Access points configured for unavailability advertisements using Target Wake-Up Time (TWT)

Abstract

An access point (AP) operating as a Target Wake-Up Time (TWT) scheduling AP encodes a broadcast TWT element to transmit and advertises the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs). When a broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields with a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the AP may set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field of the broadcast TWT element to zero to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, except for other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP. The AP may also set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to 1 to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the time within other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Claim of priority This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 509,497, filed on June 21, 2023 [Docket No. AF4234-Z], which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Technical field Embodiments relate to a wireless local area network (WLAN) compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard.

Background Art

[0003] Managing power consumption in wireless communication systems, particularly in Wi-Fi networks, especially maintaining efficient power usage while ensuring consistent connectivity and data transmission, is a challenge. This is addressed through various mechanisms for managing the active and inactive periods of devices connected to the network, enabling devices to enter a low-power state when not actively transmitting or receiving data. Adjusting these periods is important for optimizing network performance without sacrificing quality of service and reducing power consumption.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] [Figure 1] A block diagram of a wireless architecture according to some embodiments.

[0005] [Figure 2] A diagram showing a front-end module circuit for use in the wireless architecture of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0006] [Figure 3] A diagram showing a wireless IC circuit for use in the wireless architecture of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0007] [Figure 4] This figure shows a baseband processing circuit for use in the wireless architecture of Figure 1, according to several embodiments.

[0008] [Figure 5] This figure shows a WLAN in several embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 6] This is a block diagram of an exemplary machine on which one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) described herein may be performed.

[0010] [Figure 7] This is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless device in which one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies or operations) described herein may be performed.

[0011] [Figure 8] This figure shows broadcast TWT sharing in several embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 9A] This figure shows a first mode of broadcast TWT sharing according to several embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 9B] This figure shows a second mode of broadcast TWT sharing according to several embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The following description and drawings fully illustrate specific embodiments and enable those skilled in the art to implement these embodiments. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other modifications. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or replaced by parts and features of other embodiments. The embodiments described in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0015] In today's digital age, where connectivity is almost as important as the air we breathe, managing the power consumption of Wi-Fi networks has become a critical challenge. This is especially true for battery-powered devices such as smartphones, laptops, and the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Efficient power management not only extends the battery life of these devices but also ensures smoother operation of the entire network.

[0016] One of the key technologies used to manage power consumption in Wi-Fi networks is the use of Target Wake Time (TWT). TWT is a scheduling mechanism that allows a device to determine a specific time when it should wake up to send or receive data. This means that instead of the device constantly staying awake to check for the possibility of communication from the access point (AP), the device can sleep and only wake up at scheduled intervals. This scheduled wake-up reduces the energy used by the device because it spends more time in a low-power state.

[0017] The described embodiments also discuss the concept of a power-saving mode, which is another method used to reduce power consumption. In this mode, the device wakes up intermittently to listen for signals from the AP. If there is no data waiting, it can immediately return to the low-power state. This mode is related to reducing the active time of the device when it is not needed, rather than scheduling, thereby saving power.

[0018] Another element discussed is the beacon frame. This is a type of signal transmitted by the AP that helps synchronize devices connected to the network. It can convey information about the TWT schedule and notify the device of the next wake-up time. By effectively using the beacon frame, the AP can manage multiple devices and ensure that devices wake up only when needed, thus optimizing the power usage of the entire network.

[0019] Service Periods (SP) are also an important element. These are specific times reserved for data transmission between the AP and the device. By effectively managing these periods, the network can ensure that all communications are efficiently managed with minimal power consumption. The device is active during these periods and returns to the low-power state when the communication window closes.

[0020] The described embodiments also introduce a unique aspect of power management that includes a Responder Power Management (PM) field. This field is used by the AP to indicate its power state (whether it is in the active state or in the dormant state outside the scheduled service period). This information is important to enable the device to understand the availability of the AP and adjust its schedule accordingly.

[0021] In the described embodiment, it is proposed to add a new field named "Unavailability outside SP" to the TWT element. This field is set to indicate whether the AP (or device) is completely unavailable outside the service period defined by the TWT. When set to "1", this means that the AP or device will be unavailable during these times, which takes precedence over other rules. When set to "0", this indicates that it is available, meaning that normal power-saving rules apply.

[0022] This field can be implemented in several ways. This field may use a reserved field within the control field of the TWT element, reuse an existing field, or be added as part of a new line in the broadcast TWT recommendation. Alternatively, if the responder PM is set to "1", it can be included in the arithmetic element of the AP to indicate that the unavailability rule applies to all TWT service periods.

[0023] The value of these technologies for users and network operators lies in the ability to reduce power consumption without sacrificing connectivity. For individual users, this means longer battery life and less frequent charging. For network operators, especially those managing large-scale or critical networks, this means more efficient use of resources and reduced operating costs.

[0024] Furthermore, these technologies contribute to the sustainability goals of many organizations by reducing the energy footprint of network operations. In an era where energy efficiency is increasingly in the spotlight, the ability to intelligently manage power in Wi-Fi networks is a significant advantage.

[0025] In summary, the technologies described in these embodiments provide a comprehensive approach to managing power in Wi-Fi networks. By using TWT for precise scheduling, power-saving modes to reduce active time, and innovative fields such as "unavailable outside SP" for clear communication of availability, these technologies help optimize power usage, extend device battery life, and improve network efficiency. This is important not only for user satisfaction but also for the broader goals of energy saving and network management.

[0026] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a wireless architecture 100 in several embodiments. The wireless architecture 100 may include a wireless front-end module (FEM) circuit 104, a wireless IC circuit 106, and a baseband processing circuit 108. The wireless architecture 100 includes both wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth® (BT) functionality, as shown, but embodiments are not limited to that. In this disclosure, “WLAN” and “Wi-Fi” are used interchangeably.

