Terminal station device and method and computer program product thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a terminal station (STA) device, a wireless communication method thereof, and a computer program product. The wireless communication method may comprise: in a first mode of the STA device, switching to an awakening state in response to awakening information for awakening the STA device received from an access point (AP) device in a monitoring state; in response to the situation that data from the AP equipment is not received in a first preset wakeup time period after the AP equipment is switched to the wakeup state, switching from the wakeup state to a first dormant state at the end of the first preset wakeup time period; and in the first dormant state, periodically entering the monitoring state by taking a first dormant time period as a monitoring interval so as to monitor a signal from the AP equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communication technology, and more specifically, to station (STA) equipment and its wireless communication methods, as well as corresponding computer program products. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, network devices widely support power-saving modes to extend their battery life. To this end, the IEEE 802.11 protocol incorporates a power-saving mechanism. Under this mechanism, the STA (Stationary Access Point) enters a low-power state (e.g., sleep state) when not transmitting or receiving data and periodically wakes up briefly to listen, thereby reducing power consumption. The Access Point (AP) can receive data from other devices (e.g., other terminal devices or nodes) and buffer the received data destined for the STA. It then notifies the STA of the buffered data to be sent by sending a signal (e.g., a beacon frame). The STA is awakened by this signal (e.g., the beacon frame) to begin receiving the buffered data. In this way, when no signal (e.g., a beacon frame) is received, the STA can maintain a low-power state (e.g., sleep state), thus avoiding unnecessary power consumption caused by the STA constantly transmitting and receiving.

[0003] However, as the requirements for the battery life of STA continue to increase, it is necessary to consider optimizing the power-saving mechanism. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, this disclosure provides a method and STA device for wireless communication, which promptly switches from a wake-up state to a sleep state by determining that no data is received from an AP device within a first predetermined wake-up period after the STA device is woken up, so that the STA can enter the sleep state as early as possible to obtain more sleep time, thereby improving the STA's battery life and the communication performance of the wireless system.

[0005] One aspect of this disclosure provides a wireless communication method for a terminal station (STA) device, comprising: in a first mode of the STA device: in response to receiving wake-up information from an access point (AP) device for waking up the STA device in a listening state, switching to a wake-up state; in response to not receiving data from the AP device during a first predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, switching from the wake-up state to a first sleep state at the end of the first predetermined wake-up period; and in the first sleep state, periodically entering the listening state with a first sleep period as a listening interval to listen for signals from the AP device.

[0006] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a terminal station (STA) device, the STA device comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and computer program instructions stored in the memory, the computer program instructions executing a wireless communication method of the STA when executed by the processor.

[0007] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a terminal station (STA) device, perform the wireless communication method of the STA device described above. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The aspects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer and more readily understood from the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to offer a further understanding of the embodiments of this disclosure and form part of the specification. The drawings, together with the embodiments of this disclosure, are used to explain this disclosure but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0009] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system is shown, which performs communication between an AP and a STA in a wireless network.

[0010] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the transmission process between the STA and AP under normal wake-up conditions is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrates the transmission process between the STA and AP in the event of a false wake-up.

[0012] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrates the transmission process between the STA and AP in the event of continuous false wake-ups.

[0013] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the process of determining whether an AP exhibits false wake-up behavior according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating the process of communication in a first mode of an STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an improved transmission process between a STA and an AP in the event of a false wake-up according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another improved transmission process between the STA and AP in the event of a false wake-up according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 9A flowchart illustrating operations performed by a STA according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 10 An exemplary block diagram of a STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of this disclosure will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0020] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this disclosure described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 performing communication between an AP and a STA in a wireless network is shown. The communication system 100 includes an AP 110 and one or more STAs associated with the AP 110, such as STA 120, STA 130, STA 140, STA 150, and STA 160.

[0022] In this disclosure, "STA" can refer to any device that includes a Media Access Control (MAC) interface compliant with IEEE 802.11 and a Physical Layer (PHY) interface to the Wireless Media (WM). In a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), "STA" refers to a terminal device connected to a wireless network, such as a laptop, smartphone, tablet, desktop personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), access point, or Wi-Fi phone in a WLAN environment. STAs can be fixed or mobile. In a WLAN environment, the terms "STA," "terminal," "wireless terminal," "user," "user equipment," and "node" are often used interchangeably. In this disclosure, a STA in a WLAN can function as an Access Point (AP) in different contexts, and vice versa. This is because communication equipment in an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology environment can include both STA hardware components and AP hardware components. In this way, the communication device can switch between STA mode and AP mode based on actual WLAN conditions and / or requirements.

