Wireless Client Node Unassociated State Power Saving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current WLAN systems operating under the 802.11 standard face inefficiencies in power saving, as client nodes remain in a constant ready state, leading to significant battery drain, despite existing power-saving mechanisms that allow them to switch between sleeping and awake states.
Innovation Solution
Introducing an unassociated state where client nodes can miss multicast or broadcast transmissions, allowing the infrastructure node to store data for later transmission when the node is in an associated state, enabling them to stay in a sleeping state longer and reducing power consumption by minimizing the need for constant wake-ups during beacon signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If client nodes remain in a constant ready state to receive data, then data reception reliability is improved, but battery power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The infrastructure node performs preliminary actions by buffering multicast and broadcast data before the client node wakes up. The AP stores data in a buffer memory during the client's sleeping period, so that when the client wakes up to check for buffered unicast data, the multicast/broadcast data is already prepared and can be delivered immediately, eliminating the need for the client to wake up specifically for multicast/broadcast data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the buffer memory in the infrastructure node - that mediates between the data source and the sleeping client node. This buffer acts as a temporary storage intermediary, holding data until the client is ready to receive it, thus decoupling the data transmission timing from the client's wake-sleep cycle.
2Reliability
If client nodes wake up periodically to check for buffered data during beacon signals, then data delivery is ensured, but power consumption increases due to frequent wake-ups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the multicast and broadcast data delivery function from the periodic beacon signal wake-up cycle. Instead of requiring clients to wake up during beacon signals to receive all types of data, the system separates unicast data (which requires client wake-up and acknowledgment) from multicast/broadcast data (which can be buffered and delivered asynchronously). This extraction allows clients to extend their sleeping periods while still ensuring reliable data delivery.
3Use of energy by moving object
If client nodes stay in sleeping state longer to conserve power, then battery life is extended, but multicast and broadcast data delivery becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The infrastructure node performs preliminary buffering of multicast and broadcast data during the client's extended sleeping period. By storing this data in advance in the buffer memory, the system ensures that when the client eventually wakes up, all pending data is already prepared for delivery, maintaining reliability even with extended sleep durations.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer memory maintains continuous availability of multicast and broadcast data throughout the client's sleeping period. The data remains in the buffer, ready for immediate delivery upon client wake-up, ensuring that the useful action of data delivery is not interrupted by the client's power-saving sleep state.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operation (300) of a wireless communication system (100) includes: a client node sending (301) to the infrastructure node a message indicating that it intends to enter an unassociated state and a message requesting (303) the infrastructure node to store for the client node data of at least one multicast or broadcast transmission to be sent by the infrastructure node while the client node is in an unattached state; the client node entering (317) an unattached state and missing (319) at least one multicast or broadcast transmission while in the unattached state; the infrastructure node storing (323) for the client node while the client node is in the unattached state the data of the at least one missed multicast or broadcast transmission; and the infrastructure node sending (331) the stored data to the client node when the client node is in an associated state.