[0027] The FEM circuit 104 may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit 104A and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuit 104B. The WLAN FEM circuit 104A may include a received signal path that includes a circuit configured to act on a WLAN RF signal received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signal, and provide the amplified version of the received signal to the WLAN radio IC circuit 106A for further processing. The BT FEM circuit 104B may include a received signal path that includes a circuit configured to act on a BT RF signal received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signal, and provide the amplified version of the received signal to the BT radio IC circuit 106B for further processing. The FEM circuit 104A may also include a transmitted signal path that includes a circuit configured to amplify the WLAN signal provided by the radio IC circuit 106A for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 101. In addition, the FEM circuit 104B may also include a transmit signal path, which may include a circuit configured to amplify the BT signal provided by the radio IC circuit 106B for wireless transmission by one or more antennas. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the FEM circuits 104A and 104B are shown as separate from each other, but embodiments are not limited in that way, and the use of an FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and / or receive path for both WLAN signals and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuits in which at least a portion of the FEM circuits share a transmit signal path and / or receive signal path for both WLAN signals and BT signals, is within the scope of embodiments.

[0028] The wireless IC circuit 106 may include a WLAN wireless IC circuit 106A and a BT wireless IC circuit 106B, as shown in the figure. The WLAN wireless IC circuit 106A may include a received signal path that includes a circuit for down-converting the WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104A and providing the baseband signal to the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. The BT wireless IC circuit 106B may then include a received signal path that includes a circuit for down-converting the BT RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104B and providing the baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN wireless IC circuit 106A may also include a transmitted signal path that includes a circuit for up-converting the WLAN baseband signal provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and providing the WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104A for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may also include a transmit signal path, which may include a circuit that upconverts the BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuit 108B and provides the BT RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104B for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the radio IC circuits 106A and 106B are shown as separate from each other, but embodiments are not limited in that way, and the use of a radio IC circuit (not shown) that includes transmit signal paths and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN signals and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuits in which at least a portion of the radio IC circuits share transmit signal paths and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN signals and BT signals, is within the scope of embodiments.

[0029] The baseband processing circuit 108 may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and a BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A may include memory such as a set of RAM arrays within a Fast Fourier Transform or inverse Fast Fourier Transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. Each of the WLAN baseband circuit 108A and the BT baseband circuit 108B may further include one or more processors and control logic to process signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receiving signal path of the wireless IC circuit 106 and to generate corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmitting signal path of the wireless IC circuit 106. Each of the baseband processing circuits 108A and 108B may further include physical layer (PHY) and media access control layer (MAC) circuits and may further interface with an application processor 111 for generating and processing baseband signals and for controlling the operation of the wireless IC circuit 106.

[0030] Referring further to Figure 1, according to the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 113 may include logic to provide an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit 108A and the BT baseband circuit 108B to enable use cases requiring the coexistence of WLAN and BT. In addition, a switch 103 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104B to enable switching between the WLAN radio and the BT radio, depending on the application needs. Furthermore, although the antenna 101 is shown to be connected to the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104B, respectively, embodiments may include, within those scopes, sharing one or more antennas, such as between the WLAN and the BT FEM, or providing two or more antennas connected to each of the FEM circuits 104A or 104B.

[0031] In some embodiments, the front-end module circuit 104, the radio IC circuit 106, and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be provided on a single radio card, such as a wireless radio card 102. In some other embodiments, one or more antennas 101, the FEM circuit 104, and the radio IC circuit 106 may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuit 106 and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be provided on a single chip or IC, such as an IC 112.

[0032] In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 102 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communication, but the scope of embodiments is not limited thereto. In some of these embodiments, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured to send and receive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel. The OFDM or OFDMA signal may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0033] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, the wireless architecture 100 may 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 wireless architecture 100 may be configured to transmit and receive signals according to a specific communication standard and / or protocol, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, including the IEEE 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, IEEE 802.11 ac, and / or IEEE 802.11 ax standards and / or specifications proposed for WLAN, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. The wireless architecture 100 is also suitable for transmitting and / or receiving communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0034] In some embodiments, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured for high-efficiency (HE) Wi-Fi (HEW) communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured to communicate in accordance with OFDMA technology, but the scope of embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0035] In some other embodiments, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectral 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, but the scope of embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0036] In some embodiments, as further shown in Figure 1, the BT baseband circuit 108B may conform to a Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standard such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 4.0, or Bluetooth 5.0, or any other version of the Bluetooth standard. In embodiments including BT functionality, such as those shown in Figure 1, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured to establish BT synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) links and / or BT low-energy (BT LE) links. In some embodiments including functionality, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) link for BT communication, but the scope of embodiments is not limited to this. In some of these embodiments including BT functionality, the wireless architecture may be configured to engage BT asynchronous connection-less (ACL) communication, but the scope of embodiments is not limited to this. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1, the functions of a BT wireless card and a WLAN wireless card may be combined in a single wireless wireless card, such as a single wireless wireless card 102, but embodiments are not limited in this way, and separate WLAN and BT wireless cards are included within the scope of embodiments.

[0037] In some embodiments, the wireless architecture 100 may include other wireless cards, such as a cellular wireless card configured for cellular (e.g., LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G communications as defined by 3GPP®).

[0038] In some embodiments of IEEE 802.11, the wireless architecture 100 may be configured for communication 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, 80 MHz (with continuous bandwidth) or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with discontinuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a 320 MHz channel bandwidth may be used. However, the scope of embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

[0039] Figure 2 shows FEM circuit 200 in several embodiments. FEM circuit 200 is an example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as a WLAN and / or BT FEM circuit 104A / 104B (Figure 1), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0040] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 200 may include a TX / RX switch 202 for switching between transmit mode operation and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit 200 may also include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 206 for amplifying the received RF signal 207 and providing the amplified received RF signal 203 as an output (e.g., to the radio IC circuit 106 (Figure 1)). The transmit signal path of the circuit 200 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying the input RF signal 209 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuit 106) and one or more filters 212, such as a bandpass filter (BPF), a low-pass filter (LPF), or other type of filter, for generating an RF signal 215 for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the antennas 101 (Figure 1)).

[0041] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communication, the FEM circuit 200 may be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum or the 5 GHz frequency spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 may include a receive signal path duplexer 204 to separate 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 200 may also include a power amplifier 210, a filter 212 such as a BPF, LPF or another type of filter for each frequency spectrum, and a transmit signal path duplexer 214 that provides a signal from one of the different spectra onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by one or more antennas 101 (Figure 1). In some embodiments, BT communication may utilize the 2.4 GHz signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuit 200 used for WLAN communication.

