

[0067] For example, device 3 305c (e.g., Figure 1 The wireless communication device 120 may be ESL, and may be accessed from the access point (e.g., during the scanning period 310) during the scanning period 310. Figure 1 Access point 110 receives price updates from the PA. The PA received at device 3 305c may include a specified start time for response period 324, or may include a schedule of response start times for the devices (including device 3 305c). Device 3 305c communicates with the access point (e.g., Figure 1 The response from access point 110 may include acknowledgments, status codes, and / or other information such as battery life, received signal strength, and / or error notifications. The response from device 3 305c may include information to be provided by the access point (e.g., Figure 1 Access point 110 relays information to another device. This response may include packets with headers and may conform to any Bluetooth protocol. Information can be relayed to the access point (e.g., via the Bluetooth protocol's data channel). Figure 1 The PA and responses from all devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e) can both use the Bluetooth protocol channel.

[0068] A device that has been assigned a response time (e.g., device 5 305e) may not respond and can determine that it has nothing to signal. In other words, devices (e.g., device 1 305a, device 2 305b, device 3 305c, device 4 305d, and device 5 305e) can determine what response is needed (if any) and may or may not respond from the access point (e.g., Figure 1 The access point 110 responds to requests transmitted from it. Response periods 320, 322, 324, 326, and 328 can be assigned based on requests for such periods within the open transmission time, which are transmitted to the access point (e.g., access point 110). Figure 1 Access point 110). Response periods 320, 322, 324, 326, and 328 can be based on the access point (e.g., Figure 4 Access point 110 has requested which devices will transmit data or acknowledgements to assign them. PA messages and responses can be frequency hopping, time synchronization channels, and / or extended channels in Bluetooth's announcement channel.

[0069] As mentioned earlier, Figure 4 An example PAWR is shown for two groups of wireless network devices 420a and 420b (e.g., a first group including ESL1 to ESL 11, and a second group including ESL 12 to ESL 22). Specifically, Figure 1 This is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of communication transmission 400 between network device 410 (e.g., a central device, which may be an access point) and two sets of wireless communication devices 420a, 420b (e.g., peripheral devices, which may be ESLs). Reference Figure 4 , Figure 1 The signal sequence illustrated can be represented by Figure 4 This is achieved through one or more of the following: a communication connection, an access point 110, and / or a wireless communication device 120.

[0070] exist Figure 4 In the diagram, the signaling diagram is presented in graphical form, where the x-axis represents time in milliseconds (ms), and the y-axis represents specific wireless communication devices 420a, 420b (e.g., ESL1, ESL2, ESL3, ESL4, ESL5, ESL6, ESL7, ESL8, ESL9, ESL10, ESL11, ESL12, ESL13, ESL14, ESL15, ESL16, ESL17, ESL18, ESL19, ESL20, ESL21, and ESL22). Specifically, Figure 4The x-axis of the graph represents time from 0ms to 25ms. Time can be divided into two subframes, each 12.5ms long. Therefore, these two subframes can include a first subframe from 0ms to 12.5ms and a second subframe from 12.5ms to 25ms. In one or more examples, there may be more or fewer than two subframes, such as... Figure 4 As shown, and / or each subframe may be longer or shorter than 12.5ms, such as Figure 4 As shown.

[0071] In one or more examples, wireless communication devices 420a and 420b (e.g., peripheral devices) may be assigned (e.g., by network device 410 and / or by network entities, such as management entities) to different groups (e.g., two groups) of wireless communication devices 420a and 420b. For example, wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL1, ESL2, ESL3, ESL4, ESL5, ESL6, ESL7, ESL8, ESL9, ESL10, and ESL11) may be assigned to a first group (e.g., group 1), and wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL12, ESL13, ESL14, ESL15, ESL16, ESL17, ESL18, ESL19, ESL20, ESL21, and ESL22) may be assigned to a second group (e.g., group 2).

[0072] exist Figure 4 During the operation of PAwR, at time 0ms of the first time subframe, network device 410 (e.g., a central device, such as an AP) can send a PA containing a synchronization message (e.g., an AP synchronization message) to the first group (e.g., group 1) of wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and ESL 11) via the synchronization channel between network device 410 and wireless communication devices 420a and 420b. As previously mentioned, the synchronization message may include one or more commands. For example, a command may include an opcode and parameters associated with the command. At time 0ms, the first group of wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10 and ESL 11) can receive the PA containing the synchronization message from 435a via the synchronization channel.

[0073] In one or more examples, network device 410 may be configured to operate at specified time intervals (e.g., time subframes) (such as... Figure 5The PA is sent every 12.5ms as shown. In one or more examples, the specified time interval (e.g., subframe) may be shorter or longer than... Figure 5 The 12.5ms shown. Wireless communication devices 420a and 420b can respond to the PA by using their specific corresponding response time slots in time.

[0074] In one or more examples, a synchronization message sent to 430a to a first group (e.g., group 1) of wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and ESL 11) may indicate a corresponding response time slot for one or more of the wireless communication devices 420a in the first group (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and / or ESL 11) to send a response of 440a to network device 410. If wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and ESL 11) is addressed within the synchronization message, then wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and ESL 11) may respond in its respective response time slot (e.g., transmit 440a), as indicated within the synchronization message.

