Power saving enhancements for downlink buffer status report (bsr) retrieval

Abstract

A method of retrieving downlink buffered data from an access point (AP) at a station (STA) is disclosed. The method includes receiving, at the STA, a beacon transmitted from the AP with a traffic indication map (TIM) indicating that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA. An enhanced frame including a buffer status report (BSR) request is sent from the STA to the AP, and a BSR is received at the STA from the AP. The type of buffered data that the AP has for the STA is identified at the STA from the BSR. The STA determines to download at least a portion of the buffered data from the AP at the STA based on the type or amount of buffered data identified from the BSR.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The implementation scheme relates to wireless communication, including apparatus, systems, and methods for retrieving downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) at a station (STA).

[0002] Related technical descriptions

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. People now expect continuous connectivity to the internet, regardless of their location. As a result, satellite communication networks, cellular communication networks, wireless LANs, and wireless personal area networks are now ubiquitous.

[0004] Mobile electronic devices or wireless devices can take the form of portable, battery-operated devices, such as laptops, smartphones, or tablets that users typically carry. One aspect of wireless communication that can typically be performed by a wireless device can include, for example, wireless networking via a wireless local area network (WLAN), which can include devices operating according to one or more communication standards in the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. While electronic devices such as processors and memory have seen exponential growth in capabilities over the decades, the ability of batteries to supply power to wireless devices has only increased incrementally. Therefore, minimizing the amount of power consumed in all aspects of wireless device use, including wireless communication, allows the wireless device to operate for longer periods between recharges and perform more tasks. Therefore, improvements in power saving are desired. Attached Figure Description

[0005] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0006] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system including a user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes is illustrated.

[0007] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of a station according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0008] Figure 3 Exemplary block diagrams of network elements or access points according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0009] Figure 4 An exemplary timing diagram is shown for an IEEE 802.11 configuration for downlink buffered data retrieval from an AP by a station, according to some implementation schemes.

[0010] Figure 5 An exemplary timing diagram of DL buffer data retrieval modified according to some implementation schemes is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 6 An example of a more detailed timing diagram for DL ​​buffer data retrieval, based on some implementation modifications, is shown.

[0012] Figure 7 An exemplary illustration is shown of a timing diagram of a modified DL buffer data retrieval with a second enhanced frame according to some implementation schemes.

[0013] Figure 8A and Figure 8B Examples of Access Class (AC) bitmaps and Traffic Identifier (TID) bitmaps according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0014] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for retrieving downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) at a station (STA) according to some implementation schemes.

[0015] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for sending DL buffered data from an AP to a STA, according to some implementation schemes.

[0016] Although the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0017] the term

[0018] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0019] Memory medium or memory—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory medium may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory medium may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network (such as the Internet). In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media residing in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0020] Carrier media—memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0021] Programmable hardware elements encompass a variety of hardware devices that include multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0022] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0023] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communications. Examples include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). TMBased on Android TM Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) TM PlayStation Portable TM Gameboy Advance TM iPhone TM This includes laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0024] A wireless device or station (STA) is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a location. The terms "station" and "STA" are used similarly. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0025] A communication device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, which may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0026] Base station or access point (AP) — The term “base station” or “access point” has the full breadth of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed in a fixed location and used to communicate with a UE as part of a wireless communication system.

[0027] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as a user equipment or cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0028] IEEE 802.11 refers to technologies based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standards such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4), 802.11-2012, 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), 802.11ad, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 and 6E), 802.11ay, 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8), and / or other IEEE 802.11 standards. IEEE 802.11 technology can also be referred to as "Wi-Fi" or "Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)" technology.

[0029] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on the wireless protocol, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, channel bandwidth can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, band conditions, etc.). For example, 3GPP LTE supports scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. 5G NR supports scalable channel bandwidths from 5 MHz to 100 MHz in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and up to 400 MHz in FR2. In other radio access technologies such as Wi-Fi, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0030] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0031] Automatic—means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform that action or operation. Therefore, the term "automatically" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system will update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be filled out automatically by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzing the fields of the form and filling it out without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, users can invoke autofill for forms but do not participate in the actual filling of the forms (e.g., instead of manually specifying answers to fields, they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of actions that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0032] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately could mean a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can be application-dependent. For example, in some implementations, “approximately” could mean within 0.1% of some specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold could be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or settings of a particular application.

[0033] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that at least partially overlaps. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0034] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad expression generally meaning "having a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0035] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.SC §112(f) for that component.

[0036] The exemplary embodiments can be further understood with reference to the following description and related figures, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to apparatus, systems, and methods for reducing energy usage of network components (e.g., base stations) in wireless communication systems.

[0037] The example implementation is described with respect to communication between a wireless access point (AP) and a user equipment (UE) or station (STA). However, references to AP, STA, or UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementation can be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a connection to a network and configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware to support reduced power consumption of network components in a wireless communication system. Therefore, AP, STA, or UE as described herein are used to represent any suitable type of electronic component.

[0038] Figure 1 Wireless communication system

[0039] Figure 1 A simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0040] As shown in the figure, an exemplary wireless communication system includes a cellular base station 102 that communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B, etc., to a user equipment 106N via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE), a wireless device, or a “station” (STA). A station may be referred to as a single device (e.g., station 106) without using alphabetical naming.

[0041] Station 106 may be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, laptop, wearable device, computer or tablet, automotive, or substantially any type of wireless device. Station 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. Station 106 may execute any method implementation of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, station 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), integrated circuits, and / or any of a variety of other possible hardware components configured to (e.g., individually or in combination) execute any method implementation of the method embodiments described herein or any part thereof.

