Access point notification of wireless stations about availability of data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10306556-B2
Application number	US-201615312634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2016
Priority date	Feb 2, 2016
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

An access point device comprising a transceiver configured to receive and send messages on a communication channel, and a controller configured to cause the transceiver to transmit beacon messages regularly on the communication channel is disclosed. The beacon messages include a first indication that data, for one or more stations arranged to communicate with the access point device over the communication channel, is buffered in a buffer associated with the access point device when data is buffered in the buffer. The transceiver is arranged to transmit at least one utility message, transmitted over the communication channel between transmissions of the beacon messages, wherein the at least one utility message comprises a second indication for at least one of the one or more stations as to whether an upcoming beacon message comprises the first indication that data for the at least one of the one or more stations is buffered in the buffer. The station is arranged to communicate over the communication channel with the access point device, and arranged to apply a power save mode including a Doze state and an Awake state, wherein, when the station is in the Doze state, the station occasionally enters the Awake state for determining whether data for the station is buffered in the buffer and then re-enters the Doze state if no data for the station is indicated to be buffered in the buffer. The station is arranged to perform the re-entering to the Doze state at the first found one of the first indication and the second indication that indicates that no data for the station is buffered in the buffer. Methods and computer programs for the station and the access point device are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An access point device comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive and send messages on a communication channel; and
a controller configured to cause the transceiver to transmit beacon messages regularly on the communication channel,
wherein each of the beacon messages includes a respective first indication for each respective one of a plurality of stations arranged to communicate with the access point device over the communication channel, wherein each respective first indication indicates whether data for the respective one of the plurality of stations is buffered in a buffer associated with the access point device,
wherein:
the transceiver is arranged to transmit at least one utility message, transmitted over the communication channel between transmissions of the beacon messages, wherein the at least one utility message comprises a second indication whether data is buffered in the buffer for any one or more of the plurality of stations.

2. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the second indication comprises an identity such that a repeated second indication is enabled to be discriminated from an updated second indication.

3. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the second indication indicates that the upcoming beacon message comprises one or more first indications that data for the respective one or more stations is buffered in the buffer.

4. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the second indication indicates that no data for any stations of the plurality of stations is buffered in the buffer.

5. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the second indication is present in the utility message transmission as any one of:
a single dedicated sub-carrier,
a single dedicated sub-band,
a single bit, and
overlaid information.

6. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the utility message comprises any one of a data packet and a control packet.

7. The access point device of claim 6 , wherein the control packet comprises any one of:
an acknowledgement frame;
a block acknowledgement;
a block acknowledgement request;
a request-to-send; and
a clear-to-send.

8. The access point of claim 1 , wherein the first indications are comprised in a Traffic Information Map.

9. A method of an access point device, the access point device comprising a transceiver configured to receive and send messages on a communication channel and a controller, the method comprising:
transmitting beacon messages regularly on the communication channel, wherein each of the beacon messages includes a respective first indication for each respective one of a plurality of stations arranged to communicate with the access point device over the communication channel, wherein each respective first indication indicates whether data for the respective one of the plurality of stations is buffered in a buffer associated with the access point device,
transmitting at least one utility message over the communication channel between transmissions of the beacon messages, wherein the at least one utility message comprises a second indication whether data is buffered in the buffer for any one or more of the plurality of stations.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second indication comprises an identity such that a repeated second indication is enabled to be discriminated from an updated second indication.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second indication indicates that the upcoming beacon message comprises one or more first indications that data for the respective one or more stations is buffered in the buffer.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second indication indicates that no data for any stations of the one or more stations is buffered in the buffer.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second indication is present in the utility message transmission as any one of:
a single dedicated sub-carrier,
a single dedicated sub-band,
a single bit, and
overlaid information.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the utility message comprises any one of a data packet and a control packet.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the control packet comprises any one of:
an acknowledgement frame;
a block acknowledgement;
a block acknowledgement request;
a request-to-send; and
a clear-to-send.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first indications are comprised in a Traffic Information Map.

17. A station arranged to communicate over a communication channel with an access point device, and arranged to apply a power save mode including a Doze state and an Awake state, wherein, when the station is in the Doze state, the station occasionally enters the Awake state for determining whether data for the station is buffered in a buffer associated with the access point device and then re-enters the Doze state if no data for the station is indicated to be buffered in the buffer, wherein the station is arranged to make the determining:
from a beacon message when the beacon message is received first after entering the Awake state, which beacon message is regularly transmitted on the communication channel by the access point device, the beacon message including a respective first indication for each respective one of a plurality of stations arranged to communicate via the access point device over the communication channel, wherein the station is one of the plurality of stations, and wherein each respective first indication indicates whether data for the respective one of the plurality of stations is buffered in the buffer, and
from a at least one utility message when the utility message is received first after entering the Awake state, which utility message is transmitted over the communication channel between transmissions of the beacon messages and comprising a second indication whether data is buffered in the buffer for any one or more of the plurality of stations,
and wherein the station is arranged to perform the re-entering to the Doze state at the first found one of the first indication and the second indication that indicates that no data for the station is buffered in the buffer.

18. The station of claim 17 , wherein the second indication comprises an identity such that a repeated second indication is enabled to be discriminated from an updated second indication, wherein the station is arranged to re-enter the Doze state if it is determined that the second indication is a repeated second indication that the station already has read, and else read the second indication and determine whether to re-enter the Doze state based on the second indication.

19. The station of claim 17 , wherein the second indication indicates that the upcoming beacon message comprises one or more first indications that data for the respective one or more stations is buffered in the buffer, wherein the station is arranged to, when the second indication indicates that the upcoming beacon message comprises the first indication, stay in the Awake state and read the upcoming beacon message.

20. The station of claim 17 , wherein the second indication indicates whether no data for any stations is buffered in the buffer, wherein the station is arranged to stay in the Awake state and read the upcoming beacon message when the second indication fails to indicate that no data for any stations is buffered in the buffer, and to re-enter the Doze state when the second indication indicates that no data for any stations of the plurality of stations is buffered in the buffer.

21. The station of

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Butt Naveed
• Smith Bryan
• Wilhelmsson Leif

Classifications

• H04W52/0216 Primary

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04W52/0219

  where the power saving management affects multiple terminals · CPC title

• H04W28/0278

  using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W92/20

  between access points · CPC title

• Y02D70/142

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic