PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT MODE TRANSITION FOR WAKE-UP RECEIVERS

Abstract

Device for a non-access point (AP: Access Point) station (non-AP-STA), wherein the device comprises the following: a memory (1304); and a processing circuit (1408) for: Encoding a first frame for transmission to an AP, wherein the first frame indicates that the non-AP STA is a WUR non-AP STA (WUR: Wake-Up Radio), wherein the first frame indicates WUR capabilities of the non-AP STA; Encoding a second frame for transmission to the AP, wherein the second frame includes a WUR mode element indicating that the non-AP STA requests to enter a WUR mode, wherein the WUR mode element specifies an operating cycle timing, including an operating cycle period, for operating in WUR mode; wherein, when the non-AP-STA is in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to cause the non-AP-STA to transition between a waking state and a twilight state according to the duty cycle timing, wherein, when the non-AP-STA is not in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to cause the non-AP-STA to be in the waking state and to refrain from transitioning between the waking state and the twilight state, wherein, when the non-AP-STA is in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to allow the non-AP-STA to receive a WUR wake-up frame from the AP based on the duty cycle timing when the non-AP-STA is in twilight mode, and wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed, in response to the reception of the WUR wake-up frame, to cause the non-AP-STA to transition from the twilight state to the waking state.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application claims priority over the preliminary United States patent application No. 62 / 461,646, filed on February 21, 2017, entitled “WAKE UP RECEIVER STATE TRANSITION”, and the preliminary United States patent application No. 62 / 484,461, filed on April 12, 2017, entitled “POWER MANAGEMENT MODE TRANSITION FOR WAKE UP RECEIVER”. LAND OF INVENTION OF REVELATION

[0002] Various embodiments can generally relate to the field of wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks, including networks operating according to the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Some embodiments relate to IEEE 802.11ax and / or a low-power communication standard, such as Bluetooth. Some embodiments relate to methods, computer-readable media, and devices for power management mode transitions for a wake-up receiver (WURx). GENERAL STATE OF THE ART

[0003] Efficient resource utilization within a wireless local area network (WLAN) is crucial to providing WLAN users with sufficient bandwidth and acceptable response times. However, multiple devices often attempt to share the same resources, and some may be limited by the communication protocol they employ or the bandwidth of their hardware. Furthermore, wireless devices may need to operate with both newer protocols and those used by legacy devices.

[0004] US 2007 / 0147334 A1 discloses a device and a method for use in a peer-to-peer network, which is particularly suitable for use in a ubiquitous network.

[0005] US 2014 / 0112229 A1 discloses systems, methods and devices for transmitting very short paging messages to wireless receivers.

[0006] The problem stated is solved according to the invention by the features of main claim 1 and dependent claim 13. Further embodiments of the invention are described in the respective dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and without limitation in the figures of the associated drawings, in which the same reference numbers denote the same elements and in which the following applies: Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 2 illustrates a front-end module circuit arrangement for use in the radio architecture of the Fig. 1 according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 3 illustrates an IC radio circuit arrangement for use in the radio architecture of the Fig. 1 according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 4 illustrates a baseband processing circuit arrangement for use in the radio architecture of the Fig. 1 according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 5 illustrates a WLAN according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 6 illustrates an example of a low power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) for a Wi-Fi setup according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 7 illustrates an example of the WUR state transition and its relationship to power saving according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 8 illustrates an example of a transition between the WURx active and WURx power saving modes with additional signaling in the WUR mode element according to some embodiments; Fig. 9 illustrates an example of a WUR mode element according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 10 illustrates an example of a power saving protocol according to some embodiments; Fig. 11 illustrates an example of a power saving protocol according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 12 illustrates an example of a power saving protocol according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 13 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary machine on which one or more of the operations / techniques (e.g., procedures) discussed here can be performed; and Fig. Figure 14 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless device on which one or more of the techniques (e.g., procedures or operations) discussed here can be performed.

[0008] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference symbols may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. Specific details, such as special structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc., are presented in the following description for explanatory, not limiting, purposes, to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of different embodiments. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure that the various aspects of the different embodiments may be applied in other examples that differ from these specific details.In certain examples, descriptions of generally known devices, circuits, and procedures are omitted in order to avoid making the description of the various embodiments incomprehensible through unnecessary details.

[0009] The following description and drawings illustrate sufficiently specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to understand their application. Other embodiments may involve structural, logical, electrical, procedural, and other modifications. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or replaced by those of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims include all available equivalents of those claims. DESCRIPTION

[0010] The Fig. Figure 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 100 according to some embodiments. The radio architecture 100 may include the front-end radio module (FEM) circuit arrangement 104, the IC radio circuit arrangement 106, and the baseband processing circuit arrangement 108. The radio architecture 100, as shown, includes both wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality, although the embodiments are not limited thereto. In this disclosure, “WLAN” and “Wi-Fi” are used interchangeably.

[0011] The FEM circuit arrangement 104 can include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit arrangement 104A and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuit arrangement 104B. The WLAN FEM circuit arrangement 104A can include a receive signal path comprising a circuit arrangement configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received by one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signals, and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the WLAN IC radio circuit arrangement 106A for further processing. The BT-FEM circuit arrangement 104B can include a receive signal path which may contain a circuit arrangement configured to work with BT-RF signals received from one or more antennas 102, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the BT-IC radio circuit arrangement 106B for further processing.The FEM circuit arrangement 104A can also include a transmit signal path, which may contain a circuit arrangement configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the IC radio circuit arrangement 106A for wireless transmission via one or more of the antennas 101. Additionally, the FEM circuit arrangement 104B can also include a transmit signal path, which may contain a circuit arrangement configured to amplify BT signals provided by the IC radio circuit arrangement 106B for wireless transmission via one or more antennas. Although in the embodiment of the . Fig. 1 FEM 104A and FEM 104B are shown to be different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope of protection the use of an FEM (not shown) that contains a transmit path and / or a receive path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuit arrangements, wherein at least some of the FEM circuit arrangements use transmit and receive signal paths jointly for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0012] The IC radio circuit arrangement 106, as shown, can include the WLAN IC radio circuit arrangement 106A and the BT IC radio circuit arrangement 106B. The WLAN IC radio circuit arrangement 106A can include a receive signal path, which may contain a circuit arrangement to down-convert WLAN RF signals received by the FEM circuit arrangement 104A and provide baseband signals to the WLAN baseband processing circuit arrangement 108A. The BT IC radio circuit arrangement 106B, in turn, can include a receive signal path, which may contain a circuit arrangement to down-convert BT RF signals received by the FEM circuit arrangement 104B and provide baseband signals to the BT baseband processing circuit arrangement 108B.The WLAN IC radio circuit arrangement 106A can also include a transmit signal path, which may contain a circuit arrangement for up-converting WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit arrangement 108A and providing the WLAN RF output signals to the FEM circuit arrangement 104A for subsequent wireless transmission via the one or more antennas 101. The BT IC radio circuit arrangement 106B can also include a transmit signal path, which may contain a circuit arrangement for up-converting BT baseband signals provided by the BT baseband processing circuit arrangement 108B and providing the BT RF output signals to the FEM circuit arrangement 104B for subsequent wireless transmission via the one or more antennas 101. Although in the embodiment of the . Fig. 1. Where the IC radio circuit arrangements 106A and 106B are shown to be different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope of protection the use of an IC radio circuit arrangement (not shown) which contains a transmit signal path and / or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more IC radio circuit arrangements, wherein at least some of the IC radio circuit arrangements use transmit and / or receive signal paths jointly for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0013] The baseband processing circuit arrangement 108 can include a WLAN baseband processing circuit arrangement 108A and a BT baseband processing circuit arrangement 108B. The WLAN baseband processing circuit arrangement 108A can include memory, such as a set of RAM arrays in a block (not shown), for fast Fourier transform or inverse fast Fourier transform of the WLAN baseband processing circuit arrangement 108A. Both the WLAN baseband processing circuit arrangement 108A and the BT baseband processing circuit arrangement 108B can further include one or more processors and control logic for processing the signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive path of the IC radio circuit arrangement 106 and for generating corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit path of the IC radio circuit arrangement 106.Each of the baseband processing circuit arrangements 108A and 108B can furthermore include physical layer (PHY) and media access control layer (MAC) circuit arrangements and can furthermore be coupled to the application processor 111 for generating and processing the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the IC radio circuit arrangement 106.