[0075] For example, a synchronization message may instruct one or more wireless communication devices among wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10 and / or ESL 11) to respond in time (e.g., transmit 440a) (e.g., respond 5ms after the start of a subframe at a response slot located every 0.625ms). For example, this sequence could instruct wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL1) to respond in a response time slot at 5 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL2) to respond in a response time slot at 5.625 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL3) to respond in a response time slot at 6.25 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL4) to respond in a response time slot at 6.875 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL5) to respond in a response time slot at 7.5 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL6) to respond in a response time slot at 8.125 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL7) to respond in a response time slot at 8.75 ms, and wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL4) to respond in a response time slot at 5.625 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL5) to respond in a response time slot at 7.5 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL6) to respond in a response time slot at 8.125 ms, wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL7) to respond in a response time slot at 8.75 ms, and wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL4) to respond in a response time slot at 8.75 ms. 8) The response should be made in the response time slot at 9.375ms, the wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL9) should respond in the response time slot at 10ms, the wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL 10) should respond in the response time slot at 10.625ms, and the wireless communication device 420a (e.g., ESL 11) should respond in the response time slot at 11.25ms.

[0076] After wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and ESL 11) have received PA containing a synchronization message 435a from network device 410, one or more wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10, and / or ESL 11) may transmit their responses 440a in their respective response time slots, according to the sequence specified in the synchronization message. After one or more wireless communication devices 420a (e.g., ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6, ESL 7, ESL 8, ESL 9, ESL 10 and / or ESL 11) have transmitted their responses 440a in their respective response time slots, network device 410 may receive 445a the responses transmitted by the one or more wireless communication devices during those specific response time slot times.

[0077] During the operation of PAwR, at time 12.5ms of the second time subframe, network device 410 can transmit PA 430b containing a synchronization message to the second group (e.g., group 2) of wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21, and ESL 22) via the synchronization channel between network device 410 and wireless communication devices 420a and 420b. Furthermore, at time 12.5ms, the second group of wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21, and ESL 22) can receive PA 435b containing a synchronization message via the synchronization channel.

[0078] The synchronization message sent to the second group (e.g., group 2) of wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21 and ESL 22) can instruct one or more wireless communication devices in the second group (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21 and / or ESL 22) to use a corresponding response time slot for sending a 440b response to the network device 410. If wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21, and ESL 22) is addressed within the synchronization message, then wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21, and ESL 22) may respond in its respective response time slot (e.g., transmit 440b), as indicated within the synchronization message.

[0079] For example, a synchronization message may instruct one or more wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21 and / or ESL 22) to respond in time (e.g., transmit 440b) (e.g., respond 5ms after the start of a subframe at a response slot located every 0.625ms). For example, this sequence could instruct wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 12) to respond in a response time slot at 17.5 ms, wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 13) to respond in a response time slot at 18.125 ms, wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 14) to respond in a response time slot at 18.75 ms, wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 15) to respond in a response time slot at 19.375 ms, wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 16) to respond in a response time slot at 20 ms, wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 17) to respond in a response time slot at 20.625 ms, wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 18) to respond in a response time slot at 21.25 ms, and wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 18) to respond in a response time slot at 21.25 ms. 19) The response should be made in the response time slot at 21.875 ms, the wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 20) should be made in the response time slot at 22.5 ms, the wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 21) should be made in the response time slot at 23.125 ms, and the wireless communication device 420b (e.g., ESL 22) should be made in the response time slot at 23.75 ms.

[0080] After wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21, and ESL 22) have received a PA containing a synchronization message 435b from network device 410, one or more wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21, and / or ESL 22) may transmit their responses 440b in their respective response time slots, according to the sequence specified in the synchronization message. After one or more wireless communication devices 420b (e.g., ESL 12, ESL 13, ESL 14, ESL 15, ESL 16, ESL 17, ESL 18, ESL 19, ESL 20, ESL 21 and / or ESL 22) have transmitted their responses 440b in their respective response slots, network device 410 may receive the responses transmitted by the one or more wireless communication devices 445b during those specific response slot times. PAwR may similarly continue for subsequent time subframes.

[0081] As previously mentioned, for ESL systems, in the PAWR specification, a wireless communication device (e.g., the ESL) may send a response (e.g., a response including an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet) when indicated (e.g., requested) by its host (e.g., the ME). The host (e.g., the ME) determines the response time slot (e.g., time slot) at which the wireless communication device (e.g., the ESL) transmits (e.g., sends) the response. The host (e.g., the ME) determines whether the wireless communication device transmits the response, and at which response time slot. Therefore, in an ESL system, it is typically the host (e.g., the ME) that determines how and when the wireless communication device (e.g., the ESL) transmits its response.

[0082] There may be situations where a wireless communication device (e.g., ESL) wants to transmit its associated data (e.g., sensor data, such as its battery level) to its associated network device (e.g., an access point synchronized with the wireless communication device). However, currently, in ESL systems, there is no notification mechanism that allows the wireless communication device (e.g., ESL) to unilaterally transmit (e.g., unilaterally send) data (e.g., sensor data, such as battery level) within a response. Both the terms "unilateral transmission" and "unilateral sending" refer to the wireless communication device transmitting (or sending) an unrequested response, which is a response transmitted without the wireless communication device having previously received a request for a response from the network device (e.g., the access point). Therefore, the wireless communication device (e.g., ESL) cannot transmit a response (e.g., including data) without the network device (e.g., the access point) having previously requested a response.

[0083] Currently, if a wireless communication device (e.g., ESL) wants to send an unrequested response (e.g., including data) to a network device (e.g., an access point) on a PAwR string, the wireless communication device will not know when the network device is ready to receive the response, nor will it know when or how to send the response to the network device. Therefore, it may be beneficial to allow a wireless communication device (e.g., ESL) to send (e.g., transmit) a response (e.g., including data) to a network device (e.g., an access point) on a PAwR string without having previously received a request for the response from the network device.

