SYSTEM, METHOD AND DEVICE FOR STATION-BASED ENDING OF A TARGET WAKE-UP TIME SERVICE PERIOD

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises: sending a notification of the termination of a service period during which the station is awake from a station to an access point, wherein the notification includes a station-based initiation of the termination of the service period, the station and the access point being in a wireless local area network; receiving an acknowledgment of the notification from the access point at the station; and terminating the service period in response to the acknowledgment.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] A common wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example in accordance with a specific IEEE 802.11 specification, in which various devices, referred to as stations (STAs), communicate via an access point (AP), a special type of STA that manages the network.

[0002] The Target Wake-Up Time (TWT) operating mode allows an access point (AP) to manage activities within a Basic Service Set (BSS) to minimize conflicts between station-level access points (STAs) and reduce the required wake-up time for an STA using a power management mode. A TWT service period (SP) refers to the timeframe during which an STA remains awake to transmit and / or receive frames. A TWT requesting / scheduled STA is one that requests a TWT agreement from an AP. Conversely, a TWT responding / scheduling STA (AP) is one that responds to TWT agreement invitations. While TWT operation can reduce a station's power consumption, it still involves complexities, and optimal power savings may not be achieved. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In one aspect, a procedure comprises: sending a notification of the termination of a service period during which a station is awake, from the station to an access point, where the station and the access point are in a wireless local area network; receiving an acknowledgment of the notification at the station from the access point; and terminating the service period in response to the acknowledgment.

[0004] In one implementation, ending the service period involves causing the station's radio circuitry to enter a low-power mode. The method may also involve causing the radio circuitry to enter a low-power mode before a previously scheduled end of the service period, where the service period includes a target wake-up time service period. Ending the service period may also involve switching the station's radio circuitry to a different wireless protocol to communicate a message over a different wireless network.

[0005] In one implementation, the procedure further includes sending a termination notification containing an action frame. Sending the action frame may include a target wake-up time management action field. The procedure may also include sending the termination notification in response to the identification of a condition within the station. The condition may be the identification of a lack of data communication with the access point for at least a threshold duration. The condition may be an indication of a high-priority message for a different wireless communication protocol.

[0006] In another aspect, a wireless station comprises: at least one transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals; and a baseband processor coupled to the at least one transceiver for processing baseband signals. During a Target Wake-Up Time (TWT) operating mode, the baseband processor: sends a notification of the end of a TWT service period to an access point of a wireless local area network via at least one transceiver; receives an acknowledgment of the notification from the access point; and, upon receiving the acknowledgment, terminates the TWT service period.

[0007] In one implementation, at least one transceiver should enter a low-power mode after the TWT service period ends. After the TWT service period ends, the at least one transceiver should switch to a different wireless protocol to communicate a message over another wireless network. The baseband processor can send the termination notification in response to a message indication that includes a high-priority message for the other wireless network. The wireless station can send an Action Media Access Control (MAC) frame containing the TWT service period termination notification. The Action Media Access Control (MAC) frame can include a category field with a TWT management code and an action field with a predefined value to indicate the TWT service period termination.

[0008] In one implementation, the baseband processor sends a termination notification after a period of no data communication with the access point exceeding a threshold duration. The wireless station is intended to: synchronize with the access point regarding the TWT operating mode and enter the TWT operating mode, which has a minimum TWT wake-up time that includes the TWT service period; and, upon receiving the acknowledgment, terminate the TWT service period during the minimum TWT wake-up time.

[0009] In another aspect, a procedure comprises: sending a notification of the termination of a service period during which a wireless device is awake from the wireless device to an access point, wherein the wireless device and the access point are in a wireless local area network; receiving an acknowledgment of the notification in the wireless device from the access point; and terminating the service period after receiving the acknowledgment and causing at least one transceiver of the wireless device to enter a low-power mode.