[0042] Base station (BS) 102 may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware enabling wireless communication with stations 106A to 106N. Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various other possibilities). Therefore, base station 102 facilitates communication between stations 106 and / or communication between station 106 and network 100. In other implementations, base station 102 may be configured to provide communication via one or more other wireless technologies, such as access point (AP) 104 supporting one or more WLAN protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11be, 802.11bn and / or 802.11ax, or LTE in an unlicensed band (LAA).

[0043] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Base stations 102 and 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced, 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0044] Therefore, base station 102 and other similar base stations (not shown) operating according to one or more cellular communication technologies can be configured as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to stations 106A-106N and similar devices within a geographical area via one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0045] It should be noted that, at least in some cases, station 106 may be able to communicate using any of a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, station 106 may be configured to communicate using one or more of the following: LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H). Other combinations of wireless communication technologies (including more than two wireless communication technologies) are also possible. Similarly, in some cases, station 106 may be configured to communicate using only a single wireless communication technology.

[0046] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system also includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 104, which communicates with the wireless device 106B via a transmission medium. The WLAN access point, which may be a Wi-Fi AP, also provides communication connectivity to the network 100. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the wireless device may be able to connect to one or both of base station 102 (or another cellular base station) and access point 104 (or another access point) to access the network 100 at a given time.

[0047] Stations 106A and 106B may include handheld devices such as smartphones or tablets, wearable devices such as smartwatches or smart glasses, and / or may include any of a variety of types of devices with cellular communication capabilities. For example, one or more of stations 106A and 106B may be wireless devices designed for fixed or nomadic deployments, such as home appliances, measuring devices, control devices, etc.

[0048] Station 106 may include one or more devices or integrated circuits for facilitating wireless communication, which may potentially include cellular modems and / or one or more other wireless modems. The wireless modem may include one or more processors (processor elements) and various hardware components as described herein. Station 106 may execute any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein by executing instructions on one or more programmable processors. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more processors may be one or more programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), programmable logic devices (PLDs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or other circuits configured to execute any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein or any portion thereof. The wireless modems described herein may be used as defined herein as stations, wireless devices, or communication devices. The wireless modems described herein may also be used as base stations or other similar network-side devices.

[0049] Station 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or radio access technologies. In some embodiments, station 106 may be configured to communicate using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Alternatively, station 106 may include two or more radio components, each of which may be configured to communicate via a corresponding wireless link. Other configurations are also possible.

[0050] Figure 2 Station diagram

[0051] Figure 2 A possible block diagram of a station (such as station 106) is illustrated. In some cases (e.g., in the context of IEEE 802.11 communications), station 106 may alternatively be referred to as station (STA) 106, and may more specifically as non-AP station 106. As shown, station 106 may include a system-on-a-chip (SOC) 200, which may include portions for various purposes. Some or all of the various illustrated components (and / or other device components not illustrated, e.g., in variant and alternative arrangements) may be “communically coupled” or “operationally coupled”, terms which may be used herein to refer to components that can communicate directly or indirectly when the device is in operation.

[0052] As shown in the figure, the SOC 200 can be coupled to various other circuits of the station 106. For example, the station 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 210), connector interface 220 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, docking stations, charging stations, etc.), display 260, and wireless communication circuitry 230 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

[0053] As shown, the SOC 200 may include: a processor 202 that executes program instructions for station 106; and display circuitry 204 that performs graphics processing and provides display signals to display 260. The SOC 200 may also include motion sensing circuitry 270 that can detect motion of station 106, for example, using a gyroscope, accelerometer, and / or any of various other motion sensing components. The processor 202 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 202 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 206, read-only memory (ROM) 250, flash memory 210). The MMU 240 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 240 may be included as part of the processor 202.

[0054] Station 106 may include at least one antenna and, in some embodiments, may include multiple antennas 235A and 235B for performing wireless communication with access points, base stations, and / or other devices. For example, station 106 may use antennas 235A and 235B to perform wireless communication. As noted above, station 106 may be configured in some embodiments to perform wireless communication using a variety of wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RATs).

[0055] The wireless communication circuitry 230 may include a Wi-Fi logic component 232, a cellular modem 234, and a Bluetooth logic component 236. The Wi-Fi logic component 232 enables the station 106, operating as a STA, to perform Wi-Fi or other WLAN communications on an IEEE 802.11 network. The Bluetooth logic component 236 enables the station 106 to perform Bluetooth communications. The cellular modem 234 may be a cellular modem capable of performing cellular communications according to one or more cellular communication technologies such as 3GPP.

[0056] In some implementations, for example, in addition to processing element 202, wireless communication circuitry 230 may include its own processing element (e.g., a baseband processor and / or a control processor). For example, processing element 202 may be (or include) an "application processor" whose function may include supporting application layer operations in device 200, while wireless communication circuitry 230 may include a "baseband processor" (or a functionally similar component) whose function may include supporting baseband layer operations in device 200 (e.g., facilitating wireless communication between device 200 and other wireless devices). In other words, in some cases, device 200 may include multiple processing elements (e.g., it may be a multiprocessor device). Other configurations utilizing a multiprocessor architecture (e.g., alternatives to or besides the application processor / baseband processor configuration) are also possible.

[0057] In some implementations, for example, in addition to processor 202, one or more of the Wi-Fi logic component 232, cellular modem 234, and / or Bluetooth logic component 236 may include their own processing elements (e.g., baseband processor, control processor, or functionally similar components). For example, processor 202 may be (or include) an "application processor" that functions to support application layer operations in device 300, while one or more of the Wi-Fi logic component 232, cellular modem 234, or Bluetooth logic component 236 may include a baseband processor that functions to support baseband layer operations applicable to RAT.

