Soft AP Sleep State Beacon Interval Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional Bluetooth and BLE communications suffer from limitations such as limited range, data capacity, susceptibility to interference, and high power consumption, particularly when transitioning between Bluetooth and WLAN links, which can increase latency and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A wireless device operates as a STA associated with a WLAN while functioning as a softAP paired with a peripheral device over a Bluetooth connection, using a sleep state beacon interval longer than the standard WLAN beacon interval to maintain an active WLAN link and reduce power consumption during handover operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the beacon interval is extended to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but link maintenance capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by maintaining the WLAN link in an active state before handover operations are needed. The softAP keeps the beacon interval extended during normal operation to save power, but can quickly revert to standard beacon intervals when handover is required, ensuring both power efficiency and link maintenance capability are preserved through advance preparation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the beacon interval adjustable and adaptable. The softAP can dynamically switch between extended beacon intervals (for power saving) and standard beacon intervals (for active link maintenance) based on operational requirements, allowing the system to optimize between power consumption and link reliability in different states
2Use of energy by moving object
If Bluetooth handover is used to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-maintaining the WLAN link in an active state with standard beacon intervals before handover operations. This ensures that when handover is needed, the link is already prepared and synchronized, eliminating the latency that would otherwise occur during link establishment while still allowing power-saving modes to be used during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the WLAN link as an intermediary mechanism that bridges the gap between power-saving Bluetooth operation and low-latency communication requirements. By maintaining the WLAN link actively during softAP operation, it provides a ready-backup channel that can immediately take over if needed, reducing handover latency while allowing Bluetooth to handle power-efficient communication
Data Source
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AI summary
This disclosure describes techniques for allowing a wireless device and a peripheral device to enter a sleep state while maintaining an active WLAN link between the wireless device and the peripheral device. In some implementations, the wireless device operates as a STA associated with a WLAN while also operating as a softAP. The wireless device selects a sleep state beacon interval based on a handover request, and obtains a next sleep state TBTT based on the sleep state beacon interval and a TSF value of the wireless device. The wireless device sends a message to the peripheral device over the Bluetooth connection, the message indicating the next sleep state TBTT and the sleep state beacon interval, and transmits one or more beacon frames to the peripheral device over the WLAN link during the sleep state based on the next sleep state TBTT and the sleep state beacon interval.