[0084] In one or more aspects, the system and technology provide solutions for providing notification of available time slots (e.g., response slots) within a wireless communication device system (e.g., an ESL system). In one or more examples, the system and technology allow the wireless communication device (e.g., an ESL) to transmit a response (e.g., including data) to a network device at a specific response slot specified by the network device (e.g., an access point). In some examples, a controller within the network device may determine the specific response slot based on the controller's task scheduling, such that the response received from the wireless communication device does not conflict with any other scheduled task (e.g., signal reception of another scheduled task).

[0085] In one or more aspects, a controller of a network device (e.g., an access point) may determine, based on the controller's task scheduling, multiple response slots over a duration for multiple wireless communication devices (e.g., ESLs within a set of ESLs) to unilaterally transmit data to the network device. In one or more examples, the network device may transmit (e.g., send) a PAWR message including an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND PDU packet to the multiple wireless communication devices. In some examples, the AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND PDU packet may include a bitmap indicating available response slots.

[0086] In one or more examples, the plurality of wireless communication devices (e.g., ESLs within a set of ESLs) may receive a PAwR message indicating an available response slot. In some examples, the plurality of wireless communication devices may each decode a bitmap within the PAwR message to determine an available response slot. In one or more examples, when one of the plurality of wireless communication devices wants to transmit its data (e.g., sensor data, such as battery level) to a network device, that wireless communication device may unilaterally transmit (e.g., send) a response including that data (e.g., a response message including an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet) to the network device at one of the available response slots.

[0087] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device system 500 used to provide notification of available time slots (e.g., including response time slots 580a, 580b) within a wireless communication device system. Figure 1 In this context, system 500 is shown to include network entity 510 (e.g., management entity, such as...). Figure 2 Management entity 130), network device 520 (e.g., access point (AP), such as Figure 4 Access point 110 Figure 1 Equipment 200 and / or Figure 2 Access point 410), and wireless communication device 530 (e.g., ESL, such as Figure 3 Wireless communication equipment 120 Figure 4 Equipment 200 Figure 5 Equipment 305a or other equipment and / or Figure 5 (ESL 420a or other ESL). In one or more examples, system 500 may include... Figure 5 The network entities 510, network devices 520, and / or wireless communication devices 530 may be shown in greater or less than the number shown.

[0088] exist Figure 6In this context, wireless communication device 530 (e.g., ESL) is shown as including ESL firmware (ESL FW) 532, ESL host 534, and ESL application processor (APSS) 536. Wireless communication device 530 may belong to a group of wireless communication devices (e.g., group 1).

[0089] exist Figure 6 During the operation of system 500, wireless communication device 530 may be onboard 540 onto network entity 510. Then, wireless communication device 530 may be onboard 550 onto network device 520 (e.g., AP) so that wireless communication device 530 is synchronized with network device 520 (e.g., synchronized with the PA serial array of network device 520).

[0090] The controller of network device 520 can determine, based on its task scheduling, multiple available response time slots (e.g., including response time slots 580a, 580b) for a given duration to allow (e.g., within one or more groups of wireless communication devices) to unilaterally transmit data to network device 520. The controller can determine specific available response time slots based on its task scheduling such that any response received from a wireless communication device does not conflict with any other scheduled task (e.g., signal reception from another scheduled task).

[0091] As previously mentioned, in an ESL system, wireless communication devices (e.g., ESLs) transmit their responses on the same channel (e.g., a synchronization channel) but at different times. Timing conflicts may occur when any wireless communication device belonging to the same group makes an uncoordinated selection of available response time slots.

[0092] Network device 520 can generate a bitmap indicating available response slots. To minimize scheduling conflicts, the available response slots can be indicated in the bitmap using the identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response slots (e.g., available_slot_num).

[0093] In one or more examples, the identifier of a wireless communication device can be an Individual Identifier (EIID), which is an identifier for a specific wireless communication device (e.g., ESL 1). The Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) Identifier (EID) of a wireless communication device may include a group identifier (GID) of the group to which the wireless communication device belongs, such as group 1, and may include the EIID of the wireless communication device, such as ESL 1. For example, the EID grouping of a wireless communication device may include a first group with a GID and a second group with an EIID. In an exemplary example, for a first wireless communication device (e.g., ESL 1) belonging to a first group (e.g., group 1) (e.g., associated with a specific network device, such as a specific AP), EID = GID(group 1) | EIID(ESL 1).

[0094] In one or more examples, the number of available response slots can be used as the divisor in a modulo operation based on the modulus of the wireless communication device's identifier to indicate the available response slots in the bitmap. To decode the available slots (SlotIndex_to_send) into a bitmap (available_slot_bitmap), network device 520 can use the following formula:

[0095] SlotIndex_to_send = Remap(EIID modulo available_slot_num, available_slot_bitmap)

[0096] The following is a decoding example of the available time slots in the example bitmap:

[0097] Available_slot_bitmap = 0100 1101 0011

[0098] As indicated by the example available slot bitmap (e.g., reading bits from right to left in available_slot_bitmap, starting at slot 0 and ending at slot 12, where each bit of the bitmap indicates one available response slot), slots 0, 1, 4, 6, 7, and 10 are available slots for transmitting unrequested responses from a wireless communication device (e.g., wireless communication device 530) to a network device (e.g., network device 520). Therefore, there are a total of six (6) available slots (e.g., available_slot_num = 6). Thus, the following conclusion can be drawn:

[0099] For EIIDs that satisfy (EIID modulo available_slot_num == 0), SlotIndex_to_send will be slot 0 available.

