Chained and Delayed Wake-Up Receivers Using Partial Packet Decoding

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Solution Overview

Problem

The increase in the number of wake-up receivers leads to an increase in unnecessary wake-up packet decodes, which decreases the battery standby time of stations (STAs) due to the lack of methods that enable only a subset of STAs to wake up efficiently.

Innovation Solution

Implementing methods and apparatuses that allow only a subset of STAs to wake up by using a wake-up receiver that decodes the medium access control portion of the wake-up packet to determine if it is addressed to itself, thereby reducing unnecessary decodes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If wake-up receivers are increased to enable more STAs to wake up, then wake-up coverage is improved, but battery standby time decreases due to increased unnecessary decodes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewake-up coverageVSAvoidbattery standby time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The wake-up packet is segmented into multiple parts: a first part containing a wake-up radio identifier that all STAs decode, and a second part containing station-specific information. This segmentation allows STAs to quickly identify relevant packets without decoding the entire content, reducing unnecessary processing while maintaining coverage for multiple STAs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The critical identification information (wake-up radio identifier) is extracted and placed in the first part of the packet that is always decoded. The less critical station-specific information is placed in the second part that may be skipped if the first part indicates the packet is not intended for this STA, thereby extracting only the essential decoding requirement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Measurement precision

If all STAs decode the entire wake-up packet, then accurate address matching is achieved, but power consumption increases due to unnecessary decodes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaddress matching accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The wake-up packet structure is divided into a first part with wake-up radio identifier and a second part with station-specific address information. STAs first decode the first part to determine if the packet is relevant, avoiding the energy cost of decoding the entire packet when it is not addressed to them, thus maintaining address matching accuracy while reducing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

STAs perform only partial decoding of the wake-up packet by processing the first part (wake-up radio identifier) and conditionally decoding the second part (station-specific information) only when needed. This partial action approach avoids excessive decoding of irrelevant packets while ensuring accurate address matching when the packet is actually intended for the STA.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4289187B1Methods and systems for chained and opportunistically delayed wake-up
Publication Date: 2025.08.06 INTERDIGITAL PATENT HOLDINGS INC
  • EP4289187B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4289187B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4289187B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

Methods and apparatuses are described herein for chained and delayed wake-up. For example, a station (STA) may determine, at the formation of a group of STAs, a common service period for the group. The STA may determine a deferral time for a first STA of the group. The deferral time may indicate when the first STA wakes up to receive a wake-up packet. The STA may receive, from an access point (AP), during a service period in which the STA acts as a head node for communication with the AP, a wake-up packet addressed to the first STA. The STA may transmit, based on a determination that the deferral time associated with the wake-up packet addressed to the first STA ends after the service period in which the STA acts as a head node, a wake-up command that includes the wake-up packet addressed to the first STA.