[0058] As described herein, station 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, one or more components of wireless communication circuitry 230 of station 106 (e.g., Wi-Fi logic component 232, cellular modem 234, BT logic component 236) may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by a processor executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), a processor configured as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and / or a processor using dedicated hardware components that may include ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). Figure 2 The block diagram shown is provided as an example. However, it is not intended to be limiting. Various components and steps can be removed or performed differently.

[0059] Figure 3 Block diagram of access point

[0060] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of an access point (AP) 104 according to some implementation schemes is shown. In some cases (e.g., in the context of IEEE 802.11 communications), AP 104 may also be referred to as a station (STA), and may be more specifically referred to as an AP STA. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The AP is merely one example of a possible access point. As shown, AP 104 may include a processor 304 capable of executing program instructions for AP 104. Processor 304 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 304 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 360 and read-only memory (ROM) 350) or to other circuitry or devices.

[0061] AP 104 may include at least one network port 370. Network port 370 may be configured to couple to a telephone network or a data network and provide access to the telephone network or data network to multiple devices (such as station 106), as described above. Figure 1 As described in the text.

[0062] Network port 370 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to couple to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as station 106. In some cases, network port 370 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other stations served by the cellular service provider).

[0063] AP 104 may include one or more radio components 330A-330N and at least one antenna 334 (and possibly multiple antennas), each radio component being coupled to a corresponding communication link. Antenna 334 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with station 106 via radio component 330. Antennas 334A-334N communicate with their corresponding radio components 330A-330N via communication links 332A-332N. Communication links 332A to 332N may be receive links, transmit links, or both. Radio components 330A-330N may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 3GPP LTE, 3GPP LTE-A, 3GPP NR, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi, etc. AP 104 can be configured to operate on multiple wireless links using one or more radio components 430A-430N, each radio component being used to operate on a corresponding wireless link.

[0064] AP 104 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, AP 104 may include multiple radio components that enable network entities to communicate according to various wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, AP 104 may include LTE or 5G NR radio components for performing communication according to LTE, and Wi-Fi radio components for performing communication according to Wi-Fi. In such cases, AP 104 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, AP 104 may include multimode radio components capable of performing communication according to any of various wireless communication technologies (e.g., NR and Wi-Fi, NR and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.). As yet another possibility, AP 104 may be configured specifically as an IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access point, for example, in the absence of cellular communication capabilities.

[0065] As further described herein, AP 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 304 of AP 104 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) to operate multiple wireless links using multiple corresponding radio components. Alternatively, processor 304 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 330, 332, 334, 340, 350, 360, 370, the processor 304 of AP 104 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0066] Background of IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi communication

[0067] The IEEE 802.11 standard is one of the most comprehensive and successful communication standards in history. First released in 1997 as a set of local area network (LAN) technology standards, 802.11 specifies the Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) protocol suite for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication. This standard has been continuously improved over the past 27 years to provide communication with higher Quality of Service (QoS), higher data rates, and more efficient power usage.

[0068] Modern stations, or STAs (such as telephones, tablets, laptops, and other mobile computing devices), are designed to minimize power consumption in order to maximize battery life.

[0069] To conserve battery life, STAs, such as phones, tablets, laptops, and other mobile computing devices, can enter a power-reducing mode when not connected to a constant power supply and not actively used (e.g., idle state). This is often referred to as "sleep" mode. Computer processors (e.g., central processing units and other types of processors) typically consume a lot of power when they are operating. Therefore, when the processor is not needed, it is usually turned off and / or placed in a low-power mode (often called sleep mode), in which the processor is designed to consume very little power in order to reduce overall power consumption.

[0070] Depending on the characteristics of the station device, the sleep mode of a specific station 106 device may differ. For example, if the station device has network access (e.g., cellular access, WiFi access, etc.), the sleep mode may include temporarily putting the station's main processor 202 to sleep and turning off the display 260 and display circuitry 204, but keeping the network stack, such as communication circuitry 230, operational. Therefore, when operating in sleep mode, the exemplary station device 106 can continue to receive information from the Internet and cellular data via one or more of a Wi-Fi network, cellular network, or Bluetooth connection, including telephone calls and / or items of interest from notification services (e.g., email messages from push email services and / or pull email services). When information is received, station 106 can be awakened to handle those telephone calls and / or notifications. For example, the station awakens after receiving a telephone call while in sleep mode, so the user can answer the call. Furthermore, while the station is operating in sleep mode, the station typically cannot refresh the data context (therefore, the mobile device typically needs to be awake to refresh the data context).

[0071] One way to achieve power saving in the IEEE 802.11 standard is by using power saving (PS) operation, in which a key part of the Wi-Fi logic component 232 is configured to operate in a reduced manner to save power, and the station is configured to reduce communication with AP 104 to limited to critical time periods and packets.

[0072] During PS operation of Wi-Fi logic component 232, data typically transmitted to station 106 while it is operating in active mode is instead buffered and stored at AP 104. This allows station 106 to operate with a significantly reduced power ratio. For a normal STA, there are two operating modes: active mode and power-saving (PS) mode. The key idea behind the energy-saving feature is managing the STA's operating state to optimize power usage. When a STA enters PS mode, the corresponding downlink data is held or buffered at the access point (AP) instead of being transmitted immediately.

[0073] When station 106 is in PS mode, AP 104 will buffer its frames. However, not all frames transmitted between the station and the AP are bufferable. To standardize which frames are bufferable, the IEEE 802.11 standard defines bufferable units (BUs). Bufferable units are eligible to be queued using power-saving mechanisms, while all other units will be delivered immediately. Therefore, all DL data buffered at the AP for the station is a BU.

[0074] One way AP 104 can communicate whether data has been buffered for a particular station 106 is by sending beacons to the station at a periodic rate (such as once every 100 milliseconds) or another expected periodicity.