[0014] Still referring to the Fig. 1: According to the embodiment shown, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit arrangement 113 can include logic that provides an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit arrangement 108A and the BT baseband circuit arrangement 108B to enable applications where WLAN and BT coexistence is required. Additionally, a switch 103 can be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit arrangement 104A and the BT FEM circuit arrangement 104B to allow switching between WLAN and BT radio according to application requirements. Although the antennas 101 are shown to be connected to the WLAN-FEM circuit arrangement 104A and the BT-FEM circuit arrangement 104B respectively, the embodiments additionally include within their scope of protection that one or more antennas are shared by the WLAN and BT-FEM or that more than one antenna is provided, each connected to the FEM 104A or 104B.

[0015] In some embodiments, the front-end module circuit arrangement 104, the IC radio circuit arrangement 106, and the baseband processing circuit arrangement 108 can be provided on a single radio card, such as a wireless radio card 102. In some other embodiments, the one or more antennas 101, the FEM circuit arrangement 104, and the IC radio circuit arrangement 106 can be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the IC radio circuit arrangement 106 and the baseband processing circuit arrangement 108 can be provided on a single chip or as a single integrated circuit (IC), such as the IC 112.

[0016] In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 102 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to receive and transmit Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel. The OFDM or OFDMA signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0017] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, the radio architecture 100 can be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA), such as a wireless access point (AP), base station, or mobile device, including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to transmit and receive signals according to specific communication standards and / or protocols, such as any of the standards of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), including standards 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11-2016, and / or 802.11ax, and / or intended specifications for WLANs, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The radio architecture 100 may also be suitable for sending and / or receiving communications according to other techniques and standards.

[0018] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 can be configured for high-efficiency (HE) Wi-Fi communications according to the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to communicate using an OFDMA technique, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0019] In some other embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be designed to transmit and receive signals that have been transmitted using one or more modulation techniques, such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and / or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time division multiplexing (TDM) modulation and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0020] As further explained in the Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the BT baseband circuit arrangement 108B can, in some embodiments, conform to a Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standard, such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 4.0, or Bluetooth 5.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth standard. In embodiments that include BT functionality, such as in the Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the radio architecture 100 can be designed to establish a synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) BT connection and / or a Bluetooth low energy (BT LE) connection. In some embodiments that include functionality, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) connection for BT communications, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments that include BT functionality, the radio architecture can be configured to participate in an asynchronous connection-less (ACL) connection, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) connection for BT communications, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. Fig. Figure 1 shows that the functions of a BT radio card and a WLAN radio card can be combined on a single wireless radio card, such as a single wireless radio card 102, although the embodiments are not limited to this and include discrete WLAN and BT radio cards within their scope of protection.

[0021] In some embodiments, the radio architecture can include 100 other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 3GPP, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced or 5G) communications.

[0022] In some IEEE 802.11 implementations, the 100 radio architecture can be configured to communicate over various channel bandwidths, including bandwidths with center frequencies of approximately 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz, and bandwidths of approximately 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 16 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz (with contiguous bandwidths) or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with non-contiguous bandwidths). A bandwidth of 320 MHz can be used in some embodiments. However, the protection range of the embodiments is not limited with respect to the aforementioned center frequencies.

[0023] The Fig. Figure 2 illustrates an FEM circuit arrangement 200 according to some embodiments. The FEM circuit arrangement 200 is an example of a circuit arrangement intended for use as the WLAN and / or BT FEM circuit arrangement 104A / 104B ( Fig. 1) may be suitable, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0024] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit arrangement 200 may include a TX / RX switch 202 to switch between transmit and receive modes. The FEM circuit arrangement 200 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit arrangement 200 may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 206 to amplify received RF signals 203 and provide the amplified received RF signals 207 as an output (e.g., to the IC radio circuit arrangement 106). Fig. 1)). The transmit signal path of the circuit arrangement 200 can include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify RF input signals 209 (e.g., provided by the IC radio circuit arrangement 106), and one or more filters 212, such as bandpass filters (BPFs), low-pass filters (LPFs), or other filter types, to generate RF signals 215 for subsequent transmission (e.g., via one or more of the antennas 101 ( Fig. 1)), included.

[0025] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, the FEM circuit arrangement 200 can be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz or the 5 GHz frequency spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit arrangement 200 can include a receive signal path duplexer 204 to both separate the signals from each spectrum and provide a separate LNA 206 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuit arrangement 200 can also include a power amplifier 210 and a filter 212, such as a BPF, an LPF, or another type of filter for each frequency spectrum, and a transmit signal path duplexer 214 to provide the signals of one of the different spectra on a single transmit path for subsequent transmission via one or more of the antennas 101. Fig. 1) In some embodiments, the BT communications can utilize the 2.4 GHz signal paths, and they can use the same FEM circuit arrangement 200 as the one used for WLAN communications.

[0026] The Fig. Figure 3 illustrates an IC radio circuit arrangement 300 according to some embodiments. The IC radio circuit arrangement 300 is an example of a circuit arrangement suitable for use as the WLAN or BT IC radio circuit arrangement 106A / 106B ( Fig. 1) may be suitable, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0027] In some embodiments, the IC radio circuit arrangement 300 can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the IC radio circuit arrangement 300 can include at least the mixer circuit arrangement 302, such as a down-conversion mixer circuit arrangement, the amplifier circuit arrangement 306, and the filter circuit arrangement 308. The transmit signal path of the IC radio circuit arrangement 300 can include at least the filter circuit arrangement 312 and the mixer circuit arrangement 314, such as an up-conversion mixer circuit arrangement. The IC radio circuit arrangement 300 can also include a synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 for synthesizing a frequency 305 for use by the mixer circuit arrangement 302 and the mixer circuit arrangement 314.The mixer circuit arrangements 302 and / or 314 can each, according to some embodiments, be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. The latter type of circuit arrangement represents a much simpler architecture than standard superheterodyne mixer circuit arrangements, and any flicker induced by these can be reduced, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Fig. Figure 3 illustrates only a simplified version of an IC radio circuit arrangement and, although not shown, may include embodiments in which each of the circuit arrangements shown can contain more than one component. For example, mixer circuit arrangements 320 and / or 314 may each contain one or more mixers, and filter circuit arrangements 308 and / or 312 may each contain one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and / or LPFs, according to the application requirements. If the mixer circuit arrangements are of the direct conversion type, for example, they may each contain two or more mixers.

[0028] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 302 can be configured to operate from the FEM circuit arrangement 104 ( Fig. 1) To down-convert received RF signals 207 based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304. The amplifier circuit arrangement 306 can be configured to amplify the down-converted signals, and the filter circuit arrangement 308 can include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate baseband output signals 307. The baseband output signals 307 can be fed to the baseband processing circuit arrangement 108 ( Fig. 1) be made available for further processing. In some embodiments, the baseband output signals 307 may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 302 may include passive mixers, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0029] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 314 can be configured to up-convert baseband input signals 311 based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 to generate RF output signals 209 for the FEM circuit arrangement 104. The baseband signals 311 can be provided by the baseband processing circuit arrangement 108 and can be filtered by the filter circuit arrangement 312. The filter circuit arrangement 312 can include an LPF or a BPF, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0030] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 302 and the mixer circuit arrangement 314 may each contain two or more mixers and be configured for quadrature downconversion or upconversion using the synthesizer 304. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 302 and the mixer circuit arrangement 314 may each contain two or more mixers, each configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 302 and the mixer circuit arrangement 314 may be configured for direct downconversion or direct upconversion. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit arrangement 302 and the mixer circuit arrangement 314 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

[0031] The mixer circuit arrangement 302 can, according to one embodiment, include passive quadrature mixers (e.g., for the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, the RF input signal 207 from the Fig. 3 are converted downwards to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

[0032] The passive quadrature mixers can be driven by time-varying zero and ninety-degree LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuit arrangement which can be configured to receive an LO frequency (fLO) from a local oscillator (LO) or a synthesizer, such as LO frequency 305 of the synthesizer 304 ( Fig. 3) In some embodiments, the LO frequency can be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments the LO frequency can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the time-varying zero and ninety-degree switching signals can be generated by the synthesizer, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0033] In some embodiments, the LO signals can differ in duty cycle (the percentage of a period in which the LO signal is high) and / or offset (the offset between the starting points of the period). In some embodiments, the LO signals can have a duty cycle of 25% and an offset of 50%. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit arrangement (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths) can operate at a duty cycle of 25%, which can lead to a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0034] The RF input signal 207 ( Fig. 2) may include a symmetrical signal, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I and Q baseband output signals may be provided to a low-noise amplifier, such as amplifier circuit arrangement 306 ( Fig. 3) or the filter circuit arrangement 308 ( Fig. 3).

[0035] In some embodiments, the baseband output signals 307 and the baseband input signals 311 can be analog baseband signals, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the baseband output signals 307 and the baseband input signals 311 can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the IC radio circuit arrangement can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit arrangements.

