Multi-Link Beacon Timing Alignment for Wireless Device Power Saving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power save schemes for wireless devices in multi-link operations (MLO) are inefficient as they require devices to wake up on multiple links independently, leading to excessive power consumption.
Innovation Solution
Aligning the target beacon transmission times (TBTTs) of multiple links to reduce wake-up times and synchronize power save modes across all active links, optimizing power usage by ensuring beacon frames are transmitted at the same time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If devices wake up on multiple links independently for beacon transmission, then each link can operate autonomously, but power consumption increases due to excessive wake-up times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the beacon transmission operations across multiple links by aligning their target beacon transmission times (TBTTs). Instead of each link operating independently with separate wake-up schedules, the AP synchronizes the TBTTs of all links to occur simultaneously, causing the non-AP MLD to wake up once for all links rather than multiple times independently. This combining of operations reduces both power consumption and wake-up time loss.
2Ease of operation
If beacon frames are transmitted at different times on different links, then each link maintains independent operation, but power save efficiency decreases due to inability to synchronize sleep periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies equipotentiality by making all links operate at the same beacon transmission time level. The AP aligns the TBTTs of all links so that beacon frames are transmitted simultaneously across all links, creating an equipotential state where all links have the same timing reference. This enables the non-AP MLD to synchronize its sleep and wake periods across all links uniformly, greatly improving power save efficiency while the AP handles the coordination complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided an approach for aligning target beacon transmission time (TBTT) for multi-link connection. A method comprises setting up a first link and a second link between an access point (AP) and a wireless device based on multi-link operation (MLO), and obtaining a first TBTT of the first link and a second TBTT of the second link. The method further comprises aligning the first TBTT and the second TBTT at a start time, and then transmitting beacon frames on the first link and the second link according to the aligning of the first TBTT and second TBTT. Embodiments of the present disclosure synchronize and align the beacon TBTTs for different links, and can reduce the wake-up time on all active links, thereby saving power for the wireless device.