[0075] The IEEE 802.11 standard uses a bitmap to indicate to any sleeping station 106 that AP 104 has buffered data from the waiting station. The station is configured to listen for at least one beacon during the listening interval. AP 104 periodically sends the bitmap as an information element in its beacon. The bitmap, or bitmask, is called a flow indicator map (TIM). The TIM can be conveyed in periodic transmissions from AP 104, referred to as beacons.

[0076] In one example, when station 106 is associated with AP 104, the AP can assign a value called the Association ID (AID), which ranges from 1 to 2007. This is a numerical value assigned by the AP to identify the association. AP 104 can use the AID to find any frames buffered for the selected station.

[0077] A beacon is a packet sent by AP 104 to synchronize other devices operating in a wireless network such as WLAN, such as stations 106A-106N. A normal TIM that may be present in each beacon is used to signal the presence of buffered unicast data for station 106. The station can determine whether the buffered data at AP 104 is for that station based on an AID value, which can be unique to a specific station 106. In one example, a single bit in the TIM, along with the AID, can be used to specify the presence of buffered unicast data for a specific station 106.

[0078] TIM can also use Delivery Flow Indication Messages (DTIMs) to indicate the presence of broadcast or multicast data. A DTIM is a type of TIM used to notify multiple stations (STAs) of the presence of buffered multicast or broadcast data at AP 104. In one example, a DTIM can be generated within a periodic beacon at a frequency specified by the DTIM interval.

[0079] In one example, the TIM may include 2008 bits, each bit representing the Association ID (AID) of station 106. However, in most cases, AP 104 only has data for a few stations connected to the AP, so only the portion of the bitmap representing those stations is transmitted. Because the bitmap is not typically transmitted as a whole, the bitmap is called a virtual bitmap, and the portion actually transmitted is called a partial virtual bitmap (PVB).

[0080] Station 106 can wake up incrementally to check buffered data. The frequency of station wake-ups can depend on the type of station and its operation. For example, a station plugged into a power source (such as a laptop or tablet) can connect to AP 104 frequently to provide high data throughput. Alternatively, devices that typically operate on battery power (such as cellular phones or other remote devices) can connect less frequently to reduce power consumption. In one example, station 106 plugged into a power source can wake up at each beacon or every other beacon. A station operating on battery power can wake up once every 5 or 10 beacons (e.g., once per second), or at another desired interval, and verify with the AP by checking the station's TIM bit and AID value (e.g., PVB) to see if any data was already buffered at the AP while the station was operating in PS mode.

[0081] The IEEE 802.11e standard, released in 2005, attempted to implement Quality of Service (QoS) support in WLANs by specifying various service classes in the MAC layer to perform expedited delivery of high-priority packets such as voice or video data. Specifically, the standard defined four Access Classes (ACs), which provide different opportunities for packets to win transmission opportunities based on settings assigned to relevant MAC parameters. ACs are grouped according to: Voice Data (AC3), Video Data (AC2), Best-effort Data (AC1), and Background Data (AC0). The priority assigned to data increases with each AC, with AC0 being the lowest priority and AC3 the highest priority.

[0082] To increase further flexibility, two Traffic Identifier (TID) values ​​can be efficiently assigned to each AC, resulting in eight different TID values. The TID values ​​assigned at the MAC layer are used to provide different QoS levels. The QoS-enabled 802.11 header uses TIDs to classify and prioritize the processing of incoming or outgoing frames based on the TID values.

[0083] In one example, the eight TID values ​​can be referred to as User Priority (UP) values. UP values ​​1 and 2 are used to refer to background data (AC0). UP values ​​0 and 3 are used to refer to best-effort data (AC1). UP value 0 is chosen to represent the best-effort category of AC1 so that packets without QoS tags are processed with best-effort priority. UP values ​​4 and 5 refer to video data (AC2). UP values ​​6 and 7 refer to voice data (AC3), which has the highest priority. Additional TID values ​​enable the provision of higher or lower QoS to certain data within the four specified access classes.

[0084] In addition, there are three types of frames communicated based on IEEE 802.11: management frames, control frames, and data frames. All frames belong to one of these three frame types. When station 106 transmits a control frame (CF) to AP 104, the AP can respond with a control response frame (CRF). The CF can be an initial control frame (ICF), and the CRF can be an initial control response (ICR) frame.

[0085] Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) in IEEE 802.11 is a MAC feature that increases the throughput of high-priority data by providing contention-free channel access for a certain period of time.

[0086] TXOP is available in Quality of Service (QoS) mode. TXOP is a limited period of time during which a channel-owning station can access a contention-free channel. During this period, the station can transmit multiple frames belonging to a specific access class.

[0087] The benefit of TXOP is that it increases throughput and reduces QoS data frame latency by eliminating contention periods between transmissions. TXOP can be used in conjunction with aggregation and block acknowledgments to further increase throughput.

[0088] Figure 4 Timing diagram for IEEE 802.11 DL buffer data retrieval

[0089] Figure 4 An exemplary timing diagram 400 illustrates an IEEE 802.11 configuration for downlink buffered data retrieval from AP 104 by station 106, according to some implementation schemes. Note that... Figure 4The timing diagram illustrated is only one example of a possible configuration. This diagram does not include every operation in the Wi-Fi communication between station 106 and AP 104. Instead, Figure 4 The following example illustrates a specific operation used to identify the following problem: a station may be left in an awakening state for an unknown duration and remain communicating with AP 104. This could result in unintended power consumption, which could reduce the amount of time the station can operate between battery recharges.

[0090] exist Figure 4 In the exemplary timing diagram 400, an AP (such as AP 104) is configured to communicate with a single station (referred to as STA1). This is not intended to be limiting. AP 104 can communicate with multiple stations (STAs).