[0010] In one implementation, the method further comprises: synchronizing with the access point regarding a TWT operating mode; entering the TWT operating mode having at least a minimum wake-up duration encompassing the service period; and, upon receiving acknowledgment, terminating the service period during the minimum wake-up duration. The method may further comprise sending a termination notification based at least partially on a lack of communication between the wireless device and the access point for at least a threshold duration, the notification including an action medium access control framework to indicate the termination of the service period. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a time diagram illustrating the operation in accordance with an embodiment. Fig. Figure 2 is a flowchart of a process in accordance with an embodiment. Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart of a process in accordance with a further embodiment. Fig. Figure 4 is a block diagram of an administrative action medium access control in accordance with one embodiment. Fig. Figure 5 is a block diagram of a representative integrated circuit in accordance with an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] In various embodiments, a wireless device, namely a station, is configured to notify an access point (AP) in a basic service set (BSS) that it intends to end a service period during the target wake-up time (TWT) operation. In this way, a station can extend the duration of inactivity during a TWT wake-up interval (and enter a specific low-power mode during this inactive period). As a result, the station can reduce its power consumption and / or, if the station is a multiprotocol device, allow the radio switching to a different wireless protocol.

[0012] In relation to Fig. Figure 1 shows a timing diagram illustrating operation in accordance with one embodiment. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, a wireless environment 100, which can be a wireless local area network (WLAN) operating according to an IEEE 802.11 specification, contains an access point 110 and a station 120. Of course, many other wireless devices can be present in the wireless environment 100 (each of which can be another station within the network). For illustrative purposes, station 120 is assumed to be a wireless device capable of communicating in the WLAN, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or another wireless device. AP 110, in turn, can be a wireless access point, such as a router or another wireless device capable of operating as an access point in the WLAN.

[0013] Referring to Fig. Station 120 requests Target Wake-Up Time (TWT) operation by sending a TWT request 130 to access point 110. In response to this request, the devices enter into a vote to negotiate the TWT parameters of a TWT agreement. This TWT agreement specifies the details of a TWT session to which the station belongs, including wake-up times and intervals. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the negotiation leads to a TWT agreement, which specifies a period for a TWT wake-up interval, in Fig. 1 is represented as the TWT wake-up interval 150, and a minimum TWT wake-up duration 155 is specified within the wake-up interval 150. Typically, the minimum TWT wake-up duration 155 is a time period during which the station 120 should remain in a wake-up mode to be available for communication.

[0014] Although the embodiments are not limited in this respect, the wake-up interval 150 can be on the order of seconds to hours, while the minimum wake-up duration 155 can be on the order of milliseconds (ms) (e.g., 30–50 ms). Although the embodiments are not limited in this respect, the parameters of this duration are determined at least partially based on conditions within the wireless environment 100, e.g., the number of stations, the application requirements of the station 120, etc. In other cases, this duration can be set according to predefined values.

[0015] After determining these durations, the AP 110 sends a TWT response 140 identifying them, allowing the station 120 to configure itself to operate accordingly. Following this configuration, the station 120 can enter a low-power mode, such as sleep mode 145, until the first TWT wake-up interval 150 begins. It should be noted that during sleep mode 145, at least some radio circuitry, such as a multiprotocol transceiver, can be deactivated (provided other protocols are not active), thus reducing power consumption. In some implementations, additional circuitry within the station 120 can also be placed in a low-power mode.

[0016] As in Fig. As further shown in Figure 1, in the event of an announced TWT, station 120 sends an indication 160 (e.g., PS poll, QoS zero, trigger frame, etc.) at the beginning of a TWT service period 152 to inform AP 110 that it is ready to receive data. At the beginning of the TWT wake-up interval 150, the radio circuit of station 120 is in wake-up mode and enters the TWT service period 152. In response, AP 110, which is waiting for this explicit indication, sends data 162, and station 120 also transmits data to AP 110 (164). 0-n ) within the TWT service period 152. It should be noted that in the event of an unannounced TWT, AP 110 may begin sending data to station 120 within the TWT service period 152 without waiting for an explicit indication from station 120.

[0017] As in Fig. As further shown in Figure 1, during the TWT service period 152, within the minimum TWT wake-up time 155, station 120 issues a TWT service period termination message 166. In response to this message, AP 110 sends an acknowledgment 168, whereupon the TWT service period 152 ends and no further communications are sent from AP 110 to station 120 during the wake-up interval 150.