[0042] Figure 3 shows several embodiments of the wireless integrated circuit (IC) circuit 300. The wireless IC circuit 300 is an example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as a WLAN or BT wireless IC circuit 106A / 106B (Figure 1), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0043] In some embodiments, the wireless IC circuit 300 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the wireless IC circuit 300 may include at least a mixer circuit 302, such as a down-conversion mixer circuit, an amplifier circuit 306, and a filter circuit 308. The transmit signal path of the wireless IC circuit 300 may include at least a filter circuit 312 and a mixer circuit 314, such as an up-conversion mixer circuit. The wireless IC circuit 300 may also include a synthesizer circuit 304 for combining the frequencies 305 used by the mixer circuits 302 and 314. The mixer circuits 302 and / or 314 may each be configured to provide direct conversion functionality according to some embodiments. The latter type of circuit presents a much simpler architecture compared to a standard superheterodyne mixer circuit, and the resulting flicker noise can be mitigated, for example, through the use of OFDM modulation. Figure 3 shows only a simplified version of the wireless IC circuit and may include embodiments where each illustrated circuit may contain two or more components, although these are not shown. For example, depending on the application needs, mixer circuits 320 and / or 314 may each contain one or more mixers, and filter circuits 308 and / or 312 may each contain one or more filters such as BPF and / or LPF. For example, when the mixer circuits are of the direct conversion type, these circuits may each contain two or more mixers.

[0044] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 302 may be configured to downconvert the RF signal 207 received from the FEM circuit 104 (Figure 1) based on the combined frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuit 304. The amplifier circuit 306 may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuit 308 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to produce an output baseband signal 307. The output baseband signal 307 may be provided to the baseband processing circuit 108 (Figure 1) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 307 may be a zero-frequency baseband signal, but this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 302 may include a passive mixer, but the scope of embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0045] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 314 may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal 311 based on the combined frequency 305 provided by the synthesizer circuit 304 to generate the RF output signal 209 for the FEM circuit 104. The baseband signal 311 is provided by the baseband processing circuit 108 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 312. The filter circuit 312 may include an LPF or a BPF, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0046] In some embodiments, mixer circuits 302 and 314 may each include two or more mixers, each configured for quadrature down-conversion and / or up-conversion with the help of synthesizer circuit 304. In some embodiments, mixer circuits 302 and 314 may each include two or more mixers each configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuits 302 and 314 may each be configured for direct down-conversion and / or direct up-conversion. In some embodiments, mixer circuits 302 and 314 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, but this is not a requirement.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the mixer circuit 302 may include a quadrature passive mixer (for example, for in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, the RF input signal 207 from Figure 3 may be down-converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

[0048] The quadrature passive mixer receives the LO frequency (f) of the synthesizer circuit 304 (Figure 3) from the local oscillator or synthesizer, such as the LO frequency 305. LO The LO frequency may be driven by 0-degree and 90-degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by an orthogonal circuit that can be configured to receive the LO frequency. In some embodiments, the LO frequency is the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the 0-degree and 90-degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by a synthesizer, but the scope of embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0049] In some embodiments, the LO signal may have different duty cycles (the percentage of time the LO signal is high) and / or offsets (the difference between the start points of the periods). In some embodiments, the LO signal may have a 25% duty cycle and a 50% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) paths) may operate with a 25% duty cycle, which can result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0050] The RF input signal 207 (Figure 2) may include a balanced signal, but the scope of the embodiment is not limited thereto. The I and Q baseband output signals may be supplied to a low-nose amplifier such as amplifier circuit 306 (Figure 3) or filter circuit 308 (Figure 3).

[0051] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 307 and the input baseband signal 311 may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited thereto. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal 307 and the input baseband signal 311 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the wireless IC circuit may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit.

[0052] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate wireless IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum or for other spectra not mentioned herein, but the scope of embodiments is not limited thereto.

[0053] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 304 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, the synthesizer circuit 304 may be a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop having a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 304 may include a digital synthesizer circuit. The advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint can be scaled down considerably compared to that of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to the synthesizer circuit 304 may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. Depending on the desired output frequency 305, a divider control input may be further provided by either the baseband processing circuit 108 (Figure 1) or the application processor 111 (Figure 1). In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table (e.g., in a Wi-Fi card) based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or instructed by the application processor 111.

[0054] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 304 may be configured to generate the carrier frequency as the output frequency 305, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 305 may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 305 is the LO frequency (f LO ) is also acceptable.

[0055] Figure 4 shows a functional block diagram of the baseband processing circuit 400 according to several embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 400 is an example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuit 108 (Figure 1), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable. The baseband processing circuit 400 may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 402 for processing the received baseband signal 309 provided by the radio IC circuit 106 (Figure 1), and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 404 for generating the transmit baseband signal 311 for the radio IC circuit 106. The baseband processing circuit 400 may also include control logic 406 for coordinating the operation of the baseband processing circuit 400.

[0056] In some embodiments (for example, when an analog baseband signal is exchanged between the baseband processing circuit 400 and the radio IC circuit 106), the baseband processing circuit 400 may include an ADC 410 that converts the analog baseband signal received from the radio IC circuit 106 into a digital baseband signal for processing by the RX BBP 402. In these embodiments, the baseband processing circuit 400 may also include a DAC 412 to convert the digital baseband signal from the TX BBP 404 into an analog baseband signal.

[0057] In some embodiments where OFDM or OFDMA signals are communicated via a baseband processing circuit 108A, the TX BBP404 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The RX BBP402 may be configured to process the received OFDM or OFDMA signal by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the RX BBP402 may 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 preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0058] Referring to Figure 1, in some embodiments, antenna 101 (Figure 1) may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, each including, for example, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, a patch antenna, a loop antenna, a microstrip antenna, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multi-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the resulting different channel characteristics. Each antenna 101 may include a set of phased array antennas, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0059] Although the wireless architecture 100 is illustrated as having several distinct functional elements, one or more of these functional elements may be combined, and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including a digital signal processor (DSP), 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 various combinations of hardware and logic circuits to perform at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating in one or more processing elements.