[0091] In the exemplary timing diagram 400, when station (STA1) 106 awakens from a sleep state, the station can use either active or passive scanning. In this example, AP 104 transmits a beacon 402 in which a bit in TIM is set to 1 (TIM = 1), thereby indicating that data for station (STA1) is present in the buffer at AP 104.

[0092] Station 106 can transmit different types of data frames. A special subtype of data frame is the empty function, which is also known as empty data without any data payload. The empty function subtype is also used to implement power-saving features. Through this empty function subtype, the client device (such as station (STA1) 106 in this example) notifies AP 104 of the status of station (STA1), which indicates whether station (STA1) is operating in PS mode or active mode.

[0093] exist Figure 4 In the exemplary timing diagram 400, after receiving a beacon 402 in which the TIM bit is set to 1, indicating that data has been buffered for station (STA1) 106 at AP 104, station (STA1) then transmits a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame 404 in which the Power Management Indicator is set to zero (PM = 0). The QoS empty frame 404 does not transmit any data. Instead, it is used to indicate to AP 104 that station (STA1) 106 is now operating in active mode, which allows station (STA1) to transmit data to and receive data from AP 104. Station (STA1) may need to wait for the medium to become clear for transmission. Therefore, station (STA1) enters a listening state after receiving beacon 402 and transmits the QoS empty frame 404 in which PM is set to zero when the medium becomes clear for station (STA1) to transmit.

[0094] Then, AP 104 transmits data frame 406 to station (STA1) 106, such as Figure 4 As illustrated, this data frame includes at least a portion of the downlink data that AP 104 has buffered for station (STA1) during the period when station (STA1) is operating in PS mode. In one example, data frame 406 may be transmitted in a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). The current DL PPDU does not contain any information about whether the buffered data sent in the data frame is all the buffered data for station (STA1), or whether there is any additional buffered data that still needs to be sent from the AP to station (STA1) in future frames. Furthermore, station (STA1) does not know when future data frames will be sent.

[0095] Therefore, station (STA1) 106 is configured to remain in active mode for an unknown duration and then return to listening mode to wait for at least one additional data frame to be received from AP 104. Eventually, the remaining buffered DL data from AP 104 will be transmitted to station (STA1). In this example, the remaining buffered DL data is transmitted in a data frame, which may be the remaining buffered DL PPDU 408. Station (STA1) 106 then sends an acknowledgment (ACK) 410 for receiving buffered data in the remaining buffered DL PPDU 408, and then transmits a QoS empty frame 412 to AP 104. In this example, station (STA1) operates in listening mode or active mode from the time it receives a beacon 402 at station (STA1) where TIM=1, thus indicating that AP 104 has buffered data for station (STA1).

[0096] After transmitting ACK 410, when the medium is available for station (STA1) to use for transmission, station (STA1) can transmit a QoS empty frame 412, in which the PM value is set to the value 1, so that AP 104 knows that station (STA1) has now entered PS mode, as illustrated by dashed line 414, and AP will need to buffer most of the DL data for station (STA1) again until station (STA1) wakes up to check the TIM value associated with station (STA1)'s AID value in the periodic beacon.

[0097] Although Figure 4 The example only illustrates a second data frame with remaining buffered DL PPDU 408 and a single ACK 410, but this is not intended to be limiting. Numerous data frames containing buffered DL data for station (STA1) can be transmitted between AP 104 and station (STA1) 106. Furthermore, station (STA1) typically transmits an ACK (or block ACK) after receiving each data frame. Figure 4 These additional items are not included to provide a clearer illustration.

[0098] In summary, the current baseline behavior for retrieving buffered DL data from station (STA1) 106 is to wake up station (STA1) during periodic listening intervals. If station (STA1) observes that the TIM bit for specifying buffered DL data is set to 1 and corresponds to station (STA1)'s AID value, station (STA1) will remain in listening state to retrieve buffered DL data from AP 104. Upon receiving a QoS empty frame (e.g., 404) from station (STA1) where PM=0, if the AP sends an ACK for the QoS empty frame, the AP can send a DL PPDU in a future transmission.

[0099] Figure 4 The illustrated current baseline behavior could cause station (STA1) 106 to remain in an active mode (primarily listening state) for a duration unknown to the station (STA1). The AP can send "More Data" signaling, which contains some information about the DL data in the AP buffer. However, the More Data signaling sent by AP 104 can be specific to a particular Traffic Identifier (TID) or aggregated across multiple TIDs. The "More Data" signaling does not provide information about how much data is buffered for a particular flow or session; it does not differentiate between different sessions. Furthermore, currently, More Data signaling can only be sent from the AP to the station when the PM value is set to 1. Therefore, Figure 4 The station with PM set to 1 does not know how much data is in the AP DL buffer for different Access Classes (ACs). Therefore, there is no information about the buffered DL data stored at AP 104 for each AC or TID.

[0100] During this period, station (STA1) 106 remains awake for an unknown duration to listen for additional DL PPDU and determine whether the AP has additional DL buffer data to send to station (STA1). This period represents the time during which station (STA1) may unnecessarily use power by remaining awake.

[0101] Figures 5 to 8B : Timing diagram for retrieving modified DL buffer data

[0102] Figure 5 An exemplary illustration of a timing diagram 500 for a modified DL buffer data retrieval process is provided. For example... Figure 4 As previously illustrated in timing diagram 400, AP 104 can transmit a beacon 502 in which a bit in TIM is set to the value 1 (TIM = 1), thereby indicating that there is data for station (STA1) associated with station (STA1)'s AID (which can also be communicated as PVB) in AP 104's DL buffer.

