Interference Reporting for TWT Service Periods in Wi-Fi Networks

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless devices face interference during specific service periods, which affects their ability to receive data with sensitivity, and existing technologies lack efficient mechanisms to report and mitigate such interference.

Innovation Solution

An interference reporting system that allows a station device (STA) to indicate interference to its associated access point (AP), describing interference characteristics like level, accuracy, center frequency, and bandwidth, and enabling the AP to adjust scheduling and link adaptation accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If wireless devices request access to wireless channels during specific service periods, then channel utilization and data transmission increase, but interference from other devices or systems occurs, degrading reception sensitivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechannel utilizationVSAvoidinterference
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the wireless device measures interference levels during TWT service periods and reports these measurements back to the network node. The network node uses this feedback information to adjust scheduling decisions, power levels, or resource allocation, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining high channel utilization and preventing interference degradation of reception sensitivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing TWT agreements that define specific service periods in advance. During these pre-scheduled service periods, the wireless device can prioritize measurements and reports, ensuring that interference assessment occurs before critical data transmissions, allowing the network to proactively adjust parameters to prevent interference-related performance degradation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the station device continuously monitors and reports interference, then interference mitigation accuracy improves, but device complexity and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterference measurement accuracyVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs periodic action by restricting interference measurements and reports to specific TWT service periods rather than continuous monitoring. The wireless device measures interference levels only during these scheduled intervals and reports accordingly, achieving adequate measurement precision for interference mitigation while significantly reducing device complexity and power consumption compared to continuous monitoring approaches

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements dynamics by making the monitoring and reporting behavior adaptive to the TWT schedule. The wireless device dynamically adjusts its measurement and reporting activities based on whether it is in an awake or doze state, performing measurements only when required by the TWT agreement, thereby optimizing the balance between measurement accuracy and device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the access point adjusts scheduling and link adaptation based on interference reports, then data transmission reliability improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission reliabilityVSAvoidscheduling system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses feedback from interference reports to drive scheduling and link adaptation adjustments. The network node receives interference level information from the wireless device and uses this feedback to make informed decisions about resource allocation, power control, and modulation schemes, thereby improving data transmission reliability while keeping the system complexity manageable through rule-based adjustment logic

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements parameter changes by adjusting scheduling parameters (such as resource block allocation, time slot assignment) and link adaptation parameters (such as modulation order, coding rate, power level) based on the received interference reports. These parameter adjustments are made dynamically to maintain reliable data transmission under varying interference conditions without requiring complete redesign of the system architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4535907A1Interference reports during a specific service period with channel usage and target wake time (TWT)
Publication Date: 2025.04.09 INTEL CORP
  • EP4535907A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4535907A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4535907A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to interference reporting. A device for a station device, STA, the device may include processing circuitry coupled to storage, the processing circuitry configured to: generate a channel usage request frame comprising an indication or a report indicating a presence of an interference at the STA, wherein the indication or the report comprises information representative of characteristics of the interference; instruct the STA to send the channel usage request frame to an access point, AP, associated with the STA