[0023] In this disclosure, an AP is interchangeably referred to as a wireless access point, which is a communication device that can communicate with non-APs (i.e., communication devices not implemented as APs but communicating with APs via one or more links, such as stations or terminals, interchangeably referred to as STAs) in a WLAN via one or more links, and allows non-APs to connect to a wired network. APs are typically connected to a router (via a wired network) as standalone devices, but can also be integrated into or used within a router.

[0024] In the power-saving mechanism, the STA is woken up by receiving a signal (e.g., a beacon frame) from the AP that includes information indicating that there is buffered data to be sent to the STA. This wake-up can be a normal wake-up, where the AP wakes the STA to receive the buffered data if there is buffered data to be sent.

[0025] The IEEE 802.11 protocol specifies the transmission process between the STA and AP under normal wake-up conditions. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the transmission process between the STA and AP under normal wake-up conditions is shown.

[0026] like Figure 2 As shown, in the power-saving mechanism, the STA is in a sleep state and is periodically briefly woken up at a predetermined sleep period as the listening interval to listen for any signals (e.g., beacon frames) sent to the STA (i.e., entering a listening state, in which the STA can receive (Rx) signals). The AP periodically sends (or broadcasts) signals (e.g., beacon frames) at a signal interval (e.g., the beacon interval, whose duration is typically set to 100 ms). The signal (e.g., the beacon frame) may include information indicating whether there is buffered data (e.g., data frames) in the AP to be sent to the corresponding STA, so that the STA can determine whether to wake up based on this information.

[0027] Information used to indicate whether an AP has cached data to send to a corresponding STA may include, for example, a Traffic Indication Map (TIM) field. The TIM field may include multiple bits, each corresponding to a STA, used to inform these STAs whether the AP has cached data for that STA. For example, a value of 1 for the bit corresponding to that STA in the TIM field indicates that cached data exists, and 0 indicates that no cached data exists. For instance, when the AP determines that there is cached data to send to that STA, it sets the value of the bit corresponding to that STA in the TIM field to 1.

[0028] The STA can parse received signals (e.g., beacon frames) to determine if they contain information indicating that buffered data is to be sent to the STA (e.g., whether the value of the bit corresponding to the STA in the TIM field is 1). When it is determined that the received signal (e.g., beacon frame) contains information indicating that buffered data is to be sent to the STA (e.g., the value of the bit corresponding to the STA in the TIM field is 1), the STA can determine whether to wake itself up to receive the buffered data based on this information. Therefore, the information indicating that buffered data is to be sent to the STA can be referred to as wake-up information for waking up the STA.

[0029] When a STA receives a signal containing wake-up information (e.g., a beacon frame) from the AP, it can be woken up (i.e., enter a wake-up state, in which it can receive (Rx) signals) and can send a signal to the AP indicating that it has been woken up. For example, the signal indicating that the STA has been woken up could be a null data packet (NDP), which may include a frame control field containing a power saving (PS) flag. This power saving flag can be set to 0 to indicate that the STA has been woken up.

[0030] After receiving a signal indicating that the STA has been woken up (e.g., an empty data packet with the PS flag set to 0), the AP can send an acknowledgment (Ack) signal to confirm receipt of the signal indicating that the STA has been woken up (e.g., an empty data packet with the PS flag set to 0). The AP can then send the data buffered in the packet to the STA.

[0031] The STA can receive buffered data from the AP and, after receiving all the buffered data, can send an acknowledgment signal to confirm receipt. The STA can then determine that it no longer needs to remain in a wake-up state and send a signal to the AP indicating that it wants to begin sleeping. For example, the signal indicating that the STA wants to begin sleeping could be an empty data packet with the PS flag set to 1. The STA can then enter a sleep state and be periodically and briefly woken up (i.e., enter a listening state) at predetermined sleep intervals as described above to listen for any signals (e.g., beacon frames) being sent to the STA.

[0032] This predetermined sleep period is typically negotiated when the association is established between the AP and STA. This predetermined sleep period can be measured in signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals); for example, the predetermined sleep period can be set to N signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals), where N is a natural number greater than 1. For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, N is 2.

[0033] However, in real-world wireless communication applications, there may be instances where the AP (Access Point) unintentionally wakes up the STA (Station). This occurs when the AP wakes up the STA without having any buffered data to send, but the STA does not receive the buffered data. This causes the STA to be woken up unnecessarily and unable to maintain its intended sleep state, thus wasting the STA's power and causing unnecessary power consumption.

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrates the transmission process between the STA and AP in the event of a false wake-up.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, the AP may mistakenly include wake-up information (i.e., information indicating that there is buffered data to be sent to the STA) in the signal it transmits (or broadcasts) (e.g., beacon frames) to trigger the STA to wake up from its sleep state. For example, the AP may have buffered data for other STAs, but mistakenly set the bit in the TIM field corresponding to that STA to 1, even though the AP does not actually have any buffered data to send to that STA.