[0036] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate IC radio circuit arrangement may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum or for other spectra not mentioned here, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0037] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of protection of the embodiments is not limited in this respect because other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 can include a digital synthesizer circuit arrangement. One advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit arrangement is that, although it may still contain some analog components, its footprint can be reduced much more significantly than that of an analog synthesizer circuit arrangement.In some embodiments, the frequency input to the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 can be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not a requirement. A divider control input can also be provided either by the baseband circuit arrangement 108 (. Fig. 1) or the application processor 111 ( Fig. 1) be provided, depending on the desired output frequency 305. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g. N) can be determined from a lookup table (e.g. in a Wi-Fi card) based on a channel number and a channel center frequency, as determined or specified by the application processor 111.

[0038] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit arrangement 304 can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency 305, while in other embodiments the output frequency 305 can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 305 can be a low-order low (LO) frequency (fLO).

[0039] The Fig. Figure 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of the baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 is an example of a circuit arrangement suitable for use as the baseband processing circuit arrangement 108 ( Fig. 1) may be suitable, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable. The baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 402 for processing receive baseband signals 309 received from the IC radio circuit arrangement 106 ( Fig. 1) are provided, and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 404 for generating transmit baseband signals 311 for the IC radio circuit arrangement 106. The baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 may also include control logic 406 for coordinating the operations of the baseband processing circuit arrangement 400.

[0040] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between the baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 and the IC radio circuit arrangement 106), the baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 may include an ADC 410 to convert analog baseband signals received by the IC radio circuit arrangement 106 into digital baseband signals for processing by the RX BBP 402. In these embodiments, the baseband processing circuit arrangement 400 may also include the DAC 412 to convert digital baseband signals from the TX BBP 404 into analog baseband signals.

[0041] In some embodiments that communicate OFDM or OFDMA signals, such as via the 108A baseband processor, the transmit baseband processor 404 can be configured to generate OFDM or OFDMA signals suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 402 can be configured to process received OFDM or OFDMA signals by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 402 can be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM or OFDMA signal by performing autocorrelation to detect a preamble, such as a short preamble, and by performing crosscorrelation to detect a long preamble. The preambles can be part of a predefined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0042] With reference to the Fig. 1: In some embodiments, the antennas 101 ( Fig. 1) Each antenna may contain one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, stripline antennas, or other antenna types suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. The antennas 101 may each contain a set of phased-array antennas, although the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0043] Although the radio architecture 100 is illustrated with several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements, including digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuits to perform at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may relate to one or more processes that are operated on one or more processing elements.

[0044] The Fig. Figure 5 illustrates a WLAN 500 according to some embodiments. The WLAN 500 can include a Basic Service Set (BSS) that may contain an HE Access Point (AP) 502, which may be an AP, several High-Performance Wireless (e.g., IEEE 802.11ax) (HE) Stations 504, and several Legacy (e.g., IEEE 802.11n / ac) Facilities 506.

[0045] The HE-AP 502 can be an access point (AP) that uses IEEE 802.11 for transmitting and receiving. The HE-AP 502 can also be a base station. The HE-AP 502 can use other communication protocols in addition to the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The IEEE 802.11 protocol can be IEEE 802.11ax. The IEEE 802.11 protocol can include the use of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and / or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The IEEE 802.11 protocol can include a multiple access technique. For example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol can include Space-Division Multiple Access (SDMA) and / or Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO). There can be more than one HE-AP 502 that is part of an Extended Service Set (ESS). A controller (not illustrated) can store information that is common to more than one HE-APs 502.

[0046] Legacy 506 devices can operate according to one or more of IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ad / af / ah / aj / ay or another legacy wireless communications standard. Legacy 506 devices can be STAs or IEEE STAs. HE-STAs 504 devices can be wireless transmitting and receiving devices, such as a mobile phone, portable wireless communication device, smartphone, handheld wireless device, wireless glasses, wireless watch, personal wireless device, tablet, or any other device capable of transmitting and receiving using the IEEE 802.11 protocol, such as IEEE 802.11ax, or any other wireless protocol. In some embodiments, HE-STAs 504 may be referred to as high-performance (HE) stations.

[0047] The HE-AP 502 can communicate with legacy devices 506 according to IEEE 802.11 legacy communication techniques. In some implementations, the HE-AP 502 can also be configured to communicate with HE-STAs 504 according to IEEE 802.11 legacy communication techniques.

[0048] In some embodiments, an HE frame can be configured to have the same bandwidth as a channel. The HE frame can be a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, different types of PPDUs can exist, which may have different fields and different physical layers and / or different Media Access Control (MAC) layers.

[0049] The bandwidth of a channel can be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz for contiguous bandwidths, or an 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) non-contiguous bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of a channel can be 1 MHz, 1.25 MHz, 2.03 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4.06 MHz, 5 MHz, or 10 MHz, or a combination thereof, or any other bandwidth less than or equal to the available bandwidth may also be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channels can be based on a number of active subcarriers. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channels is based on 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2x996 active data subcarriers or tones spaced 20 MHz apart. In some embodiments, the channel bandwidth is 256 tones spaced 20 MHz apart. In some embodiments, the channels are multiples of 26 tones or multiples of 20 MHz.In some embodiments, a 20 MHz channel can comprise 242 active data subcarriers or tones, which can determine the size of a fast Fourier transform (FFT). According to some embodiments, the allocation of a bandwidth or a number of tones or subcarriers can be referred to as a resource unit (RU) allocation.

[0050] In some embodiments, the 26-subcarrier RU and the 52-subcarrier RU are used in the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz OFDMA HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 106-subcarrier RU is used in the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 242-subcarrier RU is used in the 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 484-subcarrier RU is used in the 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE-PPDU formats. In some embodiments, the 996-subcarrier RU is used in the 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE-PPDU formats.

[0051] An HE frame can be configured to transmit a series of spatial streams, which can be done according to MU-MIMO and OFDMA. In other embodiments, the HE-AP 502, the HE-STA 504, and / or the Legacy Unit 506 can also implement other technologies, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, CDMA 2000 1X, CDMA 2000 Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), Bluetooth®, or other technologies.

[0052] Some embodiments relate to HE communications. According to some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, such as the IEEE 802.11ax embodiments, an HE-AP 502 can operate as a master station, which may be configured to compete for control of a wireless medium (e.g., during a contention period) to obtain exclusive control of the medium for an HE control period. In some embodiments, the HE control period may be referred to as a transmission opportunity (TXOP). The HE-AP 502 may send an HE master sync transmission at the beginning of the HE control period, which may be a trigger frame or an HE control and scheduling transmission. The HE-AP 502 may transmit the duration of the TXOP and subchannel information. During the HE tax period, the HE-STAs 504 can communicate with the HE-AP 502 using a non-contention based multiple access technique, such as OFDMA or MU-MIMO.This contrasts with conventional WLAN communications, where devices communicate using a contention-based communication technique instead of a multiple access technique. During the HE control period, the HE-AP 502 can communicate with the HE stations 504 using one or more HE frames. During the HE control period, the HE stations 504 can operate on a subchannel smaller than the operating range of the HE-AP 502. Legacy stations refrain from communicating during the HE control period. Legacy stations may need to receive communication from the HE-AP 502 to resume communication.

[0053] According to some embodiments, the HE-STAs 504 can compete for the wireless medium with the legacy devices 506 during the TXOP, which are excluded from competing for the wireless medium during the master sync transmission. In some embodiments, the trigger frame can specify an uplink (UL) MU-MIMO and / or a UL-OFDMA TXOP. In some embodiments, the trigger frame can include a DL-UL-MU-MIMO and / or a DL-OFDMA with a schedule specified in a preamble section of the trigger frame.

[0054] In some embodiments, the multiple access technique used during HE-TXOP may be a Scheduled OFDMA technique, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technique or a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) technique. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) technique. In some embodiments, the multiple access technique may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technique.

[0055] The HE-AP 502 can also communicate with legacy stations 506 and / or HE stations 504 according to IEEE 802.11 legacy communication techniques. In some embodiments, the HE-AP 502 can also be configured to communicate with HE stations 504 outside of the HE-TXOP according to IEEE 802.11 legacy communication techniques, although this is not a requirement.

[0056] In some embodiments, the HE-Station 504 can be a "Group Owner" (GO) for peer-to-peer operating modes. A wireless device can be an HE-Station 502 or an HE-AP 502.