[0060] Figure 5 shows WLAN500 in several embodiments. WLAN500 may include a Basic Service Set (BSS) which may include an access point (AP) 502, multiple stations (STAs) 504, and multiple legacy devices 506. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or AP 502 are configured to operate with extremely high throughput (EHT) and / or high efficiency (HE) IEEE 802.11ax in accordance with IEEE 802.11be. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or AP 520 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11az. In some embodiments, IEEE 802.11EHT may be referred to as Next Generation 802.11 or a later standard. STA504 and AP502 (or their devices) may be configured to operate in accordance with IEEE P802.11be® / D2.2, October 2022 and IEEE P802.11-REVme® / D2.0, October 2022, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. AP502 and / or STA504 may operate in accordance with different versions of the communication standards.

[0061] AP502 may be an AP that transmits and receives using IEEE 802.11. AP502 may be a base station. AP502 may use other communication protocols in addition to the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The EHT protocol may be called by different names according to some embodiments. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may 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 may include multiple access techniques. For example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol may include spatial division multiple access (SDMA) and / or multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). There may be two or more EHT APs that are part of an extended service set (ESS). A controller (not shown) may store information common to two or more AP502s and control two or more BSSs, for example, assigning primary channels and colors. AP502 may be connected to the internet.

[0062] Legacy device 506 may operate in accordance with one or more of the following legacy wireless communication standards: IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ad / af / ah / aj / ay / ax / be. Legacy device 506 may be an STA or an IEEE STA. STA 504 may be a wireless transceiver such as a mobile phone, portable electronic wireless communication device, smartphone, handheld radio device, wireless glasses, wireless watch, wireless personal device, tablet, or another device that can send and receive using the IEEE 802.11 protocol, such as IEEE 802.11be, or another wireless protocol.

[0063] AP502 may communicate with legacy device 506 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology. In an exemplary embodiment, AP502 may also be configured to communicate with STA504 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology.

[0064] In some embodiments, the HE or EHT frame may be configured to have the same bandwidth as the channel. The HE or EHT frame may be a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, PPDU may be an abbreviation for Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, there may be several types of PPDUs that have different fields and different physical layers and / or different media access control (MAC) layers. For example, single-user (SU) PPDU, multi-user (MU) PPDU, extended-range (ER) SU PPDU, and / or trigger-based (TB) PPDU. In some embodiments, the EHT may be identical or similar to the HE PPDU.

[0065] The channel bandwidth may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, 160 MHz, 160+160 MHz, 320 MHz, 320+320 MHz, or 640 MHz. In some embodiments, channel bandwidths less than 20 MHz may be 1 MHz, 1.25 MHz, 2.03 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4.06 MHz, 5 MHz, and 10 MHz, or a combination thereof, or another bandwidth less than or equal to the available bandwidth may be used. In some embodiments, the channel bandwidth may be based on the number of active data subcarriers. In some embodiments, the channel bandwidth is based on 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2 × 996 active data subcarriers or tones spaced at 20 MHz intervals. In some embodiments, the channel bandwidth is 256 tones spaced at 20 MHz intervals. In some embodiments, the channels are multiples of 26 tones or multiples of 20 MHz. In some embodiments, a 20 MHz channel may include 242 active data subcarriers or tones, which can determine the size of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The allocation of bandwidth or tones or subcarriers may, according to some embodiments, be referred to as resource unit (RU) allocation.

[0066] In some embodiments, the 26-subcarrier RU and the 52-subcarrier RU are used in OFDMA HE PPDU formats at 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz. In some embodiments, the 106-subcarrier RU is used in OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats at 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz. In some embodiments, the 242-subcarrier RU is used in OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats at 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz. In some embodiments, the 484-subcarrier RU is used in OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats at 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz. In some embodiments, the 996-subcarrier RU is used in OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats at 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz. In some embodiments, two or more RUs are combined into a MRU.

[0067] HE or EHT frames may be configured to transmit multiple spatial streams, which may conform to MU-MIMO or OFDMA. In other embodiments, AP502, STA504, and / or legacy devices 506 may also implement different technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized), IS-2000 (Interim Standard 2000), IS-95 (Interim Standard 95), IS-856 (Interim Standard 856), LTE (Long Term Evolution), GSM® (Global System for Mobile communications), EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution), GERAN (GSM EDGE), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)), Bluetooth®, Low Power Bluetooth®, or other technologies.

[0068] According to some embodiments of IEEE 802.11, e.g., the IEEE 802.11EHT / ax embodiment, an HE AP may operate as a primary station that can be configured to compete for the radio medium (e.g., during a competition period) to receive exclusive control of the medium for a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP). AP502 may transmit an EHT / HE trigger frame transmission, which may include a schedule of simultaneous UL / DL transmissions from STA504. AP502 may transmit the duration and subchannel information of the TXOP. During the TXOP, STA504 may communicate with AP502 according to a non-compete-based multiple access technique such as OFDMA or MU-MIMO. This differs from conventional WLAN communication, where devices communicate according to a competition-based communication technique rather than a multiple access technique. During the HE or EHT control period, AP502 may communicate with STA504 using one or more HE or EHT frames. During the TXOP, the HE STA may operate on a subchannel smaller than the operating range of AP502. During the TXOP, legacy stations refrain from communication. Legacy stations may need to receive communications from HE APs in order to delay their own communications.

[0069] According to some embodiments, during a TXOP, STA 504 may compete for the radio medium, while legacy device 506 is excluded from radio medium contention during synchronous transmission. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may indicate a UL-MU-MIMO and / or UL OFDMA TXOP. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may include DL UL-MU-MIMO and / or DL ​​OFDMA in a schedule indicated in the preamble portion of the trigger frame.

[0070] In some embodiments, the multiple access technique used between HE or EHT TXOP may be, but is not required, a scheduled OFDMA technique. 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.

[0071] AP502 may also communicate with legacy devices 506 and / or STA504 in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology. In some embodiments, AP502 may also be configured to communicate with STA504 outside the TXOP in accordance with legacy IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.11EHT / ax communication technology, but this is not a requirement.