[0103] exist Figure 5In the exemplary timing diagram 500, instead of sending a QoS empty frame with PM=0 to notify AP 104 that station (STA1) 106 is set to active mode, station (STA1) sends an enhancement frame to AP including a Buffer Status Report (BSR) request. The enhancement frame can still be a QoS empty frame. A QoS empty frame can include a BSR request. Alternatively, different types of frames can be used, such as a control frame (CF) 504. CF 504 can also be an Initial Control Frame (ICF). CF 504 can include a BSR request. In response, AP 104 can transmit a Control Response Frame (CRF) 506 including a Buffer Status Request (BSR). The CRF can be a pleading CRF, which can be an Initial Control Response (ICR) frame. From the time the enhancement frame including the BSR request is sent, station (STA1) can be in active mode until it receives the BSR from AP.

[0104] The BSR included in the CRF 506 transmitted from AP 104 may include detailed information about the data for station (STA1) 106 in the AP's DL buffer. The BSR may include information detailing the buffer units (BUs) for the data for the four ACs. The BSR may also include information detailing the BUs for the eight TIDs. In one example, the BSR may include the amount of data (e.g., BUs) for each AC and / or TID. For example, the BSR may indicate the presence of 120 kilobits (Kb) of voice data (AC3), 2 megabits (Mb) of video data (AC2), 28 Kb of best-effort data (AC1), and 0.4 Kb of background data (AC0).

[0105] Alternatively, BSR may include bitmaps, such as Figure 8A The illustrated AC bitmap 802. In this example, the AC bitmap may include information about whether data for the station (STA1) exists (e.g., bit = 1) or not exists (e.g., bit = 0) (or vice versa) in the AP's DL buffer for each of the four access classes. In another alternative, the BSR may include a bitmap, such as Figure 8B The illustrated TID bitmap 804. In this example, the TID bitmap may include information about whether data for station (STA1) exists (e.g., bit = 1) or not exists (e.g., bit = 0) (or vice versa) in the AP's DL buffer for each of the eight TID categories corresponding to the four access categories. This will allow station (STA1) 106 to determine whether data exists in each AC or TID, but station (STA1) will not know how much data is in each AC or TID.

[0106] Figure 6An exemplary illustration of a more detailed timing diagram 600 for DL ​​buffer data retrieval, modified according to some implementation schemes, is provided. Figure 6 In the example, AP 104 transmits beacon 602 with a TIM element. The TIM element can indicate the presence of data for station (STA1) 106 based on the station's (STA1) AID or PVB. An enhanced frame 604, such as CF, ICF, QoS empty frame, or another desired frame type, can be used to send a BSR request from station (STA1) to AP, such as... Figure 5 As previously discussed. In addition to sending a BSR request, Enhanced Frame 604 can also be used to send a PM indication to the AP transmission station (STA1), specifying whether the station (STA1) is in active or passive mode. Figure 6 In timing diagram 600, station (STA1) is in active mode (e.g., PM=0). Based on the information that station (STA1) is in active mode, the AP will send a response frame 606, such as CRF, ICR or other desired frame type, which includes a BSR and details the BU for AC and / or TID for station (STA1) in the AP DL buffer.

[0107] Once AP 104 has sent the BSR request, AP can then transmit DL PPDU 608 to station (STA1) while station (STA1) 106 is in active mode, such as Figure 6 As shown. In this example, AP can follow Figure 4 The baseline rules illustrated and discussed herein are used to send buffered DL data to station (STA1). In one implementation, if the PM mode field is not included in enhancement frame 604, the PM mode field may follow... Figure 4 The baseline procedure is shown and is included in the QoS empty frame. In another alternative, the AP may assume that the station (STA1) has the same PM mode as the AP had before sending enhancement frame 604.

[0108] Figure 7 Additional exemplary illustrations of a timing diagram 700 for DL ​​buffer data retrieval, modified according to some implementation schemes, are provided. Figure 6 As previously discussed, Figure 7In the example, AP 104 can transmit beacon 702 with a TIM element. The TIM element can indicate the presence of data for station (STA1) 106 based on the station's (STA1) AID or PVB. Enhancement frames 704, such as CF, ICF, QoS empty frames, or another desired frame type, can be used to send BSR requests from station (STA1) to AP, as previously discussed. In addition to sending BSR requests, enhancement frames 704 can also be used to transmit a PM indication of station (STA1) to AP, which specifies whether station (STA1) is in active or passive mode.

[0109] exist Figure 7 In timing diagram 700, station (STA1) is in active mode (e.g., PM=0). Based on the information that station (STA1) is in active mode, the AP will send a response frame 706, such as CRF, ICR or other desired frame type, which includes a BSR and details the BU for AC and / or TID for station (STA1) in the AP DL buffer.

[0110] Figure 7 One challenge of the illustrated modified DL buffer data retrieval is how to enable the station (STA1) and AP to transmit... Figure 7 All the frames illustrated, while another station does not transmit simultaneously, can lead to packet collisions that may disrupt operation. When station (STA1) sends a BSR request in enhancement frame 704, each frame in the Wi-Fi transmission contains a duration field. The duration field in the BSR request sent by station (STA1) in enhancement frame 704 is shown as duration 720. Station (STA1) can extend duration 720 by TXOP so that the station can receive the BSR in response frame 706. Furthermore, the duration 720 protected in enhancement frame 704 may also include additional time for a Short Interframe Spacing (SIFS) time 712, which occurs after the AP transmits response frame 706 to station (STA1) and continues until the duration 720 ends at 708. SIFS is the amount of time, in milliseconds, required for the wireless interface to process a received frame and respond with a response frame. In one example, SIFS time 712 could be 16 microseconds. However, this is not intended to be limiting. The SIFS time can be set to enable processing... Figure 7 The illustrated frame is transmitted between the station (STA1) and the AP, and the appropriate time is used to respond if necessary. The duration value protects the duration SIFS time following the control response frame (CRF).