[0057] In some embodiments, the HE-Station 504 and / or the HE-AP 502 can be configured to operate according to IEEE 802.11mc. In exemplary embodiments, the radio architecture of the Fig. 1 is configured to implement the HE-Station 504 and / or the HE-AP 502. In exemplary embodiments, the front-end module circuit arrangement of the Fig. 2 configured to implement the HE-Station 504 and / or the HE-AP 502. In exemplary embodiments, the IC radio circuit arrangement of the Fig. 3 is configured to implement the HE station 504 and / or the HE-AP 502. In exemplary embodiments, the baseband processing circuit arrangement of the Fig. 4 configured to implement the HE-Station 504 and / or the HE-AP 502.

[0058] In exemplary embodiments, the HE stations 504, the HE-AP 502, a device of the HE stations 504 and / or a device of the HE-AP 502 may include one or more of the following: the radio architecture of the Fig. 1. The frontend module circuit arrangement of the Fig. 2, the IC radio circuit arrangement of the Fig. 3 and / or the baseband processing circuit arrangement of the Fig. 4.

[0059] In exemplary implementations, the radio architecture of Fig. 1. The frontend module circuit arrangement of the Fig. 2, the IC radio circuit arrangement of the Fig. 3 and / or the baseband processing circuit arrangement of the Fig. 4 must be configured to work in conjunction with the Fig. to perform the procedures and operations / functions described in sections 1-14.

[0060] In exemplary implementations, the HE-Station 504 and / or the HE-AP 502 are configured to function in conjunction with the Fig. The procedures and operations / functions described in sections 1-14 are to be performed. In exemplary embodiments, a device of the HE-Station 504 and / or a device of the HE-AP 502 are configured to perform these procedures and operations / functions in conjunction with the described procedures. Fig. To perform the procedures and functions described in sections 1-14. The term Wi-Fi can refer to one or more IEEE 802.11 communication standards. AP and STA can refer to the HE Access Point 502 and / or the HE Station 504, as well as to legacy equipment 506.

[0061] In some embodiments, an HE-AP 502 or an HE-STA 504 that performs at least some functions of an HE-AP 502 may be designated as an HE-AP-STA. In some embodiments, an HE-STA 504 may be designated as an HE-non-AP-STA. In some embodiments, an HE-STA 504 may be designated either as an HE-AP-STA and / or an HE-non-AP.

[0062] In some embodiments, a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) enables an ultra-low-power operating mode for a Wi-Fi device. In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described below ensure that a device has a minimal radio configuration capable of receiving a wake-up packet from a peer. Once the wake-up packet is received, the device can wake up a transceiver, such as a primary connectivity radio, which can be used to transmit and receive data. Thus, the device can remain in a low-power mode until the wake-up packet is received. An exemplary system incorporating a Wi-Fi, i.e., an (802.11) device, is described in the Fig. Figure 6 illustrates an example of a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) 620 for a Wi-Fi device, e.g., an (IEEE 802.11) device 604, according to some embodiments. The device 604 includes the LP-WUR 620 as well as a primary connectivity radio 622. The device 604 can operate in a low-power mode in which the primary connectivity radio 622 is switched off. In some embodiments, the state of the primary connectivity radio 622, as seen by a transmitter 602, is off in low-power mode. The primary connectivity radio 622 can send and receive data while the device 604 is in low-power mode.

[0063] When transmitter 602 wants to wake up equipment 604, in one example, the transmitter sends a wake-up packet 610 to the LP-WUR 620. Upon receipt, the LP-WUR sends a wake-up signal to a controller or directly to the primary connectivity radio 622. The primary connectivity radio 622 can then power up to be able to receive data, such as a data packet 612. In one example, the wake-up packet 610 can be sent based on a duty cycle or based on when transmitter 602 needs to send data to equipment 604.

[0064] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein can provide additional signaling to indicate the state transition of the wake-up receiver (WURx), which may be independent of the existing transition for power states and power management modes. The WURx can operate in various power management modes, which can be used to determine the WURx state. For example, the WURx state can be constantly on or in duty-rate mode. In duty-rate mode, the WURx cycles between being active for a period of time and being inactive for a period of time. Additional signaling can be introduced from the STA to the AP to indicate the transition between the power management mode and / or the WURx mode.

[0065] The different power management modes for the WURx can have different corresponding rules for the WURx state transition. For example, the rules might follow the definition of the power management mode for an 802.11 radio. In another example, the WURx state transition is viewed from the AP's perspective and may not be the actual WURx state of the STA, because the STA can experience localized operation of the WURx state.

[0066] In various scenarios, a STA can be in one of two power states: awake or slumber. In the awake state, the STA is fully powered. For example, the primary connectivity radio might be fully powered to transmit / receive data. However, the WURX might be powered off in the awake state. In the slumber state, the primary connectivity radio might be powered off. From the AP's perspective, the AP assumes that the STA is unable to transmit or receive data, except for receiving a wake-up packet.

[0067] A non-AP STA can be in one of two power management modes: active mode or power-saving mode. In active mode, the STA can receive and send frames at any time. In active mode, the STA remains awake. In power-saving mode, the STA enters the awake state to receive or send data / frames. Otherwise, the STA returns to the sleep state and remains there.

[0068] In various embodiments, the AP has the capability to send the wake-up packet to the WURx of the STA to wake up the STA's primary connectivity radio. However, the concept can be extended to the general facility-to-facility model, where STA1 has the capability to send the wake-up packet to the WURx of STA2 to wake up the STA2's primary connectivity radio.

[0069] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein can provide two power management modes and introduce signaling to report the transition of the WURx's power management modes and / or states to the STA1.

[0070] In some embodiments, the WURx of a STA can be in one of two power states. In a WURx wake state, the STA can receive transmissions from the wake-up receiver, such as wake-up packets and / or beacons. In a WURx sleep state, the STA does not receive transmissions from the wake-up receiver. For example, the WURx may be switched off to save power.

[0071] In some embodiments, the WURx of an STA can operate in one of two power management modes. In a WURx active mode, the STA remains in the WURx waking state to receive transmissions from the wake-up receiver. In the WURx power-saving mode, the STA enters the WURx waking state to receive transmissions from the wake-up receiver and otherwise remains in the WURx sleep state.

[0072] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / procedures described herein provide rules to define the WURx state transition. In some embodiments, the WURx state transition is defined from the perspective of the other side, e.g., the AP. In some embodiments, the STA can perform localized operations even if the AP assumes that the WURx is in a sleep state. For example, if the WURx is off from the AP's perspective, the STA can leave the WURx on to simplify operation. In one example, the STA might not need to notify the AP. In particular, if the STA is in a sleep state from the AP's perspective, the STA can be in a waking state to handle other operations.As another example: If the STA is in a waking state from the AP's perspective, the STA may be in a sleep state due to mechanisms such as the PPDU's intra-BSS power saving.

[0073] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein can provide a rule for the relationship between the WURx state and the power-saving state from the AP's perspective. If the STA is awake from the AP's perspective, the AP should treat the STA's WURx as off; for example, the AP should not send a wake-up packet to the STA. If the STA is sleep from the AP's perspective, the WURx state is determined by the STA's power management mode. If the STA indicates that it is operating in WURx active mode, then the WURx is on. If the STA indicates that it is operating in WURx power-saving mode, then the WURx state is indicated based on duty cycle signaling, as described in some embodiments. The duty cycle is used to determine when the WURx is on or off.

[0074] After the AP sends the wake-up packet, in some implementations the WURx state of the STA does not change from the AP's perspective until the AP receives an acknowledgment (ACK) from the STA for the wake-up packet. Until the acknowledgment is received, the STA's state follows the existing signaling from the STA.

[0075] In some embodiments, the power-saving state of the STA, from the AP's perspective, is in a sleep state after the AP sends the wake-up packet until the AP receives the wake-up packet acknowledgment from the STA. In some embodiments, an advantage of this approach is that none of the current 802.11 power-saving protocols are modified.

[0076] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described here can be replaced by the Fig. 7 will be illustrated. Fig. Figure 7 illustrates an example of the WURx state transition and its relationship to power savings according to some embodiments. Fig. Figure 7 shows that a WURx state is defined when the STA's power state is Sleep. In some embodiments, two power management modes are defined for the WURx. In some embodiments, the implementation can be simplified by following a similar definition for IEEE 802.11 radio.

[0077] The STA has both a primary connectivity radio 710 and a WURx 720. Each of these has a power management mode and a power state. The primary connectivity radio's power management mode 712 can be either active or power-saving. The power management mode determines the available power states 714 of the primary connectivity radio. In the active state, the primary connectivity radio is awake. When operating in power-saving mode, the primary connectivity radio can be either awake or slumbered. In the slumbered state, the WURx can be active, and the mode and state of the WURx become important.