[0072] In some embodiments, the STA504 may be the "group owner" (GO) in peer-to-peer operation mode. The wireless device may be the STA504 or the HE AP.

[0073] In some embodiments, the STA504 and / or AP502 may be configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11mc. In an exemplary embodiment, the wireless architecture of Figure 1 is configured to implement the STA504 and / or AP502. In an exemplary embodiment, the front-end module circuit of Figure 2 is configured to implement the STA504 and / or AP502. In an exemplary embodiment, the wireless IC circuit of Figure 3 is configured to implement the STA504 and / or AP502. In an exemplary embodiment, the baseband processing circuit of Figure 4 is configured to implement the STA504 and / or AP502.

[0074] In exemplary embodiments, the STA504, AP502, the STA504 apparatus, and / or the AP502 apparatus may include one or more of the wireless architecture of Figure 1, the front-end module circuit of Figure 2, the wireless IC circuit of Figure 3, and / or the baseband processing circuit of Figure 4.

[0075] In exemplary embodiments, the wireless architecture of Figure 1, the front-end module circuit of Figure 2, the wireless IC circuit of Figure 3, and / or the baseband processing circuit of Figure 4 may be configured to perform the methods and operations / functions described herein in relation to Figures 1 to 12.

[0076] In exemplary embodiments, the STA504 and / or HE AP are configured to perform the methods and operations / functions described herein in relation to Figures 1 to 12. In exemplary embodiments, the STA504 apparatus and / or AP502 apparatus are configured to perform the methods and functions described herein in relation to Figures 1 to 12. The term Wi-Fi may refer to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 communication standards. AP and STA may refer to EHT / HE access points and / or EHT / HE stations, as well as legacy device 506.

[0077] In some embodiments, HE AP STA may refer to AP502 and / or STA504 operating as EHT AP. In some embodiments, when STA504 is not operating as AP, it may be referred to as non-AP STA or non-AP. In some embodiments, STA504 may be referred to as either AP STA or non-AP. In some embodiments, AP502 is the AP of AP MLD. In some embodiments, STA504 is the STA of non-AP MLD 3809.

[0078] Figure 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary machine 600 in which one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) described herein may be implemented. In alternative embodiments, machine 600 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected to other machines (e.g., networked). In a networked configuration, machine 600 may operate as a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In one example, machine 600 may function as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Machine 600 may be an HE AP, EHT STA, personal computer (PC), tablet PC, set-top box (STB), personal digital assistant (PDA), portable communication device, mobile phone, smartphone, web device, network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) specifying actions to be performed by that machine. Furthermore, although only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” also includes any set of machines that individually or collectively execute a set of instructions (or sets of instructions) to perform one or more of the methods described herein, such as cloud computing, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and other computer cluster configurations.

[0079] The machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include hardware processors 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), main memory 604, and static memory 606, some or all of which can communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., a bus) 608.

[0080] Specific examples of main memory 604 include random access memory (RAM) and semiconductor memory devices, which in some embodiments may include storage locations within semiconductors such as registers. Specific examples of static memory 606 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 disks, magneto-optical disks, RAM, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0081] Machine 600 may further include a display device 610, an input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 610, the input device 612, and the UI navigation device 614 may be touchscreen displays. Machine 600 may also include a mass storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 620, and one or more sensors 621 such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensor. Machine 600 may also include an output controller 628 for communicating with or controlling one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader) via serial (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near-field communication (NFC)) communication. In some embodiments, the processor 602 and / or instruction 624 may comprise processing circuits and / or transceiver circuits.

[0082] The mass storage device 616 may include a machine-readable medium 622 storing one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 (e.g., software) that are embodied or utilized by one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 624 may also reside, all or at least partially, in main memory 604, static memory 606, or hardware processor 602 during execution by machine 600. In one example, one or any combination of hardware processor 602, main memory 604, static memory 606, or mass storage device 616 may constitute the machine-readable medium.

[0083] Specific examples of machine-readable media may 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 disks, magneto-optical disks, RAM, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0084] Although the machine-readable medium 622 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single or multiple mediums configured to store one or more instructions 624 (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers).

[0085] The apparatus of machine 600 may be one or more of the following: hardware processor 602 (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), main memory 604 and static memory 606, sensor 621, network interface device 620, antenna 660, display device 610, input device 612, UI navigation device 614, mass storage device 616, instruction 624, signal generation device 618 and output controller 628. The apparatus may be configured to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. The apparatus may be configured to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. The apparatus may be intended as a component of machine 600 to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein and / or a portion of one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include pins or other means for receiving power. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include power regulation hardware.

[0086] The term “machine-readable medium” may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 600, and causing machine 600 to execute any one or more of the technologies of this disclosure, or capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable mediums may include solid-state memory, as well as optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediums 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 disks, magneto-optical disks, RAM, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine-readable medium may include non-temporary machine-readable medium. In some examples, machine-readable medium may include machine-readable medium that is not a temporary carrier signal.

[0087] Instruction 624 may further be transmitted or received via a communication network 626 using a transmission medium via a network interface device 620 that utilizes any one of several transport protocols (e.g., Frame Relay, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). Illustrative communication networks may include, among others, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), packet data networks (e.g., the Internet), mobile phone networks (e.g., cellular networks), POTS (Plain Old Telephone) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, the IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), the IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, etc.

[0088] In one example, the network interface device 620 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 626. In one example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more antennas 660 for wireless communication using at least one of the following technologies: single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO). In some examples, the network interface device 620 may communicate wirelessly using multi-user MIMO technology. The term “transmission medium” is to be interpreted as including any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 600, including digital or analog communication signals or other intangible mediums that facilitate communication of such software.

[0089] The embodiments described herein may include, or operate on, logic, or a set of components, modules, or mechanisms. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) capable of performing a specified operation and may be configured or arranged in a particular manner. In one example, a circuit may be arranged in a manner designated as a module (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits). In one example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., standalone, client, or server computer systems), or one or more hardware processors, may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, application parts, or applications) as modules that operate to perform a specified operation. In one example, the software may reside on a machine-readable medium. In one example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform a specified operation.