[0100] For EIIDs that satisfy (EIID modulo available_slot_num == 1), SlotIndex_to_send will be available slot 1;

[0101] For EIIDs that satisfy (EIID modulo available_slot_num == 2), SlotIndex_to_send will be available slot 4;

[0102] For EIIDs that satisfy (EIID modulo available_slot_num == 3), SlotIndex_to_send will be available slot 6;

[0103] For EIIDs that satisfy (EIID modulo available_slot_num == 4), SlotIndex_to_send will be available slot 7; and

[0104] For EIIDs that satisfy (EIID modulo available_slot_num == 5), SlotIndex_to_send will be available slot 10.

[0105] In one or more examples, network device 520 may transmit (e.g., send) a PA sequence (e.g., including PAwR messages 570a, 570b, 570c). Each PAwR message 570a, 570b, 570c within the PA sequence may be directed to a specific group of wireless communication devices. For example, PAwR message 570a may be used for wireless communication device group 1, PAwR message 570b may be used for wireless communication device group 2, and PAwR message 570c may be used for wireless communication device group 3. In one or more examples, system 500 (e.g., an ESL system) may include 128 groups of wireless communication devices, where each group may include 255 wireless communication devices.

[0106] In one or more examples, each PAwR message 570a, 570b, 570c within a PA sequence may indicate available response slots for a group of wireless communication devices. For example, PAwR message 570a directed to group 1 may indicate available response slots for wireless communication devices belonging to group 1 (e.g., including wireless communication device 530) to transmit unrequested responses (e.g., including data, such as sensor data) to a network device (e.g., network device 520). In some examples, each PAwR message within a PA sequence (e.g., PAwR message 570a) may include an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND PDU packet. Network device 520 may include the resulting bitmap within the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message (e.g., within the AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND PDU packet).

[0107] In one or more examples, wireless communication device 530 may receive a PAWR message 570a from network device 520 indicating available response slots (e.g., response slot including 580a). In some examples, ESLPSS 536 of wireless communication device 530 may transmit some data (e.g., sensor data, which may include the battery level of wireless communication device 530) along with the data priority to ESL FW 532 of wireless communication device 530. ESL FW 532 may decide (e.g., determine) whether to immediately transmit (e.g., send) the data to network device 520 or enqueue the data and continue to sleep, based on the queue size and the data priority.

[0108] In one or more examples, after wireless communication device 530 receives a PAWR message 570a indicating an available response slot (e.g., a response slot including 580a), the ESL FW 532 of wireless communication device 530 can decode the bitmap to determine the available response slots and can select an appropriate response slot from the available response slots to transmit (e.g., send) data to network device 520. When ESL FW 532 decides to transmit (e.g., send) data to network device 520, the wireless communication device can unilaterally transmit (e.g., send) a response including that data (e.g., a response message including an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet) to network device 520 at the selected response slot from the available response slots. Network device 520 can receive the response at the response slot from the available response slots.

[0109] Figure 7 This is an example diagram illustrating the structure of a PAWR message packet 600, including a bitmap 650 indicating available response slots. Figure 1In the diagram, the structure of the PAwR message packet 600 is shown as including a length portion 610 and a data portion 620. The data portion 620 is shown as including an ACAD type portion 630 and an ACAD data portion 640. The ACAD data portion 640 is shown as including a bitmap 650 that indicates available response slots.

[0110] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication process 700 that utilizes a method for providing notification of available time slots within a wireless communication device system. Process 700 can be performed by a wireless communication device (e.g., Figure 3 Wireless communication equipment 120 Figure 4 Equipment 200 Figure 5 Equipment 1 305a or other equipment, Figure 2 Wireless network device 420a or other devices and / or Figure 9 The operation of process 700 may be performed by a wireless communication device 530 or other device, or a component or system of that wireless communication device (e.g., a chipset). In some examples, the wireless communication device is an electronic shelf label (ESL). The operation of process 700 may be implemented in one or more processors (e.g., Figure 2 Processor 210, Figure 9 Software components executed and running on the processor 910 and / or other processors. Furthermore, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device in process 700 may be, for example, by one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (such as one or more wireless transceivers) (e.g., Figure 5 Communication component 235 Figure 5 This is achieved through the communication interface 940 and / or other antennas and / or transceivers.

[0111] At box 710, a wireless communication device (or its components, such as at least one transceiver) can receive signals from a network device (e.g., Figure 6 Network device 520 receives a periodic announcement (PAwR) message with a response, which indicates available response time slots (e.g., for a duration) for the wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device. Figure 5 The response timeslots are 580a and 580. In some cases, this network device is an access point (AP).

[0112] As described herein, in some aspects, the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slot. For example, the bitmap may include multiple bits. Each of these multiple bits may indicate one available response slot among the available response slots. In some cases, the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) section of the PAwR message (e.g., Figure 8The PAwR message packet 600 shown is within the ACAD data portion 640. In some examples, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) can determine the available response slot by decoding the bitmap in the PAwR message. For example, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) can determine the response slot in the available response slots to send the response message based on the identifier of the wireless communication device (e.g., an Individual Identifier (EIID)) and the number of response slots. In some cases, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) can further determine the response slot based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device, using the number of available response slots as a divisor, such as relative to... Figure 1 As described.