[0078] The WURx power management modes 722 can be WURx Active or WURx Power Saving. In WURx Active mode, the WURx power state is WURx Awake. In WURx Power Saving mode, the WURx power state 724 can be either WURx Awake or WURx Sleep. In the WURx Awake state, the WURx can receive wake-up packets and / or other data from the wake-up receiver. In the WURx Sleep state, the WURx cannot receive wake-up packets and / or other data from the wake-up receiver and may be powered off. A duty cycle can determine when the WURx transitions between the WURx Awake and WURx Sleep states.

[0079] The Fig. Figure 8 illustrates an example of a transition between the WURx active and WURx power-saving modes with additional signaling in the WUR mode element according to some embodiments. Fig. Figure 9 illustrates an example of a WUR mode element according to some embodiments. The WUR mode element includes a WURx power mode bit 902, which indicates whether the WURx is in active or power-saving mode.

[0080] In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein define two power management modes for a WURx and define the corresponding WURx state transitions from the AP's perspective. In some embodiments, the systems / devices / methods described herein can be written in a general language that allows them to operate on a device-to-device (D2D) model.

[0081] In some embodiments, STA2 and STA1 can negotiate STA1's wake-up radio (WUR) capability. STA2 can send a wake-up packet to wake STA1, causing STA1 to begin transitioning from its primary connectivity radio power state to wake mode in order to receive data from STA2. In some embodiments, an STA's WURx can be in one of two power states. In a WURx wake state, the STA can receive transmissions from the wake-up receiver (WUR). The second state is the WURx sleep state, in which the STA cannot receive transmissions from the wake-up receiver. There can also be two power management modes. In a WURx active mode, the STA remains in the WURx wake state to receive WUR transmissions. In a WURx power-saving mode, the STA enters the WURx wake state to receive the WUR transmission. Otherwise, the STA remains in the WURx sleep state.

[0082] The STA can specify the power management mode of the WURx through the WUR mode element, as defined in some embodiments. One bit of the WUR mode element can be used for signaling; see [reference]. Fig. 8. This bit can be called the WURx power management bit, and it can be set to 1 to specify the WURx power saving mode, or to 0 to specify the WURx active mode.

[0083] In some embodiments, the WURx state of STA1 is defined from the perspective of STA2, e.g., an AP. If the primary connectivity radio of STA1 is awake from the perspective of STA2, then the WURx state of STA1 is off from the perspective of STA2. The rule can also be defined as follows: If the primary connectivity radio of STA1 is awake from the perspective of STA2, then STA2 should not send wake-up packets to STA1. Essentially, this means that STA1 can do whatever it wants with respect to the WURx state if it is awake from the perspective of STA2. For example, STA1 can turn off the WURx. In another example, the WURx can remain on for simplicity.

[0084] If the primary connectivity radio of STA1 is in a sleep state from the perspective of STA2, then the WURx state of STA1 from the perspective of STA2 is determined by the duty cycle signaling, as described in some embodiments. If the duty cycle period indicates "on", then the WURx is on, e.g., in the WURx wake state. If the duty cycle period indicates "off", then the WURx is off. If there is no duty cycle signaling, then the WURx is off unless there is another indication for the WURx "on" signaling.

[0085] If the primary connectivity radio of STA1 is in a sleep state from the perspective of STA2, then the WURx state of STA1, from the perspective of STA2, is determined by the WURx power management mode of STA1. If STA1 indicates a WURx active mode, then the WURx is on. If STA1 indicates a WURx power saving mode, then the state of the WURx is indicated based on the duty cycle signaling, as described in some embodiments. If the duty cycle period indicates "on," then the WURx is on, e.g., in the WURx wake state. If the duty cycle period indicates "off," then the WURx is off. If there is no duty cycle signaling, then the WURx is off unless there is another indication for the WURx "on" signaling.

[0086] In some embodiments, the WURx state of STA1 can be clarified from the perspective of STA2 after STA2 sends the wake-up packet. In some embodiments, the WURx state of STA1, from the perspective of STA2, after STA2 sends the wake-up packet, until STA2 receives an acknowledgment of the wake-up packet from STA1, is determined by the WURx indication sent by STA1 before the wake-up packet is sent. In some embodiments, the power-saving state of STA1, from the perspective of STA2, after STA2 sends the wake-up packet, until STA2 receives an acknowledgment of the wake-up packet from STA1, is determined by the power-state indication sent by STA1 before the wake-up packet is sent. In other words, in these examples, the state of STA1 does not change from the perspective of STA2 until an acknowledgment is received.

[0087] In some embodiments, examples are given in the Fig. 10 - 12 are provided to illustrate the concept for three different power saving protocols used in the current IEEE 802.11 and to explain how the concept works.

[0088] The Fig. Figure 10 illustrates an example of a power-saving protocol according to some embodiments. The STA1 uses the power-saving management bit to switch between wake and sleep states and to retrieve packets from the STA2. In some embodiments, the STA1 uses dynamic signaling.

[0089] In some embodiments, STA1 specifies its WURx active mode before STA2 sends a wake-up packet. The WURx state of STA1, from STA2's perspective, is off when STA1 is in a primary connectivity radio wake state from STA2's perspective. The WURx state of STA1, from STA2's perspective, is determined by the WURx power management mode specification when STA1 is in power-saving mode from STA2's perspective.

[0090] In the Fig. In section 10, STA1 1002 has specified its power management mode to STA2 1004. In an example, STA2 sends a wake-up packet to STA1 1002. STA1 1002 wakes from sleep mode based on the wake-up packet. STA1 1002 sends a packet 1012 to STA2 1004 with the power management bit set to zero. This packet acts as an acknowledgment of the wake-up packet 1010. Once the packet is received by STA2 1004, STA2 1004 treats STA1 as being in the WURx off and awake state, allowing STA1 to receive data 1016. After a power save mode (PSM) timeout 1014, STA1 1002 can send a packet 1016 with the power management mode bit set to 1. Once packet 1016 has been received by STA2 1004, STA2 1004 treats STA1 1002 as being in sleep mode, with WURx being active and able to receive WUR transmissions.

[0091] The Fig. Figure 11 illustrates an example of a power-saving protocol according to some embodiments. In the Fig. In embodiment 11, an STA1 1102 uses a PS poll to retrieve packets from an STA2 1104. In some embodiments, the STA1 1102 uses duty cycle signaling.

[0092] In some embodiments, it can be assumed that before STA2 sends a wake-up packet 1110, STA1 1102 has specified its WURx power-saving mode and sent a duty cycle indication to STA2 1104. The WURx state of STA1 1102, from the perspective of STA2, is off when STA1 1102 is awake from the perspective of STA2. The WURx state of STA1 1102, from the perspective of STA2, is determined by the duty cycle indication when STA1 is in a sleep state from the perspective of STA2.

[0093] After STA1 1102 receives the wake-up packet using its WURx, it sends a PS poll message 1112, which is used to acknowledge the wake-up packet 1110. Once the PS poll message 1112 has been received by STA2 1104, the power mode state of STA1 1102 is awake from the perspective of STA2, with its WURx off. This is true even if the WURx of STA1 is switched on and off based on the duty cycle 1150. When STA2 1104 sees STA1 1102 in the awake state, data 1116 can be sent to STA1 1102. An acknowledgment 1118 of the data can be used to indicate receipt of the data and can also be used to indicate that STA1 1102 has entered sleep mode.

[0094] The Fig. Figure 12 illustrates an example of a power-saving protocol according to some embodiments. In the Fig. In section 12, the STA1 1202 uses a U-APSD to retrieve packets from the STA2 1204. In some embodiments, the STA1 1202 uses both dynamic signaling and duty-rate signaling. In some embodiments, the STA1 1202 has specified its WURx power-saving mode and sent a duty-rate indication to the STA2 1204 before the STA2 1204 sends a wake-up packet. The WURx state of the STA1 1202, from the perspective of the STA2, is off when the STA1 1202 is awake from the perspective of the STA2. The WURx state of the STA1 1202, from the perspective of the STA2, is jointly determined by the duty-rate indication and the WURx power-saving mode indication when the STA1 1202 is in a sleep state from the perspective of the STA2.

[0095] The STA1 1202 indicates that it is in WURx active mode. For example, using the power mode indication bit in a packet, as in the Fig. Figure 8 is shown. Upon reception by STA2 1204, STA1 1202 is treated as if it were in WURx wake-up mode and able to receive WUR transmissions. The primary connectivity radio can be deactivated at this point. STA2 1204 can send a wake-up packet 1212 to STA1 1202. An acknowledgment 1214 is sent by STA1 1202, and upon receipt by STA2 1204, the power state of STA1 1202 is treated as awake, so that the primary connectivity radio is activated and STA1 1202 is able to receive data 1216. An acknowledgment of the data 1218 can be treated as a transition back to sleep mode. STA1 1202 can also send an indication of its power-saving mode 1220. This also applies if the STA2 1204 treats the STA1 1202 as if it were in sleep mode.