[0018] In response to receiving acknowledgment 168, station 120 enters an extended power-saving window 156. As shown, the extended power-saving window 156 lies within the minimum TWT wake-up time 155, effectively extending the time station 120 can put the device, including the radio circuitry, into a low-power mode and / or switch the radio circuitry to operate according to a different wireless protocol. Following the minimum TWT wake-up time 155, there is a power-saving window 158, which typically occurs without station 120 requesting a TWT service period termination when the minimum TWT wake-up time 155 ends and no further data is to be communicated between the devices.

[0019] If station 120 requests an early TWT service period termination, the power-saving window 158 is effectively extended by the duration of the extended power-saving window 156. If the TWT service period termination is not triggered by station 120 and no further data is available for communication between the devices, station 120 may put the radio switching for power-saving window 158 into a low-power mode (and / or switch the radio switching to a different wireless protocol) without any further communication between the devices.

[0020] Although in the embodiment of Fig. As shown in Figure 1 at this high level of abstraction, variations and alternatives are possible. While the discussion above describes only one WLAN, for example, it should be noted that the wireless environment could include 100 additional wireless networks such as personal networks, piconets, etc. In such cases, station-based TWT service period termination can be initiated due to activity (e.g., a high-priority message) from one or more of these other wireless networks.

[0021] With reference to Fig. Figure 2 shows a flowchart of a process in accordance with one embodiment. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, Method 200 is a method for terminating a TWT service period by a station in accordance with one embodiment. As such, Method 200 can be performed by a hardware circuit of the station alone and / or in combination with firmware and / or software. As shown, Method 200 begins by identifying a condition that triggers a TWT service period termination (Block 210). Although embodiments are not limited in this respect, this condition can be based on the identification of at least one threshold of a time during which no data communication has occurred between the station and the AP, or on an indication from an arbiter, e.g., a host processor of the station, indicating that high-priority communication for another protocol of a multiprotocol device is to be initiated.

[0022] In any case, in response to the identification of such a condition, control is transferred to block 220, where a termination message is sent to the access point. In one embodiment, this termination message can be sent as a TWT service period termination notification. Different implementations may use different methods to deliver this notification. For example, a specific IEEE 802.11 specification may provide a specific code for this notification, or a manufacturer-defined message may be sent. It should also be noted that in certain implementations, this message may take the form of a notification rather than a request. Thus, the station can control the initiation of a TWT service period termination.

[0023] Referring to Fig. The control then proceeds to diamond 230, where it is determined whether an acknowledgment has been received from the access point. It is important to note that this acknowledgment is merely confirmation of receipt of the termination message and not a positive authorization of the termination by the AP, as in that case, the station itself initiates the TWT service period termination. Next, in block 240, the TWT service period is terminated, so that no further communication occurs between the station and the AP during this specific TWT wake-up interval.

[0024] Accordingly, the control switches to block 250. Here, the station can enter an extended power-saving window and / or switch the radio communication to a different protocol (e.g., a Bluetooth protocol). It should be noted that the extended power-saving window thus enables greater power savings within the station. With further reference to Fig. 1. This extended power-saving window reduces the station's wake-mode duration to a minimum TWT wake-up time. Although this is in the embodiment of Fig. Since 2 is shown at a high level of abstraction, many variations and alternatives are possible.

[0025] With reference to Fig. Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a process in accordance with another embodiment. More precisely, in Fig. 3 Method 300 is a method for managing TWT operations via an AP in accordance with an embodiment. As such, Method 300 can be executed by a hardware circuit of the AP alone and / or in combination with firmware and / or software.

[0026] As shown, procedure 300 begins by receiving a TWT request from a station (block 310). Note that this TWT request originates from a station that wants to operate in TWT mode to reduce power consumption. Next, in block 320, the AP and the station enter into a negotiation to establish a TWT wake-up interval and a minimum TWT wake-up duration. In one or more embodiments, these durations can be based on network conditions such as the number of stations present in a WLAN, the station's application requirements, and so on. Next, in block 330, the AP sends a TWT response to the station. Note that this TWT response identifies the duration of the TWT wake-up interval and the minimum TWT wake-up duration.