[0090] Therefore, the term “module” is understood to encompass tangible entities, which are entities that are physically constructed and specifically configured (e.g., hardwired) to operate in a specified manner or to perform some or all of the operations described herein, or entities that are provisionally configured (e.g., temporarily). Considering an example where a module is temporarily configured, each module does not need to be instantiated at any given time. For example, when a module includes a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured as different modules at separate times. Thus, the software may configure the hardware processor to, for example, configure a particular module at one time and a different module at another time.

[0091] Some embodiments may be implemented, in whole or in part, in software and / or firmware. This software and / or firmware may be contained in or on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium in the form of instructions. These instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable the execution of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, but are not limited to, source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Such computer-readable medium may include, but are not limited to, any tangible non-temporary medium for storing information in a format readable by one or more computers, such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage medium, optical storage medium, flash memory, etc.

[0092] Figure 7 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless device 700 in which one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods or operations) described herein can be performed. The wireless device 700 may be an HE device or an HE wireless device. The wireless device 700 may be an HE STA, HE AP, and / or HE STA or HE AP. The HE STA, HE AP, and / or HE AP or HE STA may include some or all of the components shown in Figures 1 to 7. The wireless device 700 may be an exemplary machine 600, as disclosed in connection with Figure 6.

[0093] The wireless device 700 may include a processing circuit 708. The processing circuit 708 may include a transceiver 702, a physical layer circuit (PHY circuit) 704, and a MAC layer circuit (MAC circuit) 706, one or more of which may enable the transmission and reception of signals to and from other wireless devices 700 (e.g., HE AP, HE STA, and / or legacy device 506) using one or more antennas 712. As an example, the PHY circuit 704 may perform various coding and decoding functions, which may include forming a baseband signal for transmission and decoding of received signals. As another example, the transceiver 702 may perform various transmission and reception functions, such as converting signals between the baseband range and the radio frequency (RF) range.

[0094] Therefore, the PHY circuit 704 and the transceiver 702 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component, such as the processing circuit 708. In addition, some of the described functions related to signal transmission and reception may be performed by a combination of the PHY circuit 704, the transceiver 702, the MAC circuit 706, the memory 710, and one or all of the other components or layers. The MAC circuit 706 may control access to the wireless medium. The wireless device 700 may also include a memory 710 configured to perform the operations described herein, and for example, some of the operations described herein may be performed by instructions stored in the memory 710.

[0095] Antenna 712 (some embodiments may include only one antenna) may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, a patch antenna, a loop antenna, a microstrip antenna, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multi-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, antenna 712 may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the resulting different channel characteristics.

[0096] One or more of the memory 710, transceiver 702, PHY circuit 704, MAC circuit 706, antenna 712, and / or processing circuit 708 may be coupled to one another. Furthermore, although the memory 710, transceiver 702, PHY circuit 704, MAC circuit 706, and antenna 712 are shown as separate components, one or more of the memory 710, transceiver 702, PHY circuit 704, MAC circuit 706, and antenna 712 may be integrated into an electronic package or chip.

[0097] In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be a mobile device, as described in relation to Figure 6. In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards as described herein (e.g., IEEE 802.11 as described in relation to Figures 1 to 6). In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may include one or more of the components described in relation to Figure 6 (e.g., a display device 610 or an input device 612). Although the wireless device 700 is illustrated as having several distinct functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined, and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements such as a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP) 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 various combinations of hardware and logic circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating in one or more processing elements.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus of the wireless device 700, or the apparatus used by the wireless device 700, may include various components of the wireless device 700 shown in Figure 7, and / or components from Figures 1 to 6. Thus, in some embodiments, the techniques and operations described herein with reference to the wireless device 700 may be applicable to apparatus for the wireless device 700 (e.g., HE AP and / or HE STA). In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 is configured to decode and / or encode signals, packets, and / or frames, such as PPDUs, as described herein.

[0099] In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 706 may be configured to receive control of the medium for the HE TXOP and to compete for the radio medium during the competition period in order to encode or decode the HE PPDU. In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 706 may be configured to compete for the radio medium based on channel competition settings, transmit power levels, and clear channel evaluation levels (e.g., energy detection levels).

[0100] The PHY circuit 704 may be configured to transmit signals according to one or more communication standards described herein. For example, the PHY circuit 704 may be configured to transmit HE PPDU. The PHY circuit 704 may include circuits for modulation / demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, and amplification. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 708 may include one or more processors. The processing circuit 708 may be configured to perform functions based on instructions stored in RAM or ROM, or based on dedicated circuits. The processing circuit 708 may include processors such as general-purpose processors or dedicated processors. The processing circuit 708 may implement one or more functions associated with the antenna 712, transceiver 702, PHY circuit 704, MAC circuit 706, and / or memory 710. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 708 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions / operations and / or methods described herein.

[0101] In millimeter-wave technology, communication between a station (e.g., HE STA or radio device 700 in Figure 5) and an access point (e.g., HE AP or radio device 700 in Figure 5) can use a relevant, effective radio channel that is highly direction-dependent. To accommodate directivity, beamforming techniques may be used to radiate energy in a specific direction with a specific beamwidth for communication between two devices. Directional propagation concentrates the transmitted energy on the target device to compensate for significant energy loss in the channel between the two communication devices. Using directional transmission can extend the range of millimeter-wave communication compared to using the same transmission energy in omnidirectional propagation.

[0102] Figure 8 shows broadcast TWT sharing in several embodiments. In Figure 8, AP 802 operates as a Target Wake-up Time (TWT) scheduling AP and can encode broadcast TWT elements for transmission in beacon frame 806. In these embodiments, broadcast TWT elements can advertise the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT Service Periods (SPs) 808, 810. A broadcast TWT element may carry one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1 (B-TWT SP(ID=0, R-PM=1)). An AP may be unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs 808, 810. Between one or more broadcast TWT SPs 808, the AP may allow non-AP stations (STAs) 804, which are members of the AP's BSS, to discover, probe, and associate with the AP when they are not associated, and once associated, may allow the STAs to negotiate other service periods to operate with the AP by negotiating [individual or broadcast] TWTs with the AP. Between one or more broadcast TWT SPs 810, the AP may be available to communicate with non-AP STAs 804.