[0096] The Fig. Figure 13 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary machine 1300 on which one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed here can be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 1300 can operate as a standalone device, or it can be connected to other machines (e.g., networked). When networked, the machine 1300 can operate as a server machine, a client machine, or in server-client network environments. In one example, the machine 1300 can function as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment.Machine 1300 can be an HE-AP 502, an HE-Station 504, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable communications device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a web device, a network router, switch, or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequentially or otherwise) that specify the actions to be performed by that machine. Although only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" is further to be understood as including any collection of machines that, individually or collectively, execute a set (or sets) of instructions to perform one or more of the methods discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

[0097] The machine (e.g., computer system) 1300 can contain a hardware processor 1302 (e.g., a main processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), main memory 1304, and static memory 1306, some or all of which communicate with each other via a link (e.g., a bus) 1308.

[0098] Specific examples of main memory 1304 include random access memory (RAM) and semiconductor memory devices, which in some embodiments may include storage locations in semiconductors, such as registers. Specific examples of static memory 1306 may include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)), and flash memory devices, magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable storage disks, magneto-optical storage disks, RAM, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM storage disks.

[0099] The machine 1300 may further include a display device 1310, an input device 1312 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1314 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 1310, the input device 1312, and the UI navigation device 1314 may be a touchscreen display. The machine 1300 may additionally include a mass storage device (e.g., a drive) 1316, a signal generation device 1318 (e.g., a loudspeaker), a network interface device 1320, and one or more sensors 1321, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors. The machine 1300 can have an output control 1328, such as a serial (e.g. Universal Serial Bus (USB)), a parallel or other wired or wireless (e.g. Infrared (IR), Near Field Communication (NFC) etc.)) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.). In some embodiments, the processor 1302 and / or the instructions 1324 may include processing circuit arrangements and / or transceiver circuit arrangements.

[0100] The storage device 1316 can contain a machine-readable medium 1322 on which one or more sets of data structures or instructions 1324 (e.g., software) are stored, which execute or are used by any or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 1324 can also reside, wholly or at least partially, in the main memory 1304, the static memory 1306, or the hardware processor 1302 during their execution by the machine 1300. In one example, one or all combinations of the hardware processor 1302, the main memory 1304, the static memory 1306, or the storage device 1316 can constitute the machine-readable media.

[0101] Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM or EEPROM) and flash memory devices, magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable storage disks, magneto-optical storage disks, RAM, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM storage disks.

[0102] Although the machine-readable medium 1322 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" can include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database and / or linked caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 1324.

[0103] A device of the machine 1300 can be one or more of the following: a hardware processor 1302 (e.g., a main processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 1304 and a static memory 1306, sensors 1321, a network interface device 1320, antennas 1360, a display device 1310, an input device 1312, a UI navigation device 1314, a mass storage device 1316, instructions 1324, a signal generation device 1318, and an output control 1328. The device can be configured to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein.The device can be provided as a component of machine 1300 to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein and / or to perform a portion of one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the device may include a pin or other means for receiving power. In some embodiments, the device may include power conditioning hardware.

[0104] The term “machine-readable medium” can include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the Machine 1300, causing the Machine 1300 to perform one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-restrictive examples of machine-readable medium include semiconductor memory and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g.,Examples of machine-readable media include electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable storage disks; magneto-optical storage disks; random access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM storage disks. In some examples, machine-readable media may include non-volatile machine-readable media. In some examples, machine-readable media may include machine-readable media that are not a transitory propagating signal.

[0105] The instructions 1324 can also be sent or received via a communication network 1326 using a transmitting medium via the network interface device 1320, which utilizes any of a number of transmitting protocols (e.g., frame forwarding, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.). Examples of communication networks include, but are not limited to, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), traditional telephone line (Plain Old Telephone, POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, known as Wi-Fi®, the IEEE 802.16 family of standards, known as WiMAX®), and the IEEE 802.15 family.These include 4 standards, a family of Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards, a family of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks.

[0106] In one example, the network interface device 1320 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas for connecting to the communication network 1326. In another example, the network interface device 1320 may include one or more antennas 1360 for wireless communication using at least one of the following techniques: single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO). In some examples, the network interface device 1320 may communicate wirelessly using multi-user MIMO techniques.The term “transmitting medium” shall be understood to include any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the Machine 1300, and it includes digital or analog communication signals or any other intangible medium to enable communication by such software.

[0107] Examples described here can include or operate logic or a set of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are physical entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations and which can be configured or designed in some way. In one example, circuits can be designed as a module in a specified way (e.g., internally or in relation to external entities, such as other circuits). In another example, all or parts of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client, or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors can be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application component, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. In another example, the software can reside on machine-readable medium.In one example, when executed by the module's underlying hardware, the software causes the hardware to perform the specified operations.

[0108] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity, whether physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform some or all of the operations described herein. When considering examples where modules are temporarily configured, not every module needs to be realized at every point in time. For instance, if the modules comprise a universal hardware processor configured using software, the universal hardware processor can be configured as different modules at different times. Software can thus configure a hardware processor, for example, to form one specific module at one time and a different module at another.

[0109] Some embodiments may be implemented wholly or partially in software and / or firmware. This software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium. These instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable the performance of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the like.Such a computer-readable medium may contain any tangible non-volatile medium for storing information in a form readable by one or more computers, such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory, etc.

[0110] The Fig. Figure 14 illustrates a block diagram of an example Wireless Device 1400 on which any or more of the techniques (e.g., procedures or operations) discussed here can be performed. The Wireless Device 1400 can be an HE device. The Wireless Device 1400 can be an HE-STA 504 and / or an HE-AP 502 (e.g., Fig. 5) An HE-STA 504 and / or an HE-AP 502 can perform some or all of the functions described in the Fig. The components shown in Figures 1-5 and 13 are included. The wireless unit 1400 can be an example of a machine 1300, as used in conjunction with the Fig. 13 is revealed.

[0111] The wireless device 1400 can include the processing circuit assembly 1408. The processing circuit assembly 1408 can include a transceiver 1402, a physical layer circuit assembly (PHY circuit assembly) 1404, and a MAC layer circuit assembly (MAC circuit assembly) 1406, one or more of which can enable the transmission and reception of signals to and from other wireless devices 1400 (e.g., the HE-AP 502, the HE-STA 504, and / or the legacy devices 506) using one or more antennas 1412. For example, the PHY circuit assembly 1404 can perform various encoding and decoding functions, which may include the generation of baseband signals for transmission and the decoding of received signals.As another example, the 1402 transceiver can perform various transmit and receive functions, such as converting signals between a baseband range and a radio frequency (RF) range.

[0112] Accordingly, the PHY circuit arrangement 1404 and the transceiver 1402 can be separate components, or they can be part of a combined component, such as the processing circuit arrangement 1408. Additionally, some of the described functionalities related to sending and receiving signals can be performed by a combination that may include one, any, or all of the following: the PHY circuit arrangement 1404, the transceiver 1402, the MAC circuit arrangement 1406, the memory 1410, and other components or layers. The MAC circuit arrangement 1406 can control access to the wireless medium. The wireless device 1400 can also include memory 1410, which is designed to perform the operations described here; for example, some of the operations described here can be performed by instructions stored in memory 1410.

[0113] The antennas 1412 (some embodiments may contain only one antenna) may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, stripline antennas, or other antenna types suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 1412 may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may arise.

[0114] One or more of the following—the memory 1410, the transceiver 1402, the PHY circuit assembly 1404, the MAC circuit assembly 1406, the antennas 1412, and / or the processing circuit assembly 1408—may be coupled together. Although the memory 1410, the transceiver 1402, the PHY circuit assembly 1404, the MAC circuit assembly 1406, and the antennas 1412 are illustrated as separate components, one or more of the following—the memory 1410, the transceiver 1402, the PHY circuit assembly 1404, the MAC circuit assembly 1406, and the antennas 1412—may also be integrated into an electronic package or chip.

[0115] In some embodiments, the 1400 wireless device can be a mobile device, as in conjunction with the Fig. 13 is described. In some embodiments, the Wireless Device 1400 can be configured to operate according to one or more wireless communication standards, as described here (e.g., described in conjunction with the Fig. 1-5 and 13, IEEE 802.11). In some embodiments, the Wireless Device 1400 may contain one or more components, as described in conjunction with the Fig. 13 is described (e.g., the display unit 1310, the input unit 1312, etc.). Although the wireless unit 1400 is illustrated with several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuits to perform at least the functions described herein.In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes that are operated on one or more processing elements.