[0036] Upon receiving a signal including wake-up information (e.g., a beacon frame), the STA can determine that it has been woken up (i.e., entered a wake-up state) and prepare to receive (Rx), and can send a signal to the AP indicating that the STA has been woken up (i.e., entered a wake-up state) (e.g., an empty data packet). However, the STA cannot receive the buffered data after being woken up because there is actually no buffered data to be sent to the STA. Typically, the STA can wait for a period of time (e.g., two beacon intervals) to receive the buffered data. During this period, the STA remains in a wake-up state, thus wasting the STA's power and increasing power consumption. Simultaneously, communication interactions in the case of false wake-up (e.g., the transmission of beacon frames and acknowledgment signals) consume wireless channel resources, reducing communication efficiency and adversely affecting the performance of the wireless communication system. In particular, if the AP continuously sends signals (e.g., beacon frames) that incorrectly contain wake-up information (i.e., information indicating that there is buffered data to be sent to the STA), the STA will be falsely woken up and remain so for a long time. Figure 4 As shown. This will significantly shorten the STA's sleep time, and frequent wake-ups will significantly increase the STA's power consumption, severely impacting the STA's battery life.

[0037] As mentioned above, the IEEE 802.11 protocol specifies the transmission procedure between the STA and AP under normal wake-up conditions, but it does not specify the transmission procedure for abnormal situations such as false wake-up. If the transmission procedure specified by the IEEE 802.11 protocol under normal wake-up conditions is continued to be used, it will lead to the problems mentioned above.

[0038] Based on this, this disclosure provides transmission procedures for both normal wake-up and false wake-up scenarios to optimize the power-saving mechanism of the IEEE 802.11 protocol. Specifically, for false wake-up, by determining that no data is received from the AP within a first predetermined wake-up period after the STA is woken up, the STA promptly switches from the wake-up state to the sleep state, regardless of whether any subsequent signals containing wake-up information are received during the first predetermined wake-up period. This reduces the time the STA is in the wake-up state, thereby improving the STA's battery life and the communication performance of the wireless system.

[0039] Based on the normal wake-up and false wake-up scenarios, it can be determined whether the AP has a false wake-up behavior, and the STA can determine its own operating mode in subsequent transmissions based on the determination of whether the AP has a false wake-up behavior (e.g., the first mode and the second mode, which will be described in detail below).

[0040] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the process of determining whether an AP exhibits false wake-up behavior according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] According to embodiments of this disclosure, it is possible to determine whether the AP exhibits false wake-up behavior. For example, the number of times the STA is woken up by the AP can be recorded (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (as shown in box S51). For example, if the proportion of false wake-ups of STA based on AP to the total number of wake-ups exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., ... Figure 5 The box S52 in the diagram indicates "Yes," confirming that the AP has engaged in false wake-up behavior. The mode in which the STA communicates when the AP is determined to have engaged in false wake-up behavior can be called the first mode (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (As shown in box S53). For example, the proportion of false wake-ups of STA based on AP to the total number of wake-ups does not exceed a predetermined threshold (e.g., ...). Figure 5 The "No" option in box S52 confirms that the AP does not exhibit false wake-up behavior. The mode in which the STA communicates when the AP device is determined to be free of false wake-up behavior can be called the second mode (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (as shown in box S54).

[0042] As described above, a false wake-up occurs when the AP sends a wake-up message to the STA without having any cached data to send, thus waking the STA but not receiving the cached data. A normal wake-up occurs when the AP sends a wake-up message to the STA with cached data to send, thus waking the STA and allowing it to receive the cached data. The total number of wake-ups can be the sum of the number of false wake-ups and the number of normal wake-ups. For example, if the STA receives the cached data within a predetermined time period after receiving a signal (beacon frame) containing wake-up information from the AP, then this wake-up can be determined to be a normal wake-up; otherwise, it is a false wake-up.

[0043] This predetermined threshold can be determined or dynamically adjusted based on the channel interference level in the STA's network environment. For example, if multiple network devices exist in the network environment, which can cause interference on the channel, the predetermined threshold can be set higher to reduce the probability of misjudging packet loss due to interference (i.e., no data received) as a false wake-up.

[0044] For example, during a certain period, the total number of times the STA is woken up by the AP (e.g., 20-50 times) is recorded, and the number of false wake-ups within the total number of wake-ups is also recorded. For example, the duration of this predetermined period can be set to equal to (e.g., Figure 2 As shown above, the duration of the predetermined sleep period can be seen that setting the predetermined period to be longer than one beacon interval (N beacon intervals are longer than one beacon interval) can make the STA wait for a longer time, so as to reduce the probability of misjudging it as a false wake-up behavior.