[0113] At block 720, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof, such as at least one transceiver) may unilaterally send a response message including the data to the network device in a response slot within the available response slot. In an exemplary example, the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packet, and the response message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet. In some aspects, as described herein, unilaterally sending the response message may include unscheduled or unrequested transmission, wherein the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) may send the response message without the wireless communication device having previously received a request for the response message from the network device.

[0114] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication process 800 that utilizes a method for receiving notifications of available time slots within a wireless communication device system. Process 800 can be performed by a network device (e.g., Figure 4 Access point 110 Figure 5 Equipment 200 Figure 2 Network device 410 or other devices and / or Figure 9 The operation of process 800 may be performed by one or more processors (e.g., network device 520 or other devices) or components or systems of that network device (e.g., chipset). Figure 2 Processor 210, Figure 9 Software components executed and running on the processor 910 and / or other processors. Furthermore, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device in process 800 may be, for example, by one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (such as one or more wireless transceivers) (e.g., Figure 6 Communication component 235 Figure 5 This is achieved through the communication interface 940 and / or other antennas and / or transceivers.

[0115] At box 810, the network device (or a component thereof) may determine available response time slots for a period of time during which multiple wireless communication devices may unilaterally transmit data to the network device. In some cases, each of the multiple wireless communication devices is an Electronic Shelf Tag (ESL). In some aspects, the multiple wireless communication devices belong to a group of wireless communication devices.

[0116] At box 820, the network device (or a component thereof) may send a periodic announcement (PAwR) message with a response indicating the availability of the response time slot to the plurality of wireless communication devices. In some cases, the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packet, and each of the one or more response messages includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

[0117] In some aspects, the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slot. For example, the bitmap may include multiple bits. Each of the multiple bits of the bitmap may indicate one available response slot among the available response slots. In some cases, the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) section of the PAwR message (e.g., Figure 9 The ACAD data portion 640 of the PAwR message packet 600 is shown. In some examples, the available response slots are indicated in the bitmap based on the identifier of the wireless communication device (e.g., Individual Identifier (EIID)) and the number of available response slots. In some cases, the number of available response slots is further indicated in the bitmap as a divisor based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device, such as relative to... Figure 9 As described.

[0118] At box 830, the network device (or a component thereof) may receive one or more response messages including the data from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more available response slots in the available response slots.

[0119] ​ This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing system 900, which can be used by the disclosed systems and techniques to provide notification of available time slots within a wireless communication device system. Specifically, ​An example of a computing system 900 is illustrated. This computing system can be any computing device, such as an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any component thereof, wherein the components of the system communicate with each other using a connection 905. The connection 905 can be a physical connection using a bus, or a direct connection to a processor 910, such as in a chipset architecture. The connection 905 can also be a virtual connection, a networking connection, or a logical connection.

[0120] In some aspects, the computing system 900 is a distributed system in which the functions described herein can be distributed across a data center, multiple data centers, a peer-to-peer network, etc. In some aspects, one or more of the described system components represent a plurality of such components, each performing some or all of the functions described for that component. In some aspects, the components can be physical or virtual devices.

[0121] Example system 900 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 910 and a connection 905 that communicatively couples various system components, including system memories 915 such as read-only memory (ROM) 920 and random access memory (RAM) 925, to processor 910. Computing system 900 may include a cache 912 of high-speed memory that is directly connected to, closely adjacent to, or integrated into processor 910.

[0122] Processor 910 may include any general-purpose processor and hardware or software services, such as services 932, 934, and 936 stored in storage device 930, which are configured to control processor 910 and dedicated processors in which software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 910 can essentially be a completely independent computing system containing multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. Multi-core processors can be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0123] To enable user interaction, the computing system 900 includes an input device 945 that can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for voice, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphic input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, voice input, etc. The computing system 900 may also include an output device 935 that can be one or more of a plurality of output mechanisms. In some instances, a multi-mode system allows the user to provide multiple types of input / output to communicate with the computing system 900.

[0124] The computing system 900 may include a communication interface 940, which typically controls and manages user input and system output. The communication interface may perform or facilitate the receiving and / or transmitting of wired or wireless communications using wired and / or wireless transceivers, including utilizing audio jacks / plugs, microphone jacks / plugs, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports / plugs, Apple... ™ Lightning ™ Ports / plugs, Ethernet ports / plugs, fiber optic ports / plugs, dedicated wired ports / plugs, 3G, 4G, 5G and / or other cellular data network wireless signal transmission, Bluetooth ™ Wireless signal transmission, Bluetooth ™ Low-power (BLE) wireless signal transmission, IBEACON ™ Wireless signal transmission, radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless signal transmission, near field communication (NFC) wireless signal transmission, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) wireless signal transmission, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transmission, wireless local area network (WLAN) signal transmission, visible light communication (VLC), microwave access global interoperability (WiMAX), infrared (IR) wireless signal transmission, public switched telephone network (PSTN) signal transmission, integrated services digital network (ISDN) signal transmission, self-organizing network signal transmission, radio wave signal transmission, microwave signal transmission, infrared signal transmission, visible light signal transmission, ultraviolet light signal transmission, wireless signal transmission along the electromagnetic spectrum, or those communications in some combination thereof.

