WUR Grouping and Frame Compression for Energy Latency Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Wi-Fi networks, devices waste energy due to idle listening, and existing solutions like sleep schedules and low power wake-up radios (LP-WUR) face inefficiencies in energy consumption and network latency, particularly with the legacy 802.11 standards, where the wake-up frames are lengthy and consume more energy than necessary.
Innovation Solution
A wake-up method and apparatus that uses a wake-up frame structure with a WUR identifier field and a wake-up field to selectively wake up primary radios in receiving devices, reducing energy consumption by minimizing the size and frequency of wake-up frames, and optimizing the wake-up process through grouping WURs based on power consumption and latency requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the STA uses a sleep schedule to reduce idle listening, then energy consumption is reduced, but communication latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The AP transmits a wake-up frame to the STA before the STA needs to wake up for data transmission. This preliminary action allows the STA to remain in deep sleep longer while still being ready for communication when needed, reducing both energy consumption and latency.
Solution Approach 2:
A wake-up frame acts as an intermediary signal between the AP and the sleeping STA. This intermediary allows the AP to notify the STA of upcoming data transmissions without requiring the STA to continuously monitor the channel, resolving the contradiction between sleeping and being ready for communication.
2Loss of time
If the STA occasionally wakes up to check for data, then communication latency is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of occasional wake-ups, the system uses periodic wake-up frames transmitted by the AP at scheduled intervals. This allows the STA to sleep continuously and wake up only when notified, eliminating unnecessary wake-ups and reducing energy consumption while maintaining low latency.
3Loss of information
If the WUF uses the beacon frame transmission method, then network information is conveyed, but transmission time increases and network efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The wake-up frame extracts only the essential wake-up notification function from the beacon frame structure. By separating the wake-up notification from the comprehensive beacon information, the WUF can be transmitted much more quickly, improving network efficiency while still conveying the necessary wake-up signal.
Solution Approach 2:
The WUF provides partial information compared to a full beacon frame, but this is sufficient for the wake-up function. The STA receives the essential wake-up notification without waiting for the complete beacon frame, achieving faster transmission and better network efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of this application relate to a wake-up method and apparatus. The method includes: generating, by a transmitting device, a first wake-up frame, where the first wake-up frame includes a WUR identifier field and a wake-up field, the WUR identifier field is used to indicate a WUR in a target WUR group, the target WUR group includes n WURs in WURs of at least one receiving device, the wake-up field is used to indicate whether each WUR in the target WUR group performs a wake-up operation, the wake-up operation is waking up, by a first WUR, a first main transceiver of a first receiving device in which the first WUR is located, the first WUR is any WUR in the target WUR group, and n is a positive integer; and transmitting, by the transmitting device, the first wake-up frame. In the wake-up method and apparatus in the embodiments of this application, the WUR determines, by receiving the wake-up frame transmitted by the transmitting device, whether to perform the wake-up operation to wake up the corresponding main transceiver, thereby reducing energy consumption of the receive end.