[0027] With this information, the AP and the station are configured accordingly for operation in TWT mode. Thus, the AP can communicate with the station in block 340 during a TWT wake-up time (i.e., during a TWT service period). During this time, it can be determined in Diamant 350 whether a termination message is received from the station. If so, control switches to block 360, where the AP sends an acknowledgment to the station. It should be noted that after sending the acknowledgment, the AP stops communicating with the station for the remainder of the TWT wake-up time (and, of course, the AP also does not communicate during a standard power-saving window after a minimum TWT wake-up time).

[0028] Referring to Fig. 3. In the absence of a termination message, control passes to block 370, where continued communication between the AP and the station can occur during the TWT service period. It is possible that during this TWT service period, the AP itself decides to terminate the service period, for example, due to a lack of data for communication with the station. Although this is not possible in the embodiment of Fig. Since 3 is shown at a high level of abstraction, many variations and alternatives are possible.

[0029] As described above, a station can notify an access point (AP) of the end of the time-to-work (TWT) service period. Depending on the implementation, this notification can be delivered in different ways. In one or more implementations, a station can send a notification via an Action Medium Access Control (MAC) frame. For example, a wireless protocol, such as a specific IEEE 802.11 protocol, can be extended to provide a defined Action Medium Access Control (MAC) frame for TWT management.

[0030] With reference to Fig. Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a TWT management action MAC framework in accordance with one embodiment. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the action MAC frame 400 is a TWT management action MAC frame comprising a plurality of fields. The MAC frame 400 includes a 24-byte MAC header field 410, followed by a category field 412 (e.g., a single byte). The frame 400 then includes action details 414, including a TWT management action field 415 and a TWT flow identifier field 416. In one embodiment, the TWT management action field 415 may be a 1-byte field containing a value indicating a TWT service period termination notification.

[0031] If a specification defines TWT service period termination, category field 412 can have a predefined value (e.g., 38) to identify action MAC frame 400 as the TWT management action frame. Conversely, TWT management action field 415 can have a different predefined value (e.g., 0) to provide TWT service period notification (with other possible values ​​reserved for future extensions).

[0032] Referring to Fig. 4. The TWT flow indicator field 416 can have a variable width and can be used to indicate different parallel TWT sessions. Finally, the frame 400 ends with a frame check sequence (FCS) field 418, which is calculated over the header 410 and the rest of the frame 400.

[0033] If, however, no specific code exists for a TWT management action MAC frame, a manufacturer-defined message can be sent as a termination notification. In such cases, the frame's category field can be sent with a manufacturer-specific value to identify the frame as a manufacturer-defined message (and with a corresponding action field and / or flow identification field to provide the termination message as an indication).

[0034] Implementation models can be used in a variety of wireless device applications. With reference to Fig. Figure 5 shows a block diagram of a representative 500 integrated circuit comprising a transceiver circuit as described herein. In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the integrated circuit 500 can, for example, be a multimode radio transceiver that can operate according to several wireless protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) or another device that can be used in a variety of applications, including stations and access points, as described herein (and that is incorporated into the access point 110 and / or the station 120 of Fig. 1 can be integrated). In one or more embodiments, the circuit of the integrated circuit 500 can be implemented on a single semiconductor chip or on separate chips for wireless communication.

[0035] The integrated circuit 500 can be included in a variety of devices, but for the purposes of this discussion, integration into an access point and / or station is assumed. In the embodiment shown, the integrated circuit 500 includes a memory system 510, which in one embodiment may comprise volatile memory, such as RAM, and non-volatile memory, such as flash memory. The flash memory is a non-volatile storage medium that can store instructions and data. In embodiments, this memory may store a TWT management code 605, which can enable and configure the device for station-based TWT service period termination (and additional TWT operations, including TWT mode configuration, operation, and access point-based TWT terminations), as described herein. As further shown, the integrated circuit 500 may also include a memory controller 590.

[0036] The memory system 510 is connected via a bus 550 to one or more digital cores 520, which may comprise one or more cores and / or microcontrollers that function as processing units of the integrated circuit and can perform TWT management operations. The digital cores 520 can, in turn, be coupled to clock generators 530, which can provide one or more phase-locked loops or other clock generator circuits to generate different clocks for use by circuits of the IC.