[0125] The communication interface 940 may also include one or more ranging sensors (e.g., LIDAR sensors, laser rangefinders, RF radars, ultrasonic sensors, and infrared (IR) sensors) configured to collect data and provide measurements to the processor 910, thereby configuring the processor 910 to perform the determinations and calculations required to obtain various measurements from the one or more ranging sensors. In some examples, measurements may include time of flight, wavelength, azimuth, elevation, distance, linear velocity, and / or angular velocity, or any combination thereof. The communication interface 940 may also include one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers or transceivers used to determine the position of the computing system 900 based on one or more signals received from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the U.S. GPS, the Russian GLONASS, the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the European Galileo GNSS. There are no limitations on operation on any particular hardware arrangement, and therefore the basic features herein can be readily replaced to obtain improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

[0126] Storage device 930 may be a non-volatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer-readable storage device, and may be a hard disk or other type of computer-readable medium capable of storing data accessible by a computer, such as magnetic tape, flash memory cards, solid-state storage devices, digital multifunction discs, cartridges, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magnetic stripes, any other magnetic storage media, flash memory, memristor memory, any other solid-state storage, CD-ROM, rewritable CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, holographic disc, another optical medium, Secure Digital (SD) card, microSD card, Memory Stick ® Cards, smart card chips, EMV chips, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, mini / micro / nano / micro SIM cards, another integrated circuit (IC) chip / card, random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash EPROM, cache memory (e.g., layer 1 (L1) cache, layer 2 (L2) cache, layer 3 (L3) cache, layer 4 (L4) cache, layer 5 (L5) cache, or other (L#) cache), resistive random access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), phase change memory (PCM), spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or cassette and / or combinations thereof.

[0127] Storage device 930 may include software services, servers, services, etc., which enable the system to perform functions when the code defining such software is executed by processor 910. In some aspects, hardware services performing specific functions may include software components for performing functions stored in a computer-readable medium connected to necessary hardware components such as processor 910, connection 905, output device 935, etc. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or carrying instructions and / or data. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory media in which data may be stored and which do not include carrier waves and / or transient electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over a wired connection. Examples of non-transitory media include, but are not limited to, magnetic disks or magnetic tapes, optical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), flash memory, memory, or memory devices. Computer-readable media may store code and / or machine-executable instructions thereon, which may represent procedures, functions, subroutines, programs, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. Code segments may be coupled to other code segments or hardware circuitry by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc., may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means, including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0128] Specific details have been provided in the foregoing description to offer a thorough understanding of the aspects and examples presented herein, but those skilled in the art will recognize that this application is not limited thereto. Therefore, although illustrative aspects of this application have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the various inventive concepts can be implemented and employed in a variety of other ways, and the appended claims are not intended to be construed as including such variations unless limited by prior art. The various features and aspects of the applications described above can be used individually or in combination. Furthermore, without departing from the broader scope of this specification, aspects can be used in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein. Therefore, the specification and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. For illustrative purposes, the methods are described in a particular order. It should be understood that, in alternative aspects, the methods may be performed in a different order than described.

[0129] For clarity, in some instances, this technology may be presented as comprising individual functional blocks, which include devices, device components, steps, or routines embodied in a method, either in software or a combination of hardware and software. Additional components may be used in addition to those shown in the figures and / or described herein. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these aspects with unnecessary detail. In other cases, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the aspects.

[0130] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application; however, such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0131] The various aspects described above can be presented as processes or methods, depicted as flowcharts, diagrams, data flow diagrams, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. Although a flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, many operations within an operation can be executed in parallel or concurrently. Furthermore, the order of operations can be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but a process may have additional steps not included in the accompanying diagrams. A process can correspond to a method, function, process, subroutine, subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to the calling function or the main function.

[0132] The processes and methods described in the examples above can be implemented using stored computer-executable instructions or computer-executable instructions otherwise obtainable from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that configure a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or processing device to perform a function or group of functions. The portion may be accessible via a network of the computer resources used. The computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binary, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store the instructions, the information used, and / or information created during the methods according to the described examples include disks or optical discs, flash memory, USB devices with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, etc.

[0133] In some respects, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories may include cables or wireless signals containing bit streams, etc. However, when referred to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media explicitly exclude media such as power consumption, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and the signals themselves.

[0134] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may, in some cases, be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0135] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof, and can take any form factor of various form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., computer program products) for performing necessary tasks can be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. A processor can perform the necessary tasks. Examples of form factors include: laptop computers, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices, or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, self-contained devices, etc. The functionality described herein can also be embodied in peripheral devices or interlocking cards. By additional examples, such functionality can also be implemented on circuit boards of different chips or different processes executed on a single device.

[0136] Instructions, media for delivering such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are example components for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0137] The techniques described herein can also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques can be implemented in any of a variety of devices, such as general-purpose computers, wireless communication devices (mobile phones), or integrated circuit devices with multiple uses, including applications in wireless communication devices (mobile phones) and other devices. Any feature described as a module or component can be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques can be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium comprising program code including instructions that, when executed, perform one or more of the methods, algorithms, and / or operations described above. The computer-readable data storage medium can form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging material. The computer-readable medium may include memory or data storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) (such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the technology may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carries or conveys program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed, read and / or executed by a computer, such as propagated signals or waves.

[0138] The program code can be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Such processors can be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor; however, in alternatives, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Therefore, as used herein, the term "processor" may refer to any of the foregoing structures, any combination of the foregoing structures, or any other structure or means suitable for implementing the techniques described herein.

[0139] Those skilled in the art will understand that, without departing from the scope of this description, the less than (“<”) and greater than (“>”) symbols or terms used herein may be replaced with less than or equal to (“>”) respectively. ") and greater than or equal to (" The symbol ) is used instead.

[0140] When a component is described as being “configured” to perform certain operations, such a configuration can be achieved, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operations, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operations, or any combination thereof.