[0103] Figure 9A shows a first mode of broadcast TWT sharing according to several embodiments. In these embodiments, when a broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the AP may set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of zero to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, except for other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP. As shown in Figure 9A, the AP is available (i.e., GO active) during broadcast TWT SP 902 and is also available outside of broadcast TWT SP 902 during other TWT SPs (i.e., iTWT1 and iTWT2) set up by or advertised by the AP.

[0104] Figure 9B shows a second mode of broadcast TWT sharing according to several embodiments. In these embodiments, when a broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the AP may indicate that it is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during any time it is in other TWT SPs set up by the AP or advertised by the AP, by setting the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of 1. As shown in Figure 9B, the AP is available (i.e., GO active) during broadcast TWT SP 912 and unavailable outside of broadcast TWT SP 912 during other TWT SPs set up by the AP or advertised by the AP (i.e., iTWT1 and iTWT2).

[0105] Embodiments described herein relate to the management of power consumption in a wireless local area network (WLAN) by using scheduling mechanisms known as target wake time (TWT) and power saving modes. These mechanisms are implemented to improve the efficiency of power usage across network-connected devices, such as access points (APs) and non-access point stations (STAs).

[0106] In some examples, an access point (AP) comprises processing circuitry and memory. The processing circuitry is configured to encode broadcast TWT elements for transmission. These broadcast TWT elements advertise the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs). The broadcast TWT elements include control fields, which play a crucial role in indicating the availability of the AP outside of these service periods.

[0107] The control field may include an NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield. This subfield is set to a value of 0 or 1. When set to 0, it indicates that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, except for other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP. Conversely, when set to 1, it indicates that the AP is completely unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including during the time it is set up by or advertised by the AP.

[0108] In some examples, the AP's processing circuitry is further configured to set the responder PM mode subfield to a value of 1. This setting indicates that the AP will enter a doze state outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs. This configuration helps reduce power consumption when the AP is not actively involved in data transmission.

[0109] In addition, the AP may encode the broadcast TWT element for transmission in a beacon frame scheduled for the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT). This scheduling ensures that the broadcast TWT element is transmitted at the optimal time, maintaining network synchronization and efficiency.

[0110] In some cases, during one or more broadcast TWT SPs, the AP's processing circuitry allows non-AP stations (STAs), which are members of the AP's basic service set (BSS), to discover, probe, and associate with the AP when they are not associated. Once associated, these STAs may negotiate other service periods to operate with the AP by negotiating individual or broadcast TWTs with the AP.

[0111] Furthermore, the described technology may include a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executed by the AP's processing circuitry. These instructions enable the AP to perform the aforementioned configuration and settings, thereby facilitating efficient power management in the WLAN.

[0112] In some examples, a non-access point station (STA) includes processing circuitry and memory configured to decode broadcast TWT elements received from an access point (AP). The STA's processing circuitry determines whether the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of 0 or 1, and configures its operation accordingly. This allows the STA to effectively manage its power consumption by aligning its active period with the AP's active period based on the broadcast TWT schedule.

[0113] These technical details demonstrate a comprehensive approach to managing power consumption in WLANs through the use of TWT scheduling and power-saving modes, thereby improving network efficiency and device battery life.

[0114] Some embodiments relate to access points (APs) configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN). In these embodiments, when the AP is operating as a target wake-up time (TWT) scheduling AP, the AP encodes a broadcast TWT element for transmission, and the broadcast TWT element advertises the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs). The broadcast TWT element may include a control field. When the broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the AP may set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of zero to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, except for other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP. An AP may set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of 1 to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including for any time the AP is in another TWT SP set up by or advertised by the AP.

[0115] In these embodiments, the AP sets the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of zero, indicating that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, except that the AP is available during TWT SPs set up or advertised by the AP if such TWT SPs exist. In these embodiments, the AP sets the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of 1, indicating that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, and that it is unavailable during TWT SPs set up or advertised by the AP that are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs if such TWT SPs exist.

[0116] In some embodiments, the AP may set the Responder PM Mode subfield to a value of 1 to indicate that the AP will go into a dormant state outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs.

[0117] In some embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1, the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs and cannot receive PPDUs.

[0118] In some embodiments, the AP may encode a broadcast TWT element for transmission within a beacon frame scheduled for the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT).

[0119] When a broadcast TWT element is encoded so that its TWT ID is set to a value of zero and its responder PM mode subfield is set to a value of 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to remain active for one or more broadcast TWT SPs indicated by the beacon TWT schedule within the beacon frame. An example of this is shown in Figure 8 (i.e., BCST TWT SP ID0 RPM1).

[0120] In some embodiments, during one or more broadcast TWT SPs, the processing circuit is configured to allow non-AP stations (STAs) that are members of the AP's BSS to discover, probe, and associate with the AP when they are not associated, and once associated, to allow the STAs to negotiate other service periods to operate with the AP by negotiating individual or broadcast TWTs with the AP.

[0121] In some embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to be available in a negotiated individual or broadcast TWT, which is outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs.

[0122] When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to be unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during negotiated individual or broadcast TWTs.

[0123] In some embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to encode a frame for transmission between other TWT SPs that are set up in or advertised by the AP, which are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs.

[0124] When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to refrain from encoding frames for transmission between other TWT SPs that are set up in or advertised by the AP and are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs.

[0125] In some embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to decode frames received between other TWT SPs set up in or advertised by the AP that are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs.

[0126] When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to refrain from decoding frames between other TWT SPs that are set up in or advertised by the AP and are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs.

[0127] Some embodiments relate to a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions to be executed by the processing circuitry of an access point (AP) device configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN). In these embodiments, when the AP is operating as a target wake-up time (TWT) scheduling AP, the processing circuitry may encode a broadcast TWT element for transmission. In these embodiments, the broadcast TWT element may advertise the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs). In these embodiments, when the broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the processing circuitry may set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of zero to indicate that the AP is unavailable except for one or more broadcast TWT SPs, with the exception of other TWT SPs set up on or advertised by the AP. In these embodiments, when a broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the processing circuit may set the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of 1 to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the time it is set up in or advertised by the AP.