[0111] exist Figure 7In the exemplary timing diagram 700, station (STA1) 106 may receive response frame 706 and process BSR within the SIFS time period, and make a decision on whether to extend TXOP based on the information received in the BSR in response frame 706. If there is additional data in the DL buffer of AP 104 that station (STA1) determines was received at that point, station (STA1) may transmit additional frames, such as additional CF, QoS empty frames, or another desired frame type. In frame 710, station (STA1) may send a request to AP 104 to transmit the remaining (desired) amount of data from the DL buffer at AP to station (STA1). Depending on the information received and processed in the BSR at station (STA1), this may be all data in the buffer, or data in one or more ACs or TIDs. Frame 710 may also include the duration 724 of the protection medium. The STA will know how much data will be transmitted in DL PPDU 714, and the time period for the station (STA1) to transmit an acknowledgment or block acknowledgment (BA) 716 from the AP to confirm receipt of data in DL PPDU 714. At time period 718, the station (STA1) can enter a power-saving mode. In one example, the station can transmit a QoS empty frame where PM=1 to indicate that the station (STA1) is in PS mode.

[0112] In some implementations, the BSR may include a More Data (MD) value. As previously discussed, this is a value that can be sent from AP 104 to station (STA1) that provides some information about the BU for station (STA1) in the DL buffer at the AP. In one example, the MD value may provide the total amount of information for station (STA1) in the AP's DL buffer. Alternatively, the MD value may include data for station (STA1) against one or more ACs in the AP's DL buffer. In another alternative, the MD value may include data for station (STA1) against one or more TIDs in the AP's DL buffer. In yet another alternative, the MD value may be AC ​​bitmap 802 or TID bitmap 804, as previously discussed... Figure 8A and Figure 8B It is described and shown in the text.

[0113] Figure 9 Method for retrieving DL buffer data from AP at STA

[0114] Figure 9 An exemplary flowchart illustrates a method 900 for retrieving downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) at a station (STA) according to some implementation schemes.

[0115] In addition to other equipment, Figure 9The methods shown can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently in a different order than those shown, or they may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed.

[0116] According to the implementation scheme, a method 900 for retrieving downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) at a station (STA) includes: receiving at the STA a beacon with a Traffic Indication Map (TIM) transmitted from the AP, the TIM indicating that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA, as shown in box 910. In response to the indication that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA, an enhancement frame including a Buffer Status Report (BSR) request is sent to the AP, and the BSR is received from the AP, as shown in box 920. The type and amount of buffered data that the AP has for the STA can be identified from the BSR, as shown in box 930. The STA can determine to download at least a portion of the buffered data from the AP based on one or more of the type or amount of buffered data identified from the BSR, as shown in box 940.

[0117] In some implementations, method 900 further includes receiving a beacon with a TIM after the STA has already entered power-saving mode. The BSR request may be sent in an enhancement frame, which is one of a control frame, an initial control frame, or a quality of service empty frame. The BSR may be received from the AP in one of a control response frame (CRF) or an initial control response (ICR) frame.

[0118] The operation of identifying the type of buffered data in method 900 further includes: identifying from the BSR the type of the buffered data as data in one or more Access Classes (ACs) or one or more Traffic Identifiers (TIDs). The amount of data in the BSR can be identified in the one or more ACs or the one or more TIDs.

[0119] In some implementations, method 900 includes: identifying the AC bitmap in the BSR when the data is in or not in the one or more ACs; and identifying the TID bitmap in the BSR when the data is in or not in the one or more TIDs.

[0120] In some implementations, the AP uses a more data value to report the presence of data in one or more ACs or one or more TIDs, and this more data value is used both when PM is set to 1 and when PM is set to 0. The more data value is typically used only when the PM value is set to 1. In one example, when the PM value is set to zero, the more data value is used to indicate the reporting of data in one or more ACs or one or more TIDs. In one example, the PM indication is in the initial control frame (BSR request frame).

[0121] In some implementations, method 900 further includes sending a power management (PM) indication of the STA to the AP in an enhancement frame, so that the AP can identify that the STA is in an active mode and can receive at least a portion of the DL buffered data for the STA in a transmission from the AP.

[0122] In some implementations, method 900 further includes sending a duration period to the AP in the enhancement frame, wherein the duration period identifies the time used to protect the transmission medium between the STA and the AP. The duration period may include a short inter-frame interval value to include an amount of time within the duration period for the STA to process the enhancement frame and respond with a response frame.

[0123] In some implementations, determining to download at least a portion of the buffered data at the STA based on the type of buffered data further includes: transmitting a request from the STA to the AP for the AP to transmit at least a portion of the buffered data in an additional enhancement frame, based on the type or amount of buffered data indicated in the BSR.

[0124] In some implementations, determining that at least a portion of the buffered data is downloaded at the STA further includes: transmitting an additional enhancement frame from the STA to the AP, the additional enhancement frame including a request for the AP to transmit at least one type of buffered data from the type of buffered data indicated in the BSR.

[0125] In some implementations, a duration period may be sent to the AP in an additional enhancement frame, wherein the duration period identifies the time for protecting the transmission medium between the STA and the AP during the download of at least a portion of the buffered data in the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) and during the block acknowledgment sent from the STA to the AP.

[0126] In some implementations, the baseband processor is configured to enable the station (STA) to perform any operation of method 900.

[0127] In some implementations, the apparatus is configured to cause a station (STA) having one or more processors coupled to memory to perform any operation of method 900.