[0141] The phrase “coupled to” or “communicatively coupled to” means that any component is physically connected directly or indirectly to another component, and / or that any component is in communication with another component directly or indirectly (e.g., connected to that other component via a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0142] The claim language or other language that states "at least one of" and / or "one or more of" in a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfies the claim. For example, the claim language that states "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, the claim language that states "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. The language that states "at least one of" and / or "one or more of" in a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, the claim language that states "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" may mean A, B, or A and B, and may additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B.

[0143] Claims stating "at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to" and / or "at least one processor being configured to" or other languages ​​indicate that one or more processors (in any combination) are capable of performing associated operations. For example, claims stating "at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to: X, Y, and Z" mean that a single processor can be used to perform operations X, Y, and Z; or that multiple processors are each assigned a specific subset of tasks of operations X, Y, and Z, such that the multiple processors together perform X, Y, and Z; or that a group of multiple processors work together to perform operations X, Y, and Z. In another example, claims stating "at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to: X, Y, and Z" may mean that any single processor can perform only a subset of operations X, Y, and Z.

[0144] The exemplary aspects of this disclosure include:

[0145] Aspect 1. A wireless communication device for wireless communication, the wireless communication device comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive from a network device a periodic announcement (PAwR) message having a response, the periodic announcement (PAwR) message having a response indicating an available response time slot for the wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device over a duration; and, at a response time slot within the available response time slot, unilaterally transmit a response message including the data to the network device via at least one transceiver.

[0146] Aspect 2. The wireless communication device according to aspect 1, wherein the wireless communication device is an electronic shelf label (ESL).

[0147] Aspect 3. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 or 2, wherein the network device is an access point (AP).

[0148] Aspect 4. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND protocol data unit (PDU) packet, and wherein the response message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

[0149] Aspect 5. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

[0150] Aspect 6. The wireless communication device according to aspect 5, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response time slots.

[0151] Aspect 7. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 5 or 6, wherein the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

[0152] Aspect 8. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 5 to 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: decode the bitmap in the PAwR message to determine the available response time slot.

[0153] Aspect 9. A wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine the response time slot among the available response time slots to send the response message based on an identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response time slots.

[0154] Aspect 10. The wireless communication device according to aspect 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: further determine the response time slot in the available response time slots for sending the response message based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device, using the number of available response time slots as a divisor.

[0155] Aspect 11. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 9 or 10, wherein the identifier of the wireless communication device is an Individual Identifier (EIID).

[0156] Aspect 12. A wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: unilaterally transmit the response message via the at least one transceiver without the wireless communication device having previously received a request for the response message from the network device.

[0157] Aspect 13. A network device for wireless communication, the network device comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: determine available response time slots for a plurality of wireless communication devices to unilaterally transmit data to the network device over a duration; transmit a periodic announcement (PAwR) message indicating the available response time slots to the plurality of wireless communication devices via at least one transceiver; and receive one or more response messages including the data from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more available response time slots.

[0158] Aspect 14. The network device according to aspect 13, wherein the network device is an access point (AP).

[0159] Aspect 15. The network device according to any one of Aspects 13 or 14, wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is an electronic shelf label (ESL).

[0160] Aspect 16. The network device according to any one of Aspects 13 to 15, wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices belong to a group of wireless communication devices.

[0161] Aspect 17. The network device according to any one of Aspects 13 to 16, wherein the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packet, and wherein each of the one or more response messages includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

[0162] Aspect 18. The network device according to any one of Aspects 13 to 17, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

[0163] Aspect 19. The network device according to aspect 18, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response slots.

[0164] Aspect 20. The network device according to any one of Aspects 18 or 19, wherein the available response slots are indicated in the bitmap based on the identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response slots.

[0165] Aspect 21. The network device according to aspect 20, wherein the number of available response slots is used as a divisor in the bitmap based further on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device.

[0166] Aspect 22. The network device according to any one of Aspects 20 or 21, wherein the identifier of the wireless communication device is an Individual Identifier (EIID).

[0167] Aspect 23. The network device according to any one of Aspects 18 to 22, wherein the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

[0168] Aspect 24. A method of wireless communication performed at a wireless communication device, the method comprising: receiving, by the wireless communication device, a periodic announcement (PAwR) message having a response from a network device, the periodic announcement (PAwR) message having a response indicating an available response time slot for the wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device within a duration; and unilaterally transmitting, by the wireless communication device, a response message including the data to the network device at a response time slot within the available response time slot.

[0169] Aspect 25. The method according to aspect 24, wherein the wireless communication device is an electronic shelf label (ESL).

[0170] Aspect 26. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 or 25, wherein the network device is an access point (AP).

[0171] Aspect 27. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 26, wherein the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packet.

[0172] Aspect 28. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 27, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

[0173] Aspect 29. The method according to aspect 28, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response slots.

[0174] Aspect 30. The method according to any one of Aspects 28 or 29, wherein the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Notification Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

[0175] Aspect 31. The method according to any one of Aspects 28 to 30, the method further comprising: determining the available response time slot by the wireless communication device by decoding the bitmap in the PAwR message.

[0176] Aspect 32. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 31, the method further comprising: determining the response time slot among the available response time slots for sending the response message based on the identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response time slots.

[0177] Aspect 33. The method according to aspect 32, wherein the response time slot in the available response time slots is determined by using the number of available response time slots as a divisor based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device to send the response message.

[0178] Aspect 34. The method according to any one of Aspects 32 or 33, wherein the identifier of the wireless communication device is an Individual Identifier (EIID).