[0116] In some embodiments, a device of the wireless device 1400, or a device used by it, can be various components of the wireless device 1400, as shown in the Fig. 14 is shown, and / or components from the Fig. 1-5 and 13 are included. Accordingly, the techniques and operations described herein relating to the Wireless Device 1400 may, in some embodiments, be applicable to a Wireless Device 1400 assembly (e.g., the HE-AP 502 and / or the HE-STA 504). In some embodiments, the Wireless Device 1400 is configured to decode and / or encode signals, packets, and / or frames, such as PPDUs, as described herein.

[0117] In some embodiments, the MAC circuit arrangement 1406 can be configured to compete for a wireless medium during a contention period in order to receive control of the medium for an HE-TXOP and to encode or decode an HE-PPDU. In some embodiments, the MAC circuit arrangement 1406 can be configured to compete for the wireless medium based on channel contention settings, a transmit power level, and a clear channel assessment level (e.g., an energy detection level).

[0118] The PHY circuit arrangement 1404 can be configured to transmit signals according to one or more communication standards described herein. For example, the PHY circuit arrangement 1404 can be configured to transmit a HE-PPDU. The PHY circuit arrangement 1404 can include circuit arrangements for modulation / demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuit arrangement 1408 can include one or more processors. The processing circuit arrangement 1408 can be configured to perform functions based on instructions stored in RAM or ROM, or based on special-purpose circuit arrangements. The processing circuit arrangement 1408 can include a processor, such as a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor.The processing circuit arrangement 1408 can implement one or more functions associated with the antennas 1412, the transceiver 1402, the PHY circuit arrangement 1404, the MAC circuit arrangement 1406, and / or the memory 1410. In some embodiments, the processing circuit arrangement 1408 can be configured to perform one or more of the functions / operations and / or procedures described herein.

[0119] With millimeter wave technology, communication between a station (e.g., the HE stations 504 of the Fig. 5 or the wireless device 1400) and an access point (e.g. the HE-AP 502 of the Fig.5 or the wireless device 1400) use effective wireless channels linked to it, which are highly direction-dependent. To account for this directionality, beamforming techniques can be used to direct energy in a specific direction with a specific beamwidth to communicate between two devices. Directional propagation concentrates the transmitted energy onto a target device to compensate for significant energy loss in the channel between the two communicating devices. Using directional transmission can extend the range of millimeter-wave communication compared to using the same transmitted energy with omnidirectional propagation.

[0120] The detailed description above includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments that may be used. These embodiments are also referred to herein as "examples." Such examples may include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, examples that include the elements shown or described are also considered. Furthermore, examples that use any combination or permutation of these elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof) are also considered, either in relation to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof) or in relation to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

[0121] Publications, patents, and patent documents referenced in this document are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as if they were incorporated individually by reference. In the event of inconsistent usage between this document and those documents thus incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated referenced document(s) shall be considered supplementary to this document; in the case of irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document shall prevail.

[0122] In this document, the term "a" is used, as is customary in patent specifications, to include one or more than one, irrespective of other instances or uses of "at least one" or "one or more". In this document, the term "or" is used to refer to a non-exclusive "or", so that "A or B" includes "A but not B", "B but not A", and "A and B" unless otherwise specified. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as the plain English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "whereby". Also, in the following claims, the terms "contain" and "comprise" are used openly, meaning that a system, device, object, or process containing elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim is still considered to fall within the scope of protection of that claim.Furthermore, in the following claims the terms “first”, “second” and “third”, etc. are used only as designations and are not intended to indicate any numerical order for their objects.

[0123] The embodiments described above can be implemented in various hardware configurations, each containing a processor for executing instructions that perform the described techniques. Such instructions can be contained in a machine-readable medium, such as a suitable storage medium, memory, or other executable medium.

[0124] The embodiments described herein can be implemented in a number of environments, such as as part of a wireless local area network (WLAN), a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication system, although the scope of protection of the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0125] The antennas referred to herein may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, stripline antennas, or other antenna types suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some embodiments, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used instead of two or more antennas. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may exist between each of the antennas and the antennas of a transmitting station. In some MIMO embodiments, antennas may be separated by up to 1 / 10 of a wavelength or more. Additional notes and examples:

[0126] Example 1 is a station apparatus (STA) comprising: memory; and processing circuit arrangements to: encode duty-level timing for transmitting to a second station via a primary connectivity radio; activate a wake-up radio (WUR) receiver (WURx) to receive a transmission based on the duty-level timing of the WURx when the primary connectivity radio is in a sleep state from the perspective of the second station; decode a wake-up packet received by the second station through the WURx, with the WURx receiving a WURx transmission when it is in a WURx wake state; and activate the primary connectivity radio based on the decoding of the wake-up packet.

[0127] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes the processing circuit arrangement being further configured to: encode an acknowledgment for transmission from the primary connectivity radio, wherein, from the perspective of the second station, the primary connectivity radio is in a waking state upon receiving the acknowledgment; decode a MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) received from the second station; encode an acknowledgment to the MPDU; disable the primary connectivity radio based on the acknowledgment; and enable the WURx based on the duty-grade timing.

[0128] In Example 3, the subject of Examples 1-2 contains the WURx, where the WURx decodes the wake-up packet.

[0129] In Example 4, the object of Example 3 includes the primary connectivity radio device.

[0130] In Example 5, the subject of Examples 1-4 includes the processing circuit arrangement being further configured to encode a frame containing a WUR mode element specifying a power management mode of the WURx via the primary connectivity radio in order to control duty-level timing.

[0131] In Example 6, the subject of Example 5 includes the fact that the performance management mode comprises a WURx active mode or a WURx power saving mode.

[0132] In Example 7, the subject of Example 6 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx power saving and that WURx is based on the duty cycle.

[0133] In Example 8, the subject of Examples 6-7 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx active mode and that WURx is on regardless of the duty cycle.

[0134] In Example 9, the subject of Examples 1-8 includes the fact that the second station is an access point (AP).

[0135] In Example 10, the subject of Examples 1-9 includes the fact that the processing circuit arrangement is further configured to disable the WURx based on the decoding of the wake-up packet.

[0136] In example 11, the subject of examples 1-10 includes the storage of the duty cycle in memory.

[0137] Example 12 is a non-volatile, computer-readable medium comprising instructions to cause a station (STA), upon execution of the instructions, through the STA's processing circuitry, to: encode duty-grade timing to transmit to a second station via a primary connectivity radio; activate a wake-up radio (WUR) receiver (WURx) to receive a transmission based on the duty-grade timing of the WURx when the primary connectivity radio is in a sleep state from the perspective of the second station; decode a wake-up packet received by the second station through the WURx, with the WURx receiving a WURx transmission when it is in a WURx wake state; and activate the primary connectivity radio based on the decoding of the wake-up packet.

[0138] In Example 13, the subject of Example 12 includes the instructions further causing the STA to: encode an acknowledgment for transmission from the primary connectivity radio, the primary connectivity radio being in a waking state from the perspective of the second station upon receiving the acknowledgment; decode a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) received from the second station; encode an acknowledgment to the MPDU; disable the primary connectivity radio based on the acknowledgment; and enable the WURx based on the duty-grade timing.

[0139] In Example 14, the subject of Examples 12-13 includes the WURx decoding the wake-up packet.

[0140] In Example 15, the subject of Examples 12-14 includes the instructions further causing the STA to encode a frame containing a WUR mode element indicating a power management mode of the WURx via the primary connectivity radio to control duty-grade timing.

[0141] In Example 16, the subject of Example 15 includes the fact that the power management mode comprises a WURx active mode or a WURx power saving mode.

[0142] In Example 17, the subject of Example 16 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx power saving and that WURx is based on the duty cycle.

[0143] In Example 18, the subject of Examples 16-17 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx active mode and that WURx is on regardless of the duty cycle.

[0144] In Example 19, the subject of Examples 12-18 includes the fact that the second station is an access point (AP).

[0145] In Example 20, the subject of Examples 12-19 includes the fact that the instructions further cause the STA to disable the WURx based on the decoding of the wake-up packet.

[0146] Example 21 is a station apparatus (STA) comprising: memory; and processing circuit arrangements to: decode the duty-level timing received from a second station; determine whether a wake-up radio (WUR) receiver (WURx) of the second station is in a wake-up state based on the duty-level timing; and encode a wake-up packet for transmission to the second station based on the second station's WURx being in a wake-up state, with a primary connectivity radio of the second station being activated based on the decoding of the wake-up packet.