[0045] Based on the determination of whether the AP has engaged in false wake-up behavior, the STA can determine whether to operate in the first mode or the second mode in subsequent transmissions. For example, when the STA determines to operate in the first mode, it can perform actions such as... Figure 6 The process is shown.

[0046] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating the process of communication in a first mode of an STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the STA can sleep for a predetermined period of time (which can be related to, for example, ...). Figure 2 (Whether the predetermined sleep period shown is the same or different) periodically enters the listening state to listen for signals during the listening interval. When the predetermined sleep period ends (e.g. Figure 6 When the "Yes" box in S61 is selected, the STA can enter the listening state (e.g., ...). Figure 6(As shown in box S62). When a STA receives a signal (e.g., a signal frame) from an AP while in listening mode, it can determine whether the signal (e.g., the signal frame) contains wake-up information (e.g., whether the value of the bit corresponding to the STA in the TIM field is 1). Figure 6 (As shown in box S63). When the STA determines that the signal (e.g., the signal frame) contains wake-up information (e.g., the bit in the TIM field corresponding to the STA is 1) (as shown in box S63). Figure 6 When the "Yes" option is selected in box S63, the system can decide to switch to the wake-up state and can send a signal to the AP to indicate that the STA has been woken up (e.g., ...). Figure 6 (As shown in box S64), for example, an empty data packet with the power saving flag set to 0.

[0048] When the STA determines that the signal (e.g., the signal frame) does not contain wake-up information (e.g., the bit in the TIM field corresponding to the STA is 0) (e.g.) Figure 6 When the box S63 in the middle is set to "No"), the sleep state can continue to be maintained (e.g. Figure 6 (as shown in box S70).

[0049] STA can remain awake for the first predetermined wake-up period after switching to wake-up state (e.g., Figure 7 and Figure 8 The first predetermined wake-up period shown is in preparation for receiving (e.g., Figure 6 (As shown in box S65). The STA can determine the first predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state (e.g., Figure 7 and Figure 8 Whether cached data (such as...) is received within the first predetermined wake-up period shown. Figure 6 (as shown in box S66). If the STA determines the first predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state (e.g.) Figure 7 and Figure 8 No cached data (such as...) was received during the first predetermined wake-up period shown. Figure 6 In box S66, the "No" option, for example, as... Figure 7 As shown, no cached data was received during the wake-up period. For example, such as... Figure 8 As shown, if no cached data is received within the first wake-up period, it is decided to switch from the wake-up state to the first sleep state (e.g., Figure 6 (As shown in box S67). In the first sleep state, a first sleep period (such as...) can be used. Figure 7 and Figure 8The sleep period 1 shown is used as a periodic listening interval to enter the listening state to listen for signals. That is, the sleep time of the first sleep state is the first sleep period, and it briefly wakes up at the end of the first sleep period to listen (i.e., enters the listening state). If no signal (beacon frame) containing wake-up information is received in the listening state, it continues to sleep until the first sleep period, and so on.

[0050] When the STA decides to switch from the wake-up state to the first sleep state, it can send a signal to the AP to indicate that the STA is about to start sleeping (e.g., Figure 6 (As shown in box S69), for example, an empty data packet with the power saving flag set to 1.

[0051] If the STA determines the first predetermined wake-up time after switching to the wake-up state (e.g.) Figure 7 and Figure 8 Data received in the cache during the wake-up period shown (e.g.) Figure 6 The "Yes" box in S66 (e.g., the box in S66) Figure 8 As shown, if cached data is received during the second wake-up period, then receiving cached data begins, and after the data reception is complete, the system switches from the wake-up state to the second sleep state (e.g., ...). Figure 6 (as shown in box S68). In the second sleep state, during the second sleep period (as shown in box S68). Figure 8 The sleep period 2 shown serves as a periodic listening interval to periodically enter the listening state to listen for signals. That is, the sleep time of the second sleep state is the second sleep period, and it briefly wakes up at the end of the second sleep period to listen (i.e., enters the listening state). If no signal containing wake-up information (beacon frame) is received in the listening state, it continues to sleep until the second sleep period, and so on. When the STA decides to switch from the wake-up state to the second sleep state, it can send a signal to the AP to indicate that the STA is about to start sleeping (e.g., a signal indicating that it is about to start sleeping). Figure 6 (As shown in box S69), for example, an empty data packet with the power saving flag set to 1.