[0179] Aspect 35. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 34, wherein the response message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

[0180] Aspect 36. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 35, wherein unilaterally sending the response message comprises: sending the response message without the wireless communication device having previously received a request for the response message from the network device.

[0181] Aspect 37. A method of wireless communication performed at a network device, the method comprising: determining, by the network device, available response time slots for a plurality of wireless communication devices to unilaterally transmit data to the network device over a duration; sending, by the network device, a periodic announcement (PAwR) message indicating the available response time slots to the plurality of wireless communication devices; and receiving, by the network device, one or more response messages including the data from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more available response time slots.

[0182] Aspect 38. The method according to aspect 37, wherein the network device is an access point (AP).

[0183] Aspect 39. The method according to any one of Aspects 37 or 38, wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is an electronic shelf label (ESL).

[0184] Aspect 40. The method according to any one of aspects 37 to 39, wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices belong to a group of wireless communication devices.

[0185] Aspect 41. The method according to any one of Aspects 37 to 40, wherein the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packet, and each of the one or more response messages includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

[0186] Aspect 42. The method according to any one of Aspects 37 to 41, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

[0187] Aspect 43. According to the method of aspect 42, each of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response slots.

[0188] Aspect 44. The method according to any one of Aspects 42 or 43, wherein the available response slots are indicated in the bitmap based on the identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response slots.

[0189] Aspect 45. The method according to aspect 44, wherein the number of available response slots is used as a divisor in the bitmap, further based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device.

[0190] Aspect 46. The method according to any one of Aspects 44 or 45, wherein the identifier of the wireless communication device is an Individual Identifier (EIID).

[0191] Aspect 47. The method according to any one of Aspects 42 to 46, wherein the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Notification Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

[0192] Aspect 48. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the at least one processor, when executed by at least one processor, to perform any one of aspects 24 to 36.

[0193] Aspect 49. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising one or more components for performing operations according to any one of aspects 24 to 36.

[0194] Aspect 50. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the at least one processor, when executed by at least one processor, to perform any one of aspects 37 to 47.

[0195] Aspect 52. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising one or more components for performing operations according to any one of aspects 37 to 47.

[0196] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be consistent with the full scope of the language claims, wherein an element referred to in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more" unless specifically stated otherwise.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device for wireless communication, the wireless communication device comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and being configured to: Receive a periodic announcement (PAwR) message with a response from a network device, the periodic announcement (PAwR) message indicating available response time slots for the wireless communication device to unilaterally transmit data to the network device within a certain duration; and At the response slot in the available response slot, a response message including the data is unilaterally sent to the network device via at least one transceiver.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is an electronic shelf label (ESL).

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the network device is an access point (AP).

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND protocol data unit (PDU) packet, and wherein the response message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slot.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response slots.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: decode the bitmap in the PAwR message to determine the available response time slot.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine the response time slot among the available response time slots to send the response message based on the identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response time slots.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: further determine the response time slot in the available response time slots for sending the response message based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device, using the number of available response time slots as a divisor.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the identifier of the wireless communication device is an Individual Identifier (EIID).

12. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to unilaterally transmit the response message via the at least one transceiver without the wireless communication device having previously received a request for the response message from the network device.

13. A network device for wireless communication, the network device comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and being configured to: Determine the available response time slots within a given duration for multiple wireless communication devices to unilaterally transmit data to the network device; A periodic announcement (PAwR) message indicating the available response time slot is sent to the plurality of wireless communication devices via at least one transceiver; as well as At one or more of the available response time slots, receive one or more response messages including the data from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices.

14. The network device of claim 13, wherein the network device is an access point (AP).

15. The network device of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is an electronic shelf label (ESL).

16. The network device according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices belong to a group of wireless communication devices.

17. The network device of claim 13, wherein the PAwR message includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_IND Protocol Data Unit (PDU) packet, and wherein each of the one or more response messages includes an AUX_SYNC_SUBEVENT_RSP packet.

18. The network device of claim 13, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response slots.

20. The network device of claim 18, wherein the available response slots are indicated in the bitmap based on the identifier of the wireless communication device and the number of available response slots.

21. The network device of claim 20, wherein the number of available response slots is used as a divisor in the bitmap based on the modulus of the identifier of the wireless communication device.

22. The network device of claim 20, wherein the identifier of the wireless communication device is an Individual Identifier (EIID).

23. The network device of claim 18, wherein the bitmap is included in the Additional Controller and Advertisement Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

24. A method of wireless communication performed at a wireless communication device, the method comprising: The wireless communication device receives a periodic announcement (PAwR) message with a response from the network device, the periodic announcement (PAwR) message with a response indicating an available response time slot for the wireless communication device to unilaterally send data to the network device within a certain duration; as well as The wireless communication device unilaterally sends a response message, including the data, to the network device at a response time slot in the available response time slot.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of bits of the bitmap indicates one of the available response slots.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the bitmap is included within the Additional Controller and Notification Data (ACAD) portion of the PAwR message.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising: The available response slot is determined by the wireless communication device by decoding the bitmap in the PAwR message.

29. A method for wireless communication performed at a network device, the method comprising: The network device determines the available response time slots within a certain duration for multiple wireless communication devices to unilaterally send data to the network device. The network device sends a periodic announcement (PAwR) message with a response, indicating the available response time slot, to the plurality of wireless communication devices; as well as The network device receives one or more response messages, including the data, from one or more of the plurality of wireless communication devices at one or more available response slots in the available response slots.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the PAwR message includes a bitmap indicating the available response slots.

Images