Wake-up Request Frame for Low Power Wireless BSS Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems lack a mechanism for low power devices to determine whether to wake up and receive management frames, particularly in low power wireless networks, as they often require power-saving modes and lack differentiation in management frame types.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a wake-up request frame that includes specific fields indicating BSS operation information updates, allowing low power devices to determine whether to wake up and receive management frames, such as beacon or public action frames, by configuring fields like the BSS operation information token, type, association identifier, and BSS identifier within the wake-up request frame.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If low power devices wake up to receive all management frames, then they can ensure accurate reception of BSS operation information, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccurate reception of BSS operation informationVSAvoidpower consumption of low power devices

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The access point performs preliminary action by generating and transmitting a wake-up request frame before transmitting the management frame. This wake-up request frame contains indication information about the management frame, allowing the low power device to determine in advance whether it needs to wake up and receive the subsequent management frame, thus avoiding unnecessary power consumption while ensuring accurate reception when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Use of energy by moving object

If low power devices remain in sleep mode to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but they cannot receive management frames with BSS operation information updates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumption of low power devicesVSAvoidBSS operation information updates

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The wake-up request frame serves as an intermediary between the access point and the low power device. It carries indication information about upcoming management frames, allowing the low power device to stay in sleep mode while still being informed about potential BSS operation information updates. The device can then selectively wake up only when relevant updates are indicated, preventing information loss while maintaining power savings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If the access point transmits all management frames to all devices, then all devices receive complete BSS information, but network efficiency decreases due to unnecessary transmissions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomplete BSS information deliveryVSAvoidnetwork efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The wake-up request frame enables local quality differentiation by providing device-specific indication information. Each low power device can determine based on the indication information whether the management frame contains BSS operation information relevant to it. This allows the access point to maintain complete information delivery reliability while improving network efficiency by enabling devices to selectively process only their relevant information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10827428B1Systems and methods for managing basic service sets through wakeup frames in a low power wireless network

Publication Date: 2020.11.03 MARVELL ASIA PTE LTD

AI summary

Embodiments described herein provide a mechanism including the configuration and use of the wakeup request (WUR) frame to announce the transmission of a management frame. Specifically, the WUR frame is configured with information indicating whether the incoming management frame includes new BSS operation information, based on which the low power device may determine whether to wake up the 802.11 WLAN receiver to receive the management frame.