[0128] Some embodiments relate to a non-access point station (STA) configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN). In these embodiments, the STA may decode a broadcast TWT element received from an AP operating as a target wake-up time (TWT) scheduling AP, the broadcast TWT element advertising the broadcast TWT with one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs), and the broadcast TWT element includes a control field. When the broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the STA may determine whether the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of zero or 1. In these embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of zero, the AP is unavailable except for one or more broadcast TWT SPs, with the exception of other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP. In these embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of 1, the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the time that the AP is set up or advertised by the AP.

[0129] In these embodiments, when the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the STA may encode a frame for transmission to the AP between other TWT SPs set up at or advertised by the AP that are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the STA may refrain from encoding a frame for transmission to the AP between other TWT SPs set up at or advertised by the AP that are outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs. In these embodiments, the STA may receive a broadcast TWT element from the AP in a beacon frame scheduled for the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT).

[0130] An abstract is provided in accordance with 37 C. FR Section 1.72(b), which requires an abstract that allows the reader to confirm the nature and essence of the technical disclosure. It is presented under the understanding that it is not to be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are incorporated into the detailed description, and each claim exists independently as a distinct embodiment.

Claims

1. An access point (AP) device configured to operate on a wireless local area network (WLAN), the device comprising a processing circuit and a memory, When the AP is operating as a Target Wake-Up Time (TWT) scheduling AP, the processing circuit: A broadcast TWT element is configured to encode for transmission, the broadcast TWT element advertises the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs), and the broadcast TWT element includes a control field. When the broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the processing circuit: The NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of zero to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs, with the exception of other TWT SPs set up on or advertised by the AP. The control field is configured to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the time it is set up on the AP or advertised by the AP, by setting the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of 1. Device.

2. The processing circuit is configured to set the responder PM mode subfield to a value of 1, indicating that the AP enters a dormant state outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. The apparatus according to claim 1.

3. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1, the AP is unavailable outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs and cannot receive PPDUs. The apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The processing circuit is configured to encode the broadcast TWT element for transmission by the AP within a beacon frame scheduled for the target beacon transmission time (TBTT), When the broadcast TWT element is encoded to set the TWT ID to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield to a value of 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to remain active for the duration of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs indicated by the beacon TWT schedule in the beacon frame. The apparatus according to claim 3.

5. During one or more broadcast TWT SPs, the processing circuit is configured to enable non-AP stations (STAs) that are members of the AP's BSS to discover, probe, and associate with the AP when they are not associated, and once associated, enable the STAs to negotiate other service periods to operate with the AP by negotiating the TWT with the AP. The apparatus according to claim 4.

6. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to be available in a negotiated TWT that is outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to be unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the negotiated TWT. The apparatus according to claim 4.

7. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to encode frames for transmission between the other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP, When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to refrain from encoding frames for transmission between the APs that are set up at the APs outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs or advertised by the APs. The apparatus according to claim 4.

8. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to decode frames received between the other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP, which are outside the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to refrain from decoding frames between other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP and are outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. The apparatus according to claim 4.

9. A computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions to be executed by the processing circuit of an access point (AP) device configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN), wherein when the AP is operating as a target wake-up time (TWT) scheduling AP, the processing circuit: A broadcast TWT element is configured to encode for transmission, the broadcast TWT element advertises the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs), and the broadcast TWT element includes a control field. When the broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the processing circuit: The NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of zero to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs, with the exception of other TWT SPs set up on or advertised by the AP. The control field is configured to indicate that the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the time it is set up on the AP or advertised by the AP, by setting the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field to a value of 1. Computer-readable storage medium.

10. The processing circuit is configured to set the responder PM mode subfield to a value of 1, indicating that the AP enters a dormant state outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9.

11. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1, the AP is unavailable outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs and cannot receive PPDUs. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10.

12. The processing circuit is configured to encode the broadcast TWT element for transmission by the AP within a beacon frame scheduled for the target beacon transmission time (TBTT), When the broadcast TWT element is encoded to set the TWT ID to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield to a value of 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to remain active for the duration of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs indicated by the beacon TWT schedule in the beacon frame. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11.

13. During one or more broadcast TWT SPs, the processing circuit is configured to enable non-AP stations (STAs) that are members of the AP's BSS to discover, probe, and associate with the AP when they are not associated, and once associated, enable the STAs to negotiate other service periods to operate with the AP by negotiating the TWT with the AP. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12.

14. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to be available in a negotiated TWT that is outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to be unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the negotiated TWT. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12.

15. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to encode frames for transmission between the other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP, When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to refrain from encoding frames for transmission between the APs that are set up at the APs outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs or advertised by the APs. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12.

16. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to decode frames received between the other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP, which are outside the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the AP to refrain from decoding frames between other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP and are outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12.

17. A device for a non-access point station (STA) configured to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the device comprising a processing circuit and a memory, The aforementioned processing circuit is It is configured to decode broadcast TWT elements received from an access point (AP) operating as a target wake-up time (TWT) scheduling AP, the broadcast TWT element advertises the broadcast TWT using one or more broadcast TWT service periods (SPs), and the broadcast TWT element includes a control field. When the broadcast TWT element carries one or more broadcast TWT parameter set fields having a broadcast TWT ID subfield equal to zero and a responder power management (PM) mode subfield equal to 1, the processing circuit: The system is configured to determine whether the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of zero or a value of one. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of zero, the AP is unavailable outside of the one or more broadcast TWT SPs, except for other TWT SPs set up by or advertised by the AP. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield of the control field is set to a value of 1, the AP is unavailable outside of one or more broadcast TWT SPs, including being unavailable during the time it is set up in or advertised by the AP in the other TWT SPs. Device.

18. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of zero and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the STA to encode a frame for transmission to the AP between the other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP. The apparatus according to claim 17.

19. When the NDP paging indicator / unavailable mode subfield is set to a value of 1 and the responder PM mode subfield is equal to 1, the processing circuit configures the STA to refrain from encoding frames for transmission to the AP during the other TWT SPs that are set up at or advertised by the AP. The apparatus according to claim 18.

20. The processing circuit is configured to receive the broadcast TWT element from the AP within a beacon frame scheduled for the target beacon transmission time (TBTT). The apparatus according to claim 19.

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