[0037] As further described, the IC 500 also includes a power circuit 540. Depending on the specific implementation, additional circuits may be present to enable various functions and interactions with external devices. Such circuits may include an interface circuit 560, which provides a digital communication interface with additional circuitry. The IC 500 may also include a safety circuit 570 to implement wireless safety technologies.

[0038] Furthermore, as in Fig. Figure 5 shows a transceiver 580 being provided to enable the transmission and reception of wireless signals, e.g., according to one or more local or wide-area wireless communication schemes, such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15.4, cellular communication, etc. It should be noted that, although this high level of abstraction is shown, many variations and alternatives are possible.

[0039] Although the existing disclosure has been described with respect to a limited number of implementations, those skilled in the art will appreciate the numerous modifications and variations thereof presented in this disclosure. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited non-patent literature

[0000] Zigbee, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15.4

[0038]

Claims

[1] Procedure encompassing: Sending a notification of the end of a service period during which a station is awake, from the station to an access point, where the station and the access point are in a wireless local area network; Receiving confirmation of the notification at the station from the access point; and End of the service period in response to the confirmation. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the termination of the service period comprises causing a radio circuit of the station to enter a low-power mode. [3] Method according to claim 2, further comprising causing the radio circuit to enter low-power mode before a previously planned end of the service period, wherein the service period comprises a target wake-up time service period. [4] Method according to claim 1, wherein the termination of the service period comprises switching the radio circuitry of the station to another wireless protocol for communicating a message over another wireless network. [5] Method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the notification of termination, which includes an action framework. [6] Method according to claim 5, further comprising sending the action frame which includes a target wake-up time management action field. [7] Method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the notification of termination in response to an identification of a condition within the station. [8] Method according to claim 7, wherein the condition comprises an identification of a missing data communication with the access point for at least a threshold time period. [9] Method according to claim 7, wherein the condition comprises an indication of a high-priority message for another wireless communication protocol. [10] Wireless station, comprising: at least one transceiver to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals; and a baseband processor coupled to the at least one transceiver to process baseband signals, wherein the baseband processor during a target wake-up time (TWT) operating mode: via which at least one transmitter / receiver sends a notification about the end of a TWT service period to an access point of a wireless local area network; receives confirmation of the notification from the access point; and The TWT service period ends upon receipt of the confirmation. [11] Wireless station according to claim 10, wherein after the end of the TWT service period the at least one transceiver enters a low-power mode. [12] Wireless station according to claim 10, wherein after the end of the TWT service period the at least one transceiver switches to another wireless protocol for communication of a message over another wireless network. [13] Wireless station according to claim 12, wherein the baseband processor sends the termination notification in response to an indication of the message, which includes a high-priority message for the other wireless network. [14] Wireless station according to claim 10, wherein the wireless station sends an Action Medium Access Control (MAC) frame that includes notification of the end of the TWT service period. [15] Wireless station according to claim 14, wherein the wireless station sends the action MAC frame which has a category field with a TWT management code and an action field with a predetermined value to indicate the end of the TWT service period. [16] Wireless station according to claim 10, wherein the baseband processor sends the termination notification in response to a duration during which no data communication with the access point has taken place that exceeds a threshold time duration. [17] Wireless station according to claim 10, wherein the wireless station: performs a coordination with the access point regarding the TWT operating mode and enters the TWT operating mode, which has at least a minimum TWT wake-up duration that covers the TWT service period; and After receiving the confirmation, the TWT service period ends during the minimum TWT wake-up time. [18] Storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a wireless device to perform a procedure comprising: Sending a notification of the end of a service period during which the wireless device is awake, from the wireless device to an access point, where the wireless device and the access point are in a wireless local area network; Receiving confirmation of the notification on the wireless device from the access point; and After receiving confirmation, the service period ends and at least one transceiver of the wireless device enters a low-power mode. [19] Storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises: Performing a coordination with the access point regarding a target wake-up time (TWT) operating mode; Entering TWT operating mode, having at least a minimum wake-up duration that covers the service period; and After receiving confirmation, the service period ends during the minimum wake-up time. [20] Storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises: Sending the notification of termination, at least partially based on an absence of communication between the wireless device and the access point for at least a threshold duration, wherein the notification includes an action medium access control framework to indicate the termination of the service period.

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