Access Point Sleep Mode Control for Wake-Up Traffic Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless network congestion and high latency occur due to the use of Wake Up Signals (WUS) to transition devices from sleep mode, consuming bandwidth and affecting network performance in high-traffic environments.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method to manage networked sleep mode by measuring network conditions, identifying subsets of devices to transition to active mode, and transmitting tear-down messages to control device sleep states based on observed and predicted conditions, using low-data-rate WUS frames in the same frequency bands as active signals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If Wake Up Signals (WUS) are transmitted to transition devices from sleep mode to active mode, then devices can be awakened from sleep mode, but network bandwidth is consumed and network congestion and latency increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice wake-up reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork data throughput
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts sleep mode management based on real-time network conditions. The AP monitors network traffic load and device activity patterns, then adaptively controls which devices can enter sleep mode and when WUS should be transmitted, optimizing the balance between power saving and network performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining devices in active mode during periods of high network traffic or upcoming data transmissions. The AP predicts future network conditions and prevents devices from entering sleep mode in advance, or schedules WUS transmission to coincide with available network capacity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If multiple devices transition from sleep mode simultaneously, then more devices become active to handle network traffic, but network congestion increases due to multiple WUS transmissions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork capacity utilizationVSAvoidnetwork latency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic wake-up schedules for devices in sleep mode, staggering their wake-up times to avoid simultaneous WUS transmissions. Devices are assigned different wake-up intervals or offsets, distributing the WUS traffic load across time and preventing network congestion during peak wake-up periods

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The AP performs preliminary scheduling of WUS transmissions based on predicted network conditions and device activity patterns. By planning wake-up times in advance and selecting which devices to wake based on network state, the system avoids situations where multiple devices need to wake simultaneously during high-traffic periods

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4665007A2Networked sleep mode management
Publication Date: 2025.12.17 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC
  • EP4665007A2 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4665007A2 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4665007A2 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

Networked sleep mode management is provided by measuring network conditions for a first Access Point serving a plurality of client devices configured to operate in one of a sleep mode and an active mode; after detecting an amount of network usage devoted to transitioning members of the plurality of client devices from the sleep mode to the active mode satisfies a threshold: receiving a sleep request from a first client device currently in the active mode; and denying the sleep request to force the first client device to remain in the active mode for at least a predefined amount of time.