[0052] The first sleep period and the second sleep period can be the same or different. For example, the first sleep period and the second sleep period can be set to 2 to 20 signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals). Those skilled in the art will understand that the first sleep period and the second sleep period can be set to other durations, and are not limited to 2 to 20 signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals). Since the second sleep state is entered when buffered data is received (i.e., normal wake-up), the second sleep period can be set to the same duration as the sleep period in the absence of false wake-up behavior, for example, as... Figure 2 The scheduled sleep period shown is equal to 2 beacon intervals.

[0053] The first and second sleep periods can be determined or dynamically adjusted based on the STA's upper-layer service latency requirements and the frequency or duration of false wake-ups. For example, if the STA's upper-layer service latency requirement is typically 1-2 seconds, then the first and second sleep periods are set to no more than 1-2 seconds to meet the STA's upper-layer service latency requirements. If the first and second sleep periods are set too large (exceeding the upper-layer service latency requirements), it may cause the STA to fail to receive buffered data or receive data in a timely manner, thereby increasing the latency of upper-layer (transport layer / application layer) service data interaction. The frequency or duration of false wake-ups indicates the severity of the false wake-up. The frequency of false wake-ups can refer to the frequency of false wake-ups occurring within a time period, and the duration of continuous false wake-ups can refer to the duration of consecutive false wake-ups (e.g., Figure 7 (As shown in the example of continuous false wake-ups). If the severity of false wake-ups is determined to be severe (e.g., high frequency of false wake-ups or long duration of consecutive occurrences), the first and second sleep periods can be set to be longer to minimize the probability of being falsely woken up when wake-up information is detected. If the severity of false wake-ups is determined to be mild (e.g., low frequency of false wake-ups or short duration of consecutive occurrences), the first and second sleep periods can be set to be shorter to avoid the STA being unable to detect normal wake-up information due to excessively long sleep time.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, the first predetermined wake-up period can be set to 0.5 to 2 signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals). Those skilled in the art will understand that the first predetermined wake-up period can be set to other durations, and is not limited to 0.5 to 2 signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals). Similarly, the first predetermined wake-up period can be determined or dynamically adjusted based on the STA's upper-layer service latency requirements and the frequency or duration of false wake-ups. If the first predetermined wake-up period is too short, it may cause the STA to fail to receive buffered data or receive it untimely, thereby increasing the upper-layer (transport layer / application layer) service data interaction latency. If the severity of false wake-ups is determined to be severe (e.g., high frequency of false wake-ups or long duration of continuous occurrences), the first predetermined wake-up period can be set shorter to reduce the waiting time for potentially arriving buffered data. If the severity of false wake-ups is determined to be mild (e.g., low frequency of false wake-ups or short duration of continuous occurrences), the first predetermined wake-up period can be set longer to increase the waiting time for potentially arriving buffered data, thereby avoiding packet loss.

[0055] Furthermore, after the STA sends a signal to the AP indicating that the STA has been woken up (e.g., an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 0) in response to receiving a wake-up message, during the first predetermined wake-up period (e.g. Figure 7 and Figure 8 During the wake-up period shown, no further signals indicating that the STA has been woken up (e.g., an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 0) are sent to the AP. That is, during the period from receiving the wake-up information to the end of the first predetermined wake-up period, only one signal indicating that the STA has been woken up (e.g., an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 0) is sent, instead of... Figure 3 The diagram shows that upon receiving a wake-up message, a signal indicating that the STA has been woken up is sent (e.g., an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 0). This is because, in reality, during the first predetermined wake-up period after the STA is woken up by the wake-up message, any subsequent wake-up messages received will not have a wake-up effect. This reduces signal interaction and saves channel resources.

[0056] In such Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the transmission process shown, the STA is woken up once each time it receives a wake-up message, and remains awake for the same duration each time. For example, if a wake-up message is received at time t1, the STA is woken up and remains awake for duration T1. Then, if a wake-up message is received again at time t2 within duration T1, the STA continues to remain awake and remains awake from t2 for duration T1. In this way, the duration for which the STA remains awake is extended.

[0057] However, with Figure 3 and Figure 4 Compared to the transmission process shown, in the communication process of the STA in the first mode according to the embodiment of this disclosure, in the case of a false wake-up, the wake-up time of the STA is always the first predetermined wake-up period, and will not be extended by receiving subsequent wake-up information. Assuming the AP is continuously falsely woken up for n seconds, in the case of a false wake-up, Figure 4 During the transmission process shown, the STA remains awake for n seconds and cannot sleep; the STA's sleep duration is 0 seconds. In the communication process of the STA in the first mode according to an embodiment of this disclosure, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the STA's sleep duration is:

[0058]

[0059] The hibernation period can be either the first hibernation period or the second hibernation period as described above. It is evident that the hibernation time of a STA is longer than that described above. Figure 4 The transmission process shown is 0 seconds long.