[0128] Figure 10 Methods for sending DL buffered data from AP to STA

[0129] Figure 10 An exemplary flowchart illustrates a method 1000 for sending downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) to a station (STA) according to some implementation schemes.

[0130] In addition to other equipment, Figure 10 The methods shown can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently in a different order than those shown, or they may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed.

[0131] According to one implementation, a method 1000 for sending downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) to a station (STA) includes: sending a beacon at the AP with a Traffic Indication Map (TIM) indicating that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA, as shown in box 1010. The AP may receive an enhancement frame from the STA including a Buffer Status Report (BSR) request in response to the indication that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA, as shown in box 1020. The AP may transmit the BSR to the STA such that the STA can identify from the BSR the type and amount of buffered data that the AP has for the STA, as shown in box 1030. A request for at least a portion of the buffered data may be received from the STA based on the type and amount of buffered data that the AP has for the STA, as shown in box 1040.

[0132] In some implementations, method 1000 further includes transmitting a beacon with a TIM after the STA is in power-saving mode. The BSR request may be received in an enhancement frame, wherein the enhancement frame is one of a control frame, an initial control frame, or a quality of service empty frame. The BSR may be transmitted from the AP in one of a control response frame (CRF) or an initial control response (ICR) frame.

[0133] In some implementations, the operation of identifying the type of buffered data in method 1000 further includes: identifying the type of buffered data from the BSR as data in one or more Access Classes (ACs) or one or more Traffic Identifiers (TIDs).

[0134] In some implementations, a baseband processor is disclosed that is configured to cause an access point (AP) to perform one or more operations of method 1000.

[0135] In some embodiments, an apparatus is disclosed that is configured to cause an access point having one or more processors coupled to a memory to perform any operation of method 1000.

[0136] In some implementations, a computer program product includes computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform any of the operations described herein.

[0137] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) at a station (STA), the method comprising: The STA receives a beacon with a flow indication map (TIM) transmitted from the AP, the flow indication map (TIM) indicating that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA; An enhanced frame including a buffer status report (BSR) request is sent to the AP in response to the AP having a TIM indication of DL buffer data for the STA. Receive buffer status report (BSR) from the AP; The type and amount of buffered data that the AP has for the STA are identified from the BSR; and Based on one or more of the type or the amount of buffered data identified from the BSR, determine at least a portion of the amount of buffered data to be downloaded from the AP at the STA.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The beacon with the TIM is received after the STA is already in power-saving mode.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The BSR request is sent in the enhancement frame, wherein the enhancement frame is one of a control frame, an initial control frame, or a quality of service empty frame.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The BSR is received from the AP in either a Control Response Frame (CRF) or an Initial Control Response (ICR) frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the type of buffered data further comprises: The type of buffered data identified from the BSR is data in one or more Access Classes (ACs) or one or more Traffic Identifiers (TIDs).

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: Determine the amount of data in the BSR within the one or more ACs or the one or more TIDs.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: When data is in one or more ACs or not in one or more ACs, it is identified in the AC bitmap in the BSR; or When data is in one or more TIDs or not in one or more TIDs, it is identified in the TID bitmap in the BSR.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the AP uses additional data values ​​to report the presence of data in the one or more ACs or in the one or more TIDs, and the additional data values ​​are used when the power management (PM) indicator is set to 1 and when the PM indicator is set to 0.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the AP uses additional data values ​​to report the presence of data in the one or more ACs or the one or more TIDs, and the additional data values ​​are used when the power management (PM) indication is set to 0.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The power management (PM) mode of the STA is sent to the AP in the enhancement frame so that the AP can identify that the STA is in an active mode and can receive at least a portion of the DL buffer data for the STA in the transmission from the AP.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The enhancement frame sends a duration period to the AP, wherein the duration period period identifies the time for protecting the transmission medium between the STA and the AP.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the duration period includes a short inter-frame interval value to include an amount of time within the duration period for the STA to process the enhanced frame and respond with a response frame.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the download of at least a portion of the buffered data at the STA based on the amount and type of the buffered data further comprises: Based on the type and amount of buffered data indicated in the BSR, an additional enhancement frame is transmitted from the STA to the AP, the additional enhancement frame including a request for the AP to transmit at least a portion of the buffered data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that at least a portion of the buffered data is downloaded at the STA further comprises: An additional enhancement frame is transmitted from the STA to the AP, the additional enhancement frame including a request for the AP to transmit buffered data of at least one type of the type of buffered data indicated in the BSR.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: The additional enhancement frame sends a duration period to the AP, wherein the duration period identifies the time for protecting the transmission medium between the STA and the AP during the download of at least a portion of the buffered data in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and during the block acknowledgment sent from the STA to the AP.

16. A method for sending downlink (DL) buffered data from an access point (AP) to a station (STA), the method comprising: A beacon with a flow indication map (TIM) is transmitted at the AP, the flow indication map (TIM) indicating that the AP has DL buffered data for the STA; In response to the indication by the AP that it has DL buffer data for the STA, an enhanced frame including a Buffer Status Report (BSR) request is received from the STA; The BSR is transmitted to the STA so that the STA can identify from the BSR the type and amount of buffered data that the AP has for the STA; and The STA receives a request for at least a portion of the buffered data, the request being based on the type and amount of buffered data that the AP has for the STA, as included in the BSR.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The beacon with the TIM is transmitted after the STA is in power-saving mode.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The BSR request is received in the enhancement frame, wherein the enhancement frame is one of a control frame, an initial control frame, or a quality of service empty frame.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The BSR is transmitted from the AP in either a Control Response Frame (CRF) or an Initial Control Response (ICR) frame.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the type of buffered data further comprises: The type of buffered data identified from the BSR is data in one or more Access Classes (ACs) or one or more Traffic Identifiers (TIDs).

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