[0147] In Example 22, the subject of Example 21 includes the processing circuit arrangement being further configured to: decode an acknowledgment for transmission from the primary connectivity radio, wherein, from the station's perspective, the primary connectivity radio is in a waking state upon receiving the acknowledgment; encode a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) for the second station; and decode an acknowledgment to the MPDU, wherein, based on the acknowledgment, the primary connectivity radio of the second station is disabled and the WURx is enabled based on the duty-grade timing.

[0148] In Example 23, the subject of Example 22 includes the processing circuit arrangement being further configured to decode a frame containing a WUR mode element specifying a power management mode of the WURx in order to control the duty cycle timing.

[0149] In Example 24, the subject of Example 23 includes the fact that the performance management mode comprises a WURx active mode or a WURx power saving mode.

[0150] In Example 25, the subject of Example 24 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx power saving and that WURx is based on the duty cycle.

[0151] In Example 26, the subject of Examples 24-25 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx active mode and that WURx is on regardless of the duty cycle.

[0152] In Example 27, the subject of Examples 21-26 includes the fact that the station is an access point (AP).

[0153] Example 28 is a non-volatile, computer-readable medium comprising instructions to cause a station (STA), upon execution of the instructions by the STA's processing circuitry, to: decode the duty-level timing received from a second station; determine whether a wake-up radio (WUR) receiver (WURx) of the second station is in a wake-up state based on the duty-level timing; and encode a wake-up packet for transmission to the second station based on the second station's WURx being in a wake-up state, with a primary connectivity radio of the second station being activated based on the decoding of the wake-up packet.

[0154] In Example 29, the subject of Example 28 includes the instructions further causing the STA to: decodecode an acknowledgment for transmission from the primary connectivity radio, wherein, from the station's perspective, the primary connectivity radio is in a waking state upon receiving the acknowledgment; encode a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) for the second station; and decodecode an acknowledgment to the MPDU, wherein, based on the acknowledgment, the primary connectivity radio of the second station is disabled and the WURx is enabled based on the duty-grade timing.

[0155] In Example 30, the subject of Example 29 includes the fact that the instructions further cause the STA to decode a frame containing a WUR mode element that specifies a power management mode of the WURx in order to control the duty cycle timing.

[0156] In Example 31, the subject of Example 30 includes the fact that the power management mode comprises a WURx active mode or a WURx power saving mode.

[0157] In Example 32, the subject of Example 31 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx power saving and that WURx is based on the duty cycle.

[0158] In Example 33, the subject of Examples 31-32 includes the fact that the power management mode is WURx active mode and that WURx is on regardless of the duty cycle.

[0159] In Example 34, the subject of Examples 28-33 includes the fact that the station is an access point (AP).

[0160] Example 35 is at least one machine-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by the processing circuit arrangement, cause the processing circuit arrangement to perform operations to implement any one of Examples 1-34.

[0161] Example 36 is a device comprising means for implementing any of Examples 1-34.

[0162] Example 37 is a system for implementing any of Examples 1 - 34.

[0163] Example 38 is a procedure for implementing any of Examples 1 - 34.

[0164] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. For example, the examples described above (or one or more of their aspects) may be used in combination with others. Other embodiments may be used after reviewing the above description, as would be the case, for example, with the knowledge of a person skilled in the art. The summary is provided to enable the reader to quickly grasp the essence of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, various features may have been grouped together in the above detailed description to streamline the disclosure. However, the claims cannot describe all the features disclosed herein because embodiments may represent a subset of the features.Furthermore, the embodiments may include fewer features than those disclosed in a particular example. Therefore, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, each claim constituting a separate embodiment. The scope of protection of the embodiments disclosed herein shall be determined by reference to the appended claims together with the full scope of protection of the equivalents to which such claims entitle.

Claims

[1] Device of a non-access point (AP: Access Point) station (non-AP-STA), wherein the device comprises: a memory (1304); and a processing circuit (1408) for: Encoding a first frame for transmission to an AP, wherein the first frame indicates that the non-AP STA is a WUR non-AP STA (WUR: Wake-Up Radio), wherein the first frame indicates WUR capabilities of the non-AP STA; Encoding a second frame for transmission to the AP, wherein the second frame includes a WUR mode element indicating that the non-AP STA requests to enter a WUR mode, wherein the WUR mode element specifies an operating cycle timing, including an operating cycle period, for operating in WUR mode; wherein, when the non-AP-STA is in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to cause the non-AP-STA to transition between a waking state and a twilight state according to the duty cycle timing, wherein, when the non-AP-STA is not in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to cause the non-AP-STA to be in the waking state and to refrain from transitioning between the waking state and the twilight state, wherein, when the non-AP-STA is in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to allow the non-AP-STA to receive a WUR wake-up frame from the AP based on the duty cycle timing when the non-AP-STA is in twilight mode, and wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed, in response to the reception of the WUR wake-up frame, to cause the non-AP-STA to transition from the twilight state to the waking state. [2] Device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is to configure the non-AP-STA after the transition to the waking state to receive buffered data from the AP. [3] Device according to claim 2, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is configured in response to the WUR wake-up frame to encode a third frame for transmission to the AP indicating that the non-AP STA is in the waking state. [4] Device according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is further configured to encode the first frame such that it includes a time that the non-AP station needs to transition from the twilight state to the waking state. [5] Device according to claim 4, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed, in response to the reception of the WUR wake-up frame, to cause the non-AP-STA to transition from the twilight state to the waking state at a predetermined time. [6] Device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed to decode a trigger frame received from the AP. [7] Device according to claim 6, wherein the processing circuit (1408) comprises a baseband processor to generate baseband signals, and wherein the memory (1304) is designed to store the WUR mode element. [8] Device according to claim 7, further comprising a direct conversion mixer, wherein the direct conversion mixer is designed to directly down-convert RF signals to baseband signals for the baseband processor, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed to decode the baseband signals, wherein the baseband signals include the trigger frame received by the AP. [9] Device according to claim 7, further comprising a superheterodyne mixer, wherein the superheterodyne mixer is designed to down-convert RF signals to intermediate frequency signals prior to generating baseband signals, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed to decode the baseband signals, wherein the baseband signals include the trigger frame. [10] Device according to claim 6, further comprising: a mixer circuit for step-down conversion of an RF signal to baseband signals; and a synthesizer circuit, wherein the synthesizer circuit comprises either a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, wherein the synthesizer circuit is designed to generate an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed to decode the baseband signals, wherein the baseband signals include the trigger frame. [11] Device according to claim 6, further comprising: a mixer circuit for step-down conversion of an RF signal to baseband signals; and a synthesizer circuit, wherein the synthesizer circuit comprises a delta-sigma synthesizer, wherein the synthesizer circuit is designed to generate an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed to decode the baseband signals, wherein the baseband signals include the trigger frame. [12] Device according to claim 6, further comprising a transmitter-receiver circuit coupled to the processing circuit (1408), wherein the transmitter-receiver circuit is coupled to receive a signaling according to a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technique with two or more antennas. [13] Non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by a processing circuit (1408) of a non-access point (AP) station (non-AP-STA) to configure the non-AP-STA to perform operations for the following: Encoding a first frame for transmission to an AP, wherein the first frame indicates that the non-AP STA is a WUR non-AP STA (WUR: Wake-Up Radio), wherein the first frame indicates WUR capabilities of the non-AP STA; Encoding a second frame for transmission to the AP, wherein the second frame includes a WUR mode element indicating that the non-AP STA requests to enter a WUR mode, wherein the WUR mode element specifies an operating cycle timing, including an operating cycle period, for operating in WUR mode; wherein, when the non-AP-STA is in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to cause the non-AP-STA to transition between a waking state and a twilight state according to the duty cycle timing, wherein, when the non-AP-STA is not in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to cause the non-AP-STA to be in the waking state and to refrain from transitioning between the waking state and the twilight state, wherein, when the non-AP-STA is in WUR mode, the processing circuit (1408) is designed to allow the non-AP-STA to receive a WUR wake-up frame from the AP based on the duty cycle timing when the non-AP-STA is in twilight mode, and wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed, in response to the reception of the WUR wake-up frame, to cause the non-AP-STA to transition from the twilight state to the waking state. [14] Non-volatile computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is to configure the non-AP-STA after transitioning to the waking state to receive buffered data from the AP. [15] Non-volatile computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is configured in response to the WUR wake-up frame to encode a third frame for transmission to the AP indicating that the non-AP STA is in the waking state. [16] Non-volatile computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is further configured to encode the first frame such that it includes a time that the non-AP-STA needs to transition from the twilight state to the waking state. [17] Non-volatile computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is designed, in response to the reception of the WUR wake-up frame, to cause the non-AP-STA to transition from the twilight state to the waking state at a predetermined time. [18] Non-volatile computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the processing circuit (1408) is further configured to decode a trigger frame received from the AP.

Images