[0060] Therefore, the embodiments of this disclosure can reduce the duration of the STA remaining in the wake-up state, allowing the STA to obtain more sleep time, thereby avoiding unnecessary power consumption caused by the STA being accidentally woken up.

[0061] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the STA determines to operate in the second mode, the following process can be performed. For example, the STA can perform the transmission process specified in the IEEE 802.11 protocol (e.g., as...). Figure 2 The process is similar to the transmission process shown.

[0062] For example, in the second mode, the STA can have a predetermined sleep period (which can be related to, for example, ... Figure 2 The STA periodically enters a listening state to listen for signals (the scheduled sleep periods shown may be the same or different). When the scheduled sleep period ends, the STA can enter the listening state. When the STA receives a signal (e.g., a signal frame) from the AP, it can determine whether the signal (e.g., the signal frame) contains wake-up information (e.g., whether the value of the bit corresponding to the STA in the TIM field is 1). When the STA determines that the signal (e.g., the signal frame) contains wake-up information (e.g., the value of the bit corresponding to the STA in the TIM field is 1), it can decide to switch to the wake-up state and can send a signal to the AP to indicate that the STA has been woken up, such as an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 0.

[0063] When a STA determines that the signal (e.g., a signal frame) does not contain wake-up information (e.g., the value of the bit in the TIM field corresponding to the STA is 0), it can continue to remain in sleep mode.

[0064] The STA can remain awake for a second predetermined wake-up period (e.g., its duration equal to N (e.g., 2) signal intervals (e.g., beacon intervals)) after switching to the wake-up state to prepare for reception. The STA can determine whether buffered data has been received within the second predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state. If the STA determines that buffered data has been received within the second predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, it begins receiving the buffered data and switches from the wake-up state to a third sleep state after the data reception is complete. In the third sleep state, a third sleep period (e.g., ...) is used... Figure 2The STA periodically enters a listening state to listen for signals during the sleep period shown. That is, the sleep time of the third sleep state is the third sleep period, and it briefly wakes up at the end of the third sleep period to listen (i.e., enters the listening state). If no signal (beacon frame) containing wake-up information is received in the listening state, it continues to sleep until the second sleep period, and so on. The third sleep period can also be determined or dynamically adjusted based on the upper-layer service latency requirements of the STA and the frequency or duration of false wake-ups. When the STA determines to switch from the wake-up state to the third sleep state, it can send a signal to the AP to indicate that the STA is about to start sleeping, for example, an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 1.

[0065] Generally, once it's determined that the AP does not exhibit false wake-up behavior, it can be confirmed that the AP will not experience false wake-ups in subsequent transmissions. However, to be on the safe side, the possibility of the AP still experiencing false wake-ups in subsequent transmissions despite being determined not to exhibit false wake-up behavior can be considered. For example, if the STA determines that it has not received buffered data within a second predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, it determines to switch from the wake-up state to the first sleep state, i.e., as described above. Figure 6 The operation is the same as the "No" operation in box S66.

[0066] Therefore, according to embodiments of this disclosure, for example, such as Figures 5 to 8 In this embodiment, the operating mode of the STA (e.g., the first mode or the second mode) is determined based on whether the AP has a false wake-up behavior. This can take into account both normal wake-up and false wake-up situations, optimize the power-saving mechanism of the IEEE 802.11 protocol, ensure the timeliness of the received buffer data in the normal wake-up situation, and balance the timeliness, reliability and power consumption of the received signal in the false wake-up situation.

[0067] Figure 9 A flowchart of an operation 900 performed by a STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0068] According to embodiments of this disclosure, based on the determination of whether the AP exhibits false wake-up behavior, the STA can determine whether to operate in a first mode or a second mode.

[0069] For example, such as Figure 5As shown, the STA can determine that the AP is engaging in false wake-up behavior based on the proportion of false wake-ups to the total number of wake-ups exceeding a predetermined threshold. The first mode is the mode in which the STA communicates when the AP is determined to be engaging in false wake-up behavior. A false wake-up occurs when the AP sends a wake-up message to the STA without buffering any data to send, thus waking the STA but not receiving the buffered data. A normal wake-up occurs when the AP sends a wake-up message to the STA with buffered data to send, thus waking the STA to receive the buffered data. The total number of wake-ups is the sum of the number of false wake-ups and the number of normal wake-ups. This predetermined threshold can be determined or dynamically adjusted based on the channel interference level in the STA's network environment.

[0070] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the STA can sleep for a predetermined period of time (which can be related to, for example, ...). Figure 2 (Whether the predetermined sleep period shown is the same or different) STA enters the listening state periodically to listen for signals. When the predetermined sleep period ends, STA can enter the listening state.

[0071] In step 910, in the STA's first mode: in response to receiving wake-up information from the AP in the listening state, the STA can switch to the wake-up state. The wake-up information can be used to indicate that the AP has buffered data to send to the STA. For example, the wake-up information may include a TIM field, in which the value of the bit corresponding to the STA is set to 1, indicating that there is buffered data. The STA can then send a signal to the AP indicating that it has switched to the wake-up state, for example, an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 0, and during a first predetermined wake-up period, the STA may no longer send a signal to the AP indicating that it has switched to the wake-up state.

[0072] In step 920, in response to not receiving data (i.e., cached data) from the AP during a first predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, the STA may switch from the wake-up state to the first sleep state at the end of the first predetermined wake-up period. When the STA determines to switch from the wake-up state to the first sleep state, it may send a signal to the AP to indicate that the STA is to begin sleep mode, for example, an empty data packet with the power-saving flag set to 1.

[0073] In step 930, during the first hibernation state, the STA can operate during the first hibernation period (e.g., Figure 7 and Figure 8 The sleep period 1 shown is used as a periodic listening interval to listen for signals from the AP.

[0074] In other words, the embodiments of this disclosure use the absence of data received from the AP within the first predetermined wake-up period as the condition for switching to a sleep state, regardless of whether subsequent wake-up information (e.g., other beacon frames containing wake-up information) is received again within the first predetermined wake-up period. Even if subsequent wake-up information is received within the first predetermined wake-up period, the wake-up duration of the STA (i.e., the first predetermined wake-up period) will not be extended.

[0075] In the first mode: In response to receiving data (i.e., buffered data) from the AP within a first predetermined wake-up period, the STA can switch from the wake-up state to the second sleep state after the data reception is complete. In the second sleep state, the STA can switch to the second sleep state during the second sleep period ( Figure 8 The sleep period 2 shown is used as a periodic listening interval to listen for signals from the AP.

[0076] The first scheduled wake-up period, the first sleep period, and the second sleep period can be determined or adjusted based on the upper-layer service latency requirements of the STA and the frequency or duration of false wake-ups.

[0077] The operation of STA in the first mode can be referenced as follows: Figure 6 The process is shown below; the specific details will not be elaborated here.

[0078] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the STA can determine that the AP does not have false wake-up behavior based on the fact that the proportion of the number of false wake-ups of the AP to the total number of wake-ups does not exceed a predetermined threshold. The second mode is the mode in which the STA communicates when the AP is determined to have no false wake-up behavior.

[0079] In the second mode: In response to receiving a wake-up message from the AP while in the listening state, the STA can switch to the wake-up state. And in response to receiving data from the AP within a second predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, the STA can switch from the wake-up state to the third sleep state after the data reception is complete. In the third sleep state, the STA can periodically enter the listening state at third sleep periods as the listening interval to listen for signals from the AP.

[0080] Figure 10 An exemplary block diagram of a STA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0081] like Figure 10 As shown, the terminal station (STA) device 1000 may include a processor 1010 and a memory 1020. The processor 1010 is communicatively coupled to the memory 1020 and is configured to perform the methods described above.

[0082] A set of computer program instructions stored in memory, when executed by a processor, performs any step of the above method, including: in a first mode of the STA device: in response to receiving wake-up information from an access point (AP) device for waking up the STA device while in a listening state, switching to a wake-up state; in response to not receiving data from the AP device during a first predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, switching from the wake-up state to a first sleep state at the end of the first predetermined wake-up period; and in the first sleep state, periodically entering a listening state with a first sleep period as a listening interval to listen for signals from the AP device. The above relates to... Figure 9 The details described in the method shown also apply here.

[0083] Examples of processor 1010 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGAs, PLDs, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities throughout the present disclosure.

[0084] Processor 1010 can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc. Software can reside on memory 1020.

[0085] Memory 1020 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. As examples, non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Memory 1020 may reside in processor 1010, be external to processor 1010, or be distributed across multiple entities including processor 1010. Memory 1020 may be embodied in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium within encapsulation material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how the functionality described herein can be implemented depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0086] Additionally, according to another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer program product for wireless communication of a terminal station (STA) device is disclosed. As an example, the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therein, and the program instructions are executable by a processor. When executed, the program instructions cause the processor to perform one or more of the processes described above, and details are omitted herein for brevity.

[0087] The wireless communication method and STA device according to embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure solves the problem of high power consumption due to false wake-ups, filling a gap in the power-saving mechanism of the IEEE 802.11 protocol regarding the transmission process in the case of false wake-ups. In particular, regarding false wake-ups, the present disclosure uses the absence of data received from the AP within a first predetermined wake-up period as the condition for switching to a sleep state, regardless of whether subsequent wake-up information (e.g., other beacon frames containing wake-up information) is received again within the first predetermined wake-up period. This allows the STA to enter a sleep state as early as possible to gain more sleep time, thereby improving the STA's battery life and the communication performance of the wireless system.

[0088] Unless otherwise expressly stated, expressions such as “according to,” “based on,” “depending on,” etc., as used in this disclosure do not mean “according to only,” “based on only,” or “depending on only.” In other words, in this disclosure, such expressions generally mean “at least according to,” “at least based on,” or “at least depending on.”

[0089] Any references to elements in this disclosure, such as the names "first," "second," etc., are not intended to comprehensively limit the number or order of these elements. These expressions may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish two or more units. Therefore, references to the first unit and the second unit do not imply that only two units may be used, or that the first unit must precede the second unit in some form.

[0090] As used in this disclosure, the term "determine" can include a variety of operations. For example, "determine," calculation, operation, processing, derivation, investigation, search (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), and ascertainment are all considered "determine." Additionally, "determine" also refers to receiving (e.g., receiving information), sending (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "determine" can also refer to parsing, selecting, picking, building, and comparing. In other words, several actions can be considered "determine."

[0091] As used in this disclosure, terms such as “connection,” “coupling,” or any variation thereof refer to any direct or indirect connection or combination between two or more units, which may include situations where one or more intermediate units exist between two units that are “connected” or “coupled” to each other. The coupling or connection between units may be physical or logical, or a combination of both. As used in this disclosure, two units may be considered electrically connected by means of one or more wires, cables, and / or printing, and as numerous non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, may be “connected” or “coupled” to each other by means of electromagnetic energy in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and / or light (visible and invisible) region, etc.

[0092] When the terms “comprising,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure or claims, these terms are open-ended, just like the term “having.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure or claims is not an exclusive “or.”

[0093] Those skilled in the art will understand that many changes and / or modifications can be made to the present disclosure shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure as broadly described. Therefore, the embodiments are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method for a terminal station (STA) device, comprising: In the first mode of the STA device: In response to receiving a wake-up message from the access point (AP) device to wake up the STA device while in listening mode, switch to wake-up mode; In response to not receiving data from the AP device during a first predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, the device switches from the wake-up state to a first sleep state at the end of the first predetermined wake-up period. as well as In the first sleep state, the system periodically enters the monitoring state to monitor signals from the AP device, with the first sleep period as the monitoring interval.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The AP device is determined to have engaged in false wake-up behavior if the proportion of false wake-ups to the STA device by the AP device exceeds a predetermined threshold. The first mode refers to the mode in which the STA device communicates with the AP device when the false wake-up behavior is determined to be present. The total number of wake-ups is the sum of the number of false wake-ups and the number of normal wake-ups. A false wake-up occurs when the AP device sends the wake-up message to the STA device when there is no cached data to send, causing the STA device to wake up but not receive the cached data. A normal wake-up occurs when the AP device sends the wake-up message to the STA device when there is cached data to send, causing the STA device to wake up and receive the cached data.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In the first mode: In response to receiving data from the AP device during the first predetermined wake-up period, the device switches from the wake-up state to the second sleep state after the data reception is completed. as well as In the second sleep state, the monitoring state is periodically entered with the second sleep period as the monitoring interval to monitor signals from the AP device.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to receiving the wake-up information, a signal is sent to the AP device to indicate that the STA device has switched to the wake-up state, and the signal is no longer sent to the AP device during the first predetermined wake-up period.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: Based on the proportion not exceeding the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the AP device does not have the false wake-up behavior, wherein the mode in which the STA device communicates when the AP device is determined to not have the false wake-up behavior is the second mode of the STA device.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: In the second mode: In response to receiving the wake-up information from the AP device in the listening state, switch to the wake-up state; In response to receiving data from the AP device during a second predetermined wake-up period after switching to the wake-up state, the device switches from the wake-up state to a third sleep state after the data reception is completed. as well as In the third sleep state, the system periodically enters the monitoring state to monitor signals from the AP device, with the third sleep period serving as the monitoring interval.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The predetermined threshold is determined or adjusted based on the channel interference level in the network environment in which the STA device is located.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The first predetermined wake-up period, the first sleep period, and the second sleep period are determined or adjusted based on the upper-layer service latency requirements of the STA device and the frequency or duration of the false wake-up.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The wake-up message is used to indicate that the AP device has cached data to send to the STA device.

10. A terminal station (STA) device, comprising: processor; Memory coupled to the processor; as well as Computer program instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

11. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a terminal station (STA) device, perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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